The Rosewood Prophecy

Chapter 41

"I will murder you, even if it's the last thing I do!" Katherine had murder in her eyes as she charged at Lord Victor again. I've never seen her so angry, so out of control. But then again, her best friend was murdered while she couldn't do anything. All of our closest friends were murdered.

I hefted the sword and charged alongside Katherine, my heart burning with the desire to run Lord Victor through with the blade a hundred times, a thousand times, a million times. I needed to avenge my friends, and all the innocents that Lord Victor killed. I needed to avenge Indigo.

Suddenly, Katherine screamed. She stumbled, but gritted her teeth and kept lunging for Lord Victor, even as he laughed and danced out of her way, all the while staring at her intently. Every time she tried to stab him he twirled away to safety, and each time he laughed manically. With each evil cackle, Katherine tried to stifle her screams, until she dropped to the ground and curled into the fetus position, tears streaming down her face, body twitching with pain.

"What are you doing to her?! Stop that!" I yelled, charging at Lord Victor with the sword extended. He dodged my blade, and Katherine let out a scream so terrible it sounded inhumane.

"I said, stop it! Stop hurting her!" I couldn't bear hearing and seeing Katherine in so much pain.

Lord Victor's eyes flashed. "What are you going to do, Aaron? Are you going to stop me? At the rate you're going, Katherine is going to die before you even land a single blow."

I charged at Lord Victor, but he turned invisible and out of my reach. His crazy laughter echoed in the mountains. I spun around, trying to locate the source of his voice, but it was all around me. Meanwhile, Katherine's pain increased more and more, until her voice turned hoarse from the screaming. I couldn't take it anymore. I threw down the sword.

"There! I'm not trying to kill you anymore! Now stop hurting Kath!"

With a snicker, Lord Victor materialized out of the air, his feet touching down on the edge of the cliff. Katherine's body shuddered and stilled. For a moment, I thought she was dead. I glared at Lord Victor and dropped down by Katherine's side, trying to turn her to face me. What I saw nearly broke my heart.

Katherine's face was red and blotchy, and her bottom lip was bleeding from where she bit down to keep from screaming out. Her shirt was damp with sweat, and the fingernails on her right hand were splintered and caked with dirt from clawing at the floor in pain. Blood stains appeared on her shirt at her abdomen from the wound that ripped open again. Gently, I lifted her so that her upper body was cradled in my arms. Katherine buried her face into my shirt and whimpered, with tears still streaking down her face. Her shoulders trembled with the pain of heaving heavy breaths and the lingering aches of Lord Victor's torture.

"Why would you do this to us? Why?! What have we ever done to you?!" With the fire raging in the forest below and Lord Victor's menacing figure in front, I let loose an anguished cry. I have never felt so helpless, so useless, because even though I was chosen as a hero to save the world, I couldn't save my friends, much less other people. I couldn't even stop Lord Victor from hurting Katherine.

"You must feel so powerless right now, Aaron. You can't save your beloved Indigo, you can't save your best friend Lucian, and you can't even stop Katherine's pain. How are you ever going to save the world?" Lord Victor stalked closer, his steps even and measured. I shielded Katherine protectively with my body, noticing out of the corner of my eyes that soldiers were beginning to emerge from inside the mountain. I didn't try to take a sword and fight. I never would've stood a chance.