Ascendio - Book 1

PROLOGUE

A cloaked, hooded man stands in front of a tall tree. The forest surrounding him is dark, and I can't make anything out. His boots are covered in a dark, sticky substance, and even floating above the clearing I can smell the blood. A ginger-haired girl, her bright green eyes cutting through the dark like flashlights, turns to the man.

"Master," she says, as easily and commonly as if she had just said 'Hello' to a neighbor on the street. "I believe our plan is nearly ready to be put into action."

"Wonderful." The man's voice was silken smooth, which scared me more than if it had been gravelly. It was deep, like a bass singer. He turned his face to the side to address the girl, and although his head was directly in my line of sight, his features were blurred--like my brain was telling me I didn't want to see him, didn't want to recognize this man.

The girl swished her long hair back, onto her shoulders. She looked about fourteen, which marked her as a fourth-year, and her Hogwarts tie was a deep green. Unlike normal Slytherin ties, however, this one was marked with gold, like someone had decided to take special notice to this girl. She waited patiently while the hooded figure The man continued his thoughts after a moment.

"We will set our plan in motion when the school year starts,"  he said. I could've sworn I saw the cloth around his arms tighten, like he had clenched his hands into fists. "You have your instructions. I presume I can trust you. Don't let me down."

The girl nodded, clasping her hands together. "Of course. Is there anything I should tell M--"

The man shushed her suddenly, his eyes flicking up to the sky, a few feet away from where I watched, floating. "You don't know what protections they have put in place... But yes, you may tell 'M'," He pronounced the letter strangely, as if amused, despite the danger his operative had just place whoever they were talking about in. "about our plans."

The girl nodded, schooling her face into neutrality, despite her close call. When she didn't move, this 'Master' said quietly, "Dismissed." With a final bow, she shuffled backwards until the dark tree cover swallowed her up. I could hear her footsteps echo away from the clearing, and after a moment I turned my attention back to the cloaked figure, who was watching the girls departure with a strange intensiveness.

After a moment of staring, the tracks from the girl disappeared. Only then did I realize that he had been muttering, and now the absence of the strange sound caused me to be nervous, even though I could tell that I wasn't really there. The cloaked man turned, looking at the gnarled oak he had been standing before when I first saw him, and sighed. It was a heartbroken sigh.

As the world I was viewing dissolved into mist, I couldn't help feeling sorry. And I couldn't help thinking that I was feeling sorry for the wrong side.