Lord Victor's Surprise

---Katherine---

"Remind me why you brought us here again," I said, squinting in the sunlight. Lord Victor had ordered his henchmen to bring Aaron and me back up to the summit of Devil's Peak the next day. Our arms were held behind our backs by two strong soldiers.

"I have a…surprise for you two," Lord Victor said casually, surveying the landscape again. "Although I'm not sure how you'll like it."

"Where are my things? My weapons and my bag? And my cloak?" Aaron asked, struggling against his captors. "If you damaged anything, I swear—"

"They're in the treasury, locked up with Katherine's sword," Lord Victor replied. "Don't worry, they're nice and safe with me. Why would I ruin such nice things? Especially if they're important?"

"How are they important to you? Those are our weapons. I'm pretty sure you have plenty of fancy swords in your weaponry." Aaron finally stopped writhing and accepted that he wasn't going anywhere. Lord Victor turned to look at Aaron curiously.

"You don't know? You don't know the value of your own treasures?" Lord Victor seemed appalled. "My, my, Aaron, you can't be this stupid. The Elders must be getting old, sending a dumb child like you on this mission."

"Hey! Don't call him stupid. He's the smartest boy in the Academy," I defended Aaron. "If you're so smart, why don't you enlighten us, Lord Victor?"

Lord Victor turned to me, shock written all over his face. "You too, Katherine? The boy's ignorance I can understand, but you? Kath, you're supposed to be smart."

"Don't call me Kath. Only my friends can call me that." I growled. "And no, I'm not smart. I'm not the mastermind; I'm the warrior."

Lord Victor sighed softly. "You stupid, ignorant children. Back in my days…nevermind that. What do you know about the Destined Three?"

"They're the three people who make it to the end," Aaron said. "They're the most powerful of the seven."

"Very good. But what about the Destined Three is special? What do they have that the rest don't have?"

"They have the spear of light, the cloak of victory, and the Sword of Destiny," I answered. My brow furrowed as my brain suddenly figured out what Lord Victor was hinting at. But why do I have such a hard time of believing it?

"Ah, Katherine gets it. I knew she was smart." Lord Victor looked at me approvingly. "Have you realized it, Aaron?"

"No," Aaron said stubbornly. "What is it? I don't see the connection."

"Child, your cloak is the cloak of victory. Her sword is the Sword of Destiny." Lord Victor explained patiently. "Too bad none of you have the spear of light with you."

"No way. No freaking way. That is Augustus' cloak and some random sword given to Kath by the sorceress Madeline Rowan. There's no way those two items can be the legendary items in the prophecy." Like me, Aaron was struggling to make the connections.

"Child, how dense are you? Why do you think Katherine just conveniently received a magical sword? Why do you did you just coincidentally won a legendary cloak? They are both magical items, hidden until the right person comes along. That being said, I doubt anyone else realized their potential, because no one knew they were the magical items." Lord Victor shook his head slowly and turned to gaze at the forests surrounding Devil's Peak. "It's almost time."

"Almost time for what?" Aaron demanded. "You can't just call someone stupid and then abruptly change the subject. I'm sorry I'm not an evil genius like you."

"Patience, my dear boy. The heavens reward those who wait." Lord Victor continued to survey the landscape while Aaron and I were held captive, forced to watch the unchanging scene with him.

It seemed like hours before Lord Victor finally spoke again. "Hey, look aren't those your friends?" He pointed down at a dense part of the surrounding forest. Both Aaron and I followed his finger.

"I don't see anything except trees," I said.

"Don't worry, I have magic." Lord Victor waved his hands in the air. A shimmering ball of air the size of a large bowl emerged, acting like a magnifying class. I saw the tips of tents within the bushes, and some movement in between the trees. Beside me, Aaron sucked in a breath.

Lord Victor, sensing Aaron's tension, smirked and zoomed in. Now I could see shimmering figures moving around. I saw Indigo talking to Ashley by a tent. I saw Lucian sitting by Rachel on a log. They didn't know that Lord Victor had already found them.

"What are you going to do?" Aaron asked with a hint of fear in his voice. "What is the 'surprise' you have planned?"

"You'll see. Everything is in place, right, Charles?" Lord Victor looked at one of the soldiers standing by the edge of the cliff. He bowed his head respectfully and nodded. Lord Victor, satisfied, turned his attention back to the magical magnifying ball of air. Aaron and I watched with a sense of foreboding.

"I swear, if you hurt them…" Aaron warned. Lord Victor ignored him and looked at me.

"Kath, I've given you nearly a week now to think of my proposal. What do you say, Kath?"

"First of all, don't call me Kath. Second of all, how do I know you'll keep your promise?"

"I assure you, if you remain loyal to me, I will remain loyal to you. I swear upon my heart and soul that no harm will come to your friends as long as you cooperate with me. That includes your dear friend Aaron here." Lord Victor's gaze penetrated me as I tensed. Aaron looked between the two of us wildly.

"What is he talking about? Kath, what is this?"

"He wants me to be his queen in exchange for your and everyone else's lives." I said quietly, avoiding eye contact with Aaron.

"What? No way. You can't say yes, Kath, not to this creep. He's not going to keep his promise anyway. We can fight him together. He's lying to you!" Aaron struggled in his captors' arms again. "Kath, don't listen to him!"

"I don't know…" I hesitated. "If he will actually let the rest of you go, I think I will be willing to make that sacrifice."

"I promise I won't go after the remaining Rosewood Seven if you remain my queen," Lord Victor cut in. "You can trust me, Kath."

"No you can't. You can't say yes, Kath. I won't allow it. I'm sure Indigo and the rest of them would rather we die together than you being with this dude!" Aaron's voice was getting louder and louder. "You can't say yes, Kath!"

"I don't want to watch you guys suffer! I can change this—I can alter our fate!" I turned to look at Aaron. "If he really will keep his word…if he really will spare the five of you, I'll say yes."

"No, Kath!"

"Yes, Kath, I promise I won't hurt your friends." Lord Victor was getting impatient. "Now hurry up and make a decision!"

"I…" Something in Lord Victor's tone kept me from saying yes. "Are you sure you'll keep your promise?"

"Oh for god's sake." Lord Victor threw up his hands. "Perhaps you need a little incentive." He directed his hands towards the forest where our camp was situated. "This will show you what happens if you keep me waiting for too long."

A loud boom rocked the earth, and we felt the tremors that followed, even from this height. As Aaron and I watched in horror, our campsite erupted into flames.