Chapter Thirty Eight
"If anyone makes another suggestion of killing Will," Tommy snarled across the pentagonal table, "it won't be his neck that gets severed." He was glaring particularly at Trul, who had repeatedly argued that Will was obviously still a soldier of the enemy, despite the fact that anyone looking at the boy could see that was a lie.
"I've done every test we can on him," Billy said. "He's back to normal. He's now a sword Bearer and has all the protection of the Gem."
"How?" asked Carlia.
"The twins are connected," Tommy said. He didn't explain how that came to be or how he knew, though he guessed that Billy suspected. "The power of the sword worked through that connection and Trina was able to reach the part of Will that was left."
"How had he survived that long?" demanded Trul. "No one has ever gone that long before being completely destroyed by the enemy's power. The boy is probably part of some greater scheme. We can't keep him here."
Clearly Trul had some sense of self-preservation. This time he didn't say outright that they should cut off Will's head, just to be certain. But, though he hated to admit it even to himself, Tommy though Trul had a point. The enemy was incredibly careful in her scheming. Her plots were subtle and frequently so complex that people didn't understand them until after everything had unravelled. It didn't seem possible they could have won.
From what Tommy had seen and what Jason had told him, the enemy's plan had been for her to get one of the twins, which she'd done. Then she'd wanted one of the twins to get hold of the sword, which had happened. Then she'd wanted the twins to meet and for their connection to pass the power of the sword between them, which had also happened.
Yet now the twins were safe and alive and their souls very definitely intact. They were at home with Kat, protected in a way that the enemy couldn't undo. They were a family again and they could defend themselves against the enemy's soldiers. He had everything he'd hoped for and he refused to believe that it was over.
Tommy couldn't help feeling it was all too good to be true.
He wondered what he'd missed. There had to be something and it had to be something big. Tommy was trying to be happy and failing because he was expecting everything to hit the fan at any moment.
"However it happened," Billy said, "Will is one of us now."
"I still think he'd be safer in the temple," said Carlia.
"No," said Tommy in a tone that not even Trul was going to argue with.
He waited a moment for any more comments. There'd been so much to discuss. So much had happened over the past weeks, more than had happened in the years preceding it. Tommy just hoped for such a reprieve before the next portion of the enemy's plan came into fruition. She was immortal and infinitely patient. Maybe Tommy and his family would be long gone before anyone saw the events of this latest scheme.
"Are we done here?" Tommy asked. The answer came in the form of nods from around the table. Tommy stood and transmatted back to the family he'd though he'd lost. He might hope for years, but he was going to cherish every moment he was given with them because he knew just how quickly they could be snatched away.
In the council room, the rest of the sashed figures prepared to leave. In the sudden movement, no one noticed when one pair of eyes, just for an instant, flickered silver.
To be continued in Children of the Fall