---Indigo---
I awoke with a pounding headache. With my eyes squeezed shut, I tried to wait out the pain in my head and calm my breathing. 'What happened?'
I was heading back to our cave with Aaron in the blizzard. The storm was terrible, and every gust of wind threatened to blow us away. I couldn't even see Aaron's back; the only thing that told me he was still in front of me was the rhythmic tug of the rope between us. I was thinking to myself how cold it was and how there was snow in my coat when a particular large gust of wind slammed into me from the side. I tried to steady myself by grabbing onto the rope line, but something struck my head and everything went black.
And now I'm…where? I slowly opened my eyes. A floor of solid gray came into focus. I pushed myself to a sitting position, wincing at how the room spun. It was small square room, completely bare and devoid of any decoration. The walls were a dark gray color and felt like solid stone. The floor was cold and uncomfortable, but so was the entire room. I drew my knees up to my chest and huddled in my coat for warmth.
There was one door set in the wall directly in front of me, but I didn't see any way to open it from the inside. There weren't any windows, so I couldn't look outside nor tell what time of day it was. Eight candles were set in candleholders around the room. My sword was gone; I had no weapons on me except for the silver dagger I had received at Goldhedge, tucked in the inside fold of my coat.
I must be in Lord Victor's stronghold. That was the only logical answer. Who else would attack me, knock me out, and stick me in a windowless room? Lucian was right; Lord Victor was the cause of the sudden blizzard. I just hope everyone else was safe.
The rope that tied me to Aaron was still around my waist. I looked at it, noting that it had been cut in the middle. Does that mean that Aaron wasn't captured? I prayed that that was true.
A rumble of rock grinding on rock disrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see the door slide open. I felt his presence before I saw him; the room's temperature dropped ten degrees, making it colder than it already was. I heard the click, click of boots on hard ground. A figure clad in all black meandered into the room.
"Lord Victor." It wasn't a question, but a statement. This guy had to be him; it had to be the most feared being in Crystallea. I wanted to get into a defensive stance, but my limbs refused to listen to me. So I sat there, staring up at the cloaked figure, my heart beating fast.
"Hello, Indigo." His voice was smooth, like chocolate, but it sent goosebumps up and down my arms. "So nice to finally meet you in person."
"Uh…" I didn't know how to reply. Should I risk angering him? "What do you want with me? Why have you brought me here?"
"Indigo, why do you make it sound like I want to hurt you?" Lord Victor sounded genuinely hurt. The black floor-length robe he wore whispered as he slowly drifted towards me. "I just wanted to talk with you, that's all. I'm not going to hurt you."
I raised my eyebrow incredulously. It was so ridiculous I stopped being afraid. "You expect me to believe that? After you've mercilessly killed so many people, including two of my closest friends?" I wanted to laugh. "Don't be ridiculous."
Beneath his hood, Lord Victor's crimson lips curled into a smile. "No, seriously, Indigo. I really do just want to talk with you." Whipping his cloak and robe out of the way, Lord Victor sat down in front of me. I scrambled away in alarm, stopping only when my back hit the wall.
"What are you doing?"
Lord Victor sighed. "Indigo, please, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." He reached up and pushed his hood back, revealing his face. "Look into my eyes. I'm not lying to you."
I was stunned into silence. How was Lord Victor so…young? He couldn't be more than a few years older than me. His emerald green eyes, filled with genuine promise, were shadowed by smooth arched eyebrows. Long sweeping lashes fluttered with every blink. Raven black hair was brushed back and gelled, but still stood in short spikes. His ruby lips stood out from his fair skin. The sharp jawline, the high cheekbones…this young man was the epitome of handsome.
Lord Victor laughed softly at my expression, his eyes crinkling. "Surprised, aren't you? Everyone is, when they first see me. They expect some old man with a scar across half the face or distorted features. But I'm quite young and quite handsome, right Indigo?"
"…" I felt like this was some sort of trap, to make me let my guard down, but I couldn't look away from Lord Victor's captivating gaze.
