When the Land meets the Sky: A Tail of Two Mages

Chapter 47 - Dancing Roses

Rosetta's POV

A haze blinded my vision for a moment and as I blinked a few times, my eyes began to focus on my surroundings. I suddenly recognized where I found myself; an opening in the forest near the castle where I trained. How did I end up here? I asked myself.

"Hello, Rosetta," a familiar voice called from behind me. I turned around to see my teacher... Zachary?

"My Lord!" I bowed politely, slightly confused by what I'm seeing.

"Now, now. I've told you before not to bow to me," he scolded. "You know that while I am your superior, I am first and foremost, a friend. Now, shall we begin today's training exercise?" Zachary stated as he drew his sword.

As a teenager, Trodaí let me live with him in the forest. It was there I met Zachary, who at the time was serving as second in command of the Forest Legion while Trodaí was chief commander of the Royal Guard. Zachary was tasked with training me, and I viewed him as a beloved mentor. The memories of that time were hazy at best. It was nearly two decades ago at this point.

I blinked and suddenly found myself at the border of the fire clan's territory. Zachary was there along with his elder siblings. Am I having visions? I blinked again and found myself surrounded by darkness. Zachary was the only thing I could see. He looked at me with a smile. "Always remember," he started to tell me, completely oblivious of the darkness that surrounded us, "Every rose has their 'Thornes'. Some are sharper than others." Zachary was one of the few people who knew who really was. He'd tease me with a smug look each time he said that to me.

Amidst the darkness, I swore I saw a shadow move. I became alert while Zachary still looked at me with that smug look, but shortly afterward, as I looked away to find the shadow moving in the darkness, I heard Zachary grunt. I turned back toward him. "Zachary?" I said to him, then his body convulsed, and a beast's sharp talons ripped through his chest from behind. His eyes wide from the shock.

I could only stand and watch as he was slain right in front of my eyes. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the talons retracted back into Zachary, and a spray of blood from the fresh hole in his chest covered me. Zachary slumped to the ground, lifeless. "No..." I squeaked, barely able to make the sound. I kept trying to scream the word out, but I could not find the strength to do so. My body became paralyzed.

"You..." Zachary's voice uttered to me. His mouth moved like a puppet as he continued, his eyes staring blankly in death. "You let me die! It's because of you that Oiamh lost her father. It's because of you that I am lost. You were the causes of our deaths."

Another voice pierced the darkness. "Princess Thorne! You will atone with your life!" A voice called out then a shadow lunged at me from out of the darkness. I had no time to move. As the shadow overcame me, I arose up from my bed with a cold sweat and gasping for air. I looked myself over realizing what had just occurred. A nightmare. The very same nightmare I have around this time of the year. Around the anniversary of his death. Relieved to be out of that hellish place in my mind, my body flopped back down and as I snuggled my head back into my pillow, I tried to purge all thoughts of that nightmare from my mind. "You're not at fault Rosetta. Deep breaths," I told myself. "You're not the cause of their deaths. Rose and Leyla are to blame for that." I nearly shrieked when I heard a soft knock at my bedroom door. "Yes?" I called out. The door opened and my grandfather entered.

"Good to see you among the living again, my dear cherry blossom. Your grandmother, parents, and I have been worried about you." He shifted slowly to a chair that was near the fully lit fireplace and sat down. "How do you feel?" he asked as he turned to me with a worried expression.

"I am quite well, grandfather," I responded, despite the obvious nerves from my nightmare. "I was not aware that the sun had risen. It will not happen again," I continued stoically.