Chapter 17

We cannot, Tom. The body won’t heal anymore; it has expired. We will tell his mother, and when she asks, let him go, Talinda said, sadness heavy in her thoughts.

Talinda told Futha, who in turn stared wide-eyed at Tom. “I am sorry, Clon. You were so brave, my son,” the tears now falling freely from her eyes. “I love you, my brave, brave son.”

“Mama, will I see Daddy now?” Clon asked, his eyes somewhat dull.

“Yes, I believe you will. I am sure he will be glad to see you,” the tears were so heavy now Futha turned away from her son. “He ... he will be so proud of you.”

“Mama, please don’t cry. I was glad to help, Mage Tom. It doesn’t hurt anymore, honest,” Tom could feel the boy’s soul trying to leave the body. It was taking all he had to hold him there, and he was starting to lose that battle.

Kissing her son’s face, Futha looked at Tom and nodded. Letting go, the boy smiled at him. “Remember, Mage Tom, stay as you are. Don’t kill. You are nothing like him. I believe in you.” With that, the boy sighed and was gone. Tom stood still, the anger swelling in him. Going after adults was one thing, but to harm children ... everyone was backing away from Tom as his power began to flare higher and higher. Turning away from everyone, the wall in front of him was blown away as if a piece of paper was blown away by the breeze. Reaching out, he found Malamon easily, still holding his broken arm, having it healed. Reaching in, Tom squeezed the pain centers as hard as he could, prompting Malamon to scream louder than ever before. Tom was so mad he didn’t realize that there were about 30 others there. Continuing forward, he began to saw away at Malamon’s powers.

“I will not let you hurt anyone else!” With that, he ripped two more loose, then another, before Malamon’s mind closed. After breaking both of Malamon’s legs, he started to feel the others firing at him. Up until now, they weren’t even close, but now they were getting closer through his shields. Damn it! The bastard was always hiding behind others. With that, Tom released the last of his anger in a sonic wave that knocked everyone but Malamon out. “I’ll be back soon. This will end. I’ve removed enough of your powers to at least slow you down,” Tom sneered.

“You’ll never stop me, you son of a bitch!” Malamon shouted, nothing but pure hatred in his eyes, blood pouring from his mouth and ears, before he vanished.

Tom took the powers of each of the men there, informing the council of their location before leaving. Arriving back at his house, Tom started to take all his things out. Futha showed up moments later, “Mage Tom?” she asked.

Looking back, Tom sighed, “I am sorry I wasn’t faster. I should have saved him. That little boy should be alive, playing with others his age, not looking for psycho killers.”

“Mage Tom,” she started again, “Do not feel so bad. You gave me a wonderful gift. When his father, brother, and sister were killed, I didn’t have the opportunity to tell them goodbye. I didn’t even have a body; they were destroyed totally. You kept him alive till I got here, once again something that hasn’t been done in an extremely long time. Just the chance to tell him goodbye is a rare thing these days.”