Enchantdora

Fifteen

Here we were.
I was trembling in my seat.
Father to my left, Lucinda to my right.
Damien and his father in front of me.
I tried my possible best to avert my gaze from him but I couldn't.
Was I mad?
Yes and no.
Yes in the sense that I warned him.
Countless times.
And no because he took full responsibility for the situation.
For that I was grateful.
Grateful that he didn't throw me under the bus.
But I felt for him.
Obviously he wasn't the favorite of his father but, there was no need for the Emir to talk so derogatorily towards him.
Especially not in the midst of people.
He gave me a concerned look and a forced smile.

"Are you okay?" He mouthed.

I hesitated for a moment not really knowing how to answer that question.
If I nodded my head yes it would be way too obvious that I was lying.
And I wasn't too sure how I truly felt at the moment.
I was empty.
Emotionless.
Last night I wanted to cry but, I was dry as a bone.
I couldn't even get the emotions to surface so, how did he expect me to answer him.

I shrugged.
"I don't know." I mouthed back.

He was about to say something else when a deep voice spoke out making the walls of the courtroom tremble.
"All kneel before the Almighty Sanhindrin!"

At the sound of that everyone knelt.
It didn't matter your class or title.
Whether you're part of the Agamemnon, whether you are the Emir or Head Master, none of that mattered in the presence of the Sanhindrin.

They graciously filled their seats.
The Alpha, The Beta, Doctor Heartbeat, The Telepath, The White Witch and finally The Head Minister.
These are the members of the most powerful council in the entire magical dimension.

The doors swung open.
It was Arthur.
He was being carried and dragged into the courtroom in chains.
He was brought to kneel before the Almighty Sanhindrin.
He turned around to look at me and when he did I changed the direction of my gaze.

The White Witch spoke.
She was second in command to the Head Minister.
"Arthur King you are accused of killing Diego Costa. How do you plead?"

"Innocent!" Lucinda shouted from the stand.
"He pleads innocent!"

"Mrs. King!" It was the Head Minister.
"You have no say in the fate of your son."

"Thank you Head Minister." The White Witch continued.
She wore a long black robe and head piece which contrasted with her white hair, eyes and skin.
"Arthur, you and the deceased Mr. Costa are known to be sworn enemies. And it shows that on the day of his death you were the last person to come in contact with him."

I remembered that day.
It was the day that Arthur had ended all amorous relations with me.
The day that the Agamemnon reminded everyone about the bitter truth.

"And, it seems that you are the only one with a strong motive to end his life.
We all know that this is not your first time of laying your hands on your superiors. Let's just say that this matter was out of the case. With the stunt you pulled yesterday by engaging in physical combat with a Cani and the Prince for that matter! It's safe to say that if the Emir had not shown up when he did,  you would have killed Prince Damien Blaze,"
She snapped her fingers.
"Just like that."

"The Sanhindrin will now make their verdict." It was the Alpha that spoke.

For the next thirty minutes, we were in punishing silence.
That was until, The White Witch spoke up.
"Master Arthur King! You are hereby to be sentenced to death by mind manipulation!"

No.
This is not happening.
This can not be happening.

The gavel of the White Witch was banged,then Doctor Heartbeat, next the Telepath, followed by the Alpha and Beta and finally the Head Minister.
It was final.
Arthur would be put to death at the age of sixteen.

The screams of Arthur's mother was nothing compared to the pain I was feeling within.
Call me selfish and I am, he's my first love.

I watched as the Telepath came down from her seat. She trod towards him.
Slowly.
It was as if she was mocking me.
It seemed as if her foot steps were in synch with my heart.
She stopped a tile away from Arthur's sneakers and looked into his eyes.
"Pain..."

That word was all it took for Arthur to start writhing in pain.
His veins shown green and his skin whiter than Costa whose mother watched in horror from her seat.

"Please!" Arthur cried.
"I beg of you make it stop!"

The Telepath made a silencing movement with her hand.

Arthur was sweating profusely.
Hands on his knees.
Panting heavily.

"Any last words?"

He looked at me.
"Bethany I'm sorry. Mother I love you. Malcolm thank you."
He turned to face the Emir and Damien.
"You will live to rue this day."

The look on the Emir's face was nothing less than rage.
"Enough of this! End this once and for all!"

The Telepath cocked her head to the side.
"Death…"

I watched as Arthur's neck began to narrow down in size.
As it got narrow, he turned blue and began gasping for air.
It was a particularly useless thing to do seeing that he had no shot in surviving.
Finally he collapsed on the floor.
Dead.

"No!" Lucinda cried out in bitter anguish.
My father comforted her tears of his own spewing out from his eyes.

Me?
No tear.
Not even a lump was in my throat.
I was cold.
All I could do was let out a deep breath.

"As for the girl Head Minister? What shall be her punishment?" The Telepath spoke.
She also wore a black robe but with blood red crystals dangling from the edges and she wore a blood red crystalline head piece with her red glasses.

It was as if Arthur and I had traded places and I was suddenly in his position.
I couldn't breathe.
It was like all air, all oxygen had been removed from the surface of the planet.

"I beg your pardon?" The Minister said in a state of confusion.
"How do you mean?"

"Obviously she was the one who broke the barrier in order to have her relationship with the Prince." The Beta's loud voice boomed.

"What did he offer you child? Money?" The White Witch asked me.

I didn't answer.

"You are to speak when spoken to!" The Telepath screamed at me, her shrill voice filling my ears.

I shook my head.
"Nothing, he offered me nothing."

"Lies." Doctor Heartbeat said.

"I'm not lying!" I shouted back.

"Telepath." The Head Minister called.

She turned in his direction in response to her name.

"Screen her."

Before I had time to breathe I was yanked out of my chair by two hefty guards who brought me to my knees in front of The Telepath.
She took off her glasses.
I gasped.
There were two large eye sockets.
Empty.
She smiled at my reaction.
But it wasn't a friendly smile it was more devious.

She yanked me forward and placed her hands on my head.
I screamed in pain.
It was as if they poured hot coals on my scalp.

"What do you see?" The White Witch asked.

"That's the problem." She responded.

"What's the problem?" The Head Minister asked.

The Telepath let go of me.
"I can't see anything."