The Rosewood Prophecy

Chapter 69

Indigo

I couldn't tear my eyes away. I was frozen in place, and my mind was screaming that Aaron was going to be ripped into shreds right before my eyes. However, in the split second that the daggers of darkness reached Aaron's cloak, there was a great burst of golden light so bright I had to squeeze my eyes shut momentarily. When I heard Katherine shout in surprise, I opened my eyes to a stunning scene.

A whitish-yellow colored dome had formed, protecting the three of us. All Evils that touched the sides were blasted back; some turned into dust immediately. The daggers of darkness that Lord Victor sent to us battered the dome, but they all dissipated into smoky tendrils upon touching the side of the dome. Aaron's cloak, once belonging to the great swordsman Augustus, was glowing the same whitish-yellow color as the dome. I looked into the wide eyes of Aaron, who was clearly shocked that he wasn't dead yet.

"What—what's going on?" I asked haltingly. "How did you manage to do this?"

"I don't know," Aaron confessed, looking behind himself to see his glowing cloak. "All I did was say praesidio—you know, the simple protection spell—because I wasn't sure I could shield both of you from all of Lord Victor's attack. I honestly thought I would die. I don't know what's going on."

"The second dons the cloak of great might. Aaron, Augustus's cloak must be one of the magical items from the prophecy!" Katherine exclaimed. We looked at each other in surprise. It made sense.

"But how come it never worked before?" Aaron wondered. "Was it really the protection spell that activated it?"

"I don't think so." I shook my head. I looked past Aaron to see Lord Victor increasing the frequency and size of his attacks on us. The magic dome held firm. We had a few minutes to discuss. "At least, it can't be just the protection spell. You've used the spell before while wearing the cloak, but it has never glowed or shown its magical properties. Something else is different. This will be key in unlocking the magical potential of the other two items: the sword of destiny and spear of light."

"I meant to ask earlier, Indigo, but is that the spear of light?" Katherine pointed at my spear. I nodded.

"I believe so. I found it in Lord Victor's storage room." I told my friends about how I found the spear and why I believed it to be the spear of light. "I've tried to find its magical properties, but didn't have much luck."

"What's different with Aaron's cloak?" Katherine touched a finger to the glowing cloak. "It doesn't look any different, besides being a lot dirtier and covered with Aaron's blood."

I mused over Katherine's words. Aaron's blood. An idea struck me like lightning. "Remember how the Elders said we had magic in our blood? Could it be that we have to use our blood to 'activate' our weapons?"

Katherine furrowed her brow in thought. "Perhaps. I mean, I've never gotten my own blood on Retribution, so it's worth a try." Holding her sword with her left hand, Katherine used her right hand to wipe her bloody left shoulder. Then she carefully smeared her blood onto the rosestone that was inlaid on the rainguard of her sword. As we all held our breaths in anticipation, the rosestone glowed blue. We watched with astonishment as glowing azure symbols appeared down the length of the blade, their light making it seem like the entire sword was glowing. Katherine looked at me with excitement in her eyes.

"Indigo, it worked!"
Since I didn't have a fresh wound like Katherine, I sliced my palm across the spearhead. Blood appeared instantly, and I wiped the crimson droplets across the engravings near the spearhead, painting the name Phoebus red. Almost immediately, the inscriptions began to shine and the entire shaft glowed gold just like when I first discovered it. My excitement and joy were reflected in Aaron's and Katherine's eyes.