The Death of Margaret Le Fay

[forumghost]

I originally suggested, that he was a halfling that chose humanity. And that hypothesis was what  I supposed forumghost was referring to.

That's more-or-less it, yeah. "Malcolm has to be something more then Human" theories pop up semi-regularly around here, (usually a KOTC) and it just irritates me more then reasonable because I feel that him being unremarkable (in magical terms), but simply a good man, is an important part of exactly why he was important.

[Mr. Death]

We'll both know when JB tells us.

He more or less has -- nothing in any of the books has thus far suggested that they had anything magical or special about them. Everybody, in every reference to them, treats them as pure mortals. That's what they are established as in the books.

It would take something from JB to tell us otherwise. We don't need Word of Jim to "confirm" something that the books never had as a question in the first place.

It's like saying we won't know for certain if Billy is really a werewolf until Jim says so.

[morriswalters]

Assuming that the Murphy and Carmichael, that are hanging out if Chicago between, are the same two from the real world, they have indeed turned out to be special.  They got positions at Ark Angel PD in Chicago between.

I don't think that Malcolm has to be special. But it isn't that he couldn't be.

"She met your father. A man. A mortal, without powers, without influence, without resources. But a man with a good soul, like few I have ever seen. I believe that she fell in love with him.

Eb describes him as exceptional, hell near angelic, unless you read that differently than I do.  But putting that aside.

I have issues here all around this area.  Why did Maggie leave Thomas behind?   If she was hiding from Eb how did he learn how she died?  And why does he know anything about Malcolm if they hadn't been in close contact?  And why didn't he protect Harry if Malcolm found him to tell him?  It was his grandson.  Justine DuMorne didn't seem to have a problem doing so.  I mean, something smells.

[Mr. Death]

Assuming that the Murphy and Carmichael, that are hanging out if Chicago between, are the same two from the real world, they have indeed turned out to be special.  They got positions at Ark Angel PD in Chicago between.

Probably because of the nature of their deaths, more than that they'd been empowered in some way in life.

I don't think that Malcolm has to be special. But it isn't that he couldn't be. Eb describes him as exceptional, hell near angelic, unless you read that differently than I do.  But putting that aside.

Let's define terms -- yes, he was "special" in that he was an exceptionally good man. We all agree on at least that. What we're saying is he wasn't supernatural.

I have issues here all around this area.  Why did Maggie leave Thomas behind?

WOJ addresses that specifically -- she left him behind because she saw him as a baby shark, able to take care of himself.

If she was hiding from Eb how did he learn how she died?

Ebenezer has contacts; and he apparently met Malcolm. I get the feeling that, toward the end, she wasn't so much "successfully hiding" from Ebenezer as Ebenezer was, "not able to find her, guys, seriously," just like Ramirez totally couldn't find Molly after Changes.

And why does he know anything about Malcolm if they hadn't been in close contact?

This is an unknown, but not implausible. There are a few possibilities that spring to mind:

1. Ebenezer found out about him after Maggie left Lord Raith. Maybe he was trying to reconnect to her and bring her into his protection. In any case, he sees Malcolm and decides to check out the guy who's dating/married his little girl and, perhaps after getting a Soulgaze going, he decides to leave them be.

2. After Maggie Sr. dies, Ebenezer comes to Malcolm, possibly considering taking Harry himself. Same as above, possible soulgaze, and Ebenezer decides that leaving the baby with Malcolm -- and with no connection to himself -- is safer. This is most consistent with what he later says, in Changes, about why he didn't tell Harry.

3. He scried on them from a distance and used his connections to dig up whatever he could on Malcolm.

Now, that he says a soul "like few I've ever seen" leads me to believe he soulgazed him, so I'd bet on #2. But the overall gist is, "He's a hugely powerful wizard, there's not a lot he can't find out about an unpowered mortal if he wants to know something."

And why didn't he protect Harry if Malcolm found him to tell him?  It was his grandson.  Justine DuMorne didn't seem to have a problem doing so.  I mean, something smells.

Who said Malcolm found Ebenezer? In Changes, Ebenezer said he didn't tell Harry because he didn't want Harry attracting Ebenezer's enemies, so his thinking is probably similar here. I would very much believe that any visit Ebenezer made to Malcolm was initiated, incognito, by Ebenezer.

[morriswalters]

Superman wasn't Superman until he got here.  Peter Parker wasn't Spiderman until he got bit.  But as I said we'll set that aside as it really can't be settled.  But you are probably right.

Really good men are as rare as Diogenes' thought honest men were, but I'm a cynic.

As to Thomas being a baby shark, I must tell you that is perhaps the lamest response from JB I've ever seen.  Most mothers would die before they would abandon their child.   Given that had she took him he would have never been a vampire I can see why people seem to think she was a sociopath.

If Ebeneezer was watching from afar, why let Harry go to an orphanage?  Once there how did Justine Dumorne  get hold of Harry?    I don't expect answers, but there are obviously pieces to the puzzle we haven't seen. 

Ran across this in WOJ.

Q:  When will we learn more about Maggie?
A:  It will be little bits at a time, like we’re learning now.  But eventually we will find out that what we’ve been told so far is only accurate from a certain point of view.  It will all have a different meaning once we’ve learned the whole story.

[Mr. Death]

As to Thomas being a baby shark, I must tell you that is perhaps the lamest response from JB I've ever seen.  Most mothers would die before they would abandon their child.   Given that had she took him he would have never been a vampire I can see why people seem to think she was a sociopath.

And most mothers aren't fleeing for their lives from someone who could kill them with a single touch. And most mothers don't have children who are literally sharing their body with a demon (though I've met some toddlers who you could make an argument about...).

Suffice to say, Maggie Sr.'s parental situation was a little different than the norm.

Edit: Put it this way:

If you run from the White King, he's probably going to hunt you down and kill you.

If you steal the White King's son, he's definitely going to hunt you down and kill you, and will probably kill the kid, too.

If Ebeneezer was watching from afar, why let Harry go to an orphanage?  Once there how did Justine Dumorne  get hold of Harry?    I don't expect answers, but there are obviously pieces to the puzzle we haven't seen.

It's extremely unlikely that Ebenezer would be watching them constantly. He has other things that he does, after all. If he kept an eye on them at all after meeting Malcolm -- he could have decided that even looking in on them was risky, if anyone found out he was doing so.

Ran across this in WOJ.

Yes. What we've learned about Maggie might be a Jedi Truth. That question doesn't say anything about Malcolm.

[morriswalters]

On the issue of Malcolm I yield to you, barring new information  Say hopefully a new book.  And you give Eb a lot of room here

But the overall gist is, "He's a hugely powerful wizard, there's not a lot he can't find out about an unpowered mortal if he wants to know something."

Considering his magical assets and potential money assets, given his age, I agree. Your response could be correct, I have no facts to dispute it.  But I'mma gonna stick with the unpleasant smell view.  My father called me bull headed.

[Kindler]

I often wonder if it wasn't Lasciel's first contact that allowed Malcolm to reach out to Harry, but something else.

I'm listening to Dead Beat now, and I remember hearing a few things in Blood Rites that made me think it's possible that the common assumption about the reason Malcolm was allowed to speak to Harry was in response to something else. I won't state anything until I reach that point in the story again, I'm just leaving this post as a mental bookmark for myself.

[Mr. Death]

I always figured the fact that the veil between the living and the dead was all kinds of buggered up during Dead Beat probably had at least something to do with it.