by Lisa McMann
When Florence and Talon grew silent, Alex’s thoughts reverted to the island’s predicament. Poor Karkinos. Poor everybody who lived on Karkinos. There had to be way to help. Perhaps Henry could make an enormous batch of medicine that would heal the crab. . . .
Alex dozed off. In the morning he walked down the reef toward the ship. There he found Lani swinging from a rope tied to the ship’s bow. She gained momentum, leaped, and landed on the reef few a feet in front of Alex.
“Oh, hi,” she said with a grin. “Didn’t want to bother the squirrelicorns for a ride.”
“I was just coming to talk to you. Is Sam up? I need him, too.”
Lani scowled. “Yeah.” She turned to the ship and hollered, “Sam! Alex wants you.”
Alex gave her a quizzical look. “You don’t look very happy. What are you two always fighting about, anyway?”
Lani shrugged. “I’m not fighting. He’s just being dumb.”
Alex squelched a grin. “Right. Okay. So what is he being dumb about?”
Sam appeared at the railing with two squirrelicorns, who clutched him by the arms and carried him to the reef. “Hey, Al,” he said.
Lani folded her arms.
Alex looked from one to the other. “Well?” he prompted. “Why so much fighting?”
Samheed shrugged. “Tell him, Lani.”
“Fine.” Lani pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and opened it. “See this? It’s called a map. Well, it’s half of one, anyway—it’s ripped. You find them in books. They’re supposed to show you where things are.”
Alex looked at it. “I know what a map is,” he said. “Ms. Octavia had me draw one of Quill once, since she’s never actually gone to see it.”
Lani nodded. “Well, look at it.” She shook the paper a bit to add emphasis.
“Okaaay . . . what about it?”
Lani sighed, frustrated. “Don’t you see? There’s all these dots here, and this giant land over here.” She flicked the paper. “We’re the dots.”
“We’re the dots?”
Samheed rolled his eyes. “You see what I’m telling you?”
Alex was becoming more confused by the moment. “I don’t think I get what’s happening here.”
“We’re the seven dots. The islands. Quill, Warbler, Pirate, Legends, and the other ones we haven’t seen yet on the east side of Quill. And this big massive thing to the west? It’s more land. A giant island.” She tapped the paper. “At least, that’s my theory.”
Samheed shook his head.
Lani smirked. “Sam thinks I’m nuts.”
“That’s because you are.”
“And you’re obtuse.” Lani folded up the paper and put it back in her pocket, and the three started walking toward the island.
“Where did you get it?” Alex asked her.
“From that vessel thing that landed near Artimé. I found it floating in the water.”
“Well, how do you know it’s not just a drawing of something pretend, like you find in books sometimes?”
Samheed slapped Alex on the chest. “See? That’s what I said.”
Lani frowned. “It could be, I suppose.”
“After all, the map doesn’t say that those seven dots are islands,” Samheed said. “And even if they are, it doesn’t say the names of any of them. You just think they are because there happen to be seven of them.”
“Be quiet,” Lani said. “Alex, what do you think? Don’t listen to him.”
Alex shrugged. “I really don’t see it, Lani. I mean, if there was a giant island farther to the west, why wouldn’t Simber and Mr. Today know about it?”
“This is exactly what I’m saying!” Samheed said. “Lani thinks she knows more than Mr. Today and Simber.”
“Oh, you be quiet!” Lani said again. “I do not.”
“Um, it’s pretty obvious—”
“Come on, Sam,” Alex said. He looked at Lani. “Look. It’s a cool theory and all, but . . . well . . .”
“Wait, Alex—I didn’t even tell you everything. I totally understand you being skeptical about it. I didn’t even start thinking this was a map of the islands, or that there could be more beyond these islands, until I saw this same exact map inside Pirate Island.” Lani’s eyes shone.
Alex grinned in spite of himself. He never got tired of seeing Lani all fired up over an idea. Her face got so animated. She could tell a complete story with her eyes—now, that was true art.
