COBALT: The Sovereign's Stratagem (Book Two)

Chapter 4: Obliteration Ball (Part 4/4)

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I'm running out of songs without swears and weird deepweb vibes.

Might have to turn to some billboard trash soon, I'm already resorting to 2000's throwbacks. Check out those mad pixels.

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          "There was more than fourteen silver house students at the tryouts." Káel argued, his pace set tight with a silent grudge as he had a paddle sword tucked under one arm, and a signature scowl laid across his face. The nippy air of the outdoors only fueled the resentment.

          "Maybe you're actually good at something." Truvius replied, his slow shrug telling that it could be the only answer.

          So Káel looked to Vera for theories.

          She eyed Stella. "My bet's on the Council."

          "You finished your reading for The Life of a Lantern Fly at least, right?" Truvius' said, his smile withering as Káel's scowl didn't budge. "It was only ten pages."

          "Of my life. Wasted." Káel bit back, trying to adjust the thin dalem cuffs clipping his wrists so they wouldn't move as much. "I didn't think I was going to have Oblivion Ball practice twenty minutes after class."

          "Good thing Sora looked at the team listings." Vera chimed, unphased by the sour scrunch Káel's nose had as he voice rose to a mock. "Everyone's excited to see what Fairez Stella's new prince has to offer."

          Káel didn't think his lips could curve further, but the sight of the stone arena proved him wrong. He sucked in a giant breath of air, even the act of separating from his friends so they could watch was a test he wasn't willing to take. 

          Until a prick stabbed his shin, followed by five more.

"Ow! Okay, okay!" Káel ripped his leg away from Puff's claws, letting out the air with a sharp sigh. That was Puff's favourite way of telling him to get on with it - and he'd been doing it a lot lately. "I'm going."

          "Don't go through to the field, turn right in the middle of the corridor." Truvius reminded, already a few skips away with Vera dragging his wrist. Something in his wave obviously didn't trust Káel to find the changerooms on his own.

          "You have three minutes to practice." Stella warned, the impatience in her tone finally moving  Káel's feet. He easily found his destination for once, quietly creeping down the stone steps as the boisterous chatter of his team-to-be echoed up. He was going to silently find a seat and wait out the three minutes of agony until he could run away from a shocker for two hours.

          Or he could find Talli. She was probably stressing in the sea of new faces.

          Káel made it the last few steps, hoping he could slip past the room full of roudy teens under the cover of cackling laughter and screaming. But as if his steps were the doors to Mr. Mudelin's classroom, the final fateful click silenced every sound.

          And fourteen pairs of eyes stuck to him.

          Káel caught a bundle of fabric to his chest, staring wide eyed at the guy who'd power balled it at him. He was built like a gorilla, all the way across the room with his face still rosy from a fit of laughter that Káel was sure to be the first sound he'd heard at the top of the stairs. "Thought you were Sev Unicorn Boy!" He belted, reviving the chatter of the room as he resumed squeezing into his sporty tunic that was definitely two sizes too tight for his body. When he'd gotten the crooked and rolled '1' as far as he could down his chest, he looked back at Káel with a scrunched frown. "Bloody statue, we've already got a goalie. You'd better learn to move before your face gets bashed in with a shocker."