---Indigo---
Lionel turned and strode out of the room to head for the front door. I followed quickly behind. Outside, a group of a hundred men had gathered, with many of them on horseback. The leader jumped off his horse and greeted Lionel with a wide smile.
"Lio, my boy! It's been a while, eh? How's everything going?"
"Everything's going well," Lionel shook the stranger's hand warmly. "I'm surprised you turned up so quickly."
"Well, I came here as fast as I could once I received word you were going to make your move," the man said. "But I'm curious why you made a decision so quickly."
"Let me introduce you." Lionel turned around and grabbed my wrist, pulling me to stand beside him. "This is Indigo Clay, leader of the Rosewood Seven and one of the Destined Three. She—and the rest of the Destined Three—are the reason why I decided to attack now."
I finally got a good look at the newcomer. He was a man of about forty years old, with stubble on his chin and teeth that were slightly crooked and yellow. His brown hair was unkempt and of medium length, framing a pair of alert, intelligent blue eyes that widened as he saw me.
"You—you're—"
"Sneaky Joe?!" I exclaimed. "Why are you here?"
"You two know each other?" Lionel asked in confusion.
"It's a long story, Lio." Sneaky Joe waved his hand dismissively, his gaze never leaving my face. "You're part of the Rosewood Seven? Gosh, why didn't you say so sooner? And why were you three helping out that scoundrel?"
"We needed a ride to the Northern Mountains," I explained. "It just happened that Nathan needed guards, so we thought we'd put our skills to good use. I didn't expect us to get robbed."
"Sneaky Joe?" Lucian and Rachel came out of the cottage to stand beside me, also staring at Joe in disbelief. "We never thought we'd see you again!"
"Guys, let's talk more inside," Lionel cut in. "Having fifty people clustered around the entrance is pretty, uh, alarming."
We followed Lionel to his manor, where the five of us settled in Lionel's parlor. A maid scurried in, bringing us refreshments and snacks. "So what's the plan, Lio?" Sneaky Joe asked.
"Indy—I mean, Indigo—and I have been discussing battle plans." Lionel said, sitting next to me on one of his fancy sofas. "After all the news about how Lord Victor's army is sweeping through Crystallea and leaving a path of destruction and death in its wake, we've decided to set out for the Northern Mountains in the next couple of days. I already sent out messages to the various groups stationed across Crystallea. Those closer to us are to meet us at the foot of the Northern Mountains. The groups farther away have been sent to try and stop Lord Victor's army, or at least minimize the killing."
Sneaky Joe nodded as he sipped his drink. "And then? How do we attack? Do you even know where Lord Victor's stronghold is in the Northern Mountains?"
"I was thinking that we rendezvous first with everyone at the Northern Mountains, and then divide our forces into groups." I spoke up. "Rachel, do you have the map?"
Rachel pulled out a rolled up parchment and unfurled it on the low table in front of us. Sneaky Joe leaned in to inspect the map as I pointed out a line drew in black. "This is the trail up the Northern Mountains. As you can see, it's pretty straightforward, but the passes are very dangerous to navigate in winter. It's best if we advance before the passes are filled with snow. According to my research, Lord Victor's stronghold is in the heart of the Northern Mountains. It is a fortified palace of danger and death. Once we enter the Northern Mountains, I think we'll be able to find it easily.
"Once we see how many people we have, we'll divide ourselves into four groups. One group will remain behind to make sure no one attacks from behind and seal us into the mountains. The other three will go into the Northern Mountains. As we approach Lord Victor's fort, we'll split and attack from three sides, so Lord Victor will be forced to spread his troops out. As for how exactly we're going to attack, I'll need to see Lord Victor's fort in order to decide."
"Sounds like a good plan." Sneaky Joe nodded approvingly. "But if everyone is meeting up at the base of the Northern Mountains, what am I doing here?"
"We needed bodyguards to make sure we're not kidnapped before we get there," Lionel said, smiling.
Sneaky Joe scoffed disbelievingly. "Bodyguards? Lio, I've seen both you and Indigo fight. You two don't need any protection."
"Joe, you know I'm just kidding." Lionel grinned. "I just wanted to spend some quality time with you; we haven't seen each other in a while."
"Aw, I'm touched." Sneaky Joe wiped away an imaginary tear. "I remember those good ol' days, when your father would invite me over every so often, and we'd go on hunting trips or something…Well, may your old man protect us on this journey; I'd hate to tell him that his son followed in his footsteps without leaving behind an heir."
"Joe, I'm literally only nineteen." Lionel rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you're just like my father."
"I hate to ruin the moment, but we have important matters to discuss." Rachel spoke up. "Sneaky Joe, are your men trained soldiers?"
"Please, just call me Joe." Joe turned to look at Rachel. "My men can engage in basic combat, but you'll need to teach them how to fight against Evils."
"Maybe we can have a few days of crash course on how to fight Evils once we get to the Northern Mountains," Lucian suggested. "That way, everyone can learn how to properly fight against Evils."
"Good idea, Lucian." Lionel said approvingly. "Joe, tell your men to rest up. Indigo, let's go over the battle plans again. Lucian and Rachel, make sure we have everything we need for our journey. We'll depart before sun-up in three days' time."
"Yes sir!" Joe saluted him. I followed suit, smiling, as did Lucian and Rachel. Lionel was born a natural leader. Together with my mastermind abilities, Lucian's elemental power, Rachel's magic, and the soldiers all across Crystallea, we make a formidable team. Suddenly, I had more hope in defeating Lord Victor. We might actually stand a chance.