The Hidden Ace: Empire Of Ash & Gold

7

Silas joined Noelle in her own car as they were driving to the Prince family mansion. Silas was oddly calm; it wasn't like him to just accept the date like that, but he kept a clear mind.

“I wonder what made you not say a thing while I was working on your brothers.” Silas broke the awkward silence. He was looking at Noelle, trying to know what it was that made her even look at him like he was going to be able to do something about the poison when it wasn't even certain if he would be able to save them.

Noelle turned to Silas, her facial expression changed, and she was smiling.

“Well, one of the household matriarchs said that if you didn't know what was wrong with them, then there was bound to be no cure, and I have never seen her go wrong in my life, so I was going to make sure that I followed her words.”

Silas was surprised to hear all that, a warm smile on his face as he turned out the window.

“I didn't know someone had that much faith in me.” He was at ease, trying to put his mind through everything he was going to expect.

The car suddenly came to a stop. Noelle was surprised when the car stopped almost immediately.

“What is the meaning of this?” She was looking at the driver; turning to the front, she could see something odd. It was a blockade, and there were men in front of it.

“What is the meaning of this?” Noelle opened the car door and stepped out.

Silas looked out the car window; he counted six men. He let out a sigh as he got ready to get out of the car.

“What do you think you are doing?” Noelle was asking one of the men; she was looking at them. Trying to see what they would say was their problem, but the men didn't speak.

“Mr. Vance wants us to bring you with us.” One of the men spoke up; he had an eyepatch and scars on his arms and neck.

“He said you have slyed him for long, and it is high time you came to him.” Eyepatch kept talking; Noelle was looking at the man.

“Excuse me?” Noelle took a step back; she knew who it was that sent the men for her, but what she failed to understand was why he would even think of doing something like that.

Eyepatch grunted as he rubbed his forehead; he turned back to Noelle as he walked close to her. “We aren't here to waste time, so why don't you—”

“Gentlemen, that is no way to speak to a lady,” Silas spoke up as he walked out of the car, a faint smile on his face.

The men turned to Silas; it was one man, and he looked like someone who was not going to be able to do anything to them.

“Who in the world is this?” Eyepatch turned to look at Silas; he didn't know what he would call the man he was looking at.

Silas walked close to Noelle; he was not sure if those men were even going to let her walk away freely.

“I don't want problems with you, so why don't you leave—”

Before Silas could finish talking, Eyepatch spat on his face. Silas stopped in his tracks; he didn't expect anyone to do something like that to him.

“You should know who you are talking to before you open your filthy mouth to speak.” Eyepatch cackled as he looked at Silas cleaning the spit from his face.

Eyepatch turned back to Noelle, looking at her; he was not going to take no for an answer. He took Noelle’s left hand; the look in his eyes was that of pure rage.

“I told you that he wants to see you; this entire meeting has been delayed, and he is not in the mood to play games with you!”

Noelle was struggling to take her hand from the man. She knew it was going to be a useless struggle, and there was nothing she would be able to do to make them let her go, and it was not going to be easy.

“Unhand me now, you brute!” Noelle was trying to break free from the man’s grip, but it was of no use; he held her tight. “You can’t do this!”

“Aww, she wants to fight back…” Eyepatch began laughing mockingly, prompting his men to join in. They mocked Noelle, looking at her fight back. “Who’s going to save you? The weak shit man over there? He doesn't have the balls to—”

Wham!

Before Eyepatch could finish his sentence, Silas had kicked him clear in the face. The man’s grip on Noelle loosened as he fell to the ground.

Noelle staggered back as she looked up to see something that seemed rather scary; the once calm and collected Silas was now another man.

“Mr. Silas?” She called out, looking at him.

The men, seeing their boss on the floor, didn't want to do anything but pull their guns out of the holsters.

“Are you crazy?!” One of the men roared as he pointed the gun at Silas. He was looking at the man in front of them, and it was clear something was about to happen.

“Make sure you're going to use those…” Silas muttered as he slowly folded his sleeves.

The man’s brows raised when he heard what Silas said. “What are you yapping about?”

Silas glared at the men; his once calm face looked like a storm that couldn't be tamed.

“Guns are tools used to take lives, so make sure you use them well,” Silas spoke up once more.

The men looked at each other; they turned to look at Silas, but they didn't see him there anymore.

“What in the world?”

Like a blur, Silas appeared behind the men; he proceeded to deliver deadly blows to each one of them. He took down each of the five of them.

Noelle, who was watching, didn't even know what was going on; the only thing she saw was a blur, then the men were on the floor.

“Ms. Prince,” Silas called out.

“Yes?” Noelle was looking at Silas; she didn't know what he was going to say.

“I won’t be able to join you for dinner; take your driver and leave this place,” Silas said, looking at the men. His face was cold, and his tone detached. “I apologize, but I would love to take care of these pieces of trash.”

Noelle didn't know what was going to happen, but it was clear he wasn't going to be letting them go easily.

“I will meet you at the party tomorrow, then?” Noelle asked.

Silas turned to look at her with a smile on his face. “I will meet you there.”

Noelle smiled as she walked to her car and entered; the driver fired up the engine, and they left the scene.

Silas turned back to the men on the floor, walking to Eyepatch, who seemed to be waking up. He bent down to look at him, yanking him by his collar.

“I didn't want to know who sent you here; I wanted to make sure I would avoid anything that would look like a conflict. But now—” Silas pulled the man up in the air.

“You are going to take me to the fool who orders your sorry asses around.” Silas had a sinister smile on his face.

Down in the rundown alleys of Sintril, a big warehouse can be seen with men guarding it. Not less than 40 men were guarding the warehouse; inside was none other than Ezio Donte.

He was a man who believed that anyone could be hired and used, a very deceptive man who knew his way around the block.

“Have Hector and his crew come back yet?” He was looking at the man standing close to him.

The man shook his head; he handed Eizo a cigar. “They haven't yet come back, and Vance has made the full payment for that lady so—”

The man was cut off when he heard gunshots and screams of terror coming from the outside. He turned to the door, pulling out his gun.

“What in tarnation is that?” Eizo was on the edge of his seat; he had a gun in his hand, waiting for whoever would come through.

The man with him was walking to the front to see if he would spot anything odd.

The door was kicked open, and a man was seen standing there with nothing but a long sword in his hand.

“So you’re Eizo,” The man said with a smile on his face. He looked up, and it was revealed that half of his face was covered with a mask. “I expected more…”

“Die, you bastard!” The man yelled as he pulled the trigger, but the man moved like a blur, appearing behind the man.

“So all of you are lousy shooters?” The masked man had a smile on his face.

“What the—” The surprised man was about to talk, but he was knocked out cold.

The masked man turned to Eizo; he was looking at him with a smile on his face.

Eizo was filled with fear to even move; he was looking at the man in front of him, and he knew who it was.

“I didn't do anything wrong, so why is the Prince of Ash here?!” Eizo went to his knees as he began pleading. “Please, don’t kill me. I thought they said you had been dead for the past three years. So what have I done to bring you here?”

The masked man was right in front of him. He leaned over and whispered something into Eizo’s ear.

“I want to know something, Eizo.” The man was still smiling.

Eizo shaking like a child in front of a monster. He looked up to look at the man.

“Yes, sire?”

“Is Vance the only one who has paid you to abduct someone?”