Island of Graves (30 page)

A
aron and Alex spoke almost at the same time.

“It's quite shocking to see the sun so bright,” said Aaron, while Alex asked, “Were you badly hurt?”

They both laughed uncomfortably, and Aaron invited Alex to speak first.

Alex's twin seemed like a different person to the mage. He wasn't sure what to think, but he was quite suspicious of it. Aaron had never invited Alex to speak first on anything. That wasn't his way at all. Had he lost his memory? But of course he couldn't have, or he wouldn't have remembered Alex.

Alex pointed to the scar between Aaron's eyebrows. “Were you hurt quite badly?” he asked again.

“I suppose I was,” Aaron said. “I don't remember the first few days, but Ishibashi told me they found me down there.” He pointed and began walking slowly toward the spot, with Alex alongside. “Ishibashi said I was in bad shape. I've got this scar too.” He lifted his mop of hair to show Alex the longer scar on his forehead.

Alex nodded. “I thought as much,” he mumbled.

Aaron seemed puzzled by the statement, but he continued, his voice taking on a bit of his old sharpness for the first time. “They thought I was you.”

“Oh, I see,” Alex sniped back at him. “So I suppose you faked being me as usual.”

Aaron dropped his gaze. “No, actually. I told them who I was. Right away.”

“Oh. Well, that's a surprise.” Alex frowned. “You seem . . . better now. Physically, I mean,” he hastened to add. He hadn't come to a conclusion on the rest of Aaron quite yet.

“I'm fine,” Aaron said. He was getting tired of talking about it.

“Good,” said Alex. “Because I—that is, we—will be taking
you back with us. But don't get your hopes up, because you're not going to get to go back to the palace. But in exchange for us rescuing you, we need you to help us.”

Aaron stared at him. “I'm not going back,” he said. “I don't want to be rescued. I'm staying here.”

Alex blinked. “What?”

Aaron looked at the blue skies overhead. “You're going to make sure it rains sometimes, right? Because we're going to need water for the plants, and to drink of course. And I actually like the rain. . . .” He trailed off. “I never knew I'd like rain so much.”

“Right,” Alex said. “Of course I'll add some rain. But you don't understand. We came here searching for you.”

Aaron looked at Alex. “You did?” He seemed genuinely surprised. “I thought you came to change the weather because Mr. Today intended to try again before he—” He cringed.

“How in the world would you know that?”

“Ishibashi told me.”

Alex sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples. This was not the way he'd envisioned this conversation. Not in the slightest. “Anyway,” he said impatiently, “you're coming with us
because we need your help overthrowing Gondoleery.”

Aaron's eyes widened. “Did she take over the palace?”

“Yes, and now she's killing everyone. She even sent our sisters to the Ancients Sector.”

“What?” Aaron stopped walking.

“They're okay, though.” Alex wasn't sure how much he was supposed to tell Aaron. “Somebody saved them.”

Aaron had forgotten about his sisters, but at the mention of them, he felt suddenly protective. “So they're back with our parents?”

Alex stared. There was so much Aaron didn't know. He realized now that they couldn't just pluck Aaron off this island and go back to Artimé. They'd need a couple of hours with him first to explain everything. “We should talk,” Alex said quietly. “Inside, with Ishibashi, too.”

“I'm not leaving the island with you,” Aaron warned.

Alex sighed. “We'll discuss that later.”

» » « «

The twins joined Sky and the scientists in the gathering room. Aaron automatically went for the broom when they got inside,
but realized nobody had tracked rain in, so he set it down.

Aaron and Sky took turns filling the others in on what had happened since they had seen them last. The deaths of Alex and Aaron's parents seemed to hit Aaron harder than Alex had expected. And the former high priest seemed shocked by the severity of the battle with General Blair and the Quillitary, and the deaths of so many. Aaron, who had known Meghan all his life, appeared genuinely sorry to hear about her death, though he had once seemed so in favor of it. And everyone in the circle was shocked by the ruthless actions of Gondoleery, not to mention her magical powers, including the ice spell she'd cast over the island.

Sky focused on hitting Aaron where she thought it might hurt the most. “Gondoleery has taken away your incentive rations for everyone in Quill,” she said to him, “and she's started killing Necessaries randomly in order to practice her magic, so the work in Quill isn't getting done. The livestock isn't being cared for, and the Favored Farm is going downhill fast.” She looked imploringly at him. “I know you don't know me. And I don't really know you at all, either. But I came here with Alex to get you because we think you are our only hope in
stopping Gondoleery. Every single one of Alex's advisors is counting on us to bring you back so we can rally the people of Quill and get them to help us fight her.” She laid her hand on Aaron's forearm. “Will you come with us?”

Alex chimed in. “We'll bring you back here when it's over if that's what you want.” He glanced at Ishibashi. “If that's okay, I mean. It's your island, and I wouldn't . . . well. You know.”

Ishibashi bowed his head. “Aaron is welcome here,” he said evenly. And then he looked at Aaron. “What do you think, Aaron-san?”

Alex's expression flickered at the term of respect Ishibashi used for his brother. Did Ishibashi respect Aaron? How could that be possible? Ishibashi was a very smart man, and Aaron was rude and horrible. Though he hadn't been today . . . so far. Maybe Aaron had changed here somehow. Or maybe he was faking.

“I don't want to leave here,” Aaron said quietly. “I don't want to go back to Quill. Things are very different there. You don't understand.”

Ishibashi nodded. “You're right. I don't understand Quill, nor would I tolerate it. Nor would I tolerate a dictator like Gondoleery . . . or
like the former high priest Aaron Stowe, for that matter.” He smiled as Aaron scowled at the floor. “You know that already.”

