At sunset the white boat was fully loaded with soil, wings, personal items, and Charlie the gargoyle, who was stationed in his favorite spot inside the cabin. Aaron looked at the crowd that had gathered to send him off. He was surprised and quite moved by the number of people and creatures who had come to say good-bye. While Alex stood quietly to one side, Aaron accepted hugs from Sky, Lani, and even Samheed, as well as Ms. Morning, Ms. Octavia, Carina, and Sean. When Kaylee stepped over to him, she hugged him for a split second longer than he expected, and then she kissed him lightly on the cheek, making his ears flame. “If you fix the tube,” she whispered, “maybe I can see you again.”
Aaron became immediately flustered, muttered something unintelligible, and quickly stepped back.
Kaylee grinned and shoved her hands in her pockets. “And Ishibashi, Ito, and Sato, of course,” she added.
“Right. Sure,” Aaron mumbled. His heart thudded in his chest as if he’d just run full speed across the lawn. He didn’t understand his feelings. He only knew that whenever Kaylee whispered in his ear, it gave him a thrill he’d never felt before.
Quickly he turned away from her and bent down to pick up his sisters. He hoisted them up and gazed at each one’s face. “Good-bye,” he whispered to them, and tears sprang to his eyes. “Perhaps you can come to visit me now and then.”
Alex stepped in and put a hand on Aaron’s back. “We will,” he said. “I’ll make sure of it.” He looked at the girls. “Can you say good-bye to Aaron?”
“Bye, Ay-on,” said Thisbe.
“Bye, Ay-on,” echoed Fifer, and then her face crumbled and she began to cry.
“Oh no,” said Aaron. He tried to comfort her, but she only cried louder. “There. It’s going to be okay.” He looked around anxiously.
Crow stepped in and took Fifer, and Sky reached for Thisbe so the brothers could depart.
At last Aaron turned to Liam and shook his hand. “I’m very . . . I’m proud of you. Of us,” he said, his voice cracking a bit. “Thank you for what you said that day in the palace . . . that day you asked me if I wished I was Unwanted. I . . . well, I won’t ever forget that. And you took a huge risk. You’re much braver than you think, Liam.”
Liam, dumbstruck, just kept shaking Aaron’s hand until the former high priest removed it from his grasp.
Alex looked at Aaron, and Aaron at Alex. “Let’s go,” they said together in one voice. The group around them tittered, and even Aaron managed to break a smile. With a last look over his shoulder, he caught Kaylee’s eye, and the heat rushed to his head again.
The brothers struck out for the boat, and a few minutes later Alex was steering away from Artimé. Aaron stood at the stern, reminded that once upon a time he thought he’d never have another friend after Eva died. But now he watched a myriad of them grow small in the waning light, Fifer’s cries taken away by the breeze. It very nearly broke his heart.
A Brother’s Love
Alex commanded the white boat to go to the Island of Dragons, and the identical twin brothers began speeding eastward over the waves. Charlie stayed in the cabin, which he preferred over the water view, and the brothers remained in a melancholy silence until they were some distance away from Artimé.
When Aaron could no longer make out any faces in the dark, he sat down heavily in the seat across the aisle from Alex. “That was harder than I expected,” he said.
Alex was quiet, nursing a giant lump in his throat as he looked out over the water. He was still trying to grasp it—these were his last few days with Aaron. Things had finally become good between them, and soon it would be over. “I’ll bring the girls to see you now and then,” he reminded Aaron, as well as himself.
“Thank you,” said Aaron fervently. “That makes it easier.”
“I can’t wait to find out what new spells you discover,” said Alex. He wanted to be sure Aaron knew that he was okay with his talent now.
“I don’t expect I’ll try to do much of anything magical, actually,” said Aaron. “I kind of forgot about magic when I was there before. Never had a need for it.”
“Oh,” said Alex. “Well.”
They fell back into silence.
After a while, Alex glanced at Aaron, thinking he might have fallen asleep, but Aaron was staring out over the waves. “What are you thinking about?” Alex asked.
Aaron didn’t answer right away, but then he said truthfully, “I’m thinking about Kaylee.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”
“She . . . well, she whispered in my ear, for one. It made me feel weird.”
“Good weird? Or bad?”