Guardian

Chapter 22 - Savior

~ Four days later ~

Dawn

"Everything will be alright, there aren't too many places she could have gone to." I nervously passed around the room with my hands on my back while focusing on the floor. Christina tried to cheer me up as she sat next to Sky's bed, but it didn't really help.

Lynn had been gone for four days now and Sky unconscious which left us with no idea of what had happened. I was so busy trying to wake up Sky that I hadn't noticed Lynn disappearing from our side. When everyone was safe and the soldiers had left our city in ashes I went back to look for her. "She must have survived the attack right? There was no sign of her anywhere." I was talking to myself as I recalled finding nothing, not even her body.

Christina got of her chair as she walked towards me grabbing both my shoulders. She gave me a dead serious look keeping me in place. "Standing here won't bring her back, going out there and searching sure as hell wil."

I didn't gave away from her gaze though, even if she was completely right looking away was cowardly. Slowly I removed her hands from my shoulders before grabbing my belt which only carried my sword. "I'm leaving, you keep watch over Sky." I said as Christina nodded before sitting back on the chair near my sisters bed.

I placed on foot on the window frame grabbing the lever to open it, before I didn't, I turned back. "Hopefully you wake up soon..." I looked at my sister and than back at Christina. "Make sure nothing happens to her, Acerbi his mans are all over the place." With that I opened the window revealing the horrible city and it's poor civilians.

After what happened back in my home town we had duck under somewhere safe, but there was no place safe. All our hideouts as well as the sewers and underground tunnels were heavily guarded by soldiers. Luckily Hagan his family took us in, it wasn't the safest neighborhood, but we were going to change that.

Before starting that I had another mission first, finding Lynn was my number one priority. There was no point walking around fully armed, so I had only brought my sword and hidden blade. It was rarely that I went outside without my armor so people often stared at me when I was going out like this.

My guesses on where she could be were either at her family again, the prison or she ran far away. I really hoped it was neither of them, but I couldn't think of any place else. There wasn't exactly someone she talked about, nor someone other than us that she could turn to.

As I walked through the streets I noticed the lack of guards. Usually there are a bunch of them walking around in these parts of the city, so that the people can't stand up against a few.

For a second I thought about climbing up the buildings, but that may have brought a lot of attention on me. No one was allowed to know the true identity of an assassin nor there face without their suit. Honestly when you commit to this job you have to stick to the suit all day long unless you're in private.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today justice will be upon on. Frederico Acerbi has announcement that his daughter, who betrayed her own family, shall be executed. When the sun is down at the San Miniato al Monte, la giustizia sarà servita."

As soon as I heard the name I sprinted into the street where the voice was coming from. Surely there was one of the soldiers on a stand speaking in front of a crowd. People seemed to share mixed feelings at his statement, but cheered as more guards stepped forward, demanding the crowd to cheer.

Once the crowd was allowed to leave back to their business I remained standing there glaring at the man who made the announcement. He caught me glaring, but that didn't make me look away. The rest of the soldiers were already going back to their posts, but he stopped hanging out the paper that held the announcement. "What ya staring at young lady?" He gave me a sick smile as he jumped down the little stage.

I didn't say a word as he neared me, I just kept glaring. "What, aren't you happy we keep traitors safely away from you? Perhaps someone should teach you to respect what we do." He reached out to grab my arm, but I quickly grabbed his wrist with my hand twisting it. He let out a cry of pain, but I didn't stop.

He couldn't escape my grip, pathetic soldier he was. As soon as he was about to yell for help I elbowed him in the stomach before grabbing him with my other hand. With one swift move I threw him over my shoulder onto his back into the ground. Before he could even react I had drawn my sword.

"Lynn Acerbi is not going to die today." I poked the point of my word against his neck as he trembled in fear. "You are just as worthless as her father." With that I plunged my sword into his neck and retreated it as quickly as it was in.

~ Several hours later ~

Lynn

"Honestly it's a shame having to put you down, you could have done this family a big favor. If only you had married Luciano and listened to him, no harm would have been done to you." The sharp pain on my back returned, but I couldn't yell anymore. It was just pain, a few words, pain, words and so on.

My dad was probably not even the one doing the physical harm, he was too weak for that. What I did know was that I was in some kind of room with my father and a guard being beaten until it's time for the execution. My voice was long gone from the screaming and crying and my eyes had already gotten used to the blindfold. Nothing mattered at this point.

Footsteps neared my front and stopped right before me. Someone pulled my head up by my hair as I gritted my teeth not wanting to make a noise. "A pathetic excuse for a daughter, that's what you are." My dad let go of my hair again as I dropped my head again. They both left the room as the door closed with a loud bang.

I couldn't tell what time it was, nor how I was still breathing. My whole body was in pain while my stomach was growling and mouth dry. Four long days have I been here, no food, no water, just torture and words being thrown at me.

From the moment I had set foot in the center of the town they attacked I was surrounded. At the moment I didn't care after what had happened with Sky, but now I regretted surrendering. It may as well have caused the end of my life.

The silence was broken by the heavy door opening and silently being closed again. The person's footsteps weren't loud, but it still made me fear for what could come next. As soon as the footsteps ended right behind me, I prepared for the worst again. Except it never came, instead my blindfold fell off allowing the little of sunlight in the room to make me see again. My hands were released as well allowing me to fully drop to the ground as the feeling returned to them.

The footsteps neared me again and stopped right in front of me. I looked up seeing a tall girl towering over me wearing a red leather coat with a white shirt underneath, some brown pants, as well as a pair of boots. "D-Dawn?" My voice was very hoarse, but I managed to bring out the words. "What are you doing here?" I tried my best to get up, but I just couldn't find the energy.

She looked beautiful in just casual clothes and only her sword attached to her belt. Like an angel sent from above to save my pathetic ass. Dawn went down on one knee lifting my head gently up with her hand. "What happened to you...Who did this?" She ignored my question concern replacing her previous emotionless look.

"My dad..." My voice wasn't really helping me form sentences and the fact I hadn't had water in so long wasn't helping either. "I need rest.." I couldn't move my body, everything felt so heavy.

Dawn slowly nodded as she got back up gently taking my hands in hers as she pulled me up with her. My legs did't allow me to put weight on them so I immediately fell forwards, but luckily Dawn caught me. Without a word she swept me of my feet carrying me instead. I had no reason to protest and decided to bury my face into her shirt gripping onto it as the tears came again.

It took Dawn a while to open the door with her foot, but once she did I released she just walked through the halls. As if no one would see us. I decided to look in front of us and as soon as I did my eyes grew wide. There was blood all over the hallway followed by dead bodies of guards.

I looked up at Dawn, but her face showed no emotions as she walked over the dead bodies. Once she noticed me looking she looked down at me, her eyes showed a small spark, but still not a lof of emotions. "Don't worry, no one will hurt you like this again. I promise you that."