“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-dimensional 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?”