The plan was that we would leave at midnight where Shadow can't sense our energy through our shadows because they'll be blended in with all the others.
As the rest of the day goes on I regret making that deal with Shadow, I can't believe I traded my friends to save myself. But that's not what's worrying me...while I was asleep I had more visions, but not short visions, two long ones.
The first one was easy to make out. Beatrice in her black clothes standing next to Shadow while he addressed us one by one. Our lips are moving but the sound is muted out. Beatrice looks at us with disgust during the vision as she glares down at us while Shadow talks.
There are nine words I can make out that said "I will never tell you the secret of the-" I couldn't make out the last few words that Holly had said.
Midnight crawls around fast, what can you expect when you are gonna walk into the conservatory of a giant castle with thousands of guards and soldiers including Shadow and Luke themselves.
Chiron meets us outside the barriers of camp looking at us like it's the last time he'll ever see us, which it might be.
"Good luck girls, I hope to see you soon..." he says nodding at us to open up the pitch black portal of nothing.
We all hesitate when jumping in, hopefully it will be as long as it was to get to the tower....
Unfortunately I'm very wrong.
As we jump in it literally takes like 5 minutes to get there. Beatrice and Justine look pale as a ghost when we get there I don't know weather it's from the portal or from fear.
"Come on guys we gotta get this done" Holly says not showing a shed of fear in her voice.
We carefully step over the dead grass on our way. Justine uses her magic to disable the cameras and a gates so we are able to get in way easier.
"Come on" Justine whispers leading the way through the castle. Everything is almost like the outside. Black, Red, and gray everywhere, he only thing I see that isn't those colors are the blue deadly flames lighting the castle.
For some reason Justine seems to know this castle very well, Shadow must have his own definition of prisoner or she's just been studying it for a while.
Guards pass us once and while but can't sense our shadows so that's a good thing.
We carefully get to the Conservatory as we sneak past the codes.
This place is filled with different colored plants but I a feeling that they're all trouble. There's the red one's which are poisoned. The yellow ones probably eat flesh because of their baring fangs.
In the middle of the room just like Beatrice's picture is a bunch of black thorns surrounding something that has a gray glow in the middle.
"So who's going to get it?" I say.
There's silence and everyone looks at each other.
"Why doesn't the girl who has a mother related to Nature do it?" Holly says.
Justine and Beatrice slip out a laugh as they look at me basically telling me to get the flower.
"Fine" I say. There's no way I'm getting cuts all over, so I'm going to try my magic.
I try to control the thorns, try to make them go back into the ground for now, and surprisingly it works.
They slowly go back into the ground leaving a beautiful black rose with a brown stem and thorns.
"Be careful Siana, don't touch the thorns" Justine says. I'd assume it's just a warning because I don't want to get hurt, but this rose has a dark feeling so I do what she says. I carefully reach for the Rose, but this seems way too easy.
That's when a ball of black energy speeds at me sending me flying into the wall. Pain shoots through my back as I hit the wall hard.
My vision clears quickly and there standing is Shadow Black.
"It's not nice to steal Siana" he says a smirk plastered on his face.
"Ouch..." I mutter under my breath.
"Wow. Holly, Siana, you do your deals fast, you brought me Justine and Beatrice in less than 24 hours" Shadow says.
"What deal?" Justine says in a scornful voice.
"They didn't tell you? Well add that to the list of secrets your friends have" Shadow says.
"Get to the point already" Beatrice says sword ready in hand.
He looks at her with an amused smirk as he is the one to tell Beatrice and Justine the deal.
"The Shadow Dagger would've told me to offer a higher price for the two of you, Siana and Holly had to search the tower for the precious black rose so I made them an opportunity. I sent troops to defend and patch you girls up while Siana and Holly search the castle in exchange for you two as my prisoners" he says looking at them to see them panic or become angry.
"We don't have to honor that deal if you're dead..." Justine says. She quickly fires an arrow right at him but he does something I don't expect. He catches it.
"Listen girls, I don't want to waste my strength so I'll have someone else do it, Siana and Holly will be back at camp, while Justine and Beatrice will be in the infirmary" Shadow says.
All of a sudden a man appears next to him. He looks about 20 years old. He's tall, handsome man , with short-cropped sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, an athletic and muscular build, and a sneaky look. He is described through the series as being college-aged. He has a thick, deep pale scar that runs from the bottom of his eye down to his chin which kind of kills the attractive look.
"Girls, meet my new partner Luke Castellan" Shadow says his smirk replaced with a sort of annoyed look.
Justine looks like she's seen her greatest fear. Her face is completely white the only color coming from her eyes. Her hands start shaking as she drops her bow in disbelief.
It's Luke's turn to smirk as he says "I told you I'd see you again". He draws a long sword with material I've never seen or heard of it's a Bronze but not Celestial Bronze blending into a cream white color metal.
For some reason my brained flipped and I was the first to attack. I run and try to slash that stupid scar open again but all of a sudden he disappears. I don't have time to react when he appears behind and slashes my back. That's the second time someone's poured pain into my back. I land on my stomach on the ground as I feel his foot crush my bones. I cry out in pain, if I swore every time I was hurt I'd be in a place worse than Tartarus.
"That's it get it all out!" Luke says pushing me into the ground.
I have tears of pain streaming down my face wondering if this will kill me.
His foot suddenly comes off my back as I hear him growl.
"Leave my friends alone!" I hear Beatrice's voice she must've cut him while he was causing me pain.
I can't see all I know is that there's definitely some fighting behind me. I see that the Black Rose is only a few feet away, if I can get it then I could be able to destroy it.
I go one arm at a time, my legs can't move they must've been disabled like my back. Pain boils everywhere every time I get closer. I carefully climb up the stones before the black rose is right in front of me. By then my vision is filled with black spots but as soon as I go to grab it a black boot crushes my hand.
"Luke may be doing the fighting but I'm not just going to let you take my power source" Shadow says.
I'm just barely able to look up at him looking down at me, his eyes a red color obviously filled with evil.
"Y-You'll never...win" I say.
"Oh, Siana haven't your visions already told you? I already have" He says.
That's when I see an arrow enter his stomach obviously not killing him, but he dissolves leaving Justine there.
"Here" she says having me sip white ink, immediately my injuries heal and I stand up. I look over and gasp at what I see.
Beatrice is on the ground slash marks all over her and she's barely moving.
Luke finally sends Holly to the ground as we grab the black rose.
"I'll distract him you feed them the white ink" She mutters putting the white ink in my hand.
She hesitates when going up to Luke as I hear their conversation while I feed Beatrice the white ink.
"I told you to wait Luke, I took these risks because I thought I was going to die" She says.
"I couldn't wait any longer and you know it, I've been waiting for 2 years Justine, then Shadow told me I could see you again if I joined him" he says.
I carefully sneak over to Holly and feed her it. They all are healed so I take the communicator and click it 5 times. The portal back to camp opens up and Luke turns around.
Justine quickly runs past him and jumps in, we all quickly jump in, the portal closing behind us.