"Do you remember my offer to you, Indigo?" Lord Victor asked softly. His large eyes shimmered with innocence. "I sent you a message in a dream."
"A dream?" I thought back. "When?"
"After Katherine was captured, my dear. Think harder." Lord Victor peered at me.
My eyes widened. I did remember. It was the night Jason died and I had encountered Ashley talking to Lord Victor. What had he said to me? ' "Those who join me in my cause shall be rewarded. Think about my offer to you, Indigo." '
Lord Victor looked at me expectantly. "Well, what do you say, Indigo? Will you take up on my offer?"
"No! Of course not!" I glared at him, repulsed. "You killed two of our closest friends. You've been trying to kill us since day one of this quest. If you actually think I would join you, then you're an idiot!"
Anger flared up in Lord Victor's eyes, but they were quick to extinguish. "That's what Ashley said to me, and also what Katherine said. But then what happened? They ended up working with me anyway."
"No, they didn't. Ashley foiled your plans to kill us, and Katherine never worked with you. We're not that easy to tempt!" I said defensively.
Lord Victor laughed. "How could they have made such a stupid child like you the mastermind? Ashley did betray me, I'll give you that. But did you and your friends escape my grasp? No, Indigo. I knew you lot were alive; I watched as you made your way to the Northern Mountains. You've only gotten this far because I allowed you to. I could've killed all of you in your sleep, but I decided it was more fun to watch you struggle. Indigo, you should know that nothing, nothing, escapes my eyes."
He looked at my astonished expression, and continued. "You befriended a new boy, haven't you? Oh, that poor guy. You're quite the player, Indigo. Utilizing his resources to your advantage and using his feelings for you to get him to do your bidding when you're going to discard him in the end anyway. You know you're going to run back to that sweet Aaron boy, yet you're toying with him nonetheless."
"I am nothing of that sort! I thought Aaron was dead for months!" I wanted to punch Lord Victor in the face.
"He would be, if I hadn't saved him." Lord Victor snorted. "I don't even get a thank-you for that."
"You saved Aaron?" I was incredulous. "Stop lying. Why would you save an enemy?"
"Oh, Indigo, you're so dumb." Lord Victor scooted closer. "I told you, Katherine is working with me. In exchange for her allegiance, I saved Aaron's life. You're not the only one who likes him, you know."
"That's not true! Katherine would never work with you!" I refused to believe such outrageous lies. Lord Victor arched an eyebrow.
"Indigo, you were willing to kill Katherine because she stole Aaron from you. Who's to say that she won't do the same? Could she really have forgiven you after you stabbed her? Indigo, you're too naïve. You're walking right into her trap and you don't even know it."
"No, I won't believe you. You're lying to me." I looked away from Lord Victor's intense gaze, fearing that he would see any hints of doubt in mine.
"Indigo, I'll tell you the truth. Everything that Katherine told you about her journey since Devil's Peak was a lie. Aaron trusts her so much, so he believed everything to be real and that they really did go through those life-or-death situations together. But Katherine is a great actor, Indigo. She fooled him, just as she has fooled you. She was lying to Aaron to protect him, but she's lying to you to kill you.
"You saw the cliff where they supposedly jumped off, right? How can anyone possibly survive such a fall? Why would there be someone living at the bottom? Do you think it's possible for me to not know of people living in such close proximity to my stronghold?" Lord Victor reached out and touched my hand. I pulled away and looked up at him in alarm. "Poor Aaron had his memories changed and faked, Indigo. I did the spells myself. He thinks all those things happened but everything was fabricated. He blindly follows Katherine and believes everything she tells him. You were almost killed, were you not? Who tried to assassinate you?"
"That was a mistake, they didn't know—" I protested. Lord Victor cut me off.
"Aaron didn't know, but Katherine sure did. She told Aaron to kill you without telling him it was you. What do you think would happen if you were dead? She'd have Aaron all to herself. Wake up, Indigo. You're living a lie."