As soon as Lina came out into the foyer with the others, Amelia ran up to greet them yelling, "Sylphiel, come quick!"
Lina tensed as she wondered what had happened now. Had Tom escaped or pulled off some other dastardly scheme? "What is it?" Sylphiel asked.
"The shadow, the one we think might be Peter's, went into the downstairs guest room." Amelia explained as she motioned for them to follow her, "It's just hanging around the body, stalking it almost, as though it wants to get back inside."
"What?" Sylphiel said.
Soon Amelia opened the door and they filed in. Lina looked along the walls and her heart sank as she didn't see it. Had it finally disappeared, realizing that Peter was dead? But then Amelia raised her arm and pointed up at the ceiling, and there it was, hanging over Peter's bed.
A shudder formed at the base of Lina's spine at the sight of the shadow hanging over a body covered by a sheet as she wondered if this was Peter's last hope or something more ominous. "What do you make of it?" she asked as the Eternal Queen walked in.
"I don't know." Sylphiel said, "I've not seen anything like this."
"Perhaps I can help," the Eternal Queen said, "If you can explain how we got here."
"The only explanation I have is that awhile ago Peter fell into the lake, and when he did a demon attached itself to his shadow and started to eat at his soul." Amelia said, "His shadow started to take on a life of it's own, but I exorcised it."
"What spell did you use?" The Eternal Queen asked thoughtfully.
Lina watched the shadow carefully as Amelia explained how she exorcised the demon. "Hmm," The Eternal Queen said when she was finished, "Peter was likely left with the ability to project his soul into his shadow then."
"What, so he threw his soul into his shadow and left his body empty?" Lina asked, incredulous.
"I can't think of a documented case, but it's theoretically possible." The Eternal Queen said.
"Well is there a way to get his soul back into his body?" Lina asked.
"I don't know," Sylphiel said dubiously, "His body would have been decaying ever since he died with more damage happening with every moment that passes."
"Not necessarily as his soul lives on." The Eternal Queen said. "The natural process of death has been interrupted."
"If I cast a Resurrection spell with his shadow here, would it bring him back into his body?" Amelia wondered. "Perhaps the reason it didn't work last night was because his shadow was so far from his body."
"I think we'd need to get him breathing again." Sylphiel said as she looked at the Eternal Queen who nodded. "Revive him. Though that's going to be a hard task. I'd like Marcus to join us to help."
The chill in Lina's bones remained as she started thinking of Halciform. But then what else could they do, let Peter's soul stay in his shadow? "You don't think there will be any repercussions from this?" Lina asked. "I desperately want to save him. But I also don't want to create a monster in the process."
"In theory it should work." The Eternal Queen said. "This has never been done before though. Come, let us continue questioning the students while they revive him."
When Lina, Gourry, Susan and the Eternal Queen got to the room that Adora was being held in they found that Adam and Marlena were standing outside, both looking pensive. Marlena had Aurelia balanced on her hip, and as she saw them approached she curtsied, "I'm sorry your highness, Dame Lina, Sir Gourry. I know I shouldn't be here. But I had to talk to Adora. Or at least, show her I'm here. Try and make up for all of the times that I wasn't. I only brought Aurelia down with me because she was hungry but I can take her back up."
Without looking at the Eternal Queen for permission, Lina put a hand on Marlena's shoulder as Aurelia reached for her. Lina took Aurelia from her and said quietly, "I'd do the same if I were in your shoes."
"Did you know anything about this?" The Eternal Queen asked.
"No, I swear I didn't." Marlena replied, "I don't even know what to say, I don't know why she'd do this."
Lina looked over at Susan, who nodded. "Do you have any insight to offer, Adam?" Lina asked as Aurelia laid her head on her shoulder.
"Adora and I weren't talking." Adam said, "I had no idea she'd been involved with this, no idea there was something bad to be involved in really. I don't understand it. Me and some of the older kids just thought Tom was creepy and gave him a wide berth."
Susan nodded again, and Gourry said quietly, "It's a difficult thing to understand."
Lina looked at the Eternal Queen, "Perhaps they'd be able to get Adora to talk and spill?"
"I can go in with them, as well as Susan. She what she picks up." The Eternal Queen said.
"Gourry and I will wait here." Lina announced as Aurelia started running her hands through her hair and pulling at it, causing Lina to wince.
The Eternal Queen walked in with Adam, Marlena and Susan, and Gourry moved so he was leaning against the wall as he smiled at Aurelia, who reached for him. Lina handed her off and ran a hand through her hair to comb it and frowned as she realized that Aurelia had had a bit of toast and had left it in there. As Lina threw it on the floor she said, "I guess I've had worse things in my hair."
"We should start braiding our hair." Gourry said as Aurelia started to grab his hair. "Until they outgrow this stage."
"Yeah," Lina sighed, "Still, I'm just glad for these problems and not those. I worry about what trouble these two will get into at that age."
"It would be crushing, wouldn't it?" Gourry said, "To know that they would be capable of something like this."
"Or so damn foolish to believe that demons are gentle, misunderstood kittens!" Lina vented. "Really, people believe the strangest things."
"Those who are knew and haven't encountered a demon, I mean…but Adora? And Mara Jade? I can't figure it out." Gourry said. "Unless they smelled the power that Tom has."
