CHAPTER-3
1053 Words
Shadows of Alliance**
Ryder’s POV
Ryder, Damon, and I headed back into town via the strangely calm streets of Silverwood. Long shadows were created across the cobblestone walkways by moonlight seeping through the trees. There was tension, everyone of us absorbed in our own thoughts.
Eventually disturbing the quiet, Damon stated, "We need a plan." Though I could hear the undercurrent of desperation, his voice was steady.
Ryder nodded and peered about us with a trained attentiveness. Mara won't be concealed for very long, he said. "She'll be organising her next action, and it won't be long before she strikes again."
I balled my hands, rage rising within of me. Low and resolute, I said, "We can't let her get away with this." After what she did, not.
Damon clenched his teeth and fixed his eyes. We won't, he swore. "First though, we must have additional details. Determine Mara's and her pack's hiding place."
Ryder cast a knowing gaze at me. "I have some contacts," he said quite subtly. Those who might be aware of Mara's holed up location.
Good, Damon said in a firm voice. Split up, please. Lila, Ryder and you find those contacts. I'll look about town to see if I can find any leads."
The weight of our task bearing down on me, I nodded. I warned, "Be careful," a worried tone in my voice.
Damon nodded comfortingly at me and then vanished into the darkness. I looked at Ryder, then we both headed out of town to where his contacts were supposed to be.
Every step on the stressful trip took us closer to the center of peril. We went quickly, Ryder in the front with a cool head. He gave me the all-clear to wait as we got close to an old, deserted warehouse on the outskirts of town.
Ryder said, "Stay here," his voice low. "I'll do what I can."
Fear and excitement hammering in my heart, I nodded. I was alone myself with my thoughts as Ryder vanished into the night. I waited, the only sound to break the quiet being the far-off hoot of an owl. Minutes became into hours.
At last Ryder came out of the darkness, his face gloomy. "I have a lead," he declared bluntly. "Mara's been holed up to the north in an abandoned mining complex. Although very guarded, we can in."
I looked at Ryder, doubts sprinkling across my eyes. "Do you think we can trust your contacts?"
Ryder stiffened his jaw and his eyes. He said, "They owe me," his voice icy. "They won't turn on us."
I nodded anyhow, putting my doubts in his judgment. My voice steady, I said, "Let's go."
We headed straight and quickly north. Tension was palpable, and every second that went by brought us closer to the center of the threat. We approached the former mining complex with the moon high in the sky, illuminating the surroundings in a silvery glow.
Ryder said, "Here," pointing to a group of trees. We'll come in that way.
Fear and resolve hammering in my heart, I nodded. We moved together through the shadows, dodging Mara's guards' observant gazes. Aged walls of the structure loomed before us.
Ryder abruptly said, "Wait," putting his hand on my arm. Attend.
I tried to hear voices floating on the wind. Staying low to the ground, Ryder motioned for me to follow as we drew nearer. I peered through a wall c***k to see Mara and her pack arranged in a poorly lit room with plans and maps laid out in front of them.
In the quiet, Mara said, "We strike tomorrow," her voice icy and calculated. "What hit the humans won't know."
Fury blazing in my chest, I stared with a chill down my spine. Ryder's hold on my arm became more firm, his eyes riveted to Mara.
We can't let this to happen, I said in a hardly audible whisper.
Ryder gave a glum nod. His voice low, "We need to act fast," he said. "As soon as possible."
Abruptly the ground gave way under us, a far-off roar resonating throughout the building. I knew what was happening—the building was falling and we were stuck—and my heart skipped a beat.
"Ryder!" Panic building in my chest, I sobbed.
Taking my hand, he drew me in the direction of the closest exit. Above the sound of cracking walls, he said, "We have to get out of here."
We hurried through the collapsing passageways, swerving around the mayhem. The facility's scream got louder, as if it may swallow us up in its wake. Ryder, though, held on tight as we got closer to the door.
As soon as we stepped outside, the ground broke way under us. As we plunged down a steep embankment and struck hard at the bottom, I cried out. My legs ached, but excitement kept me going.
Would you mind? Ryder inquired, his voice frantic.
Nodding, I got up. Fear gripping my throat, I replied, "We have to go back." "Mara is immobile."
Divided as he was between our safety and our goal, Ryder hesitated. Ultimately, he answered, "We'll find another way," his voice low. "But we can't do it by ourselves."
I glanced at him, doubts sprinkling across my gaze. Ryder had shown himself a useful ally despite our disagreements. We had the opportunity together to permanently stop Mara and her pack.
Despite the internal conflict, I said, "Let's go," my voice steady. "We'll locate Damon, assemble our men, and eliminate Mara before she launches another attack."
Ryder gave a gruff nod. Resolved, he said, "Agreed." "We must, however, move quickly. Mara won't stay under wraps for very long."
The air heavy with anxiety and urgency, we headed back to town under cover of darkness. The lives at risk and Mara's next action whirled through my head. Ryder and I stayed to the shadows as we got closer to Silverwood's fringes, watching for any danger.
We have to find Damon, I murmured softly, disturbing the stillness. He might have come across anything useful.
Ryder nodded, his eyes darting about our surroundings. "I agree," he said. Our best opportunity of halting Mara before she strikes will be with him."
Ignorantly, she had blurted, "We strike tomorrow." "What hits the humans won't know."
- Writer
