The darkness of Duskmire was painful and Arlo had been feeling ill since they first stepped into it. He could tell the Rowan was feeling its weight as well, her feet no longer bloomed flowers where she stepped, and she had stopped speaking. Caed had to carry her most of the way now.
“How long until we are out of this place?” Arlo whispered.
Caed stopped and looked around at the blackness. “We will have to sleep here again tonight, but tomorrow we will reach the other side.”
Rowan whimpered from her spot on Caed’s back.
“Caed, can we not travel through the night?” Arlo asked.
“It’s too dangerous, foul creatures come out in the dead of night. We need to conceal ourselves during the night.” Caed whispered.
Arlo sighed and grabbed onto Caed’s tunic tighter. “Caedmon, she may not last the night.”
Caed stopped and bristled.
“Caed, she’s not doing well,” Arlo whispered again.
“Shh...” Caed commanded.
Arlo silenced himself, wishing now that he had put an extra layer of protection on the barrier.
Caed slowly put Rowan into Arlo’s arms and reached for his bow.
“Caed?” Arlo whispered despite himself.
Caed turned quickly firing an arrow into the blackness. It seemed to hit something. Caed fixed his gaze on the spot where his arrow disappeared. In an instant an arrow ricochet off the protective barrier and before Arlo could blink Caed fired another arrow in the direction of the other hunter. It hit flesh, but there was no thud of a body.
“Keep the girl quiet and safe,” Caed whispered.
“No Caed. If I can’t see you—“ Arlo was cut off by Caed’s hand covering his mouth. His lips tingled where Caed’s fingers touched him.
“He’s listening.” Caed said in barely a whisper. Caed removed his hand slowly from Arlo’s mouth and clasped his bow and arrow tightly, skulking forward and disappearing into the darkness.
Arlo kneeled down with the girl and placed a silencing barrier on her. Why hadn’t he placed a hidden barrier on them, he hadn’t figured that they would be seen, even though Caed himself could see. Arlo wished desperately he could light his orb and see if Caed was alright.
It had felt like forever standing there in terrified silence. He kept waiting to hear Caed’s footsteps coming to them again. He heard the whirring of an arrow as it ricocheted off the protective barrier and then the drop of feet on the forest floor. It wasn’t Caed who was coming near them, Arlo had memorized Caed’s footsteps long ago.
He took a slow inhale of breath, he had no weapons beyond his abilities, and a mage’s abilities were not particularly physical.
“The rogue mage,” a dark voice whispered out. “And his new pet?”
The girl stirred awake and immediately felt the fear that had already overwhelmed Arlo’s body. Arlo clasped onto her tightly and hid her in his own cloak. He couldn’t hear Caed at all, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Caed was already dead. The words Caed had spoken to him that first night were ringing in his ears without his consent now. He couldn’t help the fearful thoughts penetrating his mind. Had Caed betrayed them? He had already said that if it came between his life and the child’s he would pick his own. Had he done this now. Arlo shook his head, he trusted Caedmon to protect them.
The other hunter sighed and Arlo wished desperately he could see anything beyond the blackness.
“You know, the high council wants you alive. I can’t say I understand why. You mage scum are all good for nothing in my opinion.”
Arlo heard the stretching of a bow.
“But they won’t punish me if I tell them you put up too much a fight and I had to kill you to defend myself.” the quiver pulled back tighter.
Arlo didn’t know whether his protection barrier would protect him from a close range arrow like this.
“One less mage to cast a shadow,” the hunter breathed. Arlo closed his eyes, praying to whatever power dwelled within him that his barriers would hold up.
He heard the whimper and shocked suck in of air in front of him, but he could not see what was happening. A thud landed near his feet and he finally heard the ragged breathing of another creature. A wounded creature.
“You talk too much,” Caed panted out. He stumbled towards Arlo falling into him.
“Caed,” Arlo said above a whisper. “Caed.”
“I’m... I will be alright. We have to get to my next hideout.” Caed grasped onto Arlo’s shoulders falling down further. “I cannot carry the girl.”
“I can walk,” she whimpered out.
“Arlo,” Caed grunted, “Help me... please.”
Caed was leaned fully against Arlo now, his chest heaving up and down.
“I need light, I need to heal you.” Arlo said frantically.
“No!” Caed whispered harshly. “We’ve already caused too much commotion. Light will only aggravate more. I’ll guide you.”
Arlo sighed but nodded his head. He wrapped Caed’s arm around him. “Rowan, grab my robes and stay close please.” He commanded the small child next to him.
“There is the hunter’s corpse directly in front of you. Step around him.” Caed whispered.
They continued on that way for hours and hours. Caed getting worse and worse as every moment passed. They all could barely walk as they finally made it to Caed’s final secret hide. Rowan sobbed quietly to herself as Arlo laid out the enchantments at the entrance to the cave, some of which he had written out himself. He put an extra protective barrier around the cave before finally lighting the orb to survey the damage for the first time.
Caed was in bad shape. Worse shape than Arlo had expected. He had blood staining his white tunic underneath where a large piece of an arrow was still sticking out of him. And he had a bleeding stab wound on his lower abdomen. “Rowan, help me remove his tunic.”
The girl did as she was told even though her hands were shaking and her eyes wouldn’t stop welling with tears.
Caed was wheezing now, his eyes going hazy. “Caedmon.” Arlo grabbed his chin and pulled him until their eyes met. “I need you to stay awake for me.”
Caed blinked a couple of times, but gave a weak nod.
Arlo pressed his hands firmly into Caed’s knife wound which elicited a harsh hiss from the black haired faery. Arlo slowed his heart rate and began emitting his healing powers into Caedmon. The warm yellow light glowed from his hands pressing into Caed’s body. It warmed him too and allowed him to feel more alive than he had felt in days inside this forest. Caed breathed a little bit easier as Arlo removed the end of the arrow and healed his other wound as well.
Caed didn’t awake again until far later into the night, he blinked a few times before sitting up slowly to the fire glow. Arlo watched him look towards the girl and then towards Arlo.
“Thank you for healing me.” Caed whispered.
Arlo smiled and continued his work on stitching up Caed’s tunic. “Thank you for saving us.”
“Did you ever doubt I would?” Caed asked giving Arlo that small smile that Arlo had fallen so desperately in love with so many years before.
“Did you ever doubt you would?” Arlo whispered back.
Caed snorted out a silent laugh. “Well, I suppose when the moment finally came my choice had already been made.”
“Didn’t take much,” Arlo jested.
Caed stared at Arlo for a long moment. “My choice was made six hundred years ago.”
Arlo could feel Caed’s heart race within him like it did so many centuries before. Caed leaned forward over the small fire and placed a rough hand against Arlo’s chest.
Arlo’s eyes traveled from the hand on his chest to the green eyes of the faery it belonged to. Caed leaned closer and pressed his lips to Arlo’s.
Arlo couldn’t deny that he had dreamt of what it would feel like to have Caed’s lips on his own again, they were rougher than they once were. But Arlo leaned into the kiss none the less. He dropped Caed’s tunic into his lap and reached a hand around the back of Caed’s neck deepening their kiss, the sweetness of Caed’s lips like euphoria washing over him.
Caed separated them slowly, letting his lips linger on Arlo’s for another moment before finally moving away and leaning against the cave wall once again, staring into Arlo for what felt like the first time again.
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