by Lisa McMann
Mr. Today pursed his lips. “That, I do not yet know.”
“Shouldn’t we try and stop him? Can we?”
“Yes, we can stop him. You know we can,” Mr. Today said carefully.
Claire shook her head. “I also know we won’t.”
“That’s correct.”
“But—why?” Claire sighed impatiently. “When we have the means to stop him—to stop both Will and Alex! Before Quill discovers and ruins Artimé. Before they put us all in danger. Some of us are sure to be killed! Everything will change. Everything.”
Mr. Today bowed his head into his hands and said nothing. His shock of white hair pointed at the wall behind his friends.
After a moment Simber responded in an uncharacteristically soft purr. “Because, Clairrre. Because neitherrr boy has brrroken the law. Because we don’t punish bad ideas, orrr thoughts, orrr intentions. Because the moment we do, that’s the moment ourrr worrrld takes its firrrst step towarrrd becoming like Quill.”
“But if it’s for our own good and safety—”
“Claire,” Mr. Today said quietly, “once we start inter fering with free thought, where do we stop? Believe me, I’ve been down this road.”
“But you know yourself that you can protect our world without a war at all! You could wipe out the entire land of Quill and we could be safe forever, if you just choose to stop it.”
The mage smiled sadly. “And you know, Claire, that I will not be around forever to protect Artimé from what’s beyond Quill. Each person here must have something at stake in order to take ownership of our land. If our people have nothing to sacrifice, nothing to protect, what will happen to Artimé when I am gone?”
The office was stifled in heavy silence.
“Then what do we do?” Claire said, finally.
Mr. Today scratched his chin. “We prepare. And who knows, maybe something good will come of it.” He took a deep breath. “Florence, have you begun the lethal-weapon training?”
“Yes.”
“Very good. I want everyone to have the knowledge and ability, whether they choose to use it or not. Claire, find Gunnar in the forest and ask him to come see me. Simber, keep a close eye on Will Blair and Samheed. I’ll put up a shimmer shield in the entrance to this hallway so you can tell if someone invisible walks through it.”
“And the boy … hmm …” Mr. Today thought out loud. “Yes. I’ll take care of Alex myself.” He clasped his hands together and met the solemn eyes of his comrades. “All right, then. Let’s be as ready as possible, shall we?”
Together each person, statue, and creature in the room nodded.
The Eliminators
Nearly every night when his eyes and hand gave out from working on the doorway, Alex agonized over Aaron. “How?” he asked himself over and over after weeks of failure to produce a doorway that would lead him to his brother’s dormitory room—or anywhere, for that matter. He shook his head. “I know I can rescue you. But how do I get to you? There’s got to be another way.”
One night Alex had had all the tossing and turning he could stand. He left his room, walked down the stairs, past the two statues, who both nodded civilly, and went outside for a walk to clear his mind. He didn’t see Simber and Florence exchange a glance, nor did he see Simber leap nimbly from his pedestal and pad up the stairs to the mage’s private quarters.
Alex roamed along the seashore, and then, instead of going into the jungle, he turned back and walked diagonally in a direction almost no one cared to go because of the awful memories that accompanied it—to the giant iron gate. In the light from the stars Alex could make out the shadowy figures of the four girrinos, keeping guard as they did endlessly, seemingly without rest.
Alex cleared his throat.
“We see you, Mr. Blair,” one said in a pleasant voice. “You may approach without fear.”
Alex bit his bottom lip and stepped out of the shadows. “Hi—I’m, um, not Will Blair,” he said, not knowing quite what else to say. “I’m Alex Stowe.”
“Oh, so you are,” said one whose name was Tina. “Look, ladies, a new one has come to face his fears.”
The girrinos smiled. The one named Arija asked, “What brings you here tonight, Alex? Can’t sleep? Feeling wonky?”
“How—how did you know?” Alex could feel the ground shiver just slightly as two of them sat down hard and turned their attention back to the door.
