By midafternoon, Captain Ahab, who was functioning more like a normal, non-insane statue ever since Ms. Octavia cleaned out the inside of his head, shouted out for all to hear: “Land ahead!”
Simber confirmed the sighting, though no one else could make it out. That prompted Alex to ask Simber for his story. “Now it’s your turn. Tell us everything,” Alex said, “from the time you left with Sean and Carina until you scared the stink out of Ishibashi. And what took you so long coming back?”
“Afterrr yourrr adventurrrous storrries,” Simber said, “I’m afrrraid mine will borrre you.” He flapped his wings a few times. “But I’ll give you the highlights.”
Others gathered to listen.
“Ourrr jourrrney home was a difficult one,” he began. “It took much longerrrr than I expected because of Sean’s leg. If I flew too fast, the wind buffeted him arrround in his hammock. So we took it verrry slow. He’s doing much betterrr now.”
“Thank goodness. And what about Artimé?” Alex asked. “Is everything all right? I’ve been anxious to know what prompted Ms. Morning’s seek spell.”
“Ah, yes,” Simber said solemnly, and he recounted the story of Eva Fathom’s tragic death, and the confusion about whose side she was really on. Simber saved some of the more sensitive information about Sean and his secretive work with Eva for a time when he and Alex could talk privately.
“Well if that was all that went wrong,” Samheed asked after a while, “what took you so long to come back?”
Simber took a moment to sample the air and check to make sure Spike was nearby, and then he began anew. “You might not believe this,” Simber said with a rare, wry grin, “but shorrrtly afterrr we got to Arrrtimé, and just as I was about to rrreturrrn to you, a most extrrraorrrdinarrry thing happened.”
“What?” Alex asked.
“The Quillitarrry and the Necessarrries began tearrring down the wall that surrrounds Quill.”
“That’s crazy!” Lani said.
Ms. Octavia just shook her alligator head in disbelief.
“It’s trrrue,” Simber said. “They werrre going at it with some vigorrr when I left.”
“And is Aaron still high priest?” Alex tried to picture Aaron making that decision, knowing what he knew of his brother. He added sarcastically, “How much time did they spend tearing it down before someone changed his mind and demanded it to be rebuilt again?”
Samheed snickered.
“That’s what I was wonderrring,” Simber said, “and of courrrse we werrre all concerrrned about the motives behind that action. So I decided it was best that I stay forrr a while, at least, to see if we could deterrrmine what was coming next. Of courrrse we anticipate an attack eventually.”
“But you changed your mind and decided to find us anyway?” Sky asked.
“When you didn’t rrreturrrn, I began to worrry,” Simber admitted. “The Quillitarrry continued theirrr demolition, planning to topple the entirrre wall, level the rrrubble, and chop up the barrrbed-wirrre ceiling. It seemed rrreasonable to me that they wouldn’t do anything to us until theirrr task was completed.
“In the meantime, Clairrre and Meghan have rrreinstated Magical Warrriorrr Trrraining for everrryone, including teaching defensive spells to the Warrrblerrr childrrren. Carrrina is worrrking harrrd on incrrreasing the medicine supply. Sean and Sigfrrried Appleblossom and some of the youngerrr Unwanteds arrre building up ourrr stock of spell components. And of courrrse the girrrinos arrre keeping a close watch on the borrrderrr between Quill and Arrrtimé. They’ve rrrecrrruited help from Jim, the winged torrrtoise, and the ostrrrich statue, and a varrriety of otherrr statues to stand guarrrd along the borrrderrr, since we no longerrr have a wall at all.”
“That must look so strange,” Sky said.
Lani nodded. “I can’t even imagine it.”
Alex was flabbergasted. He couldn’t picture a scenario where his brother would do such a rash thing, so opposite of what Justine stood for. “This is very strange,” he muttered. “I don’t think Aaron is working alone. This is not something he would ever do—I just can’t see it.”
“You know him better than anyone,” Ms. Octavia said. “It’s one of the reasons Marcus chose you to be the next mage. Let us know if you think of anything that would help us defend Artimé, for I fear that’s what he’s after. Why else would he expose Quill by taking down the wall, if it’s not to have better access to attack us?”
Alex absently rubbed the patches of fuzz on his chin. “Yeah, of course,” he said, lost in thought. “I’m not sure what to think, quite honestly.”
Samheed nodded. “We’ve got time to figure it out. I hope.” He looked out over the water toward home.
Alex knit his brows, unaware of the others watching him curiously. “He would have been one of us, you know. He had a chance to join us early on, before that first battle. I remember . . .” He trailed off.
Sky glanced at Crow. This was news to them. She looked up at Simber, who stared ahead in stony silence.
“I remember he almost did it,” Alex said, finishing his thought. “He was tempted.” He shook his head and sighed. “Things would be a lot different for us if he had.”
Samheed snorted. “Yeah. A lot worse.”
Lani nudged him with her elbow. “Take it easy,” she said, nodding her head in Alex’s direction. “He’s having a moment.”