Colorless II: Black & White

5 - Blackened

They had been forced to leave the passages for what had, until seconds ago, been an empty room. It was ill-used. A meeting room for the King and the Lords of the land. But the Lords rarely visited anymore, and when they did, they met with each other. Varick was all but ignored politically and socially. The passage ended in this room, beginning again on the other side.

Senya had appeared in the doorway before they'd made it halfway across the room. Rinian hadn't noticed her approach which meant that either she had the talent to suppress her magic, or she was too weak to be any threat. He assumed the former.

When he drew his sword, she tripped over backward in alarm, nearly falling back out into the hallway. She caught herself on the doorframe and, quickly collecting herself, shut the door behind her.

Senya spoke in a whisper. "Rinian, wait. I'm just..." Her face broke into relief when she saw who was standing behind him. "Varick!" She stepped forward as if to run to him, then stopped abruptly when she was reminded of Rinian's sword. There was a handprint of flour on the leg of her culottes, making it obvious that she'd just come from the kitchen and had hastily cleaned her hands on her clothes. Altogether, she didn't look like much of a threat.

"It's alright, Rinian," Varick said. "She's an old friend."

Rinian lowered his sword only slightly. He still didn't trust Senya. There had always been something unnerving about her.

"I can help," she said. "That's why I was looking for him." She pointed to the panel which hid the passage they'd just come from.

"You know about the passages?"

Varick sighed in impatience. "I told you. She's an old friend."

There were screams all around them and sounds of struggle reminiscent of the Battle of the Cathedral. They were in the heart of it. The oppressing push of power surrounded them.

"Do you know who's doing this?" Varick asked Senya.

"Yes." She rubbed a hand over her face, leaving streaks of flour. "It's the lords...It's...my father is among them."

"All of the Lords?"

"Most of them. And others, obviously. Heart eaters. They've been planning this for a while..." Her eyes widened at Varick. "Not that...I mean, I didn't know. I would have...I'm on your side; I always have been. And I can help you. I have magic that can help you. I can see them."

"What do you mean by that?" Varick asked.

"Oh, well..." She glanced at Rinian. "It's a bit more complicated, but, essentially, I can tell by looking at someone if they're a heart eater or not."

Senya startled again and looked over at the panel concealing the other side of the passage. "Someone's coming." She backed toward Rinian, forgetting again about his sword.

Rinian felt it too, a second after she did. He was about to order Varick back into the passage they'd come from when he changed his mind. He could fight a lot better in the open, and if the enemy knew about the passages, they weren't safe there either. There wasn't even a guarantee they'd all make it in and close the door before they were set upon.

They only had three weapons between them – assuming that Senya had none. Kin wielded Rinian's second blade, and Varick, at Rinian's insistence, always carried a knife on him. It was even more important that Varick keep it with him now, surrounded by people bent on murdering him. They would have to rely on their magics in place of weapons.

Rinian wasn't the only one who had come to that conclusion. Cyran had already cut himself on Kin's borrowed blade and now held a pool of blue blood in his hand. In any other circumstance, Rinian would be eager to see Cyran's magic. It was something he'd tried in vain to copy dozens of times before, and he enjoyed any opportunity to observe how it worked so that he could attempt it again.