---Aaron---
After a quick treatment of Jason's arm in the infirmary, the teachers ushered us out again. I had expected them to take us all to the cafeteria where everyone else were, or maybe to the headmaster's office for some reprimanding, but to my surprise, they led us up the winding staircase on the left and through hallways that we've never been through before. As the teachers walked briskly to wherever we were headed, we jogged to catch up and look around in wonder at the same time.
The halls that we pass through were different than the ones that we were used to. Portraits and paintings adorned the walls, along with tapestries that looked like they belonged in a medieval manor. I recognized some of the portraits as past Rosewood Elders and headmasters and headmistresses, but others were completely unknown to me. I saw a portrait of a stern-looking man who seemed like some sort of a professor to me. His face was fixed in a permanent scowl, but his eyes seemed to hold some sort of secret in them. There was another one that made an imprint in my mind. It was the picture of a beautiful and elegantly-dressed lady, but her gaze was steely and she had a warrior sort of feel to her. Somehow I imagined that's what Katherine would look like if she was older and wore that fancy dress.
I shook the thoughts away as the teachers led us down yet another winding hallway. This one was filled with artifacts and objects in glass display cases. We passed a few busts, a couple of swords, and several weird-looking wooden things. Lucian pointed out a wizard's staff to me.
I had so many questions, and my legs were beginning to tire from climbing a lot of stairs and walking down a lot of halls. Where are they taking us? What are these portraits and objects? Why have we never been told of these places before?
Katherine dropped back to talk to me quietly. "Where are we going? I thought I knew the layout of Rosewood Academy like the palm of my hand but now these extra weird-but-cool hallways popped out."
"I have no idea," I answered. "I didn't know the Academy was so big."
"You see all those rooms we passed by? What do you think are in them? Do you think they might have held classes here?" Katherine asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"I didn't pay much attention to them," I confessed. "I was looking at the portraits and artifacts."
"Dude, the swords are so cool, and did you catch sight of that awesome cloak in one of the hallways—"
"Students, we are going to go through a secret passageway. Please be quiet and follow closely," came the voice of Mr. Watts.
We looked at each other with surprise and excitement. Secret passageway! In our very own school! Katherine was practically jumping with excitement.
I watched as Mr. Loren walked to a picture of the early days of the academy. Pressing a secret panel in the wall, the painting swung open. Inside was a keypad of some sort, ancient and worn. Mr. Loren touched the tiles in a certain order, and with an echoing boom, the walls slid back in front of our faces and revealed a dark tunnel.
We walked through that tunnel in pairs, one after each other. Each pair held a torch, and I couldn't help feeling like explorers from the old days who explored caves and other mysterious places. I noticed Katherine, who was walking beside me, trying to conceal a small glow in her hands. I poked her, and she sheepishly revealed a gold orb the size of a golf ball.
"I previewed some spells, and I found that when you say this one spell after rubbing some of this blue powder on your hands it'll form an orb to act like a light source," she whispered. I grinned at her; it was so typical of her to read ahead and do all this advanced stuff. I preview too, but Katherine was better. She actually tries everything out while I just read the information.
We passed through the tunnel into the outside. After my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed that we were quite some distance from the academy. There's got to be like two miles between us. I looked back at the tunnel. It had sealed itself up, appearing as a pile of boulders at the foot of a small hill. Who would think there'd be a secret passage inside?
Indigo let out a small gasp. "Aaron, are we where I think we are?"
"Where?" I looked around in bewilderment. The teachers had led us in front of a nice mini village of cottages. At the gate, there was a simple wooden sign that read "Rosewood Village".
"That sounds familiar," I said.
"It's the homes of the Rosewood Elders! We're going to see the Rosewood Elders!" Indigo whispered urgently.
My knees almost buckled; from exhaustion or panic I did not know. Rosewood Elders? See them? Those guys were the most respected authorities in the universe. Not just anyone can request an audience with the Rosewood Elders. If we, a random bunch of kids, are going to see the Rosewood Elders, then the situation must be far worse than we have previously thought.
"Come, children. Hurry, we mustn't dawdle," called Ms. Teagan from the doorframe. She beckoned us inside a quaint little cottage. Cautiously, we stepped inside.
It was just as how you'd imagine a cozy little house. There was a fireplace in which a fire crackled; a table set for six in one of the corners, and two comfy sitting chairs in front of the fire. But if you took a closer look, you'd see runes and ancient symbols etched in places. Ancient books filled bookshelves that stretched to the ceiling. A few swords and daggers were displayed proudly here and there. Seven old men and women settled on sofas watching us. One woman was polishing a sword.
Their hair was white, or gray flecked with white. They had wrinkles on their faces and hands, but they didn't look like your typical senior citizen. The women had an air of grace and poise to them, and the men had a sense of strength and power. The air around them felt energized, like the calm before a storm. There was no doubt that these were the Rosewood Elders. You could practically see their battles and experiences written on their faces.
"These are the children we told you about," said Ms. Teagan. "Would you like to interrogate them?"
Oh god. Interrogation? My gut twisted.