Ascendants: Tides of the Morn

Chapter 18

(A picture of Santo Gallo. Here comes chapter 18!)

I wandered the garden while picking flowers with my children. Alba and Tramonto Di Santis ran around my feet trying to find the finest flowers to gain my approval. I smiled and helped them pick while giving them a stern gaze if they became too rowdy. They hardly ever left my side and always made sure to be in the vicinity of my gaze when they climb trees and played hide and seek.

Some Daemons came to inform me of the state of the crops, I had bought a plot beside me and enclosed it with high walls so no one could see the farmers as they were far from human. The Daemons adored growing their own food and have even started to make wine from the grapes. Their wine has become rather famous among the Ascendants and Alessandro have helped sell it far and wide.

Of course, as the land belonged to me, I gained a small portion of the profit but I have spent most of it on either giving the daemons better equipment or to educate them. I noticed that they had no school and most cannot read or write. So, I paid good money to have a teacher brought to them.

Turns out that the Daemon clan was far from dull and quickly picked up all the knowledge I presented to them. Literature, mathematics and history was their favorite subjects and soon they had a rather large library town in the hall I have built them, who had been named Sala della conoscenza.

I was quite surprised when Oddone first had visited the hall and gifted them with a large collection of books. The Daemons had been far from hospitable as they did not trust the Monarchs who had forbidden them from ever entering the surface. But he assured them that he had not visited as a Monarch but as a scholar who wanted to spread the enlightenment.

Oddone had shown admiration for what I had accomplished and admitted to me that he wished that he had the same courage as I did. At first, I couldn't understand what he was talking about until I realized that my deals with the Daemons made me disfavored by the Sovereign who saw it as a direct violation of his orders.

Fortunately, Alessandro had already anticipated such a reaction and made sure that we would not suffer under the wrath of the Sovereign. Mostly by gaining the favor from the other clans who put pressure on the Sovereign sealing him from taking further action.

My two children suddenly jumped at the intruder in the garden and were hugged by Carlo who was ready for their assault.

"Alba! Tramonto! Not so rough," I chastised while they both gave me heartbreakingly sad eyes. Carlo put them down and they ran with all their little legs to me to gain back my favor.

"Children should be rowdy," Carlo said with a gentle smile. I always found it amusing that Carlo was the one that seemed most reluctant to me adopting the two little half spiders as children but after a while, he couldn't help but to spoil them even more than Alessandro. Carlo spends a large amount of his time, caring and playing with the two children and even reading for them as they go to bed. I swear that I even heard singing from their room in rare cases but Carlo has denied it vigorously.

"That may be so, but they can be a menace if not controlled," I muttered as I have seen them tip over both vases and people as they play. I looked at Carlo only to notice that his face showed a grave expression.

"Is something wrong?" I asked and his eyes turned to the two children who looked at him with innocent eyes.

"Alba, Tramonto! Why don't you go find Charon while I talk with Carlo," I said gently and they both nodded and started to run away. I noticed that Alba stopped for a moment to look back at me, she always was more attentive than her brother, before she turned and ran after her brother.

"Is it grave news?" I asked.

"We are not sure but it might be nothing. You have been summoned," Carlos said bitterly.