The Hunters

Chapter 21

Adriana

Eros made quick work of strapping some supply bags to Venus's neck before settling himself at the front, with me behind and Emily between us, a piece of rope strapping her to me (to her loudly expressed disdain). Within no time, we were up in the air, my sister's previous complaints forgotten as she enjoyed the feeling of the wind and watching the landscape shift around us in awe. Kellen and Kata took the lead below us, looking no larger than a speck of dust from where we were.

It didn't take long for us to cross into the Unseelie kingdom. If it hadn't been for Eros announcing the fact from the front, I'd never have known it - the kingdom, from air at least, largely matched the scenery I have seen from flying on Venus before. Of course, when we closed in on the area of our destination it was a different matter - we had to dismount Venus once we reached the more densely populated area that, surprisingly, was not too dissimilar to a human city. We then sent Venus back to find Mahlia.

As of right now, Emily and I are under a glamour that Eros put on us to make us look like fey - something he told me Mahlia showed him some years ago to help with his 'hunting' duties. It's really quite strange, seeing Emily with pointed little elf ears, her eyes glowing a brighter blue than usual. What's even weirder though is how much it suits her. I don't even know what to think; I had expected it to look more foreign or out of place to me, but she looks as if she almost belongs here. Perhaps the glamour just plays on the childish innocence that is common for her age. I on the other hand look a little alien - I caught my reflection in a window - not that anyone seems to have noticed. My appearance hasn't even changed much, but the pointed ears and brighter green of my eyes seem off putting. I didn't understand at first why I had to be changed - Eros looks pretty human-like after all being a High Fey, but he quickly told me that because there aren't many of that status, seeing a 'new' one would raise suspicion.

As we walk through the streets, I have to say I'm once again surprised by our surroundings. It isn't at all what I had imagined. The more I see of this world, the more I question every pre-concieved idea I had about what it entails. The city is much busier than Kata's quaint village, with so many elves rushing about. Some wear dark business attire, wearing stern expressions. Dispite there being so many people, the area is eerily quiet, with nobody socialising much at all. The roads are also full of vehicles looking exactly like cars; they don't have exhausts or appear to operate in the same way as they would back home; some don't even have wheels, hovering instead as if by magic, contributing to the quiet. Although, saying that, I suppose they could quite literally run on magic.

There doesn't seem to be as many different types of fey wandering about as there were in Kata's village. The city mostly appears to house elves. Eros never explains why this is, instead opting to keep a keen eye out for anything suspicious and for once I feel he might actually be ignoring everything going on in my head. He seems incredibly tense, constantly on guard. I can never quite tell how necessary that is. Many of the elves, while looking at him with a quiet acknowledgment, pass by without second thought. I do wonder how many here actually have an inclination of the motives for his visiting.

A little tug draws my attention; I look down, noticing Emily pulling on my shirt and looking off to our left, whimpering. I hold on to her hand tightly before following her gaze - a group of male elves are sitting around a table outside of what looks like a small, dreary café. Most of them appear to be minding their business, save for one. In any other circumstances he may seem completely normal, blending into the crowd. However, I can't help but notice the familiarity of the sheer white colour of his eyes. There's barely any colour to them at all.

The elf's stare stays fixated on Eros, paying little attention to Emily and I. Eros pays him no mind, but this somehow makes the matter even more unsettling. He's surely aware of the man's presence.