Who's Blue?

Chapter 15 - The Odius Test

××Blue××

I watched with wide eyes as the group of seven approached the king and princes. I listened intently as King Arthur spoke what sounded exactly like a rehearsed speech, or at least a speech he had told many, many times.

I could see the fear, interest, and excitement mar the faces of the newcomers as he spoke. He spoke of peace and prosperity but also of the dangers of magic and how anyone caught with magic here would be exiled. Or worse was an underlying message, not directly spoken but there.

I couldn't help but meet Diesels gaze when he spoke his last words. Diesels dark blue eyes were already trained on me. The anger in his eyes had melted into a soft, longing look. My lips quirked up slightly seeing that. It almost looked like his eyes brightened but then his gaze switched to Odius who had moved off of the raised seating area to stand on the same level as the newcomers and the rest of the citizens.

"Odius, please commence with the 450th Testing Ceremony." King Arthurs voice hushed the whispers in the crowd. Odius placed himself in front of the king, staring down each newcomer like they were nothing more than a speck of dirt on the floor. The first newcomer stepped forward.

They looked like a sacrifice. A trembling girl, no older than 17 with baggy clothes and knotted red hair, was first. Odius showed no emotion or sympathy for the child who clearly had seen terrible things out on her own.

His hand rose in the air and I faintly wondered if he would attempt to strike her before I saw the faint glow of the ring on his fingers. It started subly, as a pale red glow before shifting into a beam of light. It was blinding for a shocking moment. Isabel and I shielded our eyes from the attack, only dropping our arms when our eyes adjusted.

The beam of light found its way to the girl who now was shaking like a leaf on the most windy of days. The red light found the area above her heart, settling there for a long moment before the light turned a soft white. A stifled gasp of relief escaped the girls lips as she fell to her knees at the sight. The red light disappeared.

"Did she pass?" I mumbled, never having asked Diesel of the intricacies of the process.

"Yes," Isabel breathed next to me, her eyes trained on the next newcomer to step forward. The girl had been ushered out of the room, helped up by two guards. She had stumbled out with a large smile plastered across her cheeks.

The next five newcomers past by much the same as the first. All fearful at different levels in the beginning and then the look of relief, of relaxation, ease that marred their expressions once the light turned white. I faintly wondered if I had been worried over nothing. The process seemed easy. I may not have powers. I could do this. I could pass the test and stop having to hide, stop having to put so much pressure on Diesel.

Those thoughts were crushed quickly.

The last newcomer approached. A man with a long beard and gray eyes. He didn't look old enough to have gray hair but it didn't look fake either. He wasn't as nervous as the others and in his right hand he held a long walking stick.

The red light trained towards his heart. Odius' cold eyes watching with disinterest as it hovered above the bearded man's heart.

The beam of light turned black and it was like the air had been sucked out of the room. No one dared to move. The room seemed to darken.

"You did not pass," Odius spoke, eyes hardening further if possible. His arm dropped to his side while the other gripped the sword on his hip.

"Try again."

The words pulled a gasp from many lips in the room. The bearded man narrowed his eyes and brought the staff forward defensively.

"Leave while you still can," King Arthur spoke loudly from the step above.

"I won't be leaving. Its time you were put in your place for treating us the way you have."

Odius reached out. A spell was directed his way from the end of the staff, hitting him square in the chest. Odius flew backwards, slamming into a few guards who rushed forward. Those that didn't go down with the group charged forward. And in that moment, chaos broke loose.

The citizens yelled and scrambled, pushing past one another to get to one of the four exits. Their panic grew as spells flew around the room.

I could only stand there as I lost Isabel in the crowd, a guard having taken her quickly once the fight began. Her hand had slipped from mine.

A purple ray of power flew across the sky. I watched it hit the wall next to me.

"Blue!"

Diesel grabbed my arms, turning me towards him to protect me from the falling debris. I clutched his jacket, the world around me swirling as the event caught up to me. My eyes squeezed shut for a second then snapped open as Diesel began pulling me away.

We raced for the door we had come in, a guard yanking it open just enough for us to slip through before slamming it closed.

"Are you okay?" Diesel worried, hands hovering over any exposed skin he could find, looking for wounds that weren't there. I hadn't been touched, only stood there watching the commotion erupt.

"I'm okay," I rasped out, taking his hands in mine to stop them from wandering. Our eyes locked on and time stilled, an occurrence that happened more and more as Diesel spent time together.

A bang against the door behind us broke the hold we had on one another.

"Good. Go find Isabel. She will be in her room. Tell the guards I sent you or find a servant who knows you to escort you." As he spoke, he pushed me forward, urging me to go. I dug my heels into the ground.

"Wait," I rushed out, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to help."

"What if you get hurt?" I spoke, worried eyes finding his. They softened under my gaze.

"I'll be okay and I'll come find you. Do you trust me?"

I nodded my head without hesitstion. His eyes sparked but he kept his smile calm, relaxed.

"Then go."

I stood there for only a moment longer, looking him over, before nodding quickly. I twirled around and made for the stairs, knowing that Isabel's room was on the same level of the castle as Diesel and I's.

I looked back only once but Diesel was already out of sight. The further I got from the ceremony room, the less fighting I heard and the more worried I became.

There were a few moments where I felt like stopping, turning around, and rushing down the stairs to find him.

But I told him I trusted him. So I continued forward.

He would be okay.