Night and Day

Chapter 2

I wake up with a start looking into the green eyes of my best friend Ander.

"What are you doing?" I ask him grumpily.

He pouts a little and stands up. "I have just come to tell you that the prisoner has arrived."

He runs his hand through his thick blond hair while he's talking. I groan and sit up attempting to shake off the grogginess.

"When did he get here?" I question.

"He got here around the middle of the night.."

When he says this I get a little angry "Why did no one wake wake me?!"

He raises his hands and looks at me warily "It was so late that they thought it would be best to wait until dawn came!" He pouts, "I only just found out about it as I woke up from one of the passing guards as they were talking."

I try to breathe and calm myself, "Okay, tell the guards to bring him to the torture chamber. I will be there soon, so make sure he is ready."

He mocks, "Of course, Queen Daniella!"

"I told you not to call me that!" I reply growling.

He snickers and walks away with his long furry tail swinging behind him as he walks out of the room through the iron wrought wooden door. I get up and head over to my dresser along with my mirror. I look at myself and realize how much I have changed over the years. From my time in the slums to me now at 19 years old, the leader of the rebellion. I look into my dark eyes as I run my hands through my short flaming red hair and look in my reflection at the lean, sinewy body I have acquired through my countless hours of combat training with Ander. I ruffle around in my drawer and find a white shirt along with some black pants. I put on my combat boots as normal and I take one final look at myself to make sure my whole ensemble is in order. I finally exit the room and head down to the interrogation room.

Along the way I pass by rebels who wave to me. Some I can see talk about me as soon as I pass making flippant comments on my past victories. I smile feeling slightly proud of what I have accomplished but then remind myself of what we hat to lose to get it. The amount of losses that we have endured. The family and friends that everyone has lost due to the corrupt royals in our part of the country. I keep my head high trying to maintain my image to the others as I move down the streets and finally see the blacksmith shop where we hold the secret interrogation room.

I walk inside and meet the smith's gaze and he gestures to the back. I walk past a few weapons lying on shelves and a couple chest plates as I go into the back and the man leads me down to the cellar.

I palm over a few copper pieces and he smiles greedily, "Pleasure to do business with you miss."

I glare at him, "Just make sure people stay out of my business, Mr.Martin."

I push past him and head down to the interrogation room. When I reach the bottom, I am met by Ander.

"So who is he?" I immediately ask.

He looks a the door through which the captive is being held.

"He seems to be a nephew of the Duke that controls this area, his name is Vincent Arellano."

I smile excitedely at Anders and then look back to the door.

"Well it's about time I met our lovely guest." I walk forward purposefully and enter the room lit with the dim glow of torch light and the smell of earth.

In the middle of the room is a man tied to a table and two men on either side guarding him. They look at me and they head out of the room.

I look to Ander, "You can leave as well if you want, this is not pleasant business."

Staring at me with a blank look on his face he replies, "I want to be here."

I finally give my attention to the man with a hood over his head. I walk up to the man, take the hood off, and look at the man that I am about to torture. I look next to the table at a tub of water. I feel a familiar feeling sweep over my entire body as I use my elemental power to effortlessly float the water out of the tub and douse him with it. He wakes up immediately and starts to frantically look around with his head tilted down until his eyes finally land on us.

"Who are you people?! Do you know who I am?"

I devilishly smile and, for show, I pick up the water and place it back in the small tub and then look at him now with a terrified look on his face at my display of my powers.

"I know who you are, Vincent. You are a supporter of the cause that constantly accuses, imprisons, and murders my people. People like you are why we have to hide."

He looks at me with and exasperated look and he starts to talk, "I don't know what you're talking-"

I place my finger to his lips and then get real close to him. "You are lying." He immediately shuts up. "Our spies have seen what you have done. The sins you have committed are grave and shall not go unpunished, Vincent. I will not leave this room until you give us information on your operations."

His expression hardens and he spits in my face, "I won't say anything to an abomination like you!"

I wipe the saliva off my face and smile again, "This is going to be fun!"

I feel the familiar sensation across my body as I rip a large rock out of the ground and hover it over his foot while looking him in the eyes. I drop it. Next I hear the snapping of bones and a bloodcurdling scream. I see behind me that Ander winces as I try to keep my focus on the man in front of me, now trying his hardest to mask the pain but ever so failing.

I brush my hand on his face and smile, "Now then, are you willing to talk? If you do I might even let you live."

Through his grimace and his heavy breathing he finally spurts out "You are crazy kid!"

I look up in feigned surprise to Ander. "Oh my Gods! What could have clued him in?!" I then turn back to him and smile once again, "So, what shall it be, suffering?...or I can stop this."

He just looks into my eyes as if challenging me. Challenge accepted. I bend the flames from the torches on the wall to my will and made a tendril of flame snake around and burn his arm.

"Still don't want to answer?" I say to him as he starts to writhe in pain from the heat.

There was no answer so I did the obvious thing. I focused the fire on his arm and the room filled with a mix of the smell of burning human flesh and hair along with more screams. Like music to my ears. I reversed the flow of the flames so they sat back onto the torches' brazier. He was now a sobbing mess.

"If you keep going like this then he is going to die before we get any information." I heard Ander say from behind me.

I glared at him and sigh ignoring the sounds of the man behind me. "I suppose you're right." I get close to the man strapped to the table and I look into his eyes. "Now will you tell me something?"

He won't say anything so out of impatience I quite literally take his breath away removing the air from around his head so he slowly starts to suffocate. He starts gasping and writhing around so I finally let him breathe again.

"Was there something you wanted to tell me?" I ask him impetuously.

He gasps and tries to say something. "I..know..of..a..prison"

I look at him with intrigue. "And where would this prison be?" I ask him amusedly. "It's a..couple days..west..it has.. a whole operation..set up..."

I look at Ander and smile widely then look back to the man in pain.

"Thank you, Vincent for this lovely information!" I feel a familiar sensation as I bring the rock on what once was a foot on this man's skull, instantly killing him.