The Coven of the Black Rose

Chapter Six: A Hidden Prophecy

Tasra opened his eyes. He laid on a bed, his head over a soft pillow and his body enveloped by a smooth woolen blanket. He woke alone in a room, with nothing more than a bed and a tea table in the right corner with two chairs in it. He did not have any idea how long he was asleep. His feeling was driven by drowsiness as he tried to get up.
"What time is it?" He groaned and stretched his arms. "Where am I and where is everyone?" He stepped his feet on the ground. Judging on its stone brick walls and floor, he was probably in one of the sleeping chambers in their underground stronghold. Tasra was still in his purple robe, its hood folded around his neck. His mind was still baffled and tried to remember what happened before he lost his consciousness. He took steps torwards the door but, suddenly, it was opened by Tessa who gave him a worried look.
"Brother, how are you?" She went nearby him and placed her palm on his forehead, checking his body temperature.
"I'm fine." He replied, carefully taking her hard away from him with a confused look. "What's with me earlier? What happened? I cannot remember anything."
"Oh, can't you?" Tessa answered. "We were in the Black Rose Chamber then suddenly you collapsed."
"Oh..." His mind has refreshed as he tried to remember anything earlier. "Voices..." Then he glanced at Tessa with a clueless look. "Did you hear them?"
"Voices of whom? Of what? It was only you, Aunt Floressa, and I who were together earlier."
Tasra shifted his gaze at the opened door, revealing the corridor outside. "So neither of you heard them?"
"No." She shook her head in response. "We heard nothing earlier. And you kept on saying that there are voices you hear before you collapse."
His heart was tingled with fear. Maybe it was the Spirit of Black Rose? He thought to himself. He felt like he was on some errand as those whispers left hanging in his mind. He didn't know, and neither did his sister. "Where is aunt? I need to tell her this."
"In truth, I came here to visit you." She said. "Aunt and the all the coven heads are already here. We're waiting for you."
"Oh... sorry." He was shocked. How long was he unconscious? Was it too long or the coven has just arrived early? "Okay, let's go."
They headed out of the room, then to the corridor on their right. Green-blazing torches on the wall, black carpet unrolled on the floor. Like earlier, there was no one along their way. Only the soft crackling of torches and their footsteps bothered the quietness. Upon reaching an intersection, the proceeded on their right. "How long was I asleep?" Tasra asked. "I felt like I was gone for long."
"Yes, you were." Tessa said. "It's dawn now, just in time to start the head coven's assembly." She glanced at him then noticed that his face was quite pale. "How are you feeling?"
Tasra touched his temple and massaged it gently. "I'm good. My head is not aching that much."
"Tell them everything." She said sternly. "The coven is theorizing a prophecy."
"A prophecy?" Tasra's heartbeat halted for a second. Himself was almost frozen. "What do you mean?"
Tessa did not respond, until they got before a door, guarded by people in black cloak.
"Just tell us everything." She insisted. He was quite nervous about her tone but he knew that his younger sister could not give answers he seek for. Tasra just nodded to her. He found it bizarre upon him remembering the whispers. Then later on, he heard that the coven heads are about concluding prophecy?
The two people beside the door gave way to them as they opened it. Inside was a large rectangular table. One chair on both the shorter sides, while on the longer ones have ten seats each. Overall, not all seats were occupied by more black-cloaked witches and warlocks. Similarly with the guards outside, their faces were veiled, too. A candle chandelier lighted up the entire room. On all the walls, portraits of faces hung. There were about twenty-five faces, and glancing on their right, Tasra saw his own portrait. Next to his was her sister's, then Aunt Floressa's. There were too many of those, yet it didn't obstruct the neatness and simplicity of the assembly hall.
The doors shut close when the siblings went in. As they got closer, the whole table was almost half occupied. There was one witch seating on the middle of the table, which faced towards the direction of Tasra and Tessa. On the right side, only four people sat while there were five on the left.
"Take your seats." Said the witch in the middle of the table. It was Floressa. They were much familiar to her voice, and they knew that she was the first head of their coven. "Just in time. How are you, Tasra?"
The siblings sat together along with other people on the right side.
"I am all good." He replied. "Sorry for being late."
Floressa didn't say a word and nodded in reply. She faced the people on her left, then to her right. "Today marks the thirty-fourth day of spring. The Coven of the Highest Black Rose gathers." She paused for a second then glanced at the surface below the chairs. It was only then when Tasra noticed the fallen petals of roses. The floor underneath the table was not wholly covered by fallen petals, yet it was bothering as he thought.
Even that the room was unventilated, soft brushes of wind blew them every after a while. Tasra wanted to interrogate about it but he did not dare to interrupt his aunt as she opens the discussion. Floressa fixed her eyes on him and on Tessa. "And now is the time. All of us are aware of it."
Tasra cleared his throat. "Aunt, what is it?" She asked, giving her a baffled look. "I really don't know what is going on."
"A hidden prophecy." A voice of a man spoke, just beside Floressa, on her left. "The ancient spells have awakened once more after it vanished centuries ago." He unveiled his face. He was in the same age as Floressa, has short black hair, and brown eyes. Ronan fixed his eyes on Tasra. He was the man who stood as their second guardian next to Floressa. "They said that you heard voices earlier? In the Black Rose Chamber?"
"Yes, that is true." He replied. "Do you know what it means?"
"The Spirit of the Black Rose itself spoke to you." Floressa said. She unveiled her face then glanced at the veiled witch beside Ronan. The witch picked up a pot where few fallen petals settled over the black soil.
"Also the petals..." Tasra spoke. He knew that it was unusual when many flowers were dying. Especially that those were scattered in some places in their stronghold, just like what was seen underneath their table.
"Yes, Tasra. I know what you're thinking." Floressa said. "Excessive numbers of petal loss means that the Forgon continues to hunt every warlock and witch in Mirillios. Even us, the heads of the Black Rose coven, are in sake."
"That sounds alarming." Tasra concluded. "But what will we do now? What about the Chamber of Dark spells? The Spirit?"
He caught how Floressa and Ronan glanced at each other, like they had conversation about this earlier. Finally, Floressa nodded to him and continue. "Mainly, I have thought that..." She glanced around the room, then to Ronan who gave her sharp look. "...that we might open the chamber and use the dark spells against Forgon."
"But you said that it corrupts anyone who uses it, right?" Tasra interjected.
Floressa froze for a second, her eye glancing at the wall on her left before she responded to him. "Well, yes. But it is the prophecy which I see. The Spirit of the Black Rose has awakened to aid us. Besides, I see no other option to be the victor of this war."
Ronan slammed his hand on the table. "But this is not just a war." He said sternly.
"If this is not a war, then what?" Floressa replied disdainfully. "This has to be the only way, Ronan."
As Tasra observed, the two had contradicting opinions about the Dark spell chamber. It was like they had arguments about this, several times. Until then, their decision cannot match one another.
"But it is too dangerous!" Ronan insisted. "There must be other ways. I believe we could train our army further. By the spells we have today, we could fight Forgonians."
"Just like what happened in Xen-Trisida?"
Upon hearing it, Ronan froze. His gaze locked on the table. He took a slow and deep breath then shook his head as grimace took over his face.
When hearing the name Xen-Trisida, at that moment, Tasra recalled a nightmare. A brush of memory he never wanted to have a glimpse about.