“Most of the rest of you will likely choose to fight together to save Artimé.” Mr. Today’s eyes traveled to the very back of the crowd and alighted on Will Blair, who squirmed uncomfortably, and then the mage looked at Samheed, who looked at the ground. “I need not remind any of you that if you choose to enter Quill without the benefit of an organized team, you are taking your life into your own hands.”

Mr. Today looked at Claire and nodded to her. “Ms. Morning is your commander in chief. You have done your drills. Keep your wits about you—you are far cleverer than they! Use your imaginations to your advantage. And please, though you owe me nothing, I ask a favor.” He leaned forward in earnest. “Do not strike first. If there is to be a battle, let it be they who start it. As I often say, we do not know what will happen until it happens. Perhaps, by some miracle, they will choose—” Mr. Today stopped abruptly as Jim the winged tortoise flew in from the direction of the jungle and landed at his feet. The man bent down, and Jim whispered something in his ear, while the crowd inched forward, curious. It took a very long time for him to pass along the information, but no one expected other wise where Jim was concerned. Will Blair took the tortoise distraction as an opportunity to make himself invisible and slip away.

After a long moment Mr. Today stood upright. “Thank you, Jim, that’s perfect.” He spoke again to the crowd on the lawn. “Our friends of the jungle have agreed to stand with us and fight. They, along with the statues, will help protect the mansion at night so that we might rest in safety, should the battle tarry on.” He took a deep breath and smiled encouragingly at his beloved Unwanteds. “Any questions?”

Lani raised her hand. “How will we know when they are coming … and then what do we do?”

Mr. Today smiled warmly at the girl. “We have spies. Lookouts. They’ll give us plenty of warning. You’ll know almost immediately via your blackboards.” The old man glanced at Alex and teased, “Everyone, please keep your blackboards on full volume.”

Alex smiled weakly. He had nothing to worry about, since Clive no longer had a shush button.

“When you receive your orders, follow them. It’s that simple. Have your component vests loaded and your weapons ready.”

As the crowd went back into the mansion to prepare, Mr. Today called out to Samheed. “A word, please,” he said.

Samheed grabbed Alex’s arm. “Did you tell him about me?” His eyes were wild.

“Yes,” Alex answered truthfully. “But I said that you probably didn’t know what Will was really up to.”

“I didn’t know,” Samheed said. “You have to believe me. I thought we were just going to scare him. I didn’t know.”

Alex pressed his lips together. “You’d better go.”

Samheed bit down on his bottom lip, his brow furled, and stared at Alex with an intensity Alex had never seen before. “Believe me,” Samheed whispered. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” Then he released his grip and jogged slowly over to the mage. “Yes, sir?”

“There are a few things we need to talk about, and some things for you to think about,” Mr. Today said. He pulled him to a quiet spot on the lawn, and the two sat down together, Samheed staring at the grass nearly the entire time.

When they had finished their conversation, Samheed walked slowly to the mansion, a stricken sort of look on his face, and went straight to his room.

And Mr. Today scoured the mansion and grounds in search of Will Blair, alerting all of his contacts to watch out for the young man. But Will was nowhere to be found.

Aaron

Well, well, well, Aaron Stowe.” As they drove back to the palace, the High Priest Justine turned to eye the young man. “I understand you’ve met Marcus. How … interesting.”

“High Priest Justine, I can explain—”

“Then do it!” She didn’t raise her voice, yet the words boomed inside Aaron’s head.

Aaron sat on his hands so the high priest would not see them trembling. His voice cracked. “I—I—Last night, they came into my room. I mean, he did. Alex. My brother. I mean, the Unwanted. I thought it was a dream!”

“And?”

“And, they tried to convince me—”

“They?”

“Alex and that man with the hair—they … they dragged me through the wall into the Death Farmer’s office and told me they were trying to protect me.” Aaron took a deep breath. “I escaped, thank Quill.” He nodded emphatically, as if to prove it to himself that he had done the right thing.

The High Priest Justine’s lips were pinched so tightly that they carried a faint tinge of blue. Her voice was wickedly calm. “And you chose to lie to me, and bring me there under the guise of refining oil. So that we could declare quite openly to the entire pathetic place that we were dumbfounded to discover their existence.” Her glare grew even sharper, and her voice lost some of its calm. “And I thought you were intelligent, Aaron Stowe. I really thought you were bright. But all you’ve done is succeed in making us look like idiots! We’re fools!” She spat out the last word. Aaron shrank back in his seat.

“I—I thought it was a dream,” he whispered. “I’ve had some strange dreams lately—it was all too impossible. How could I have believed I could walk through a wall, and that my brother Alex was alive? Surely, Madam High Priest, surely you can understand.…”