The Rosewood Prophecy

Chapter 62

Aaron

I don't know how many enemy soldiers and Evils I cut down. They kept pouring out of the fortress, even though the large granite doors, only a hundred or so meters away, remained firmly shut. All around me, our soldiers clashed courageously with the enemy. The roars of Evils, the clanging of metal, and the screams of dying men surrounded me. The snow that covered the ground was muddy brown and streaked with blood.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Lionel charging fearlessly towards three Evils who were about to attack a small group of his soldiers. I could almost hear his battle cry as he leapt up and slashed two Evils across their chest, then turning in midair and stabbing the third. To my right, Katherine was locked in battle with six of Lord Victor's soldiers. Her sword, Retribution, flashed in the early morning light. Ribbons of blood arched through the air soon after. Lucian and Rachel were close behind me; I could feel the heat from the fireballs that Lucian summoned and blasted at approaching enemies.

Katherine appeared beside me, her clothes splattered with blood. "We need to get inside the fortress! We can't be wasting our time out here." She shouted over the din of the battle.

"I know! But how are we going to open those heavy stone doors? And the iron portcullis?" I gestured towards the obstacles in question with my chin. An Evil ran towards me from my left. I stabbed it through the chest, and it exploded into monster dust.

"I don't know. Let's get closer first, and then figure it out!" Katherine blocked a volley of arrows with her sword. Slowly, we began fighting our way towards the front.

We were three-quarters of the way there when I noticed that the portcullis was raising. Behind it, the dark stone doors were slowly opening inwards as well. "Kath, look!" I pointed at the entrance. Above me, a cannon fired.

"Be careful!" was her reply. I dove out of the way as the cannonball streaked by and exploded several meters behind where I had stood.

Lionel ran back to us. "The doors are opening, and no additional enemies are coming out. Let's go!"

I relayed the message to Lucian and Rachel, who were a little ways behind us, by gesturing towards the entrance. Lucian gave me a thumb up. Lionel, Katherine, and I began running towards the gate. The elite soldiers that Lionel had picked out flanked us on both sides, helping to fight a way in.

Somewhere, a war horn sounded. We looked back to see fresh batch of soldiers and Evils come pouring into the clearing and begin to surround us. Rachel had almost reached us, but Lucian was cut off. I began moving towards where Rachel was struggling to break through a wall of soldiers. Cannon balls and arrows whizzed past.

BOOM! A series of explosions shook the earth. Fire shot up in the direction from which we came, and cries filled the air. Even from where I was, I felt a wave of heat roll through. Rachel looked back and screamed. "Lucian!" She began to run back. "Lucian!"

The anguish and despair in her voice was clear. It brought me back to the night we lost Jason, when Ashley screamed his name in the same tone of voice that Rachel now screamed Lucian's. I felt my blood run cold. Lucian had gotten caught in the explosion. I saw soldiers rolling on the ground to put out the flames on their bodies. Charred corpses littered the ground. The destructive power of the explosives was clear. Was Lucian—was he—? I didn't dare continue the thought.

"Lucian!" I started to fight my way back as well. Lucian was my best friend. We were going to return to the academy and graduate together like we always envisioned.