Simber landed gracefully, though his wings flapped with such force that the wind blew the teacups right out of their saucers. “Enough!” he roared, looking at Lani. “Save yourrr spells forrr yourrr enemies!”
And after a moment of complete silence, the enormous creature ceremoniously folded in his wings, turned about carefully in the space between tables, and loped gracefully back through the dining room and down the hallway to the front entrance, where he leaped up and assumed his normal position.
Ms. Morning rushed over to the table, helping Lani sit up and checking to make sure Alex was okay. Samheed crawled back out from under the table and brushed himself off, and Meghan returned wide-eyed as well. The room remained hushed as the four stood there looking at each other. Lani was still a bit pale and shaky but otherwise unharmed … that is, if you didn’t count the pointing and laughing from others, for days and years to come, for being the one who drove Simber just a little bit over the edge.
The four, no longer having much of an appetite, turned without further ado and made their way to the tubes, meeting again in the theater a split second later. There was no need to mention the event again; one of them wished to forget it entirely, while another hoped to remember it forever as the time the most frightening creature in all of Artimé came to his defense. Desperately Alex wished it would set in motion a better, happier time.
He bit his lip, thinking he was a big reason things weren’t good now. He glanced at Lani, feeling bad about his outburst. He really needed to get a handle on things. “Sorry, guys,” he said as they walked toward their seats. “I’ve been kind of a jerk lately.”
Meghan smiled, and Samheed punched Alex lightly in the shoulder. Lani just nodded and kept her eyes on the floor. “It’s okay,” she said finally.
The seats in the theater filled rapidly, and one could hear murmurs through the crowd, half of them discussing the drama of the dining room, and the other half wondering what could be so important as to prompt a meeting such as this, with all of the creatures, students, instructors, families, even the little children required to attend. Simber and Florence appeared rather suddenly as well, standing elegant and tall near the back, and Meghan wondered for a moment how they could have possibly fit in the tubes. But when Mr. Today walked briskly to the stage, all stray thoughts ceased along with the buzz of the crowd.
Most of the creatures sat near the front since they were shorter than the humans. The winged creatures hovered at the ceiling, including Jim, who sort of bounced up and down like a yo-yo in his slow-flapping fashion. Each push down with his powerful wings brought him to the ceiling, and each flap up allowed him to sink several feet, sometimes more, such that the creatures sitting directly below him glanced up nervously from time to time just to make sure he wasn’t about to free-fall and make feathercakes out of them.
“Good morning,” Mr. Today said. The crowd was silent. Even the platyprots held their tongues whenever Mr. Today began speaking, though it was surely very difficult for them, especially when they could have had such a large audience.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice. Which reminds me, has anybody seen Alex Stowe? What’s that? Oh, he’s here? Tremendous!” The mage chuckled heartily and smiled in Alex’s direction, and the crowd laughed as well, some feeling quite relieved that Mr. Today was making a joke out of it. Alex turned bright red and grinned reluctantly, which turned out to be the best thing he could have done; it took the pressure off him enormously. Later, when he thought about it again, Alex was quite grateful for the attention.
“To the business of the day, the task we may face,” Mr. Today began in a serious tone of voice. “First of all, I do not wish to frighten anyone. We’ve all learned that there is enough fear of the unknown in Quill to strike us all into a panic on a whim even years later. Fear is a difficult thing to unlearn. But you know that is not my way of doing things. Rather, I called you all here this morning because I do not wish to hide anything from you.” He paused, his eyes roaming the crowd.
“I have reason to believe, as I have made clear for the past several years, that we may at some point be discovered. You all know this—I’ve never tried to hide it. And while Artimé is magic, it was created by my flawed human hands, and therefore perfection, complete safety, isolation, is not something I have ever promised, or will ever promise you.