“We rarely get visitors. When we do, it’s usually for one of two reasons. Most often someone comes to face the iron door in hopes of seeing it in a different light, from the good side of things, and thereby casting out the horrid memories of Quill.”
“Does it work?”
“For some, yes.”
“What’s the other reason?” Alex asked presently, hoping the ladies couldn’t read his mind.
Arija blinked her milky chocolate eyes solemnly. “To escape.”
Alex’s heart throttled, but he held his expression firm. “Oh. That seems strange,” he said. His voice sounded a wee bit thin in his ears, so he tried to breathe in using his diaphragm, like Ms. Morning had taught them in choir. “I didn’t think the door would work as a way out. Isn’t it locked from the other side? And who would want to escape to that awful place?”
Tina grinned, her teeth like glowing rectangles in the star-light. “Right on both counts, Alex. He’s a clever one, isn’t he, Arija?”
“Indeed.” Arija nodded. “There are two ways out of Quill, but only magical ways to get back in—we can’t open the gate from our side. Unless, of course, someone from the other side unlocks it.”
Alex furrowed his brow. “Two ways out of Quill? What’s the second? We were told the only way out was through elimination—through this gate.”
“Well, of course you were told that, my boy. I don’t think even the governors know about the other way. And if they did, they wouldn’t tell the people of Quill,” said Tina.
Arija gave Tina a stern look. “Don’t tease the boy, Tina. How would he know?” She turned back to Alex. “There’s a secret passage from the palace to beyond the walls that the High Priest Justine and Marcus created long ago, when Justine took over the rule of the land. As far as the high priest knows, Marcus is the only other person in Quill who is aware of it.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “But … the palace,” he said, thinking. “What lies beyond it? Where does the passage lead? To the great forest? To enemy territory?”
“Why …,” Tina began. “To the sea, of course!”
“What?” Alex asked, incredulous. “But what about the threat of the borderlands? The Quillitary? That blasted barbed-wire ceiling that protects the entire land from intruders?”
Arija stepped over to the boy. “There, now, dear,” she said, and sort of nuzzled his shoulder comfortingly, as if Alex were her own son, until Alex had quite calmed down. “I’m afraid it’s all a ruse to control the actions of the people of Quill.” She sighed. “The land of Quill—and Artimé, attached—is an island. It’s one in a chain of islands. We once traded goods with other lands, but that was before Justine had the walls constructed, I’m told.”
Alex shook his head, defeated. “I can’t believe it. Why would they lie to us?” he whispered. “What about the old people? Don’t they remember?”
Arija shook her head, her black, silky fur catching the starlight. “No, Alex. They were made to forget.”
“What, you mean …”
“Magic.”
Alex stood there, blown away by what he was hearing. Magic? In Quill? He shook his head in shock. “But … who? Who would do such an awful thing, taking people’s memories?”
The ladies were silent, and then suddenly they stood at attention, peering into the shadows beyond Alex.
“Me,” said a voice from the dark.
On a Dark Night
Come, walk with me,” Mr. Today said, stepping out of the shadows. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Alex froze. He felt now like he had felt every time he
’d been discovered committing an infraction back in Quill. His heart sank as he turned around slowly, only to find a grim look on Mr. Today’s face. Caught.
Mr. Today waved to the girrinos and began walking across the lawn toward the mansion. He didn’t appear worried that Alex would follow, and it was Mr. Today’s nonchalance that compelled Alex to tag along after him rather than run away or hide. Alex hurried through the grass and caught up to the mage’s brisk pace.
“It’s a gorgeous night.” Mr. Today breathed deeply the salty air. “I should remember to come out more often at this hour. I love the sound of the sea in the dark, when all the other creatures are quiet, don’t you?”
Alex swallowed hard. “Yes,” he said. And then, because it sounded funny, that word hanging out there alone, he added like a dutiful student, “It’s sort of musical. Like a new kind of instrument.”
“Indeed!” Mr. Today said approvingly. “My, but you’ve come a long way in almost a year. Can you see it in yourself, my boy?”
Alex was quiet for a moment, pleasantly confused by the turn in events, but a little suspicious all the same. “I suppose I can, sir.”
