“Oh, come on. That’s ridiculous.” Alex shook his head, more frustrated than ever. “I haven’t done that since before Mr. Today was killed and you sank in the sea. You’re full of yourself.”
“And you’rrre too comforrrtable,” roared Simber. He got to his feet. “I might not be herrre foreverrr, you know!” The windows shook.
Florence watched the two, fascinated. They rarely fought.
Alex stared at the cat. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you leaving Artimé?”
“What?” Simber said. “No! Of courrrse not. But I can’t keep telling you what to do. If you want my opinion, ask me. Otherrrwise don’t expect it.”
Alex raised his hands, completely confused. “I don’t even understand what’s happening right now,” he muttered. “I just transported an entire party of Artiméans off Shipwreck Island—safely, mind you—virtually without you. What’s your problem? Did I do something to offend you? If this is about Sky and me being stuck there, and the Florence thing with not enough magic carpet components, we would have figured it out without you, I’ll have you know.”
“I should hope so.” Simber’s chiseled jaw creaked as his stone teeth snapped together. He stared at Alex, nostrils flaring.
Alex stood tall and stared back, growing more defensive and angry as the seconds passed. He had no idea what had set Simber on edge. And he wasn’t going to back down without an explanation.
Florence leaned forward on her sofa, propped her elbows on her knees, and rested her chin in her hands, fascinated by the sudden flare-up and standoff.
After a minute, Simber relaxed his stance and turned his head. “Sorrry,” he said gruffly. “I’m worrried about Gondoleerrry.” He turned and paced toward the door, restlessly shaking his head. “Herrr ability to crrreate firrre is morrre dangerrrous than anything we’ve everrr been up against. Ice is bad enough, but firrre . . .”
Alex rested his gaze on the beast, trying to figure out if Simber was speaking the truth about what was bothering him. He couldn’t tell. “We’ll be careful,” he said softly. “How hard can it be to take down one person when we have all of Artimé on our side?”
Simber stopped in his tracks and turned his head back to look at Alex. “That’s exactly the wrrrong way to look at herrr. If therrre’s anyone you should be afrrraid of in this worrrld, it’s Gondoleerrry Rrrattrrrap.” He paused, giving Alex a hard look. “And you should feel it in yourrr bones, Alex. Like I do. I shouldn’t have to tell you.” He paused. “That’s what my prrroblem is.”
Alex watched, jaw slacked, as Simber walked out of his office. “You don’t even have bones!” Alex called out. Simber didn’t answer. When he had disappeared, Alex turned to Florence with a questioning look. “Didn’t I just say I wanted her dead? I don’t get it.”
She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t ask me,” she said. “I think there’s something deeper bothering him, but I don’t know what.”
“I can still hearrr you,” came a gravelly warning from the balcony.
Alex sighed and shook his head. “Good night, Simber,” he called. “We’ll plan the attack in the morning.”
“Harrrumph,” said Simber, and soon the mansion trembled as the giant cat loped down the stairs to his spot at the front door.
The Evil Twin
The next time Aaron awoke, he was drenched in sweat and shivering profusely. He lay on his side, facing a rocky wall with no window, his blanket flung off him and just beyond his reach.
Every muscle in his body ached, and every bit of his skin hurt. His head pounded endlessly, and when he reached up to touch it, he found that it was wrapped in a bandage of some sort.
When he became aware that he was in a very strange and unfamiliar place, his stomach clenched in fear. The pirates, he thought. Had they brought him here? What were they going to do to him?
This time his memories were more distinct. He recalled the way the pirates had burst into his office and captured him. The way they’d thrown him into the boat. The way they’d starved him and spit on him and dragged him through the stormy sea for days with no water. And now, here, the storm still raged all around. Where was he? He had to get away. He had to escape!
With all his strength, he pushed against the mattress and tried lifting himself up, only to fall back again. He breathed hard, the air slicing his lungs, and tried again. Once more his strength gave out and he landed, twisted, on the cot.
A wave of nausea interrupted his efforts, and he began sweating again. He tested his voice, crying out for help, but it came out grainy and weak, nothing like the commanding voice of a high priest. He gave up.
