Shadowseeker

chapter nine

"Aelia! Elior's here!"

"Coming!"

Aelia glanced at her open door for a brief moment before returning her attention to her full-length mirror. She was wearing a cropped white cami top with spaghetti straps, paired with a flowy yellow skirt that fell just below her knees. Her gaze fell on the sun pendant that her mother had given her, which rested just below her collarbone. It glinted in the sunlight that filtered in through the window, causing her to smile softly. The bags under her eyes weren't so bad today; she had spent a few nights away from training to regain her energy.

She flicked her hair behind her shoulders before turning and leaving her room, heading downstairs to where Elior and her father were stood together, conversing quietly. They broke off when Aelia appeared.

"Hey, Eli!" Aelia pushed away her exhaustion from the training exercise that she completed last night, smiling brightly at her father as she passed him in the hallway.

"You two, be careful. Who knows what's hiding in the filthy slums of the city." Verner's nose wrinkled as he spoke, his disgust clearly visible. Aelia's heart fell momentarily, the faces of the Seekers flashing through her mind, but she kept up a smile anyway.

"It's okay, Mr Astor. Velius is with us, just in case," Eli reassured him with a glance at Aelia, "He's one of the best Hunters I know."

"Good," Verner nodded, seemingly satisfied with this arrangement. He looked over at his daughter, his bushy eyebrows furrowed. "Be back before dusk. We don't want anything else happening to you."

"Thank you, father," Aelia graciously took Eli's arm as he offered it to her. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Verner didn't respond but nodded to the pair as they left the house, making their way down to the main gate.

"Good morning, Vel!" Aelia grinned at the Hunter, who was standing to attention outside the gate. She untangled her arm from Eli's as he turned to close the gate. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you Ms Astor," Velius responded. He saluted, as was custom, but he broke into a smile as Aelia rolled her eyes at him.

"You know how much I hate the formalities," Aelia complained half-heartedly, though Vel shrugged. He couldn't do anything about it.

Elior returned to where Aelia and Vel were standing. He smiled at Aelia, though his gaze flicked to Velius, who had averted his gaze.

"I'll find some time for you two to be alone together," Aelia stood on her tiptoes as she murmured to Eli, her tone sympathetic.

Eli remained silent, though his nodded gratefully.

"So, where have we agreed to meet the others?" Aelia asked, her tone light as she tried to change the subject.

"I believe it was that new coffee shop that's just opened in the town centre," Velius responded, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Oh, yeah! The Three Crowns Cafe, I think it was," Eli nodded in agreement. "It's supposed to be really good."

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go." Aelia adjusted the straps of her top as they headed off in the direction of the town centre.

-

"Is this the place?" Aelia asked with a glance at Eli, nodding to a small, slightly worn looking building that was tucked in amongst the other, flashier shops and restaurants. The wooden panels were crooked, running up the side of the building and occasionally clashing with each other.

"Yep. Look, there are three crowns carved into the sign," Eli responded, gesturing to a small, faded sign that swung gently in the breeze. "I think the others are already there."