They Found Me
728 Words
Aelin’s POV
I knew something was wrong before anyone said a word.
Ashen Veil had its own rhythm—a quiet pulse I’d grown attuned to over the past days. Footsteps were usually light. Voices low. Even arguments carried a sense of restraint.
That morning, the air felt… fractured.
Whispers moved faster than people. Doors closed more often. Eyes followed me when they thought I wasn’t looking.
I tried not to let it get to me.
I focused on small things instead—tying my hair back, smoothing the fabric of my tunic, breathing steadily as I crossed the courtyard toward the infirmary. The warmth inside me was restless today, shifting uneasily, as if responding to something unseen.
Eira met me halfway, her expression unusually serious.
“We need to talk,” she said.
Not later. Not when you’re free.
Now.
She led me past the familiar paths, deeper into the settlement, toward the stone hall used only when decisions affected everyone. The doors were already open, and the moment I stepped inside, the weight of attention settled heavily on my shoulders.
I resisted the urge to retreat.
Several elders stood near the central table, their postures tense. At the far end of the room, a young scout paced back and forth, his scent sharp with adrenaline.
“They crossed the southern boundary,” he was saying. “Three of them. Masked. Moving fast.”
My stomach tightened.
“Crossed from where?” someone asked.
The scout swallowed. “Obsidian territory.”
The name hit me like a physical blow.
I felt the bond stir sharply, then still.
Silence followed.
Every gaze in the room shifted toward me.
Eira placed a hand on my back—not possessive, just steady. “What exactly did you see?” she asked the scout.
“They weren’t warriors,” he replied. “No pack markings. But they carried sigils. Old ones.”
My skin prickled.
Hunters.
Not the kind that sought pelts or trophies—but information. Trackers who sold secrets to the highest bidder. They specialized in finding those who didn’t want to be found.
And I had once belonged to one of the most powerful packs in the region.
“They didn’t breach the inner perimeter,” the scout continued. “But they were searching. Calling out.”
Calling out?
My throat went dry.
“What were they saying?” Eira asked quietly.
The scout hesitated, then looked straight at me.
“Aelin.”
The sound of my name echoed too loudly in the hall.
I hadn’t realized how deeply I’d hoped my disappearance would go unnoticed.
I was wrong.
“They know who you are,” one of the elders said gravely. “Which means someone wants you found.”
My chest tightened painfully.
Kael.
Or the Council.
Or both.
Eira turned to me, her voice calm but unyielding. “Did anyone outside this valley know where you were headed?”
“No,” I said immediately. “I didn’t even know myself.”
She nodded once. “Then they followed the bond.”
The words settled heavily in my stomach.
I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly aware of how exposed I felt. Not just emotionally—but physically. As if something fragile inside me was being hunted too.
“We can move you,” someone suggested. “Deeper into the mountains.”
“No,” Eira said. “Running will only confirm their suspicions.”
Her gaze met mine. “We protect what is under our roof.”
Something in my chest loosened at that.
But fear still curled low and tight.
That night, guards doubled their patrols. Fires were kept low to avoid drawing attention. The settlement moved with quiet urgency, preparing without panic.
I sat alone in my room, knees pulled to my chest, listening to the wind move through the valley.
The warmth inside me pulsed faster than usual, unsettled.
I placed a hand over my abdomen again—this time without flinching.
“I won’t let them take you,” I whispered, not sure who—or what—I was speaking to.
The bond stirred faintly in response.
Not pain.
Not longing.
Awareness.
Somewhere far beyond Ashen Veil, I knew—without knowing how—that Kael felt it too.
And this time, he would not be able to ignore it.
- Writer
