The Rosewood Prophecy

Chapter 60

Indigo

The first seven days after I agreed to work with Lord Victor, I wasn't allowed anywhere except for my new room and the throne room where Lord Victor gave orders to his subordinates. There were always six soldiers who accompanied me to those two destinations, and two were always posted outside my room. Clearly, Lord Victor did not trust me even after I agreed to work for him. I wondered if Ashley's ultimate betrayal had anything to do with this, or at least, exacerbated it.

I was also worried about Lionel and the others. How far away were they from Lord Victor's stronghold? I could see Lionel in my mind's eye, racing ahead of the others, braving the heavy snow. Lord Victor probably had other obstacles lying in wait along the way. Every night, I kept one candle burning on my windowsill. My room was in one of the towers, and I could see for miles around when the sun was high. Even at night, I could make out the rises and dips of the surrounding peaks. I would wake up around midnight and stay up, working on my plan and looking out the window, until the sun peeked out from the horizon. I need to see our army approach before Lord Victor did. Then I would go back to sleep until a soldier knocked on my door and informed me that breakfast was here.

Lord Victor summoned me to the throne room on the third day. I was escorted there by the same six soldiers, whom I've secretly named based on their appearances: Blue Eyes, Crooked Nose, Earring, Short Man, Skinny Man, and Long Hair. Earring and Short Man walked in front of me, leading the way, and the other four filed in a few feet behind me. We walked in silence from my room down a winding stone staircase, past rooms with locked doors, past hallways with flickering torches and decorative rugs, and past other soldiers and Evils standing guard or making rounds. It was unsettling to see Evils loping around the fortress; my first instinct was always to reach for my sword and mutter the spell to activate the rosewood tip. It took me a few times to remember that I no longer had my sword, but the spell was always at the tip of my tongue, like protective mantra.

As I approached the throne room, the double stone doors opened inwards to reveal a hooded figure on his way out. He must be one of Lord Victor's generals. We passed each other without acknowledging the other, and the stone doors closed behind me as I made my way into the cavernous room. Freestanding black iron poles topped with small round bowls of flames lined the walkway up leading up to the throne, each a few meters apart. Four iron candle chandeliers hung from the ceiling. I counted six thick stone pillars on each side of the room, each with a diameter of about two meters. There were various drapes and tapestries that decorated the walls. Heavy maroon-colored curtains were drawn over the windows even though it was daytime.

Lord Victor sat on his throne at the far end of the room, which was elevated on a four-foot tall platform. Another hooded figure clad in black stood behind the throne, with the hood pulled well over the face. He—or she—must be Lord Victor's personal guard. A maroon-colored rug was fitted to the steps leading up to the throne and extended to beneath Lord Victor's feet. The throne itself had a tall back and spires that extended from the top. The armrests and legs were intricately carved, though I couldn't really tell what the carvings were from where I was. The soldiers who accompanied me bowed respectfully and walked off to the sides to stand guard. I walked up the torch-lined walkway alone and stopped when I was thirty feet away from the bottom of the stairs. Lord Victor looked down at me from his perch. I dropped down to one knee and bowed my head. "Lord Victor."

"Ah, Indigo. Please rise; there's no need for such formalities." He sounded pleased, nevertheless. I rose slowly, keeping my head bowed, eyes lowered, and hands clasped before me in an act of submission. In truth, I was disgusted and angry. If it weren't for my plan, I would never bow to the evil lord. None of the Rosewood Seven would.