by Lisa McMann
And as it happened, no one but Lani knew for sure who had uttered the curse that had eliminated the High Priest Justine. At least, that’s what Lani thought. Though she wondered deep down if her father knew it had been she. They never spoke of it.
“So, Senior Governor Haluki was the friend you mentioned to me in the boat?” Alex asked as he slurped soup, feeling decidedly better, though still keeping to his bed for the most part.
Mr. Today smiled. “Gunnar Haluki and I were fast friends back when Justine took that turn for the worse. Gunnar, a young governor, also bought into Justine’s plan at first. We desperately wanted her to be right, just as you did with Aaron,” Mr. Today said.
“And though Gunnar and I kept our relationship a secret from everyone else once I moved to the Death Farm, I kept no secrets from my friend. We shared our changing thoughts whenever we met together in the wee hours of the night in my office. And that is how we formed a plan together. Gunnar worked his way up the seniority ladder until he was next in line to the high priest, putting himself into the best position to stop the madness.”
The mage leaned back in his chair, reminiscing. “If Artimé could have lasted five more years without being discovered, my twin sister, Justine, would have either retired or died, for despite her strong appearance she was frail as could be. And my dear friend Gunnar would have taken over, and together we would have tried to right all the wrongs done by Justine. And,” he admitted, “by me.”
Alex nodded, fascinated, yet exhausted by the simple act of eating lunch. “But then I came along,” he said, a bit sheepish.
Mr. Today chuckled softly. “Apparently, my plan with Gunnar wasn’t meant to be. When the now-infamous Stowe twins emerged, they caused all sorts of problems.” He winked. “Gunnar, because he was loyal to me, agreed to be wolf-charmed in order to hide his identity in Artimé and keep his eye on you without looking suspicious. He used that very special tube that sits protected across the lounge from my office to go back and forth from Quill to Artimé. It leads to a variety of horrible places, like a hidden closet in Gunnar’s government office, and another in his office at home, and many more.”
Alex stifled a yawn. “You’re really clever, Mr. Today,” he said sleepily.
“And you are tired. Get some rest, my boy. I’d like to see you walking around on the lawn again soon.”
“Yes, sir,” Alex said, his eyes already closed. But one thing remained on his mind. “I want to talk to Aaron,” he murmured.
The mage closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “I suppose you must, eventually,” he said. But Alex was already asleep.
The Way It Is With Twins, Redux
On the eve of the annual Quill Purge, Alex and Aaron Stowe stood face to face at the entrance to Artimé, the most neutral place they could agree upon. “Thank you for meeting me here,” Alex said.
Aaron nodded coolly.
“Are you well? Is your leg all right?”
“Top form,” Aaron said. He folded his arms to his chest.
“Have you seen Father and Mother?”
“No, and I never plan to. They are beneath me,” Aaron said. “Have you?”
“No.” Alex had no desire to see them. His sunny, all-forgiving attitude had been jaded by the war, and by circumstances, and he’d matured a lot after all he’d been through in the past year. Survival depended on shrewdness and good judgment as well as skill. He knew that now.
“So. What do you want? I don’t have all day.”
Alex smiled inside, knowing he’d won an invisible battle by making Aaron ask the question. “I want to know what to expect from you. Are you a friend or an enemy? Will you be a part of Artimé now that you know it is real? Or are you still set on rebuilding that mess you have in Quill?”
“I don’t plan to reveal my intentions to any Unwanteds, ever.” Aaron scowled, trying to look fierce, but with the desolate, bruised land of Quill behind him, it wasn’t very convincing.
“I see,” Alex said. Despite all he’d been through, he felt a twinge of pity in his heart for his brother, even though Aaron had tried to kill him. “I guess there’s nothing more to say, then.”
Aaron hesitated. “I guess not.”
“Well, I’ll miss what could have been.” Alex gazed into the hardened eyes of his twin.
Aaron stared back and didn’t waver. “You do that.”
Alex stood for a moment longer, and then he nodded and turned on the ball of his foot in the gravel. He walked back into Artimé without looking back.
Aaron watched him go, and then he turned toward Quill and strode back to his old, rusted-out jalopy, one of the few that remained in working order after the battle. He got in, started it up, and chugged up the road toward the palace.
What Remained
Mr. Today, on the day of the yearly Purge, called a meeting on the lawn for all of Artimé.
“Friends,” he said, “I am pleased to tell you that the new high priest of Quill, Gunnar Haluki, and I have come to an agreement: Our two lands will live separately, in peace.”
