The Rosewood Prophecy

Chapter 71

"Kath, it's not just your sword that glows blue." Aaron suddenly said. "Your healing magic is also blue."

"That's right!" Indigo perked up. "Katherine, your healing magic is blue!"

"Then..." I looked at both of them doubtfully. "Do you want me to put my hand on the portal and try to heal it?"

Aaron and Indigo looked at each other. They were unconvinced and unsure too. "It sounds so weird, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?" Aaron said. "Do you feel like you have enough energy to summon your healing magic?"

"I should be able to." I stepped up to the left side of the portal and placed my hand on the red jagged edge. I could feel the magic vibrate and hum under my fingers. "Indigo, you want to say your spell again?"

"On the count of three." Aaron stepped aside so Indigo had a clear aim at the portal with her spear. "One—two—three!"

A burst of gold light shot from the spear tip and hit the right edge of the portal. At the same time, I called up my healing magic and channeled it outwards. Blue sparks swirled around my hand and mingled with the red wisps of the portal. "Is it working?"

"Um..." Aaron was scrutinizing the portal. "No, I don't think so."

With a frustrated groan, I pulled away from the portal. Indigo lowered her spear. We looked at each other again, lost and defeated.

"Hey, Aaron, doesn't your cloak glow gold too?" I asked. Aaron pinched a patch of his cloak.

"Not really; it's more of a pale yellow." He said. "But I can try."

Untying his cloak, Aaron walked up to the portal and plastered it over the opening. It looked awfully small compared with the size of the portal. "Um, sarci."

Like my sword, Aaron's cloak did not glow. He stepped away, the cloak sagging in his hand. "Sorry guys, it's not me. It looks like Indigo is the 'gold' one."

We tried a series of spells—mend, sew, close, seal, all the synonyms we could think of. We tried different combinations of me using my healing magic and my sword while Indigo used her spear. While she was able to coax a golden light from her spear every time, my sword stubbornly refused to glow. The portal remained a gaping tear.

We sat on the ground in front of the portal, feeling hopeless. I glared at the sword on my lap. The rosestone was the same color as the portal. Dammit, why won't it just glow blue? What was I doing wrong?

"Are we interpreting the prophecy wrong?" Aaron wondered.

"I think we're on the right track; we're just missing something." Indigo tapped her chin in thought. She muttered the prophecy to herself. We all mulled over the possible meanings of the prophecy.

"Indigo, we never figured out what the 'in opposition' part meant," I said. "I remember you said it was contradictory, but maybe we're just not thinking about it correctly."

Indigo's gaze strayed to the portal as she thought. "I think you're right, Katherine. What could 'in opposition' mean? 'In opposition'... opposite...what should be opposite..." She suddenly sat up straight and looked directly at me. "Katherine, I think we have to be on opposite sides in order to seal the portal!"

"You mean, one of us have to seal the portal from inside the portal?" I caught on quickly. Indigo nodded vigorously.

"That's the only explanation that makes sense. How else can 'blue and gold' be 'in opposition'?"