Caed felt like he had barely shut his eyes before there was a banging at his door.

“Wake up, hunter!” He heard the sentries voice outside of his small room.

He groaned and sat up, his head still swirling with the ale he had finished only hours earlier. “Fuck...” he grumbled as he stumbled to the door and swung it open. “What?” He bellowed at the sentry on the other side. It wasn’t even light yet.

The sentry seemed bristled by Caed’s appearance. “You’ve been summoned by the high council.”

“I was just there. Why do they want me back?” Caed asked. He scooped his brown hooded cloak off the dirty floor and brushed it off.

“Do you think I know...” the sentry said before flying away, his wings glistening in the moonlight.

Caed grumbled and threw his cloak over his shoulders, letting his own wings shake their way out. He hated flying drunk, but the high council would have his head if he took all the time to walk up to the inner rim. So he shakily rose into the air, at this height he could see the early glints of morning over the horizon beyond the realm. He stumbled into his landing, running into a couple of mage assistants outside the doors, one crinkled his nose but said nothing as he opened the door for Caed. His eyes searched for the dark purple ones of Arlo, but they were nowhere to be seen.

“Hunter.” High Finley began. “You’re needed once again.”

Caed said nothing. He wasn’t permitted to speak in the high council chamber.

“The girl has escaped.” High Finley continued on. “We need you to find her and dispose of her.”

Caed wished desperately at this moment that he hadn’t decided on drinking instead of sleeping earlier that night.

“H-how?” He asked despite himself.

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed. “She... wasn’t alone.”

Caed was led down by a mage into the cellar he had left only hours before.

Sentries had fallen into an unnatural sleep, and the iron bars that had held the girl were now opened.

“Arlo did this?” Caed asked.

“He’s more powerful than he looks.” The mage responded. “He took the girl and left sometime in the night. When the sentries were found he was no longer in the realm.”

“Why would he do this?” Caed asked.

“Why isn’t your concern, hunter. You are tasked with finding them and finishing the execution of the child.”

“And the mage?” Caed asked.

“The high council want him brought back alive.” The mage said. “Don’t underestimate the mage. He is one of the most powerful faeries I’ve ever seen.”

“I know.” Caed said walking out of the cellar.

Caed flew back to his small home in the lowest level. He opened the door, and grabbed his pack and his bow and quiver of arrows. He took a deep breath and let his head fall against the large wooden chest. He opened it and looked inside, there were piles and piles of envelopes, his name penned out in beautiful green ink on each one.

“What were you thinking, Arlo?” Caed whispered out before slamming the chest shut and throwing his pack and quiver over his shoulders. He shut the door to his small single room home before letting his wings stretch out. He took off flying straight into the air, the feeling of the cool morning breeze whipping at his skin. He dropped out of the sky and to the ground as he exited the realm. He looked back, but all he could see was the wood now, thanks to the protection of the mages.

The sentries liked the think of themselves as the protectors of the realm, but the mages were the ones who kept the realm safe and secret. He turned and began walking towards the edge of the wood, keeping an eye on his surroundings.

It had been hours of walking, and flying high up to try and see anything that would hint him towards where Arlo had gone. Arlo had covered any tracks he had made well. He finally saw glimmer down below against a tree. He dropped himself down to the branch and ran his fingers against the golden glimmer left by wings. He felt the soft brushing of magic and looked forward.

They couldn’t be far now, the glimmer hadn’t dissolved into the tree yet. Caed closed his eyes and listened intently. He listened to the woods around him, hearing past the birds, and the wind blowing through the trees. He finally heard the patter of the child’s feet. He had memorized it when he first found her. He followed the sound slowly, trying to save space between them. He couldn’t risk losing the element of surprise. Arlo would already be on alert as the morning had come. He could barely hear Arlo’s soft steps, he was treading lighter than normal, clearly trying his best to be silent. And for a lesser hunter, he probably would have succeeded, but Caed was the best, and even with his head pounding from last nights poor decisions, nothing could get past him. He fluttered to the next tree, listening intently. They were moving again. He fluttered to tree after tree until he was right on top of them. They were on foot, and they were running again. He knew he hadn’t been found out, but he stood back and let them get a ways ahead of him. He watched Arlo look around as he ushered the girl forward more. He hid himself deeper into the trees as Arlo’s dark purple eyes scanned for him. Arlo knew they would send Caed. He was smart.

He watched and waited until they got farther ahead before fluttering to the next tree, leaving the golden glimmer of his wings on the trees behind him.