Ascendants: Tides of the Morn

Chapter 20

(A picture of Fransesco Del Core. Here comes chapter 20, enjoy!)

I opened my eyes with a grunt. My head throbbed and my mouth tasted like ash. It took moment before I realize that I was awake as the room I was in was dark with only a slither of light coming from a barred window close to the roof. The damp floor was made of dirt and the roof creaked as I could hear people on the upper floor.

I was tied to a chair and was held away from the light. Whoeve had apprehended me knew what I was.

"They also knew my weakness," I thought while remembering the burning sensation from fire. That was dangerous knowledge that shouldn't have reached the outside world. How did a stranger know of it? Are they strangers?

While the thoughts raced through my mind, I had started to wiggle my wrist in the hope of losing the grip of the ropes. An attempt which was in vain as they only pulled on harder around my wrist and bruised me. I cursed my clan's weakness work darkness, as I wouldn't have been bruised if I had more light.

I perused my surrounding and the more I inspected it, the more I realized where I was. My heart started to race as my mind screamed for me to flee. I was in a basement. Very similar, to the one in my mansion except this one was older, empty and to my eternal relief had a small window.

I focused on the window in order to avoid panicking. I pushed the chair closer to the string of light coming through. It was still daylight outside, if I could only get closer to it, the sunlight would give me the strength to break my bonds.

Unfortunately, I was interrupted as the door opened and three people came inside. Two men and a woman. One of the men was carrying old clothes. He looked like a factory worker, though he was rather tall but had no other remarkable features.

The other two, on the other hand, caught my eyes immediately. The woman had short rough hair and dressed in boy clothes with no makeup or jewelry. She glared at me with piercing white eyes that cemented her as a member of the Magistrates. Though in this case, I would presume, that she might be a Renegade.

When she noticed me looking at her she huffed. "Are you sure this is the one? She doesn't look that remarkable."

"There is not that many I Soli in Torino for us to be mistaken. There are only two female members of the Sun Clan in the city. And this is certainly not Lucretzia Borgia so I can only assume that we have the right girl," The third man muttered.

He had the same white eyes as the girl but had both a more regal and more worn visage the girl, who seemed young. This man looked to be in his thirties but his eyes spoke of a forlorn past. His face was scarred and his skin tanned. He had a military uniform of an officer which suggested that he might be in the military.

I had a hard time picturing him as a Renegade as the ones I have met had been lowborn and crass. This man carried himself like a noble though I noticed his rough hands when he inspected my neck.

"I beg your pardon for the rough treatment but it was a necessary evil as members of the I Soli is hard to kidnap during the day," the man said with the manners of a gentleman though that only infuriated me more.

Though I have to ask myself why they were so desperate to kidnap me that they risk doing so in broad daylight.

"And who might you be, signor?"

The man got on his knee so that he could look me directly into my eyes. He seemed to be searching for something before releasing a gentle smile.

"The name is Fransesco Del Core, Signora Di Santis. I would ask you to behave. We have no intention of hurting you. We merely want something from you Herald and going through you was the easiest way to get it."