“Today I come before you with nothing more than a hunch, an inkling, that sometime before the next class of Unwanteds arrives a few months from now—and yes, ‘sometime’ could mean next week or it could mean the day of the next Purge, but I rather think it will come somewhere in between—we will be discovered by the people of Quill.” A wave of whispers passed from one end of the theater to the other.
“What will happen then, you may be asking. I do not have the answer. Perhaps nothing at all. But more likely the High Priest Justine and her governors will be so completely furious that they will stop at nothing to kill us all.”
In the silence that followed, no one panicked. Each member of the crowd realized that they had been preparing for a day like this to come, and while nobody wanted it, everyone knew the purpose of Magical Warrior Training and the potential danger that faced them. And since most humans in the room had faced death once before, this was not as big a shock to them as it might have been.
“And so,” Mr. Today continued, “today we begin preparing in earnest, and we shall be adding more group classes to help us better learn the benefits of fighting as warriors together, rather than as individuals, each with his own plan. We will be doubling our instruction in spell casting and offering you opportunities to create spells of your own. You’ll have plenty of chances to practice in class.
“Please do keep in mind that while I do not wish to tell you how to fight, for we all have our different methods and emotions involved in this issue, it is my personal policy to use nonlethal weapons and creative ingenuity to fight. Some of you will feel that it is wrong to kill another person no matter the reason, no matter that they once tried to kill you. You will no doubt create other means to protect yourselves and those around you.
“Others of you still seethe with anger and spite for what the brainwashed people of Quill have done to you, and you will not hesitate to give them the same sentence that they once gave to you—or at least the sentence they didn’t stop from happening. To you, I ask only that you begin now to consider your future actions and your motivations so that you are sure of your choices. I don’t wish for anyone to live to regret a hasty decision for the rest of his life.” Mr. Today lowered his head for a moment, and then went on in a strong voice.
“Be assured, my dear citizens, that it takes more than strength and intelligence to win a battle—it takes creativity and skill and common sense, and Artimé is brimming with it! Let’s work together now, everyone, to maximize our ingenuity and skills. To grow strong and confident. To take on any challenge that comes our way with reason and with dignity.
“My greatest hope,” he said in conclusion, “is that my hunch is incorrect. But if it is not, we shall be prepared.” Mr. Today folded his fingers together and bowed his head slightly. The people of Artimé hesitated, and then rallied together in cheers and applause for their beloved leader.
In the ruckus no one seemed to notice Will Blair and Samheed sneaking away to the tubes.
Together in Action
Samheed was the last to arrive at the Library of Magical Art. He plopped down in the chair next to Lani, who leaned over a large, ornate book of spells, reading intently. Alex and Meghan worked together with colorful sheets of origami paper, first following directions they had received in their group warrior class, and then branching out a little. Alex was determined not only to catch up to the others in his private warrior lessons, but also to make something of a name for himself by creating a unique charm that actually worked and was useful.
“Cute,” Samheed said sarcastically. He set his scripts on the table in front of him and peered more closely at the three-dimens
ional paper animals that lay strewn about the table. He picked one up, a green dragon no bigger than the palm of his hand. “What are these supposed to do again?”
“That one doesn’t seem to do anything,” Meghan mused in a puzzled voice. “I can’t figure it out. The thing just flies around in a circle and fizzes out. What good is that?”
Samheed tried throwing it like a paper airplane. And indeed, it circled around the table, flapped its wings a few times awkwardly, and crash-landed on the table. “What gives, Alex? Isn’t this in your specialty?”
“I’m trying,” Alex muttered. “I have a distinct disadvantage here, you realize.”
“That old crutch,” Samheed said. “You’ll never catch up with that attitude.”
Alex made a nasty face.
“Stop it, you two. We’re supposed to work together, remember?” Meghan was growing exceedingly frustrated and cross.
Lani looked up, somewhat bewildered. “Oh, you’re here,” she said evenly to Samheed, but he was busy studying Alex as he worked. She glanced at Alex briefly and immediately buried herself back in her book.