When a shadow fell over his face, Aaron was too tired to open his eyes. But when someone slipped his arm around Aaron’s shoulders and hoisted him up, putting a cup to his mouth, the boy lashed out blindly, slapping it aside. The back of his hand connected with the jaw of the one helping him, sending the man sprawling.
A moment later, Aaron could hear a low chuckle nearby and the voice of an old man saying, “Ah, there you are, Alex-san. I think you are going to be just fine after all.”
Pain ripped through Aaron’s stomach. Again, someone confused him for his brother. How was it possible that everybody in the world seemed to know Alex? Why couldn’t Aaron ever be recognized?
He’d pretended to be Alex in the past. But this time Aaron wasn’t going to let it happen. He was tired of it. He was Aaron Stowe, high priest of Quill, and he had done a lot of impressive things on his own, thank you very much. He was really getting sick of his brother always being the one people knew—and liked. And Aaron was tired of hiding conveniently behind his brother’s fame, when Aaron should be known as the famous one for becoming the youngest high priest of Quill ever. He’d vaulted to the top in an amazingly short amount of time. And people ought to know about it. If Aaron’s name was going to be known in this world, he’d better start using it and standing behind it, because clearly nobody else was going to vouch for him.
With all the energy he could muster, Aaron opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and looked at the blurry face of the ancient little man who had returned to his side.
“I’m not Alex,” Aaron rasped, his voice like gravel. “I’m Aaron.” He closed his eyes and breathed, and added, “I’m the twin everybody hates.”
Stealth and Trickery
A day later, Alex met up with Florence, Simber, Samheed, Lani, Carina, and Sky. This time they took advantage of the beautiful day by sitting on the lawn. Simber seemed back to his usual self, and nothing was said of the previous day’s fight between him and Alex. But Alex was determined to make his new idea work without Simber’s assistance.
“Florence, start us off,” Alex said. “What’s our best move? Storm the palace?” He’d secretly always wanted to say that.
“No,” Florence said. “We want to draw her out of the palace. There are too many places for her to hide inside—right, Simber?”
“And too many innocent people inside who could get hurrrt,” Simber said, and by the look on his face, Alex could tell he was remembering their visit to the palace with Mr. Today, when Aaron had nearly killed Alex after sneaking up on him.
“Yeah, you’re right, of course,” Alex muttered reluctantly.
“And,” Florence continued, “we’ll want to make this a definitive action—one move to take her down, and it’s done. Like Claire said, if we mess this up and she gets away, she’s going to know what we’re willing to do to stop her, and we definitely don’t want that.”
Alex nodded. “Great. So we need a few of us to infiltrate Quill and keep an eye on the palace without being recognized. You four would do well at that,” he said, pointing to his friends.
“But won’t we look conspicuous with our orange eyes and scars?” Lani asked.
“Come on,” Alex said. “You’re all mages—well, Sky not so much, but we’ll help her, and she’s creative. Can’t you each come up with a disguise? Think back to Will Blair’s days.”
“Hey,” Samheed muttered. “Take it easy.”
“Oh, I see,” Lani teased. “You want us to disguise ourselves as Aaron and take over?”
“Um, no, please,” Alex said. “That plan didn’t really work out well for Will, did it? I want you to look like ordinary Quillens walking around, which shouldn’t be hard to do. Most of you have done it before.”
Sky looked bemused and a bit uncomfortable. She was beginning to wonder what use she could be. “You could paint me invisible,” she said.
“Where’s the sport in that?” Samheed said. “Besides, the invisibility paintbrush spell doesn’t last long enough, and wears off without warning. I don’t even carry it anymore. It’s a fun spell for goofing around, but not really meant for serious stuff.”
Alex gave Sky a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Mr. Appleblossom has some costumes and can help you all with whatever magic you might need to keep you from being recognized.”
Florence glanced at Simber. “I still have my mask from the masquerade ball. Maybe I can be a part of this.”
“That’ll worrrk,” Simber said dryly. “Nobody will suspect a thing.”
