The Colorless Land

Chapter 23: Blue Light

It was early, impossibly early, when a knock on her door roused Lavilian from sleep. She groaned and considered ignoring it. The sun had not yet risen, and she had barely managed to fall asleep at last.

"Lavi, wake up!" Theor's voice came from the door, and suddenly she was awake. Something seemed wrong, and she could not tell what.

In a haste she scrambled up, and then a realization struck her. Theor always asked her if she was awake; he had never demanded her to wake up.

"What is it?" she asked, fearing an emergency. "Did something happen?"

Theor met her eyes with the gaze of someone who had not slept a wink all night. There was something wild and driven in his face, almost obsessed, as if he had been mulling and fretting over a question for hours and finally found the answer. "The captive Colorless boy," he said. "Where is he?"

Lavilian stared at him in incomprehension. "In his cell," she said. "Where else—"

"Take me there."

"What?"

"Take me there!" Theor repeated, a strange urgency in his voice. "I need to see him."

Lavilian blinked at him. Then she took a step back.

"That is what you woke me up for?" she asked coolly, but with audible annoyance. "You could have asked the guards."

Theor shook his head. "Too risky. So, will you show me or not?"

Too risky for what? Lavilian wanted to ask. The guards were perfectly trustworthy. There had never been any incidents with them in many years.

But somehow, looking at Theor's face, she knew that would not convince him. And something told her it was better if she saw what he was up to, anyway.

So she sighed.

"Follow me."

~ ~ ~

Traitor. Traitor. Traitor.

The words rang out in the boy's head, over and over, louder than ever. All his mistakes were clear before his eyes. They were flashing through his head, constantly, tirelessly, reminding him with a burning urgency of all the things he should never have done.

Edmian. How had he ever dared to accept that name? He was one of the Colorless People. They did not need names. They needed only roles, and he would have received his in a few years' time. Names were for those who thought they were special. He was nothing special. He had only ever been a small gear in the machine.

But he had deluded himself. He had picked up the pendant like he should never have done, and then he had fallen for lies. Lies that he was special. Lies that he could rely on people and cause them trouble and not need to worry about repaying them. Had he never listened to what Mother had said? Such mindsets were for weak people. In the world the Colorless were aiming for, they would have no right to exist.

And then the group's plan. Stop the Colorless. From what, exactly? Changing the world? Treason. It was treason and nothing else.

He deserved to be locked up here. He was a criminal, and criminals belonged in dungeons. It was fair punishment, sitting here, alone, unable to do any more harm.

And yet...he needed to get out. His people had to be warned of King Kelmond and his son and the promise they had broken. The pendant needed to be retrieved, at whatever cost.

But what should he do when there was no way out?

Traitor. Failure. First you desert us, and then you can't help us. Someone better than you would have known what to do.