“Of course you can.” The old mage stopped at the shore and looked out over the sea. “Have you discovered Claire’s boat in the lagoon?” he asked. “She’s a real beauty.”
Alex squinched his eyes shut. “Um, y-yes.” Was that the right answer? Alex wasn’t sure.
“One day we’ll go for a cruise, maybe to one of the neighboring islands with whom we used to trade goods. I’ve been wanting to go back for years,” Mr. Today said, almost as if to himself. “But I imagine they had hard feelings when we cut off our communications with them.… I wonder if anyone there would remember me.” And then he roused himself from his thoughts and turned sharply, back toward the mansion. “But first we have some business to take care of.”
Alex stumbled after him. “We—we do?”
Mr. Today reached the walkway, climbed the steps, opened the mansion door with a sweeping gesture, and ushered Alex inside. “To my office,” he said.
“Your office?” Alex blushed as he entered the mansion. “Um, I guess I don’t know where—”
Simber cocked his head at Alex and growled.
Mr. Today held up his hand and chuckled. “No need, Simber. The boy needs his dignity.”
Alex stumbled up the staircase as his face burned. Without another word Mr. Today nimbly took the stairs two at a time and walked into the secret hallway. Alex hesitated, turned and looked down at Simber, and realized how stupid he had been to think no one had ever seen him go in. Simber grinned cheekily at the boy.
Alex shook his head and followed Mr. Today. “I’m such a dolt,” he said.
Mr. Today laughed, and then held out a finger at the glass shield. It shimmered, splashed to the floor, and disappeared. “We all have our moments, my boy. Come, have a seat.”
“Thank you,” Alex said. He sat down heavily in one of the office chairs and tried with all his might not to stare at the blackboards above Mr. Today’s head.
Mr. Today looked at Alex. “Let’s be honest with each other, shall we?”
Alex blinked. “Okay …”
“Do you miss your brother?”
Alex stared. His heart quickened. “No.”
Mr. Today regarded Alex for a moment. Then he turned toward the blackboard. “Alex,” he said, “is it true that your brother was creative like you?”
Alex blinked. “Well, he did try to draw once.” Alex remembered the time in the backyard when it rained.
“What happened?”
“My father got us mixed up. He thought Aaron was me—I was always the troublemaker, and it was pouring rain, and we’re identical. It was a simple mistake,” Alex said. He felt like he had to defend his father.
“And Aaron went along with it. He let you get written up for his infraction?”
Alex shifted uncomfortably. “Mr. Today, I’d already had several infractions. I knew I’d be Unwanted. One more infraction wouldn’t have made a difference to me.”
“And one would have made a difference for Aaron.”
Alex’s eyes teared up. “Yes—I mean, no. I mean … it’s all so confusing.”
Mr. Today leaned forward. “You would have done anything for him. That’s the way it is with twins, isn’t it?”
Alex nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Finally, he whispered, “I wish I hadn’t.”
“Because then he might be here, is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Alex, you did a noble thing, thinking you were saving him. Believe me, I understand. And I think very highly of you for it.”
Alex swallowed hard and looked at his lap.
Mr. Today shuffled some papers on his desk, and then stood. “Come. I’ll walk you back.”
Alex got to his feet and followed Mr. Today to the hallway.
“So, Alex,” Mr. Today said, taking on a lighter tone, “How are your studies now that you’re in training? All going well?” But he seemed to be searching for something deeper.
Alex thought of the dreams. The doorway. His heart ached at the thought of never seeing Aaron again. Finally he looked up at Mr. Today. “Everything’s really going great. I like it here.”
Mr. Today gazed at Alex as they walked, his face indecipherable. After a moment he smiled sadly. “Good,” he said. “I’m very glad of that.”
Where There’s a Will
Where are you going?” Lani demanded, tapping her foot loudly near the library tubes, making several creatures, students, and statues scowl in her direction. “You’re always sneaking around these days.”
“I’m busy,” Alex said.
“With what?”