Alex grimaced. “I’m afraid you two will have to stay here. You’re way too hard to disguise.”
Sky couldn’t hold back her reservations any longer. “I don’t do magic,” she said. “Not well, at least, and I don’t know my way around Quill at all. Are you sure I’m the right person for this?”
“Oh, Quill’s easy,” Samheed told her. “It’s one big oval road around the perimeter of the island, with quadrants of houses inside.” He scratched his head. “Anyway, the palace is at the far west end. Just go left out of Artimé and follow the road—you can’t miss it. It’s the uninviting gray structure on the hill, with the crooked turret that sticks up quite high. Maybe you can stay on this half of the island so it’ll be easier to find home again in case you get lost.”
“Will we be working all together or separated?” Lani asked.
“You’ll likely be together some of the time,” Alex said. “But it depends on our approach. Let’s figure out our plan of attack, and then we can look at that.”
He addressed Sky specifically. “Yes, Sky, to answer your question, you are right for this job. I want you as a lookout. You’re stealthy, you can run fast, and you’re extremely clever—you’ll be able to get yourself out of any situation easily. That’s why I chose you, okay? Don’t worry about the magic. The rest of us will have it covered.”
Sky frowned. “Okay,” she said, still a bit dubious. “Keep going.”
Alex moved to continue, but before he could, Simber cleared his throat.
Everyone looked at him. After a moment, Alex realized the cat was waiting to be asked his opinion. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Simber, what concerns do you have?” he said, only a little patronizingly.
Simber ignored the tone. “We haven’t seen evidence of it, but accorrrding to Liam, Gondoleerrry might have firrre powerrr of some kind. In a deserrrt land like Quill, that can be verrry dangerrrous.”
Alex nodded and waited to be sure the cat was done. “Right,” Alex said. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Lani—is there anything in that Element-ary book about fire?”
“I don’t think so. It’s more weather related. I’ll check and get the book back to you.”
“Thanks,” said Alex. “Anything else to add, Simber?”
“No, thank you.”
“All right, then. Moving on. Brainstorming time. How can we get Gondoleery out of the palace alone?”
The group members thought.
“Is there a Purge coming up?” Carina asked. “That would get her to the Commons.”
“Not for a while,” Florence said.
“What if . . . ?” Samheed said. “No.” He fell back into his thoughts.
“She must go out now and then,” Sky said. “Does she still have a house in Quill? We might just have to keep watch for a few days and see if there’s any pattern to her movements.”
Carina narrowed her eyes. “But does she go anywhere without a driver? I doubt it.”
“Liam told me where to find her house in Quill,” Alex said. “But he also told me that while there is sometimes glowing coming from the windows, it disappears if she answers the door, so we might not find anything there. Worth a look, though.”
“What if . . . ?” Samheed said again, eyes lighting up, but then he slumped. “No.”
Everyone but Lani snickered at him.
Lani, who had been quiet all this time, closed her eyes. “Hang on,” she murmured, then nodded sharply, as if she’d just figured out a very difficult equation. “I’ve got it,” she said, eyelids flying open.
“Tell us,” Alex prompted.
Lani gathered her thoughts a minute more, then began. “If Gondoleery doesn’t go anywhere on her own, I’ll simply disguise myself as one of her drivers. When she decides to go somewhere, I’ll drive her in this direction to the desolate area of Quill instead. You guys can be waiting, and we’ll . . . we’ll put an end to her reign right then and there,” she said. “Now,” she added, sitting up triumphantly, “knock some holes in that plan, why don’t you.”
“Seriously?” Samheed asked.
“Yes,” Lani said.
“Well, for starters, you don’t know how to drive.”
Lani’s mouth fell open. “Minor detail. How hard can it be?”
“Second,” Samheed continued, “how will we know when you’re coming with her? Are we just supposed to lie in wait for days? How will we recognize you if you’re disguised as a driver?”
Lani’s chin shot up. “I don’t . . . Wait. The gargoyles. That’s where Matilda comes in. We’ll have Charlie with us, and Matilda can let us know when Gondoleery’s going to go somewhere. She can follow Gondoleery out the door, and I’ll sneak her into the back of the vehicle when Gondoleery’s not looking. Then Alex can take Charlie through the tube and get to you, and you’ll know precisely when I’ll be coming.”