“What are you grinning about?” she demanded.
Alex sobered up. “Nothing. So you saw the same map in Pirate Island.”
“That’s what I just said.”
“Like there would never be a duplicate,” Samheed said sarcastically. “Even Mr. Today has multiple copies of all our books—in the library and in the Museum of Large. It’s not unheard of.”
“Anyway,” Lani said, ignoring Samheed, “in the glass case inside Pirate Island, there was a full map, not just this torn-up part.”
By this time, they had reached the fire, where Sky sat alone, enjoying a giant plate of breakfast that Talon had apparently cooked for her. She looked up at them, mouth full. “Talking about the map again?”
Alex nodded. “So you’ve heard?”
Sky swallowed her food. “You hear a lot of stuff you wish you hadn’t when you sleep on the ship.”
“What do you think?”
“If I said what I thought, Samheed’s head might explode.”
“So you think it’s possible?” Lani asked. She sat down. “See, Alex—I’m not the only one.”
Sky took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Sure, lots of things are possible. I mean, it does seem strange that nobody would know about land being right there—even Queen Eagala says there are only seven islands. It’s in the handbook and everything. But hey, I don’t know. We’re on a floating crab right now, and we were on an underwater island just a few days ago. Who’s to say there’s not some sort of invisible island out there?”
Alex, Samheed, and Lani stared at Sky.
“What?” asked Alex.
“Are you kidding me?” Samheed exclaimed.
“Now that’s just crazy,” said Lani.
Sky just laughed and shook her head. “Well, I think we found the line that separates possible from impossible.” She shoveled another bite of food into her mouth and said, “And Lani’s theory falls on the possible side.”
A Breakup
The four of them stayed by the fire, Talon bringing more food and leaving again to take care of Karkinos. Alex steered the conversation to the issue of the dying island, telling Samheed, Lani, and Sky everything he’d heard the previous night. Well, almost everything. He left out the mushy parts.
“So what are we supposed to do about it?” Samheed asked.
Lani shrugged. “What can we do? This crab is huge. I mean, we can see if Henry and Carina can get to work making medicine, but it could take forever to mix up a dose big enough.”
“We don’t even know what’s wrong with the crab, so how would we know what kind of medicine to make?”
They stewed over it for the better part of an hour, and in the end, they had no solutions. Eventually, Samheed and Lani left the fire, not fighting this time. Alex watched as Samheed slipped an arm around Lani’s shoulders and Lani slid hers around Samheed’s waist, the two exchanging spirited grins as they called a truce . . . for the moment. Alex smiled wistfully. He turned to Sky, and the smile faded. They were alone.
“I miss you, Alex,” Sky said in a quiet voice. “Where have you been?”
Alex looked into her eyes and was immediately captured, his heart thudding all over the place, out of control. “I’m right here,” he said. “I’ve been here.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
Alex dropped his gaze. “Yeah,” he admitted.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“It’s not like I want to,” Alex muttered. “It’s just that . . .” He sighed deeply. He didn’t think he was
ready for this conversation.
“It’s just what?”
Alex sighed again. This was really hard—harder than he’d thought it would be. He pressed his thumbs against the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out how to say what he was feeling.
Sky waited.
Alex looked at her once more, and his stomach fluttered. “See, you’re doing it again.”
Sky blinked. “I haven’t moved.”
“You don’t have to move. You just— You’re always— Ugh. I hate this.”
“Clearly.”
“I mean, I don’t hate this, like, this thing we have. I mean . . . trying to explain . . .”
Sky just watched as he struggled for words. “Well, I do.”
Alex paused. “You do what?”
“Hate this thing we have.”
Alex stopped breathing. “Y-you what?”
Sky’s face was pained, her voice calm. “I hate this thing we have, Alex. Because it’s not really a thing, is it? It’s just uncomfortable and awkward.”
Alex was silent. A blast of pain seared his gut. He dropped his gaze.