"What do you mean?" Lina asked.
"Growing up, things weren't about what was right and what was wrong, but appeasing whoever was in power. Indy talked about Tom using carrots and sticks. I keep thinking he must have been threatening them with something big."
"But for them to have not come to us?" Lina said. "I mean I get the embarrassment Indy and some of the others must have been feeling. But Tom started threatening Anne, Indy said enough. Hell, Owen said enough when they decided to…to kidnap me and some students."
A wave of vulnerability washed over Lina as she felt weak for allowing it to happen, and then a wave of anger washed through her. "The damn fool didn't think to warn us though. He just hid in the dorms like a coward."
Gourry wrapped an arm around her and squeezed, "I'm disappointed he didn't do more. And I hope that whatever Tom had on Adora and Mara Jade was more threatening than embarrassing. Just something to explain this betrayal."
Lina nodded, "I hope you're right there. As it is I don't know what we'll do with the younger students. We're going to have to expel half of them, and then what? Send them back to the Elemekian Empire with their training and their dangerous, cultish beliefs?"
"It's easier to fool someone then to convince them that they've been fooled," Gourry said quietly, "I have an idea though."
Lina looked at him, intrigued by his initiative here, "What is it?"
"Well, we could ask Susan to gather some of the people who were victimized in Dils. And then use the Vision spell to have them tell their stories. Get them to convey the full horror of being tortured by demons." Gourry said as he lowered his eyes, "And perhaps we can talk about what happened. With Xellos and Dils and Sairaag and Hellmaster."
Lina leaned against him to ward off the chill she felt, "You know I don't like to think about that."
"Because you got played. Just like they got played."
Lina pulled away as she started pacing the hallway, "There are several important differences!"
"I know that," Gourry said, "You were scared for your life then and Xellos used that to pull your strings. The students were all safe here so I know it's not a fair comparison. But it's hard to convince someone they've been fooled because they don't want to be wrong. If they learn that it could happen even to someone like you then it might help them see reason."
"Or cause them to lose confidence in me." Lina said as she stopped her pacing to face him as she opened her arms wide in exasperation, "They already turned against us!"
Aurelia indicated she wanted down, and when Gourry sat her down she toddled over to Lina and lifted her arms up. Lina sighed and picked her up, and Aurelia kissed her cheek and said, "Love Mommy!"
Lina smiled as she held her a little tighter as she felt the anger ebb a little, "Thanks, sweet girl."
The door opened and the group filed out. Susan closed the door behind them as they left. "What happened?" Lina asked.
"She completely shut down." The Eternal Queen explained. "She didn't say a word."
"Yeah, well, she's hiding something." Susan said.
"What do you mean?"
"Her focus is incredible. She kept thinking over and over again about how you all lied to her and couldn't be trusted. There was something related to Tom that she was hiding but whatever it was I couldn't breach her defenses. I'm going to need some time to really get through them. It might help if we just send Marlena in, she was the one who shook her confidence the most."
"Or we can see if Mara Jade is easier to crack." Lina said. "Or Tom himself."
"Well, it's not as if Tom is going anywhere now." The Eternal Queen said as Sylphiel came up.
"Any news on Peter?" Lina asked.
"We managed to revive him. He is breathing and his heart rate are steady but he is in a coma. And it's too soon to say whether or not he will wake or fade."
"Can we see him?" Lina asked.
"It was very hard to coax his shadow but to his body. He's so delicate right now, and we're scared that anything that startles him might cause his soul to leap back in his shadow." Sylphiel said. "Perhaps in a little bit."
"Right," Lina said as she looked at the others and handed Aurelia to Marlena, "Let's get her back to the nursery. Meanwhile, Gourry, Susan, the Queen and I will pay Mara Jade a visit. And let's neglect to tell her about Peter's recovery. I want to see if she has any remorse."
Mara Jade hands were chained tightly to the walls and she was gagged so she could not cast spells. When she saw Susan come in her eyes opened in alarm as Lina came in and glared at her, "What the hell have you been trying to accomplish here?"
"She's rather attached to Tom." Susan said to Lina before she looked at Mara Jade and addressed her directly. "He must have been training you to hide secrets from a telepath."
"Was that skill worth Peter's life?" Lina asked.
Mara Jade looked at her in surprise as she started to try and talk through her gag as Lina continued, "Shut up. By bringing the wall down you killed Peter, your comrade in arms!"
"She feels like she had to do it." Susan said.
"What could justify killing someone who had your back in battle? A noble battle at that!" Gourry asked. It was not often that he was openly angry, but as always when he was, people took notice.
"She says that he, Tom, is her brother." Susan said incredulously, "That she felt bad for leaving him there and felt that she had to make it up to him now."
"You help your brother by setting limits, no letting him walk all over you and the school and everything we fight for!" Lina said. "And you're going to help him now by telling us everything you know about his plans."
"My god," Susan said as she looked at Lina in alarm as Mara Jade started protesting again. "I found what they're hiding! We didn't capture Tom. They used some variation of a vision spell to make Arnold look like Tom! We didn't capture Tom at all! He's still on his way to the Kataart Mountains!"