“Wait a second,” Florence said. She looked at Simber. “Both of you seem to have forgotten that I am the Magical Warrior instructor. I command our army. And I was fully aware of the risks I was taking. If I had needed or wanted help, I would have asked for it! That eel couldn’t hurt me, and I knew it. It was crucial—crucial, Simber, that you got everyone out of the water as quickly as possible, because that eel could hurt them.” She paused. “I’m a little bit angry that you didn’t trust me to know what I was doing.”
“But you could have been stuck on the bottom of the ocean forrreverrr,” Simber muttered, clearly not happy about being called out.
“You don’t think I can walk home just because I’m underwater? Simber, please.” Florence folded her arms.
“You werrre in a cage until I rrrescued you.”
“Come on. I could have broken that glass just as easily as you. I was waiting for you to carry out the mission first so I didn’t mess anything up!”
Simber was completely silent. He glared out over the water.
Alex sat very still, trying to disappear, as a few others overheard and edged a bit closer to hear the argument.
“But, Florence, why didn’t you move at all?” Carina asked, skirting around the hole in the deck and joining in. “We thought you were dead.”
Florence tilted her head. “I’m sorry. I considered that. I truly did. But think about it. If you lived in that underwater island and you saw something like me moving, wouldn’t that be a little bit alarming? Alarming enough to draw a lot of attention, and maybe have a band of pirates actually do something to me, and hinder your rescue efforts? I had to play statue so I didn’t look like a threat.”
Carina nodded. “That makes sense.”
Alex silently agreed. Florence was a brilliant warrior. She’d done what she had to do for the sake of the mission. She’d let the eel take her away to save the rest of them, and she was fully aware of her own capabilities. She was a hero.
Florence turned to look at Alex. “I know you’re the mage, Alex,” she said, “and I will do whatever you command me to do. But I don’t expect you to know every detail about my abilities and my weaknesses. I expect you to trust me, as a leader of Artimé, to know what I’m capable of and to ask for help if I need it.” She glanced at Simber, who remained silent above them. “I know it’s hard when things like this happen. It’s painful. Sometimes we make sacrifices. Sometimes we lose dear friends whom we love deeply, and that makes us want to hold our other loved ones closer so we don’t lose them, too.”
Lani glanced at Samheed, who stared stubbornly at the deck. Sky smiled at her mother and flicked away a tear. Carina’s face was melancholy as she gazed out over the sea toward home. Sean watched her for a moment, then looked away.
Alex was silent. Florence didn’t take her eyes off Simber’s face.
Finally Simber looked down at her. They held each other’s attention for a long moment. “Shut up, Florrrence,” grumbled the cat.
Florence’s laughter rang out across the sea.
Back to the Jungle
Aaron had a hard time sleeping these days. Thoughts, ideas, and plans raced through his head. He hadn’t been this excited in a long time, yet he kept his penchants hidden from the intrusive Secretary. But now he had Liam living at the palace too, adding another watchful eye on the high priest’s daily activities.
“Why not give Haluki’s house to Liam?” Secretary asked innocently one morning. “No one is using it.”
“No,” Aaron said a little too quickly. He shifted in his chair.
“But why? I don’t understand. You don’t even like Haluki.”
“I despise him,” Aaron said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to give his house away. Besides, I don’t think Liam would want it after all the time he spent there.”
Secretary sighed. “Well, that’s probably true.”
“We’ll have one of the old governors removed. Liam can have their house.”
Eva Fathom feigned confusion. “But not Haluki’s, which is already empty.” Then her face cleared. “Oh. Is this about the tube? I thought you destroyed it.”
“The . . . the what? Oh, that,” Aaron said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Yes, well, I tried to destroy it, but it’s too big and solid. We certainly don’t want anyone living in that house with such a dangerous thing in it.” He paused. “And, by the way, the house was all wet inside the other day.”
Eva appeared to be surprised. “You were there the other day?”
“To try to destroy the tube.”
“Oh, right. Wet? Did you say wet?”
“Yes, the floor was wet, and water was dripping from the ceiling. I, um, I forgot about it until just now.”
“Oh my. That’s very strange.”
“Yes, isn’t it?” Aaron tapped his fingers on his desk. “Well then. Off with you. I’ve got a very busy day. I’ll be gone for a bit, so don’t worry if you can’t find me.”
Eva nodded and headed toward the door. “Strang and Liam are already out there handling complaints and taking in information from our good citizens today.”
“Keep an eye on Gondoleery,” Aaron said.
“If she shows up,” Eva said lightly. “Maybe we should consider keeping her in the palace.” She disappeared into the hallway, leaving Aaron alone.