Loveless/ a POWERLESS fanfiction story

Chapter 50: Brian

And the walls shall have eyes

And the doors shall have ears

But we'll dance in their dark

And they'll play with our lives

Tommy sits beside me, nervously fidgeting with the frayed hem of his worn shirt. His face is tense, his eyes closed, but I notice his fingers trembling now and then. For an eleven-year-old, he's surprisingly composed.

Tommy tilts his head slightly, closing his eyes tighter as if trying to catch sounds beyond the limits of my perception. Several long seconds pass in silence before he murmurs, barely audible:
"They're starting to talk," he says.

I nod, squinting to get a better look at the house ahead. The windows are mostly bare, and the few curtains that remain are ragged and torn.

"How many of them?"

"Seven. No, wait... eight," Tommy corrects himself. "One of them said someone else is supposed to show up."

My hand instinctively moves to the knife at my hip; the cold steel is oddly comforting.
"If you hear anything important, let me know," I order.

Tommy closes his eyes again, his face growing more focused. At moments like this, it's easy to forget he's just a child.

"They're saying the girl is useless," he whispers after a minute. "They're afraid she won't get the key before to start the final Trial."

A smirk tugs at my lips.
"Don't miss a word," I instruct.

Tommy nods and unexpectedly lies down, pressing his ear to the cold cobblestones.
"It's easier to hear this way," he explains.

The important detail. So, they're not just in the house. They're in the basement.

"They're saying she might trade them for one of the princes," Tommy continues, his voice quieter now, "and that they shouldn't trust her. Someone's suggesting they wait for a better opportunity."

Plague. That's a bad sign. If they suspect they've been compromised, they'll go to ground, and we'll have to start all over again. My jaw tightens as I glance at the house.

"Don't miss anything," I whisper, though I know he's already pushing himself to the limit.

"It sounds like they want to take out the entire royal family at once," Tommy suddenly says, his voice so quiet it's almost a breath, as if the words themselves frighten him.

He presses his ear to the ground again. Minutes pass, stretching my patience to its limit.
"What are they saying now?" I finally ask.

Tommy doesn't answer immediately. Then, in a faint whisper, he says,
"They're saying Lenny relies on the girl too much. That she's drawing too much attention from 'the higher-ups.'"

I clench my teeth. If the Resistance feels exposed, they might accelerate their plans. That means I have even less time.

A moment later, Tommy jerks his head up, his eyes wide.
"The prince is getting married?"

"What makes you think that?" I ask evenly, though a knot tightens in my stomach.

"Some woman said they should wait for the royal wedding," he explains quickly. "She thinks it's the perfect chance to take everyone out at once. And that the girl who... uh..." He hesitates. "She said something like..."