“It’s not fair to keep me in the dark. You’re so brave when you’re leading Artimé, but when it comes to me, you can’t even talk.” Sky bumped her elbow into Alex’s arm. “Hey. See? Say something. Tell me what’s happening. Please. I’m begging you.”
He looked up. He wished he could explain to her how miserable he felt. He wished he could just talk to her and tell her everything he was feeling, but the problem was so confusing he didn’t understand it himself. How could he explain something he didn’t understand?
“You’re right,” he said. He knew it wasn’t enough, yet it was all he could get out. How could he tell her the truth? How was he supposed to say that he made too many mistakes when she was around? That he couldn’t concentrate when she was nearby? That he thought about her all the time, when he should be thinking about more important things, like keeping everybody alive?
And now she was looking at him with such deep disappointment in her eyes.
“That’s it?” she asked. “That’s all you’ve got?”
He wanted to reach out and take her hand. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to tell her everything he was feeling in a way that she would understand, and he wanted the two of them to be okay again. But every second that went by, things became less and less okay. And he knew they’d reach a point soon when there was no fixing it. “Yeah,” he said weakly. “I guess that’s all I’ve got.”
Sky didn’t flinch. She didn’t show any emotion at all. She just stared at Alex.
Alex shook his head. Her reactions never stopped surprising him. “I can’t believe you’re not crying or yelling at me right now,” he said.
She allowed a small laugh to escape. “Don’t you know me by now, Alex? Every time somebody hurts me, I just get stronger. Eyes of fire, heart of ice—just like the golden rooster said.” She stood up. “Maybe you should think about what Vido said about you.”
She turned then and walked toward the crab-claw reef and the ship.
Alex watched her go. “I’m so sorry,” he said, but she was too far away to hear him. He dropped his head in his hands and thought about all the things he’d just messed up so that he could be a better mage.
The way he felt now, he wasn’t sure it could ever be worth it.
A Final Tale
The Artiméans stayed on the Island of Legends for a few more days. Ms. Octavia reattached Florence’s arm and declared it to be as good as before, perhaps better. Simber, Florence, and Talon cleared the trees that had been toppled by the eel. They split the logs into planks, and Alex, Samheed, and Lani used the wood to repair the ship’s deck.
Sky, Crow, and Copper helped the others replant things that had been uprooted, trying to make Karkinos beautiful again, and maybe even a tiny bit healthier. And when the work was done, many of them spent their time lounging by the sea, telling stories, and taking walks together. Kitten and Lhasa were seen deep in conversation from time to time, with Fox trying, as always, to join in.
Florence and Talon stayed up late talking every night until Talon drifted off under the stars, and Florence did too, just to be polite. It was sort of, almost, quite perfectly, a little glorious holiday for most of them. Even Sean began to feel better, and he joined the others on the beach once Florence made him a special chair to sit in. It was big enough for Carina to lounge next to him, as she had taken it upon herself to care for her friend. Lani kept her eye on the two, wondering if there was a little something more than friendship going on. She had a lot to tell Meghan already.
Alex and Sky barely spoke, and when they did, it was only out of necessity. Both of them tried to pretend they weren’t hurting inside. And it was working . . . for now.
The group spent a quiet last evening around the fire. The ship was packed and ready to sail at first light. And while everyone wanted to stay longer, they were all growing curious about how Ms. Morning, Mr. Appleblossom, and Meghan were getting along with the new group of children from Warbler.
When it came time for stories, it was Florence’s turn to tell her tale.
“Many years ago,” she began, “in the early days of Artimé, Marcus Today was out wandering deep in the jungle. There he found an enormous rock. Marcus brought the rock to life and put it in charge of the jungle, and the two became friends.”
Talon, Lhasa, and Bock were getting used to feeling shocked by the strange things that were alive on their new friends’ island, but they weren’t the only ones sitting up in anticipation. Most of the Unwanteds were deeply curious too, for they had never heard this story before.