Alex picked up the dragon and turned it around gently in his hands, mentally going over every precise folding instruction and matching it up to the proper fold of the dragon. He shook his head. “We have it folded properly,” he said. “So why …?”
Samheed furrowed his brow. “Well, it hasn’t got any eyes,” he said. “How’s it supposed to see where to go without them?”
“That’s the most ridiculous—,” Alex began, and then stopped short. Begrudgingly, he withdrew a handful of colored pencils from his art case. “All right. Eyes.” He expertly outlined two eyes and colored them in, giving the dragon deep yellow irises and large black pupils. “There—so he can see better at night,” he said dryly.
He sent the dragon afloat once more, and it circled nearly the same as before. But this time, it landed gently on the table in front of Alex. It blinked once and looked up at the boy. “Oh, hello,” Alex said to the dragon, and then looked back up at his friends. “That helped the landing, at least.”
Meghan grinned. “He’s adorable! I want to keep him.”
Samheed rolled his eyes and snorted, bringing Lani back to awareness. She blinked, taking in the mess of papers and origami animals scattered about the table, and began to watch curiously as Alex started drawing on the dragon again.
“A tongue.” His own tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he drew. “And flames, of course,” he said when he’d added a bright orange burst inside the dragon’s mouth. When he was finished, he sent the dragon flying again. It circled just as before, landed softly in front of Alex, and blew a flame from its mouth that singed the hair on Alex’s arm. “Yeowch!” he cried.
Samheed and Meghan laughed as Alex shook his arm in surprise.
Lani, still watching, said with a bored look, “You have to tell him where to go, you dolt.” She’d picked up that word down in the lounge from Earl, who used it liberally. “Or else he’ll keep coming back to you.”
Meghan slapped her hand to her forehead. “Ugh, that’s it! Of course you’re right, Lani.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Lani nodded absentmindedly as she engaged herself with her reading again.
Alex picked up the dragon again, looking around the library. “Attack the statue!” he said, and sent the dragon through the air.
This time, the dragon flapped its wings and raced to the statue, streaking through the air so quickly that all the children could see was a green blur. It sent flames shooting brightly from its mouth when it made contact, hovering against the statue’s body for a moment until the dragon itself exploded into a little ball of fire and dropped to the floor.
The statue, a grim-looking ostrich, opened its eyes and glared at Alex. “Do you mind?” the bird said.
“Oh—sorry,” Alex said hastily. “I thought you were one of the, um, the nonliving ones.”
“We’re all alive, thank you very much. Some of us choose to not to reveal that in front of bratty, unreliable, spell-casting children, however.”
“I won’t do it again,” Alex said with a sheepish smile.
“Sure,” muttered the ostrich. She stretched out her bent leg carefully, as if she’d held that position a very long time, and then limped off to take cover behind a tall bookshelf.
The dragon had, by now, burned up completely, leaving a small heap of ashes on the floor. Samheed went to pick them up and toss them in the waste can. “Not bad, Stowe,” he said. “Can you make an army of them?”
“Sure, now that I know how,” Alex said.
Meghan caught Alex’s eye, then looked at Lani meaningfully.
“Oh!” Alex said. “Oh, I mean, thanks to Lani.”
“Hmm?” Lani said, looking up, blinking her long lashes.
Alex held her gaze for a moment before he hurriedly looked away. “Hi. I mean, thanks. Never mind,” he said, suddenly feeling terribly self-conscious. In the back of his mind he began to wonder when it was that Lani had stopped acting—and looking—like a little kid.
And then he noticed her book.
“What are you reading about?” he asked.
She turned the gilded page. “Killing spells,” she said.
“Seriously? Wow.” He tried to imagine Lani killing someone. He thought for a moment, and his eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to practice on me, are you?”
Lani laughed. “Depends,” she said. She didn’t tell him that there weren’t any actual spells in the book, just scholarly discussions on the topic written by people with names she’d never heard before. “I guess you’d better be nice to me.”
