Blooming Rose (Book 1): Memories

Chapter 5: Rose

The first thing I felt was pain, lots of it. It started with a slight stinging in my back. The pain kept increasing as the glow became brighter, until it became unbearable. I screamed in agony and pain then collapsed on the floor, closed my eyes, and wished that the pain would just stop. Then the suffering finally ended. I opened my eyes to find the worried faces of Obsidian and the Oracles hovering over me. I muttered,"I'm fine," and sat up. Obsidian yelped,"Rose! Do you know how concerned we were? You were engulfed in a bright light, then you screamed, and then when the light faded we found you lying on the ground with your eyes closed. I thought you were dead!" An unladylike snort came from Wisdom,"Leave out anything important, Obsidian?" He was opening his mouth to continue, but Wisdom interrupted,"No, I want to tell her. Rose, you have wings."

Once again, Wisdom was right. They were the same as the ones in my dream. They were about nine feet long and were pure white. I stared at them warily and asked,"Are they always going to be getting in my way?" Wisdom shook her head," This has happened before. The wings are received as a great honor. They represent glory, honor, and courage. You can control when they appear or not. Just visualize it in your mind." I closed my eyes and focused. I imagined the wings fading. When I opened my eyes again, the wings were gone. Wisdom told me,"I'd much rather keep them visible. They are a badge of respect and dignity." I muttered,"Fine," and in a flash, the wings were back.

Another Oracle stepped forward, lifted his hood, and said impatiently,"We must get going." He seemed quite anxious. I asked him,"What is your name?" He answered,"Agility. But what does that have to do with anything?" I just shook my head and looked at him. He had shaggy blond hair, green eyes, and looked quite young. As I studied him, a thought came to my mind, How many Oracles are there? Justice interrupted my thoughts,"Agility is correct. It is time we head back and prepare Rose." I stopped her,"Wait. What makes you think I'm going?" All the Oracles and Obsidian stared at me like I was crazy. Obsidian responded,"Rose, you have to go. You have received a Prophecy. This is your destiny! You have to!" I knew that I had to go. Ignoring Prophecies could lead to a horrible fate and it was inevitable. "Fine. I know I have to go, but what about you. I can't just leave you," I acknowledged. Obsidian glimpsed at me hesitantly before murmuring something barely audible,"I have promised to protect you, and I will keep that promise. I'm going with you."

I stared at him dumbfounded. I thought, He really did? Finally, someone who can actually fulfill their promises. Then I thought of Mark. I wondered where I would be if he had lived. I was grateful that Obsidian would come with me, but what about his hoard? He must have sensed what I was thinking because he turned to face the Oracles and asked,"Can we have a moment to get ready to go?" They nodded and Honor seemed to have a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Of course he would be delighted that Obsidian was going back. Then I wondered if Obsidian was going back for me or for Honor and his family. I pushed the idea out of my mind. Obsidian made a promise and he will keep it. It is unlikely for him to break a promise.

Obsidian stepped aside and revealed the cave that contained his hoard. "I suppose it is no use keeping my hoard hidden now," he smiled sheepishly. The Oracles were keeping a safe distance away from Obsidian. I understood why. Even the kindest of dragons tend to become dangerous if you stepped anywhere near their hoard. It was actually quite amusing watching the almighty Oracles backed up against the wall. I ignored their looks of shock and horror as I ran straight into the cave. I heard Obsidian reassure them,"It is fine. Go ahead." The Oracles stepped carefully into the cave, surprised to find me fiddling with a silver dagger. Obsidian walked in and announced,"We should probably pack as much as we can and take the most valuable and important items." Obsidian dug through the hoard until he finally found what he was looking for. "Here. Put them in here," he said as he handed me a satchel that could be slung over my shoulder. I peered at is curiously, wondering how I could fit everything in it when Obsidian told me in an amused voice,"It carries more than you think." He was indeed correct. So far, I had stuffed in about five throwing knives, two swords, lots of coins, and somehow a spear that was about four feet tall with a golden tip.

The Oracles stood to one side, seeming uncomfortable as they watched me dig through the piles of riches, weapons, and various magically enchanted items. An Oracle whose name I didn't know stepped forward and asked nervously,"May we help?" I nodded and she summoned five more satchels that looked identical to mine. She noticed my look of awe and said with a hint of amusement,"You didn't know Oracles could also do something like that?" I murmured,"You're a Creator?" She shook her head,"I am not a Creator, I am a Summoner. I can summon items, not make them." I wondered,"What is your name?" She hesitated for a moment before lifting her hood. She had startling blue eyes that seemed to sparkle, long blond hair that shimmered dazzlingly and was tied in a ponytail. She was tall and her posture was perfect. She answered me,"My name is Beauty." I questioned,"Why did you hesitate to answer me?" She sighed,"I wish for people to not just see my face and hear my name and then think that I am just some pretty dimwit who can't think for herself. I may not be as smart as Wisdom or as good of a fighter as Justice or Agility, but I do have brains and am able to take care of myself." I nodded. Beauty was not only beautiful, she radiated power.

After gathering the most vital items of the hoard. Some piles of coins were left behind, but all of the weapons were gone. It turns out that the bags had a limit. I peered around the den and realized that it could be the last time I would see it. I turned and walked out of the cave. Somehow, Obsidian had made it through the small opening. I asked him,"How did you get out?" He chuckled,"I have my ways." He nodded towards the entrance and I saw that it was bigger. I smiled at him and Honor came up to me and told me,"We're riding these dragons back to the base, but first we must retrieve someone else. The Prophecy spoke of a boy from your past shall be retrieved and help you battle the great evil that takes over. Have you had a dream or sign that tells who he is? After all, he is from your past."

I was about to tell him I didn't know who the boy from the Prophecy was, but then it hit me. A boy from my past. Seeing Henry in my dream. It couldn't be a coincidence. But why, out of all people, did it have to be Henry? I was still debating in my mind whether to tell Honor or not, but it must have shown on my face because Honor interrupted my thoughts,"Rose? You know who it is, don't you? I can tell by the look on your face." I shook my head and replied nervously,"What? I don't know what you're talking about?" Honor shook his head,"Rose, don't try to lie to me. Who is it?" I hesitated and took a deep breath,"His name is Henry Stevens. He used to be a friend of mine, until he abandoned me. That's when I came to Obsidian. You can find him in the village of Acacia, which is not far from here." I never realized how much I missed Acacia, named after all the acacia trees surrounding it. It was quite amazing when Henry and I discovered that oak tree. It was one of the few in the village. I really just didn't want to see Henry again.

I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks, which stung against the cold of the night. It was humiliating crying in front of the Oracles. I could hear Obsidian stepping forward to try to comfort me, but then I heard Beauty speak softly,"Let me handle this." She walked up to me and I looked up to her. She said,"I will not try to tell you that it will be okay, everyone knows that is an empty promise. I do not know much about you, but I know you have a painful past and you are too young to have that haunting you and the fate of the world in your hands. Rose, this is your fate and you must learn how to handle it." I appreciated how she didn't try to tell me,"Rose, it's fine," or,"Rose, I'm sorry." That meant nothing. They were just empty promises, just as she said.

Wisdom and Honor climbed onto one dragon that seemed about Obsidian's size. Justice and Agility climbed on another that was just about the same size. Beauty had a dragon that seemed like the smallest of them all and could carry only one person. I didn't really feel like using my wings during the night, so I just had them leave me for the night, climbed on to Obsidian, and fastened the satchels. Then we took off into the night sky. We were heading towards Acacia. I dreaded the moment I would see Henry again.