“The rock’s mouth was a cave,” Florence continued, “and Marcus spent hours exploring inside. One day when Marcus visited, the rock asked Marcus if he would extract something from his mouth because it was causing him pain. Of course the mage agreed to help his friend, so he went inside and found the source of the rock’s discomfort—a large piece of ebony was embedded in his throat, and a portion had broken off and fallen away, leaving a sharp corner.
“Marcus marked the outline of the ebony stone and began chiseling, going deeper and deeper around the perimeter. Soon he discovered that the stone was much larger than he had initially thought, buried far into the wall of the rock mountain’s throat. With his friend’s permission, Marcus set out to recover the fine stone whole. The rock mountain was happy to be rid of it, as it had been a source of discomfort for years.”
Florence shifted in the sand. The firelight danced on the sheen of her body. “After weeks of work,” she went on, “he found the end of the black stone. He chipped away at the rock surrounding it until finally the enormous piece of ebony was freed. Once it was loose, Marcus realized it was way too big for him to move. So he used the transport spell to bring the ebony stone to the mansion.”
“Wow,” Alex said under his breath. He caught Samheed’s eye, and the two shared a moment of amazement as Florence’s story unfolded.
“Marcus wanted to keep as much of the stone intact as possible. He’d never seen a piece of ebony so large before, and he wanted to respect its grand size. He envisioned a giant warrior to complement Simber inside the front door of the mansion, and began carving ever so carefully. Once he had chiseled out my shape, he began the painstaking work of sanding and smoothing hundreds of rough edges to give me this sleek, polished look. It took him years to finish me.”
She smiled. “He always called me his most frustrating project ever, and he told me he’d thought about giving up on me several times. But then he said, ‘Florence, every night, when I wanted to give up on you, and give up on my art because it was so difficult, I always told myself that if I still felt like quitting in the morning, I could quit. But I had to sleep on it first.’
“I remember feeling really strange that he’d admitted this to me. But then he said, ‘But, Florence, every time I looked at you after a night of sleep, I could only see how beautiful you were, and how much progress I
had made. And that kept me going.’ ”
Florence paused, a bit choked up. And then she continued. “When he finally finished me and was ready to bring me to life, he said, he wrote out everything he wanted me to be, so he could read it as he was casting the spell. He didn’t want to mess up or forget anything after all that work.”
She smiled and looked at Alex. “I miss Marcus. We all do. And I’ll never forget everything he sacrificed to make me. But we continue on with our memories of him, and you are a worthy successor, Alex. I wouldn’t want anyone to take your place.”
“Hearrr! Hearrr!” Simber said.
Those around the fire murmured in agreement.
Alex looked down at his hands. He didn’t feel very worthy. “Thanks, everyone. I’m just trying to do my best to not make mistakes. It’s hard not knowing all the secrets. But I’m getting there.”
“Well, Alex,” Ms. Octavia said, her pride for her student evident on her face, “you did a fantastic job bringing Artimé back from ruin and rescuing Samheed and Lani from Warbler. And creating Spike.” She beamed. “I can’t wait to see what you do next. You have my full support.”
“That’s very generous of you, Ms. Octavia,” Alex said. She’d taught him so much, yet he knew she could teach him so much more. “I hope you all will tell me if you think I should do something differently. I’m really still learning, and I count on everyone to help me figure out this job.” He turned to Florence. “I’m so glad to know how he made you.”
Alex looked at the others who had shared stories over the past days. “It helps so much to understand what he was thinking and how you all came to be. I wish I’d thought to ask before. Talon, you are really cool for introducing this storytelling thing to our evenings by the fire. Thanks.”
Talon reached out to shake the boy’s hand. “It is nothing compared to the service you and your people have done for me,” he said. He looked at Lhasa, and then at Florence, and spoke from the heart. “You have given us new life and new reasons for living. There is not enough thanks in the world for that gift.” Talon’s words were positive, but Alex couldn’t help but notice the tinge of sadness that went with them. It made him more determined than ever to figure out a way to save the giant crab island.
