A/N Chapter 2! Enjoy and Review! Oh, and my updates will probably depend on when I can get access to the internet at school, but I will aim for once a week. Please, please, please review!

Starry Eyed Bunny thanks for the review!

Chapter 2: Hunt

Calumet, with Boe perched on her shoulder, paced slowly around the office, pausing to look out the window at the many acres of farmland below. A single road of packed dirt led the way out of Koli towards the capital, and she sighed. That was the same road the deceitful merchant had taken with her brothers all those years ago, and the sight of it, hardened Calumet's resolve.

A tentative knock at the door drew her attention away from the road.

"Come in."

Her nana's face peeked in, slightly nervous. The woman had always hated the office after that fated day. Finally, she edged all the way in, instinctively hugging the wall, and behind her was Calumet's head farmer, who represented and spoke for all the other farmers. He was a large trustworthy man with a good sense of judgement. They looked to Calumet for her orders, and she came to stand in front of the desk, while Boe flew to land on the windowsill.

Without preface, Calumet started to speak.

"I have decided to go and search for my brothers."

Her nana immediately gasped and started to interrupt, but Calumet held up her hand imperiously for silence. The elderly woman became quieted, and Calumet continued.

"As I was saying, I am leaving today and have no idea how long I will be gone. Koli is prospering because of the gold, and you do not need me to farm. No, don't interrupt."

She turned to the farmer.

"I am leaving you as steward of the castle. You know how to deal with events around here and where things belong. I trust you completely. Nana, you are to keep an eye on the servants and make sure they continue to do their work for my steward. I will try to contact you occasionally to make sure all is going smoothly. That is all. Thank you for your service."

She turned back to the desk abruptly and started to fill a small sack with coins while the two servants stood in shock and Boe cackled at them from the window. Finally, the steward exited the room to prepare for his new duties, but Calumet's nana remained.

"Milady, please don't leave! Your brothers have been missing for six years. Is it really possible that they are still ali–"

Calumet cut her off abruptly.

"No, don't say that! I must try. Nothing you say can convince me to stay. Besides, Koli is in fine hands."

Her tone indicated that topic of discussion was closed.

"Where will you search, milady?" asked the nana, knowing it was fruitless to argue with her stubborn mistress.

Calumet answered from behind the desk where she pulled other objects out of the drawer to pack.

"I am going to start with all the aviaries of the nobles. That merchant would not have simply killed four valuable birds, even if they were humans transformed and stuck in that faerie cage. Now, I will need some flat-bread and dried meats from the kitchen."

The nana scurried out of the room with a worried frown on her forehead. When she came back, a young girl in cotton pants, shirt, and boots with a dusty face stood waiting for her, and she almost dropped the food in surprise. The girl flashed her a rare smile at her reaction, and the nana suddenly recognized Calumet. Boe flew to her shoulder, and crowed his approval of the disguise.

"This way, no one with recognize me. When I disappear, if anyone comes looking for me, though I don't know who would, they will be looking for a noblewoman."

She reached out to where a pot of flowers rested on the desk and patted some of the dirt on her face and hands. After giving her nana a quick hug, she took her food and slung her satchel over her shoulder, and the elderly woman watched from the office window until she saw Calumet riding along the road with Boe in the air above her.

Riam stared into the forest as his horse trotted down the road in the escort of his personal guard. According to his soldier's report, the trespasser and her mount had slipped into the woods, and though he had been lost, the man had found tracks leading into the woods. After that, he had immediately returned to report to Riam, at the manor mile or two away, and the Duke had ridden out with an entourage of soldiers and hunters.

Riam, the Duke of Worl, normally did not involve himself with small matters of security such as trespassers, but recently, guards had warned him of a rider that had appeared at the Koli-Worl border. Even more disturbing, the trespassing girl had been caught in the aviary where he kept his prize hunting birds, a building that was directly below his quarters. Therefore, the trespasser could be considered a threat and possibly an assassin. He could not understand how a stranger could have made it through security to get into the keep of his castle, but moreover, he wanted to know why.

The Duke's hounds, prancing and tugging at their leashes, let up a loud chorus of barks and howls that grated on Riam's already tightly wound nerves, and he scowled. Even though they had been strictly trained from birth, the dogs were dancing about nervously as stray mutts, and Riam knew they were eager for a hunt after being cooped up for the long winter. But the trespasser would hear them coming from a mile away if they continued their ruckus.

"Hunts-master," he barked. "Quiet the dogs."

The Hunts-master swung down from his fleet-footed bay and went to aid his apprentice holding the leashes. Then, the servant leading the way called back.

"Milord, here is where the girl disappeared!"

Riam's pulse quickened, and he kicked his mount, a giant roan charger that was used in the jousting tournaments. The servant pointed out the tracks; Very light on the dry ground but the hoof marks of a horse nonetheless. Riam hopped off the charger and followed the trail into the forest. Faintly, there were boot-prints. The girl had dismounted and waited for the servant to pass before leading her horse deeper into the forest. Glancing up, Riam scanned the dense foliage and realized it was too tangled to ride through at a fast pace. But the girl would not have abandoned her mount, and the horse would slow her down. Riam had servants that could watch their horses. Suddenly, a coal-black raven exploded from the trees nearby, crowing raucously, and Riam could have sworn he heard him screech, "Intruder!"