“I'm not that person anymore,” Aaron said, almost painfully, finding it dreadful to say such things in front of Alex.

And Alex was flabbergasted over and over again as the conversation wore on. He couldn't believe half of what he was hearing Aaron say. “You must have hit your head really hard,” Alex muttered.

“Be quiet, Alex!” Aaron said, his ears burning. He had a dozen insults on the tip of his tongue. They'd come back so fast it was frightening. But he didn't say any of them.

Sky gave Alex a pointed look. “Do you think you're helping by saying that? Seriously.”

“Sorry,” Alex said. “Look, Aaron, I like the way you're acting now. It's just freaking me out a little.”

Ishibashi studied Aaron as Ito and Sato exchanged concerned glances over Aaron's sudden outburst.

“Aaron,” Ishibashi said. “This is a decision you must make.”

Aaron looked at Ishibashi, his face anguished. Everything
was good now. Aaron felt peaceful for the first time in his life. He was figuring himself out, and finding his inner applecorn, and freeing himself from everyone he knew before. He could be normal here because nobody was around to expect the worst of him, like Alex clearly did. He didn't feel like he had total control over his actions when Alex was around.

Granted, Aaron thought, this must be quite shocking to Alex. And Alex had come to expect certain things of Aaron, so it was reasonable for his brother to react the way he did. But if Aaron went to Artimé, what would they think of him? What would they say to him? Would he be constantly fending off their judgments even while he was trying to help them? How long before that would break him? And going back into Quill to talk to the people . . . He'd be thrust into the same environment that had made him into the person he was before he came here. To be perfectly honest, now that he'd gotten so far removed from it, Aaron didn't like that person any more than the people of Artimé did. Yet that person was still inside him, sometimes clawing to get out.

Ishibashi had told him once that it wouldn't help anything to hate himself. He had to let go of the things he'd done in
the past that he wasn't proud of. But now, thinking of going back . . . to
help
the Unwanteds of all people . . . it seemed like it would be impossible.

“I don't know if I can convince the people of Quill to do anything at all,” Aaron said quietly. “I wasn't very good at it in the first place.”

Once again Alex gawked at his brother, this time admitting he wasn't good at something. Another first. He kept his comments to himself, though.

“You were the only one who got them to do anything,” Sky said. “And honestly, you're our only hope. It was Simber's idea to get you, if that makes you feel any better. So you can be sure he will protect you until the job is done. And he's the one who said we'd deliver you back to where we found you. Of course, he said that because he didn't want you in power again, which I'm sure you can understand, but knowing you want to come back here . . . well, that's even better, isn't it?”

Aaron brought his hands to his face and sighed heavily. “So Simber's not going to tear my head off?”

“No,” Alex said. “And . . . and I wouldn't let him. Unless you do something stupid, like join sides with Gondoleery.”

“I'd want
to tear my own head off if that happened,” Aaron muttered.

Sky and Alex exchanged a glance. “Sooo,” ventured Sky, “you'll help us, then?”

Aaron rolled backward on the floor with an exasperated groan. “All right,” he said. “I'll do it. And maybe then you can forgive me for Mr. Today.”

I
shibashi, Ito, and Sato exchanged worried looks.

“You have decided to go?” Ishibashi asked Aaron.

Aaron sat up. “Unless you want me to stay,” he said, hoping Ishibashi would talk him out of going.

Ishibashi looked deeply into Aaron's eyes. “I want you to go. But I also want you to come back the person you are today. I am too old and tired to start over with you.”

Aaron pursed his lips, and then he sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I don't know if I can do this,” he said quietly.

Alex, watching all of this, was beyond confused, but he knew to stay silent.

Ishibashi stood up. “Alex and Sky, will you meet me in the greenhouse please? Aaron, why don't you pack up your things? Do you need any food for the journey?”

“Not this time, thank you,” Alex said. “We brought plenty.” He took Sky's hand and together they walked to the greenhouse.

Aaron watched them go, and then he looked at Ishibashi. “Sky seems really intelligent. And really good at convincing people to do things.”

Ishibashi smiled. “She is. And I think she will be a good ally for you.”

“She doesn't know the old me,” Aaron mused. “I think you're right. That's a relief.”

“If you feel like you are losing sight of yourself, seek her out.” Ishibashi put his hand on Aaron's back and walked with him to his room. “I'll get you something to carry everything in. We had a small trunk wash up several years ago that we never found a use for.”

Aaron nodded. “Now that the hurricane is gone, are you and Ito and Sato going to . . . leave?”

“We have not discussed it, but I don't think so. Our life is here. And we have no boat.”

“Oh . . . because . . .”

“We
would not leave without telling you, Aaron-san.”

Aaron turned his head, struggling with showing the emotion he was feeling. But Ishibashi came up to him, the tears running freely down his cheeks. “I will miss you,” he said. “You remind me of someone I knew in another lifetime.”

The two embraced, and then Aaron turned to get his clothes and the few things he'd collected in the time he'd lived on the Island of Shipwrecks. The tumbleweeds stood in the corner, untouched. Aaron had never gotten around to needing magic here on the Island of Shipwrecks. He'd hardly even thought about it. He picked up the tumbleweeds and brought them to the pile of firewood, then broke them down into manageable pieces for Sato.

He could hear Ishibashi talking to Alex and Sky in the greenhouse, so he went back into his room to straighten his cot and wait for the trunk and think about how all of this was going to go. Above all, he knew he didn't want to disappoint Ishibashi.

In the greenhouse, Ishibashi was showing Alex and Sky the telescope. “We were never able to properly thank you for bringing our ship on shore, Alex-san,” Ishibashi said. “It
meant everything to us and has given us great pleasure since we saw you last. Thank you.”