Alex felt the heat rise to his face as Lani, grinning, watched him squirm. “Okay,” he said lightly, and then he scrambled to pack up his things and disappeared.
Gaining Ground
By the end of the week all the students were ready to begin practicing their fighting skills. Team Warrior class was held on the lawn, and in addition to the hundred-or-so teen students were another hundred-or-so adults and instructors, including Sean Ranger and many other recent graduates. Leading the instruction that day was none other than Florence herself. The enormous ebony stone woman glided across the lawn so gracefully that the children had to remind themselves she was actually a very heavy statue. They kept their toes tucked in whenever she walked past, just in case.
“Students, line up with your backs to the water,” she boomed. “Experts, take twenty paces and face the students.”
Everyone moved to the requested locations. “Experts, prepare your defenses.”
The experts held up rusty shields that looked to be similar to what the Quillitary might use if attacked.
“Where’d they get those?” Alex whispered to Samheed.
“Stole them, maybe?” Samheed guessed. “Or just made them in some class.”
“Stole them? How?”
“I’m not saying anybody stole them,” Samheed said impatiently. “I just figured somebody went invisible in the middle of the night to the Quillitary yard, made the shields invisible too, and snagged them. It’s more likely we just made them here, though.”
Florence cast a withering look at the two boys. “Students! Prepare to fire. Five rounds!”
Alex hurriedly pulled five newly created weapons from his pocket and stood ready. “How would anybody be able to get out of here, anyway?” he whispered again as Florence walked down the row to inspect the weapons. “Just open the gate?”
“Nah,” Samheed said. “That wouldn’t work. It’s locked from the outside.”
“What, then?”
“I don’t know.” Samheed sounded irritated. “Why are you asking me? I wouldn’t know anything about it.” He glanced uneasily around.
“Quiet!” thundered Florence. “Students, fire five rounds on the count of three.”
Alex bit his lip and prepared his first origami dragon. When Florence called out, “Three!” Alex whispered to the dragon. “Attack enemy one.”
; He tossed the dragon a little too hard in his excitement. It stumbled in the air and got caught in a nosedive, unable to recover. It hit the ground, exploded into a small fire, and fizzled. “Blast it,” Alex muttered, as Samheed’s dragon hit its mark.
“There’s art in the toss, Alex,” Florence said.
Alex tried again as small explosions could be heard up and down the lawn, some hitting their marks, others missing quite horribly. His second try worked better, but still fell short of the expert twenty paces away. “Blast it!” Alex said again.
He gave up on origami and instead pulled out a splatterpaint brush. Holding on to the handle, he drew his arm back over his head and, with all his force, snapped his wrist, sending a shower of brown paint toward the expert across from him. When it hit its mark, the paint spread across the expert’s shield and crept over her arm, and within seconds the woman’s entire body was encased in a magical mold of splatterpaint. Indeed she quite looked like she was coated in a crisp chocolate shell, good enough to eat.
“Yes!” Alex cried out. The expert across from him stood frozen in place. Alex looked down the row as students tossed, pointed, and spoke artfully at the willing adults. He watched Lani project resounding words of destruction at her partner, and slowly the adult’s face grew fearful. He began to sob, and soon he turned and ran away toward the jungle.
While Samheed offered random stage-direction orders, causing his partner to run this way and that, banging into other adults and knocking over Alex’s stiff chocolaty partner, Meghan pulled out her piccolo and caused her partner to fall asleep. And so it went, all the way down the line.
Soon Florence clapped her hands. The sound was like thunder. All effects of the spells vanished immediately, and the experts got up from the ground or came back to their positions, good-natured grins on their faces. “Not bad, not bad,” Florence said. “For the first time, anyway. We’ll do a few more rounds. This time, students, please assist the other students around you once you have successfully rendered your expert defenseless. We are a team, and working together yields the greatest rewards with the least amount of energy.” The statue glanced up and down both rows. “Try different spells this time,” she said.