HIDDEN HER

Chapter6(The Search)

A full moon plumped yellow in the inked sky. It illuminated the entire palace of Hillswirls with an ethereal glow. Ace, however, pulled tighter his cloak about his shoulders as the fresh autumn breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying with it that slight scent of pine and cold earth.

Though Lord Duca had suggested he rest for the day, Ace couldn't resist the warrior's voice from the training ground. Their hostile voice and stomping feet sound drew his heart closer to them. The memories of war experience had woken him, the excitement he got at the battle field. Slighting his sword at his enemy's throat, body and confidence

Unbidden memories flooded in: the thrill of the battle, the exhilaration of a blow struck that found its mark, the camaraderie he once had with Leo;his brother, his traitor. Bitter was the taste of that betrayal, and his thoughts soured as he gripped the sword tightly.

He shook his head to drive away the past like cobwebs and focused instead on the present. Hillswirls was not much like any pack he had come across. These warriors trained with zeal, laughter travelling in the air between sharp peals of slicing steel. They were a little joyful and conjoined even in battle, which is glaringly opposed to the fractured and demoralized pack behind him.

Ace was admiring Lord Duca even as watched the warriors at their activities. "He is just not a ruler; he has made something beyond my comprehension: a broken bond.

It was a thing that he had to learn from Lord Duca if he were ever to reclaim his title as Alpha and restore his people's lost dignity. Perhaps becoming closer to the Hillswirls warriors was the first step. But tonight had another mission for Ace: to hunt for the cloaked archer who had saved him.

Earlier in the day, the search had been dismissed by Ace's newly appointed personal guard as nothing but "foolish." How could you be sure that such an archer was from Hillswirls? The guard had asked. Ace had no definitive answer, just an unshakeable instinct in his gut.

When introduced to palace women by Lord Duca, Ace had tried to remain polite, but then he discovered none of them felt right. Charming, elegant women with eager eyes turned unto him, but he could not excite his heart. That was before, however, in the presence of the mysterious archer: Her bravery, her concern, and her standing fearless in the face of danger it had all influenced.

All he had was that she resembled Princess Ava. Both were slender and delicate-looking, and that was where quite a bit of the similarity ended. Ava radiated fragility and detachment, while the cloaked warrior emitted strength and fire.

—

The training grounds sprawled before him, a bedlam of activity. Warriors of every rank brought their swords into sparring match precision and passion, the ringed out sounds under the moon being as the cries of angry battle. Ace paused long enough to admire the weapons that's neatly displayed on racks-glistening swords, finely hewn bows, axes keen-sharp enough for deadly perfection.

"Hillswirls means business," Ace thought, with his lips curving into a faint smile.

There was a moving object, then, as he scuffed through the humongous crowd. Worked into the dark side of the training grounds was a cloaked shadow. His heartbeat quickened. Instinct told him it was her.

"Get after that figure!" he barked to his guard, gesturing for the man to take another path.

Ace followed the cloaked figure through the packed courtyard. It moved in an agility and like a fish swam through the waters between warriors into the sides of the grounds where it got even darker. His pace quickened again, heart pounding- not from being out of breath, but from expectation.

Finally, the figure turned sharply into a narrow alley lined with storage sheds. Ace followed, his steps light and deliberate. At the end of the alley, the figure stopped, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

ACE slowed his approach and put his hand across his sword in instinct. "I was looking for you," he softly said, his voice steady despite the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

The figure cloaked turned, the moonlight casting its glow upon her, catching Ace's view of the piercing emerald eyes under the hood. His breath hitched. He had never seen this kind of intensity in gaze before.

"You shouldn't have," but she further said, "We have nothing in common." Her voice was low, yet firm, laced with caution.

"Don't we?" Ace said, stepping in closer, "You saved my life. That's not something I can forget."

The woman stiffened, fingers twitching at her side. "It wasn't personal. I'd do the same for anyone."

That one he didn't believe-not for a second. There was something in her tone, a c***k in her armor, that told him otherwise. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice softer now, almost pleading.

The figure hesitated, her gaze flickering past him as though weighing her options. Then, without another word, she turned and and disappeared into the shadows. Ace started to follow, but suddenly, a voice stopped him.

"That's enough for tonight," his guard said from the other end of the alley. "You won't get more out of her now."

Ace's jaw tightened, frustration gnawing at him, but he knew the guard was right. He had found her—but only just. The answers he was looking for would take time.

Later, Ace sat alone in a busy courtyard with incoherent thoughts of his surrounding feel. The events of the night left him more perplexed than relieved. Who was she? Why did she save him? Why does he think he was destined to come across her?

He gazed around, observing the Hillswirls wolves. They were so wrapped up in their laughter and good cheer that he kind of compared that life with his own broken pack. Alpha Boston, Ace his father, was good in strength as a leader, but he was not like Lord Duca, who knew how to tie people up as family.

Ace had steeled himself; he would learn from Lord Duca, not only for himself, but for his own pack as well. And the cloaked warrior? He would get to see her once again. It was meant for them to meet once by chance; it was going to be by chance again.