Alex wiped his face with his sleeve and felt a strange urge to laugh now that the girl had settled down, but didn’t think that would win him any points with anyone. So he held it in and looked to Ms. Morning for answers on what to do now. She beckoned to him to follow her out of the room. Mr. Today joined them and they climbed the stairs.
“Well, that was interesting,” Mr. Today said, pulling a hankie from his robe pocket and handing it to Alex. “I’ll bet you weren’t expecting that.”
Alex laughed and wiped his face. “No. But I’m glad she’s awake, you know? I hope she doesn’t give anyone any trouble.” They turned down the mostly secret hallway.
“I imagine she was frightened to open her eyes in such a strange and different setting,” Ms. Morning said. “She was so upset at first until she saw the boy. I’m guessing he’s her little brother.”
“Speaking of eyes, did you see hers?” Alex asked. They turned in to Mr. Today’s office and sat down.
“Lovely, aren’t they?” Mr. Today said. “They’d match well with my robe.”
“Strikingly beautiful,” Ms. Morning said, looking at Alex. “I’ve never seen eyes that color before.”
“Me neither,” Alex said, and he was surprised to feel his face grow warm while he thought about her. He hurried to think of something else to say. “Are the boy’s eyes that orangey-gold color too? I mean, has anybody checked?”
“Yes, I believe once the nurses saw hers, they checked the boy, and his are the same,” Mr. Today said. “It’s very curious. I spoke with Eva Fathom and she said it wasn’t a trait common to our home island, as far as she knew.”
Alex wondered for the millionth time what kind of place the two visitors could be from. It sounded like it must have been one of the more distant islands, based on what Mr. Today and Eva Fathom remembered.
Mr. Today continued, breaking into Alex’s thoughts. “I’m more than troubled by the metal neck bands, and now by the fact that the girl was unable to make a sound with her voice. I’m feeling a nagging sense that all is not right outside our little world.”
He took a deep breath. “And because of that consternation, I’ve decided to take a short trip after all. At the suggestion of trusted individuals, including you, Alex, as well as Sean Ranger and Eva Fathom, I’m going to replace the gate to Artimé temporarily to protect everyone while I’m gone. I’ve got my weekly peace meeting tonight with Gunnar, so I’ll let him know then what my plan is. After that I’ll return to the mansion to take care of a few things and pack, and leave in the morning with Eva. Just for a couple of days, perhaps three, while we investigate.” He paused and looked at Ms. Morning and Alex. “What do you think? Are you ready to hold down the fort for me?”
Allies or Enemies?
The sprightly Eva Fathom, former secretary to the High Priest Justine, smiled warmly at the girrinos at the gate as she strolled past them on her way into Quill. She walked alone for a short time until she was out of sight of Artimé, and then she was joined by a young, reddish-haired man who appeared to have been waiting for her.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I’ve convinced him to put the gate back up. He and I are leaving first thing tomorrow for a few days.”
The young man was silent for a long moment. “I’m worried.”
“Don’t be. All is well. The plan is solid.”
“And Aaron?”
“This is sooner than he’s expecting, but he’s as prepared as he can be.”
“Will you tell him about the gate?”
Eva Fathom looked at the young man warily, as if the question were some sort of test. She responded in turn, “Would you?”
The young man scowled.
They walked a few minutes in silence. The wavering heat hung low on the road in front of them, forming a mirage, from which a figure emerged.
“I should go,” the young man said.
Eva nodded. “Good luck,” she said.
“You too. I hope you know what you are doing.”
Annoyed, Eva responded, “I should say the same to you, Mr. Ranger.”
He turned off at a footpath, a shortcut to the housing quadrants. Eva kept walking toward Quill and the approaching figure.
» » « «
“Hello, Aaron,” Eva said brightly when the two met up. “What news?”
“Our army is growing, and we are all working feverishly to create adequate weapons.”
“Will you be ready for an attack tomorrow?”
Aaron hesitated. “So soon?”
“It was a split-second decision. I think we should take it. I’ll be leaving with Marcus in the morning.”
Aaron hid his alarm. He thought for a moment, and murmured, “Of course. Well done. We’re always ready.”
“Excellent.” The old woman pulled a handful of small clay hearts from her pocket and held them out to Aaron.
Aaron narrowed his eyes. “What about the thin metal clips’scatterclips, they call them? That’s what I wanted. What are these?” He picked one up and examined it. “They don’t look very fierce.”
“It’s the component for a spell called heart attack,” Eva said. “Your brother made them for my daughter at her request. She claims it’s the best spell Artimé has ever had. So I stole some.”