Third Person's POV
After checking on Theo—who was still fast asleep, his small form curled up under the blankets—the young lad quietly left the cottage, pulling his cloak tightly around him to ward off the chill. He needed to act quickly. Every moment he delayed was another moment those children were in danger.
Vaeri was a small town, the kind where everyone knew each other, and news traveled fast. The young lad knew that if anyone had seen or heard anything unusual in the past few days, they would have mentioned it to their neighbors. His first stop was the town square, where a few early risers were already beginning their day. The baker's wife was setting out loaves of bread on a small cart, and a blacksmith was preparing his forge for the day's work.