The new High Priest Gunnar, standing behind the crowd in human form this time, glanced at his daughter. Lani swiveled around and flashed a smile.
“Our border will remain open,” Mr. Today continued. “Residents of both places will be free to come and go as they wish, though it may be some time before anyone wishes to step into the other place. Some may never wish to.
“As this is quite an unfathomable place for many of the residents of Quill, I ask that you treat our visitors with the same respect you give me. The new high priest assures me that he will request the same.”
An agreeable murmur moved through the crowd.
“We’ve also agreed that if Quill chooses to continue to Purge their Unwanteds each year, those Unwanteds will be welcomed here with open arms, as always, with the understanding that they will not be put to death.”
Mr. Today continued earnestly as the noise died down. “For those of you who eventually wish to find your families and return to Quill, you are free to do so, though be prepared for disappointments. Likewise, for those whose ties have been severed completely, there are no demands on you. Healing is a slow process, and for some, impossible.” The old mage’s eyes grew misty as he looked out over the survivors, many of whom still carried visible wounds. Even more, he thought, catching Alex’s eye, still carry invisible wounds that no magical spell can take away.
He continued. “And for those who wish to invite their families to Artimé, you are also free to do so. As you know,” he said, and took a deep breath, tears streaming down his cheeks freely now, “we never, ever run out of room in Artimé.”
Mr. Today blew his nose into his hanky. Loudly. And then he looked out over the throng of Unwanteds and said, “And with that we leave our sorrows for another day, because today is a day to celebrate.”
A cheer rose up from the crowd as they began to chant, “To-DAY, To-DAY, To-DAY!”
Marcus Today raised his hand and smiled, softening the chant. He went on to say, “Friends, this is the traditional day of the Purge, and High Priest Haluki, having had little time to make changes, has carried out the Purge as usual—that is the wish of his people. And before you scowl at the practices of Quill, please remember that changes take time. Today we welcome the thirty-two new members of Artimé, seated in the front row.”
A round of riotous applause burst forth, causing the fresh, wide-eyed group of thirteen-year-olds to cover their ears in wonder. Lani poked Meghan, Samheed, and Alex and pointed out her little brother, Henry, just ten years old, sitting in the front row. “Father wasn’t going to waste any more time in getting him here,” she said, grinning.
The crowd buzzed, and then their voices died down as Mr. Today continued. “For now, let us welcome new friends to Artimé. Let us remember the ones we lost. And let us also remember this day as the day we have been redeemed. Wear your Unwanted title like a badge of honor, for we have prevailed!”
The crowd erupted in app
lause and, for those who could manage it, a standing ovation for their leader. But Alex couldn’t help but recall his conversation with Aaron and wonder if everything was really going to be as easy as Mr. Today implied. In fact he knew it wouldn’t be.
After the lawn had mostly cleared, Alex remained seated with his friends, not quite ready to battle the crowds. Simber nodded to the small group as he passed by. Meghan and Samheed lay back on the fresh green lawn, dozing off while listening to the platyprots chatter and giggle. When Mr. Today finished speaking privately to High Priest Gunnar and they said their goodbyes, Lani hopped up, hugged her father, and bid farewell for now, promising a visit soon. She plopped down next to Alex once again and leaned back, resting her head on his arm and humming a new little song she’d learned the day before from Ms. Morning.
“So,” Lani said, “what do you suppose will happen to Aaron? Do you want to see him again?”
“We talked,” Alex said.
“My father says Aaron’s feeling terrible—terrible about hurting you and about how he exposed Artimé. That sort of thing. Father says he seems sincere.”
“I don’t know about that,” Alex said. “I don’t believe it. He’s quite an actor, no matter how much he denies his creativity.” He closed his eyes and paused, thinking. “I just don’t know if I can ever trust him again. I guess maybe it’s like Justine and Mr. Today. They grew so far apart, there’d have been no way they could ever get back to each other again with all that junk between them. Maybe it’s better if he and I don’t see each other again. At least for a while.”
Lani turned to look at Alex. “That’s sort of sad.”
Alex was quiet. “Yeah, it is.”
“I think you’ll know if you’re ever ready to give it a try,” Lani said.
Alex smiled. He reached for a strand of her hair and twirled it lazily on his finger, his eyes closed, his heart almost full, his body mostly healed. Things weren’t perfect, and they never would be, he knew. But for a fourteen-year-old boy, resting on the lawn in the warm sunshine, the sea gently lapping at the shore, his friends all around … He sighed. At least for now, things were good.
It was more than any Unwanted could ever hope for.