The Seer's Trial

Chapter Five: Slow Motion

At that moment, everyone began screaming at once. Averey was demanding a search be made for the murderer, and Kingsley was frantically screaming for them to get out, as she had not put on her hood yet. But the guard never noticed, as he was also yelling, trying to tell Averey what had happened.

Honestly, I couldn't take it anymore. It felt like my head was about to explode at any second. "STOP!" I screamed.

The candles around us flickered on and off. I stepped back in a daze as I watched the whole thing play out in slow motion. The guard was turning around, ready to run away from the eerie events that had just occurred in this room. Averey was trying to drag him back, explaining my dangerous situation. And Kingsley was searching for me, as it appeared that no one knew where I was. As if I was invisible. Yet, somehow, I felt exposed.

As if someone -or something- was breathing down my neck, waiting for me to slip up. I shuddered, and tried to focus my mind back on trying to get the world back into its normal pace. It was getting kind of annoying seeing Averey's face become angry in slow motion.

I closed my eyes and thought about the world in fast forward. How the trees would age fast, turning from a sapling to a grown one in hours. How the seasons would turn, changing from winter to spring in a day. Finally, I had built enough courage to open my eyes. If this didn't work, then I was stuck this way forever. Invisible to the  world and stuck in slow motion.

When I opened my eyes, I almost sighed in relief. Almost. Unfortunately for me, being "returned" back to the world meant dealing with hundreds of questions. At once, Averey targeted me, spun around, and began the series of questions.

"Where were you?" he demanded. I shrugged, not knowing how to describe my "mini-journey."

Kingsley cuffed a caring hand around his shoulder and shared a meaningful look with him. His eyes softened slightly, but then he stiffened and turned to the guard, who was staring -wide mouthed- at Kingsley' s face.

The guard slowly lifted a finger to point to her face. "C-Captain...do you not see this?" he inquired, dazed.

Averey nodded. "Yes, I see it, and it is my matter to deal with, so if you-"

The guard held up a hand, and strained his ears as if to hear something. His eyes widened, clearing rapidly. But it only happened for a second before his eyes returned to their dazed expression.

"The King must know this," he stated, his voice monotone. He turned around, his arms flopping by his side.

Averey quickly unsheathed his sword and sliced the guard's head clean off. We watched as the guard's head slowly slid off of his limp body. The head toppled to the ground, and the body followed suit. Averey swiftly picked up the head, turned to me, and shoved the decapitated head toward me.

"Get rid of it," he ordered gruffly, pointing out the door.

"Just the head?"

"Yes, now leave." Averey seemed...angrier than usual. Maybe he wasn't used to committing cold murder.

I left, making sure not to step on the body of the dead guard. As I walked down the hallway, the servants and maids whispered my name to each other. Murderer. Death-bringer.

I looked down at the bloody head in my hand, and silently prayed that this would all be over soon. That either way, I would be done with the Seer's Trial -by death or by bribe. But I doubted it. I couldn't stop thinking of the way the guard had been manipulated by...something.

At least, it had seemed like he was manipulated. Something hadn't seemed right about him. And that evil presence I had sensed in the room...was that connected?

I crashed face-first into a servant, and toppled to the floor with them. The severed head rolled next to their leg, and I tried to blindly reach for it.

However, I only succeeded in tangling my body with the servant. Finally, I had the nerve to look at the person.

The servant smiled at me. "Sorry," he said, bowing his head at me.

My mind went completely blank. All I could think was: say something.

"Can I have the head back?" I blurted. My words came out harsher than I wanted, but there was no turning back now. He looked at me in surprise, and he tried to grab the head.

As he helplessly struggled, I took a few seconds to regain my normal, witty personality. Once I had done that, I looked him over. I guess you could say that my mind went blank at the sight of him because he had the same color hair as me: purple. But that wasn't the whole reason. Yes, I may have never seen another person who had purple hair, but something about his face just...

His face was the epitome of perfection. He had breathtaking blue eyes, and he was dressed in the typical servant wear. He wore a simple forest green tunic, with the customary stockings and leather boots.

I was interrupted by a light tap on my shoulder. I shook my head, looking at the man.

"What?" I snapped.

He held out the head of the guard, and I snatched it out of his hands. I quickly got up, dusting off my...

My face paled as I realized that I was only wearing a sheet of cloth wrapped around me. I held the cloth close to my body and looked down as I ran past him. However, as I ran past the servants quarters, I noticed a small door with a name carved onto it.

I slowed down, and squinted, trying to read the name. Agatha. This was her room. Before I could wonder why she was the only servant with a room all to herself, I barged inside, looking for a fresh set of clothes.

It was a trap.

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