The Rosewood Prophecy

Chapter 36

                                                                      Katherine

I slowly gained consciousness, my head pounding and my body hurting all over. I was pretty sure my wound had ripped open again, because my stomach felt like it was on fire. Opening my eyes slowly, I waited as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting.

Stone walls, rough to the touch, were on three sides. Steel bars with a heavy lock made up the last wall, blocking my escape. The ground was made of dirt and slightly damp. Straw was scattered on the ground, serving as insulation against the naturally cool floor. The only light came from a torch somewhere down the corridor beyond the steel bars. I was in a prison cell.

I tried moving my arms and legs. They ached, but at least I wasn't tied up. Slowly, I propped myself up to a sitting position, trying to ignore the pain in my stomach. What had happened? Where exactly am I?

I thought back to the last thing that happened. Trees. Blue orbs. Fleeing. The Desederium Forest. Yes, yes that's it. We were fighting the ambush of Evils that appeared out of nowhere. Ashley and I fell off our horse when an Evil jumped out at us, knocking us over. Ashley's wand flew out of her hand, I remembered. I tried to fight, but I was too weak and my wound hurt me too much whenever I tried to move. Ashley had to defend us both, and the Evils were slowly advancing.

A voice. I heard a voice. A cold, raspy voice slithered into my mind, taking root in the corners of my mind and chilling my core. It said three simple words before wrecking havoc on my body: Hello again, Katherine. I remembered a terrible pain rippling through my body, worse than any wound I've ever had before. It was just like that day in the inn at Hamberg, except much, much worse. It felt like a thousand daggers were stabbing through my body at once, and invisible hands were squeezing all of my internal organs with the intention of bursting them. And then, when I resisted by trying to push the voice out of my mind, the pain intensified tenfold. I'm pretty sure I let out an inhumane scream and fainted at that point.

Then what happened? Did Evils capture me and bring me to wherever I am now? Do my friends know that I am still alive, not eaten or torn apart by Evils? They must have tore the forest apart looking for me. I hope everyone escaped.

Just thinking about everything made my head throb again. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the cool stone wall. Sooner or later, I will be able to meet with my captor. Then I can figure out a way to escape.

In my mind, I went over all that I knew about this place. It was most likely that I am at Devil's Peak, a tall mountain almost impossible to scale. Its elevation was between ten and fifteen thousand feet, but its sides are steep and uneven, causing many climbers to have fallen to their deaths. Around Devil's Peak was a small cluster of mountains, all around five thousand feet high. I remembered from Rachel's maps that there were valleys tucked away between mountains, and cliffs that jutted out from the sides. Some mountains were full of vegetation and bursting with greenery; others were less supportive of plant life and more for rocks and dirt.

Footsteps echoing down the corridor drew my attention. I turned to the bars as two soldiers appeared, dressed in all black. One of them unlocked my cell and beckoned towards me.

"Lord Victor wants to see you."

I stayed put, wondering if I could make a run for it. The soldier seemed to read my thoughts. "Don't bother running. Lord Victor has a whole troop posted up and down this hall, just guarding you. And besides, he has your precious swords."