The assembled group of instructors sit patiently and wait for their headmaster to let them know just what is going on. When he finally stands and addresses them, he has their full attention.
“As you all know we have two rare students here at Mammatus. Students with talent of a magnitude seen once in a lifetime. The fact that we have two such students is truly special and the notion of this being a coincidence, or some contrived act of fate can’t be ignored,”
Fallon takes a moment to make eye contact with each of his instructors to make sure they are listening before he continues. “The training and mentoring of these two youths will change the course of history for the better or for the worse. A recent event endangers our efforts to help make history for the better. I called you all here to take your council, before deciding the best course of action. To best equip everyone with as much information as possible, Master Robles and I have been researching the problem before us.
A letter addressed to Luscin Lael from her mother arrived three days ago. It assures her that her family obligations are no longer an issue, and she can safely return. That alone was nothing to concern us. It’s the second message about a danger to the children of Thuma that Luscin left unfinished, that is our concern. It is in this area that Master Robles research should assist our decision making. If you would Paras, please share what you found.”
The headmaster and Master Robles switch places. Now standing at the head of the table Paras Robles reports, “I’ve looked at broadsheets from Luscin’s home city of Thuma and the surrounding region of the Finger Lakes and compiled statistics of crimes against children over the last 500 years.”
Halle gasps at the proposed timeline of crimes.
Paras ignores the interruption; he knows she can’t control herself sometimes. “There was nothing out of the ordinary in the city of Thuma until the year 6642 ST. at that time the number of missing children jumped three-fold, from one in 10 thousand to three in 10 thousand. That may not sound like many but at the time there were 200 thousand people in Thuma. That means they were somehow misplacing 60 children a year. Over the next two decades that number crept up to more than 90 with little population growth. The number to note is 60, when you take average disappearance numbers from neighboring cities and compare them to Thuma on a per capita basis, Thuma averages slightly above their neighbors. If you subtract 60 from the total and adjust to per capita, they fall within 1% of every other city of the region. That could be coincidence, or the danger warned about in the letter.”
“So many; how can we allow this to continue,” Halle blurts out?
Kail Blackwell grips the table like he’s about to flip it over, “We can’t. What are we going to do?”
Hron with his usual frown, “We are going to give our council, that’s what we are going to do.”
“Let’s not rush into anything until Terius returns,” adds Vania in her casual drawl.
“We’re not finished hearing all the information. The two of you were sequestered here for three days. What did you discover Master Gale,” asks Hron Black Hill.
Master Robles changes places again with the headmaster.
Once again standing at the head of the table, Headmaster Fallan Gale speaks, “While Master Robles was uncovering his evidence of a danger to the children of Thuma. I was looking for the source of the problem. I read through close to a hundred journals left to me by my predecessors. I too started back 500 years. There is corroborating evidence that the spike in missing children coincides with the arrival of a Devastator in Thuma.”
Another gasp was expected and given by Halle Talyah.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“340 years ago a report of an influential woman attached to dozens of scandals was recorded by the Study in Thuma. That study has no Defenders and has never been able to attract any, but that didn’t stop them from documenting and reporting on suspicious activities. This particular note was not forwarded for almost 200 years. It was only after similar stories kept repeating, that the pattern emerged. A woman of middle age with black hair, purple eyes, and a cleft chin would get caught in some scandal and be forced into excel. After the fourth time, in 200 years a woman with purple eyes and a cleft chin was exiled someone saw the pattern and sent a report. My most recent predecessor, Headmaster Sarah Fountain sent an investigator who never returned. Her report made it sound like she couldn’t spare anymore manpower to such a distant problem. But looking back at that investigators track record; tells me he was her best Defender, and she didn’t want to send anyone else to their death.”
Fallen took a moment to let that information settle before continuing, “Master Robles and I went back through the broadsheets to search for anything on this purple eyed woman with the cleft chin. She didn’t operate alone. There was always a rich benefactor that somehow kept clean of the allegations but would gracefully step away when the allegations against the woman were at the worst. There isn’t one Devastator at work in Thuma. There are two.”
This time Halle was too stunned to gasp.
“The problem we face is Luscin and how she’ll react to this news. I’ve thought this through and have already decided she should be told. Betraying her trust would be the worst thing we could do at this point in her development. This is where your council is welcome and expected.” Done speaking, Fallan sits down.
Vania speaks up first, “We can’t allow her to go home alone and face two devastator on her own.”
Kail adds, “I agree with Vania, she’s too young to fight one Devastator, two would be impossible.”
Paras speaks up, “According to the letter, she faced the female devastator and left it for dead once already. I suspect at the time she had no idea of their regenerative abilities. Had she known I doubt it would be alive today.”
Kail, “Do we really believe an untrained five-year-old child could destroy a 350-year-old Devastator on its home field?”
Paras speaks up, “Kail my friend, she may not excel in your field of physical combat, but I assure you she does in everything else. She has an uncanny talent to copy any attack on first sight. She showed up on our doorstep capable of countering kinetic and thermal attacks without having to capture the incoming energies. She juggles power like a street performer with a dozen apples. The most unreal part of her ability is she barely understands what she’s doing. She struggles in my shell theory classes as much as your weapons drills while the rest of our fellow masters are in awe of her abilities.”
Master’s Baily, Black Hill, Adara and Talyah all voice their agreement.
Kail rebuts, “That may be as it is, but the reality of the situations is there are two. None of us would consider taking on two by ourselves.”
“Ha,” blurts Vania! “Have you not met Terius? That man backs down from nothing.”
Jayden Baily with eyes furtively scanning the room, “We all know of his exploits and track record. I don’t envy the day he bites off more than he can chew.”
Hron Black Hill rebuts, “Haha, I enjoy the mixed metaphor. If only you did such things on purpose.”
“Quiet!” Headmaster Gale slams his hand on the table. “I didn’t call you in here so I could listen to your bickering. I want actionable advice on how to keep Luscin Lael safe. While not betraying her trust!”
The room falls silent. After an indetermined number of seconds that seemed like minutes, Master Vania Adara, Dean of sight and sound speaks up, “I stand by my earlier statement that Leones is the best of us for this task. In his absence, I will volunteer to accompany Luscin home to sort out her family business. We’ve connected in the past and I believe she trusts me enough to listen to my council.”
Headmaster Fallen Gale would have preferred to wait for Terius to return as well, but he’s on an equally important assignment. If his last report is as it appears, they are dealing with a third once in a lifetime… no, this one is a once in 10000 lifetimes talent, an unexpected gift that is sure to change the world. It will be up to this group before him to shape that change for the betterment of the world and to avoid the worse.
Nobody spoke up to challenge Master Adara’s offer to accompany Luscin.
“It’s settled,” Fallan picked up his hand bell and rang for a page.
A young man poked his head through the door.
“I know it’s late; can you ask your fellow student Luscin to join us here in the library?”