The Rosewood Prophecy

Chapter 50

Indigo

"Indigo, have you heard the latest news?" Lucian burst into the room, Rachel hot on his heels. I looked up from the map I was studying.

"What is it?"

"Lord Victor has begun his attacks. His army of Evils has already swept through eight towns and twenty-three villages, and they're not stopping. It's total destruction no matter if the people resisted or not." Lucian gestured to Rachel, who pulled out a stack of wrinkled reports and local news. She leafed through them and took out one sheet, smoothing it out to show me.

"Look at these statistics. Greenwood: four hundred fifty two dead, forty-three missing, and three hundred injured. Pinemoor: nine hundred thirty dead and one thousand injured. Knightmount, six hundred twenty dead..." Rachel ran her finger down through the list, until she got to several names at the bottom. "Amberwell: all three thousand inhabitants dead. Moonspire: all four hundred inhabitants dead. There's also Craigville and Milford...In each case, all the houses are looted, and then the entire town or village is burned."

I skimmed over the death tolls, seeing in my mind's eye the path of destruction Lord Victor's army left behind. Among the dead, I seemed to see flashes of Aaron and Katherine's bodies. Even after all this time, I am unable to forget you...

"We can't delay anymore. We have to make our move." I stood up and walked to the window, looking out towards the Northern Mountains. Its peaks were capped with white, and I knew that the passes would be filled with snow soon. For the past month we have stayed here, in the small town of Dewsbury, planning our next move. The town was only about two weeks' travel from the Northern Mountains, and it was the largest community in a fifty-mile radius. We've been residing in a small cottage, kindly provided to us by an unlikely sponsor-a teenage boy named Lionel Atwood.

Lionel was barely nineteen, making him just a couple years older than us. He was the only son of a rich but generous merchant living in Dewsbury. The townspeople all knew the Atwood family, who, despite their wealth and prestige, never acted aloof and snobby. Mr. and Mrs. Atwood was a kind couple who donated to charities and helped the less fortunate. Lionel, like his parents, was a just and compassionate person. He was very intelligent, being not only a well-versed scholar in literature and the arts, but also a talented warrior.

We first met him  as we were heading towards Dewsbury. Riding our horses and trying to make it to the next village before nightfall, we almost didn't see the overturned cart and dead bodies at the side of the road. But Rachel spotted the blood on the dirt road and called out in alarm. Upon closer inspection, we found that the cart was carrying food, medical supplies, and a small amount of weapons such as pikes, swords, and long knives. The dead bore claw wounds rimmed with black-a sure sign of dark magic. "Evils." Rachel whispered with fear. "The Evils are here."

"They're still here," Lucian added, peering into the small grove of trees that lined the road. "I think they've surrounded someone."

Sure enough, in a small clearing, we saw three Evils circling around a young man who was clearly wounded. He had blood all over his white Bastian shirt and black trousers. He brandished a broadsword, eyeing the Evils warily, but it was clear he couldn't hold on for much longer. The Evils grinned menacingly and swooped in for the kill. The young man swung his sword, trying his best to fend off the monsters, but he was outnumbered and outmatched. For an instant, his face turned towards us. I saw the anguish and desperation in his doe brown eyes. Aaron's profile flashed in my mind.

"We have to help him!" I hissed towards Lucian and Rachel. Without waiting for a reply, I charged out from behind the trees and stabbed the nearest Evil straight through, remembering to mutter the rosewood spell that Ashley taught us so long ago. A small beam of light shone within the Evil's body; then with a tormented cry, the Evil exploded into a handful of black, glittery powder. Another Evil leapt for me, its claws outstretched. I jumped out of the way just in time to see Lucian send a burst of flames through his palms, frying the other Evil who attempted to attack Rachel. Repeating the spell, I managed to activate the rosewood tip of my sword and kill the second Evil. Lucian did the same, stabbing the last Evil through its center as it was recovering from being burned. The clearing quieted, with only our heavy breathing echoing in our ears.