Chapter 13

My worst fears were confirmed! There was a traitor on the council, the very institution designed to protect the Untethered. And I was their target. I didn’t know if they had any ulterior motive but I knew one thing. I was in danger. And I needed help.

The first person who jumped to the forefront of my mind was Frank. He was the one I trusted the most, after all. The only problem was his complete lack of knowledge about the council. It would be more of a hindrance than a help. I needed someone who could navigate the murky waters of whatever the council was and its various members, of whom I knew only a few.

Frost was a viable candidate to share my findings. He was a member of the council himself and was sure to know the inner goings of the council. His knowledge regarding the various members of the council would surely prove to be invaluable. And with his backing, I could even gain some supporters among the council members. It would, of course, have to be at the risk of letting the traitor know of my findings but I felt that it was a risk worth taking.

There was a third choice, of course. Emma Turner. But the sordid fact was I couldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her. She kept things too close to her chest for my liking. She was a mystery wrapped in an enigma and I was too engaged at this time to unravel whatever mystery she was holding.

There was also the minor fact that whenever I was close to her, I had the mental capacity of a fly. Keeping all this in mind, I felt that there were just too many downsides to recruiting her to my cause at this time.

With my mind made up, I decided to tell Frost whatever I knew tomorrow. Tomorrow would be another red Luna night. That meant that it would be busy for Frost during the day, what with organising the increased number of patrols and allocating everyone with areas. So, after the patrols seemed like a good time to divulge my suspicions to him.

One thing was certain though. I would have to be on the lookout for danger tomorrow night. I trusted Samuel enough to know he would have my back. But my record suggested that red Luna nights were very eventful for me. I would love nothing more than to have a peaceful night of patrol tomorrow and then begin my plans to reveal the identity of the traitor.

The next day was spent in silent anticipation. I went by Samuel’s gym, eager to catch up with him after the events of our last patrol together. I hadn’t really checked up on him after his core had stabilised, having been busy with my training under the council. I was feeling guilty because it seemed like he had gotten into this mess just because he was unlucky enough to be partnered with me.

As soon as he saw me, he immediately strode over to me with a big smile on his face. “Hey, man. Good to see you. Lucky escape from the reaper, huh?”

My reply was eloquent as ever, “Huh?”

He didn’t notice my dumbfoundedness at all. He continued, “You know, how you saved us from the griffin. Frost told me how you defeated the griffin after I passed out of my wound. Thanks, man.”

That was when it struck me that Samuel didn’t remember dying at all. I knew that I had reversed time but I hadn’t really caught up to the fact that his memories of the event would be reversed at all. It was very jarring to see a man who you had seen be beheaded not remember his demise at all. After that, our conversation grew very awkward for me.

“Yeah, it’s no problem. How are you holding up,” I asked, not really knowing what to say, my mind wandering back to the feeling of his blood warming my face.

“Pretty well, considering the situation, you know. I heard that you had gone somewhere for training. How was it? And before I forget, congratulations on unlocking your ability, man.” It was weird seeing Samuel be so cordial and not gruff and sullen. It threw off my loop, even more than I already was.

“Thanks, man. The training was fine. Just learning how to control my ability and get the hang of using it in combat.”

“Great, let’s try out your new-found martial prowess, shall we? Got your weapon yet?” His words might have been complimentary but his tone made it clear how highly he thought of my ‘new-found martial prowess’.

I just nodded at him, confirming that I had my weapon, before conjuring my scythe. Samuel just looked at it appreciatively for a moment before conjuring fist braces of his own. Throwing a look at each other that suggested that we could fight with all we had, we lunged at each other, eager to establish dominance.

And that’s what we did for the entire day. Exchanging blows and swinging weapons, making sure we didn’t give the other an inch. It was a testament to my improvement over the past month that I could keep up with him, even without the use of my ability. The balance did tilt in my favour though when I started using my ability. For the first time in a few days, I felt carefree, just enjoying the moment.

But, alas, all things must come to an end. Before I knew it, we were done for the day and duty beckoned. We freshened up before moving towards the club, my mind again occupied with thoughts of the coming conflict only I was aware of, for the time being.

We reached the club with Luna at the centre of the sky, bathing the city in a sea of ominous red. The club was packed with Untethered just like the last time. In a series of proceedings reminiscent of the previous red Luna, Frank and Frost were handing out the assignments to the various Untethered while we waited our turn.

When we reached Frank and Frost, we were told that we had to patrol the same area as last time. We were surprised, seeing that our experiences the last time had been less than ideal.

Samuel was quick to voice his opinion on the matter, “Are you sure? After last time, I thought you would like to send a bigger team tonight. If the griffin makes an appearance again, I don’t think we would be able to withstand the confrontation.”

I quickly put my two cents in, agreeing with Samuel on the matter. “Yeah, our escape the last time was a lucky break. We were quite undermanned to handle that situation. Even with my ability unlocked, I don’t think we could handle something of that magnitude yet again.”

I knew that the griffin was no longer a concern now, of course. But a council member still had designs of my life and I didn’t want to put myself in any situation which might be too difficult for me to manage. Better safe than sorry, after all.

Frost listened to our concerns before nodding towards us, indicating that he understood our concerns. He said, “I understand. Hmm, I think I can do something for you guys. Tom.”

A guy stuck his head out of the crowd, before proceeding towards us. I remembered him from before. Frank had introduced him to me on the night I became an Untethered. His ability had something to do with electricity if I remembered things correctly.

I hadn’t really caught up with him after that, events in my life getting in the way. We had come across each other a few times but never really progressed further than exchanging a greeting and a nod. He, himself, seemed like an introvert and generally didn’t seem interested in making new friends.