Shaking his head, the Duke returned to the road with adrenaline pumping through his veins, and ordered for the Hunts-master, his apprentice, and ten of the royal foresters to leave their steeds with the rest and follow him into the wood. The frenzied hounds swiftly caught the scent, as their blood started to race, and they were forever getting tangled in the trees and on each other's leashes. Finally, the Duke gave the order for them to be set loose, and the pack dashed off with wild baying into the trees. Riam and his men were quick to follow.

At the base of a massive knotted oak, older than any man could remember, Calumet had made her camp. A small fire made from fallen branches crackled near her toes in the center of a carefully cleared ring of dirt, and her mare was picketed near patches of fresh grass and a spring. Calumet chewed on a piece of jerky, tired but content. She still wore her cape wrapped about her body, to protect it from the cool night air.

The manor of Worl, though well guarded, was easy for one small farm girl to slip into unnoticed. She had merely joined up with a large group of merchants who frequently traded with the castle and knew the guards. Really, the task of getting in had been simple, but she had nearly been caught in the aviary. That night Calumet had seen the entire aviary, so she could cross Worl off her list of dukedoms still to search.

She knew that her search might be in vain. Her brothers could be dead or in a different country, and even if she did manage to find them, what if she could not change them back to their original forms? Calumet forced herself to bury these gnawing doubts. Worry would not help her.

Calumet's stomach growled menacingly at her, and she was just biting into her dinner when her mare nickered uneasily, starting to dance about on her lead. Calumet watched her carefully, for horses had better hearing than humans did. Suddenly, the mare started to plunge about crazily, pulling on the rope, and then Boe alighted on a nearby branch screeching his warning, the one word he knew.

"Intruder! Intruder!"

Calumet felt a shiver creep down her spine. The whites of the mare's eyes were visible, and her ears were lying flat against her neck, as she frothed slightly at the mouth. Then, the sound reached Calumet's ears also, the sound of hunting dogs. For a moment she froze, and then leapt to stomp out the fire. In a panic, she grabbed her saddlebags before cutting the mare loose.

Calumet glanced about in alarm. Where could she hide that the dogs would not find her? She remembered a cave nearby, and sent the mare off alone into the woods with a slap on its withers, hoping that the dogs would follow the horse and not her own trail. Calumet sprinted through the trees towards where she had spotted the cavern entrance earlier, still clutching her dinner. Boe flew up into the sky after screeching once more.

Calumet's hiding place would be perfect, because even if none of the tunnels led outside, the entrance was just barely big enough for a single person to fit through. Just as the hounds emerged into view, Calumet stooped into the cave. The girl sat down right to the side of the entrance, her knife in her lap, and she pulled her cloak tighter around her body. Outside, the sounds of confusion and chaos had shattered the peace of the forest.

It seemed that the dogs had split up, most heading after the horse, but a few lingered, looking towards the cave. A man's voice quelled the noise, and soon it was quiet once more.

"Which way did the dogs go?"

"They split up, my liege. Most of them went west, deeper into the forest, but these three seem to have picked up a different scent."
Then, someone else, Calumet supposed another servant cried out, "Milord, I have found the remains of a campsite! The coals are still glowing!"

Calumet grimaced, and popped a piece of the dried meat into her mouth. She chewed slowly as she listened to the conversations taking place outside. The noble was speaking again.

"So the trespasser sent her horse off alone?"

Her head shot up, and Calumet realized that they were looking for her and not just hunting wild game! All she had done was trespass! She had not even stolen anything!

"That is what the tracks show, your majesty."

"Let us see where these dogs head, then," decreed the noble voice.

Calumet, reluctant to abandon her meal, wiped her fingers on her black cape and picked up her blade. The hounds were at once at her doorstep, making a raucous commotion at the mouth of the cave. Their barks echoed in the cavern deafeningly, and Calumet was almost dropped her knife to place her hands over her ears. In desperation, she snatched up the jerky and ripped a piece of meat off, tossing it to the dogs. The howls were replaced with snarls of possession and growling. Outside, a voice called excitedly.

"A horse cannot fit in there! Come on men!"

Calumet continued to hold the pack at bay by chucking her dinner at them. Then, all was quiet.

Suddenly, the head of a soldier appeared in the cave, and Calumet hesitated for only a minute with her knife. Then, she sent the hilt of the blade crashing down on his skull, rendering the man unconscious. After a silent apology to the poor man, he tumbled down from her hiding place with a quick shove. The voices outside started up once more.

"Quick, take his pulse!"

"He's bleeding in the back of his head!"

"Is he dead?"

"No, just unconscious. Get me some water for this wound! And a bandage too!"

The flurry of action continued until the noble cut them short.

"Silence!" roared a commanding voice.

Everyone listened to him, even the frenzied dogs. Then, he seemed to be addressing Calumet.

"Trespasser, will you come out?"

Calumet snorted to herself. No way!

"I only wish to know your intentions in my castle. You will make this situation much simpler time if you come out."

The cajoling tone of his voice did not trick the girl, however, and even though they could not see her, Calumet crossed her arms and shook her head no vigorously.

"Will you harm me if I come into the cave?"

In answer to that, Calumet held the knife in plain view, and a wave of nervous laughter reached her ears.

"Then it seems we are at a standstill, Lady Trespasser," he drawled mockingly. "For I will not leave until I get my answers. Consider yourself warned. Men! Set up camp!"

Calumet groaned, but she had to hand it to the man: he was stubborn. Maybe, she reasoned, she could slip out at night.

A/N Chapter #3 next week! REVIEW