“Um … spells. Lethal stuff. That reminds me,” he said, trying desperately to think of a way to change the subject so that Lani would leave him alone—he was so close to finishing his doorway. “I really want to know what the incantation is for turning scatterclips lethal. Any idea?”
Lani cocked her head. “I don’t know.”
“Well, can you find out? I’d like to learn that one. I mean, not because I’ll ever use it. I mean just in case.”
Lani’s eyes widened. “You mean you’d kill someone, if it came to that?”
“I’m not saying that.”
“I think you are.”
Alex shrugged. “Only if I had to. I don’t ever want to kill anybody.”
Lani was silent. She turned. “I’ll see what I can find out,” she said, wandering off into the rows and rows of books.
When she was out of sight, Alex slipped through the doorway to the stairwell and bounded up the steps to the third floor. He peered into the window, saw that all was dark, and went inside. Then he tiptoed back to his table to finally finish up his painting.
Before an hour had passed, he made a final stroke with his brush and stood back. The door practically grew thicker on the table, it looked so realistic. Alex grinned, certain this time it would work. He gazed at it a little longer and felt a thrill run through him as he thought about finally seeing his brother again. He glanced around, wondering if he could find a free wall in the library, but all the walls were covered with bookshelves. So he rolled it up carefully and packed up his brushes and pencils.
As he grabbed his backpack, he heard the creak of the door. Two voices spoke in hushed sounds. One of them Alex recognized. It was Samheed.
Immediately Alex tensed; then he silently took his things and stepped behind a shelf, his back up against it, facing the tiki totem pole. His breath came in a shallow, quiet flow and his skin erupted with goose bumps, and he cursed himself for not having an invisibility paintbrush with him. He could hear the two, louder now that the door had closed, settling in at a table near the front. Alex was trapped. He crept closer so he could hear them better and see them through the space between shelves.
“The hinges are all wrong. See there?” Samheed said, pointing to a door eerily similar to the one Alex had finally just perfect
ed.
“I know! I’m trying,” Will said crossly. “This isn’t exactly my area of expertise.”
“Let me try.”
“You’ve tried and you can’t do it either. Just be quiet. I’m concentrating.”
“I could ask Alex,” Samheed said.
Will laughed out loud. “Sam, you are even stupider than you look. Alex is being extremely helpful from afar already. Involving him would wreck everything. You know yourself how much he still thinks of his fink of a brother.”
Samheed’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing for a moment. He pulled out a chair and sat backward on it. “Yeah, maybe I am stupid, because I don’t get why you even want to go back there. I mean, sure, you can scare the skivvies off Aaron Stowe for taking your spot with the governors, but what good will that do? You’ll expose Artimé, and we’ll have to fight.”
Will tossed his pencil, frustrated. “Look. I don’t plan on anybody finding out who I really am, okay? At least not at first—not with my theatrical disguise, courtesy of your loser friend Alex and my incredible magical abilities. And believe me, when I get done with Aaron, he won’t be able to tell a soul.”
Alex sucked in a breath, and he nearly lost his grip on his 3-D door.
Samheed looked up as if he’d heard something, but then turned back to Will. “What do you mean? Are you going to kill him or something?” He laughed nervously.
Will Blair just shook his head and scowled. He picked up his pencil again and started working on the door.
“Seriously, Will,” Samheed said when Will didn’t answer. His voice grew quiet. “Are you planning to kill him?”
“I prefer the term ‘eliminate,’” Will said, snarling. “You have a problem with that? Or do I have to get rid of you, too?”
Samheed’s face turned green in the eerie blue light from the table. “No,” he whispered. “Of course not.”
Alex’s heart and mind raced. How on earth was he going to get out of here, get to Aaron in time to warn him? He could only hope that Will wasn’t close enough to finishing the doorway tonight before they packed up, or there would be serious problems. If he could only get to his bedroom! But no, stupid Clive would know what he was up to if he disappeared from the bedroom, and no doubt he would alert Mr. Today. Alex couldn’t risk that. Where else could Alex go that no one would see him?