Alex rubbed his chin, listening and thinking.
Samheed’s face turned skeptical. “Okay, but aren’t most of her drivers men?” he asked.
“So?” Lani replied. “When I said disguise, I’m talking full-blown impersonation. I’ll become not just a man, but a specific man she’d recognize.”
Sky looked up. “Maybe Liam could help. I bet he knows some of the drivers.”
“Yes,” Lani said, growing even more excited. “Yes, that’s a great idea. He could help me with the disguise.” She looked from Alex to Florence for approval. “What do you think? I think we have something here. There are a few minor issues, but nothing we can’t overcome.”
“I like it,” Carina said. “It’s not too complicated, and nobody else gets hurt.”
“It’s a little complicated, though,” Simber argued.
“Yeah, like when Lani crashes a vehicle she doesn’t know how to drive,” Samheed said.
Sky elbowed him. “Stop,” she said. “We’ll figure that one out. Lani, does your father know how to drive?”
Lani’s eyes lit up, and she made a face at Samheed. “Why yes, Sky, my father does know how to drive. He can tell me what to do.”
Alex tapped a finger to his lips, deep in thought, trying to come up with every possible thing that could go wrong. “What happens to the guard you’re impersonating?”
Lani’s lips parted as if to answer, but soon she closed them, then opened them once more. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Do we give him the day off?”
Alex smiled. “A day off? You’ve forgotten what it’s like to live there. Drivers are Necessaries. They don’t get a day off unless it’s Purge day, remember?”
“Yeah,” Lani said, scowling. “I remember.”
“So . . . maybe we have to kidnap him,” Samheed said, and now that he could picture himself doing something dangerous, he was starting to like this plan. “I’ll kidnap him and freeze him somewhere out of the way so nobody notices hi
m. He won’t get hurt.”
Alex frowned, not sure it would work logistically to have Samheed freezing a guard by the palace at the same time he was lying in wait for Gondoleery, but they’d work those details out.
Florence glanced at Alex, and then addressed the group. “I think the plan has a lot of potential. There are definitely a few things we have to address before I’m willing to sign off on it, but they are all problems we can overcome. So, if Alex is on board with the plan . . .” She turned back to him. “Are you, Alex?”
“I think so. Yes.”
“Good. Then you four,” Florence said, pointing to Lani, Samheed, Sky, and Carina, “can get to work researching your disguises, while Alex and I pound out the details.”
Alex nodded. “Everybody feel comfortable? Sky, Mr. Appleblossom will have everything you need to blend in with the people of Quill. Lani, I’m pretty sure the drivers have a specific uniform, so maybe you should come with Florence and me before you start working on yours. I’m going to bring Liam in to discuss.”
“Sounds good,” Lani said.
“Questions, anybody?” Alex asked.
Carina frowned. “Yes. I’m not sure I like you bringing Liam in on the plan. I mean, he’s . . . you know. One of them. Like . . .” She shook her head. “Never mind. I know he can’t go back to them after Gondoleery sent him to the Ancients Sector. It’s just . . . it’s a little scary, trusting people who have spent so much time living in that awful palace.”
Alex pursed his lips. “We need him.”
“I know,” Carina said. “But it makes me feel very uncomfortable. Not that long ago he was working against us.”
Simber lifted his head, and this time he didn’t wait to be asked for his opinion. “I’ve been arrround a long time,” he said simply. “I’ve seen many people enterrr ourrr worrrld frrrom Quill. And therrre’s one thing I have witnessed about behaviorrr. Therrre arrre few people who arrre borrrn evil and will die evil. Some become evil because of the influence of otherrrs and, forrr a time, ignorrre orrr burrry what theirrr innerrr trrruth is telling them. But I do know that humans who have been influenced to do evil arrre capable of change once they grrround themselves and follow that innerrr guide.” He looked around. “And sometimes people like that become the biggest herrroes because they have so much morrre to prrrove.”