“Maybe they won’t want to fight,” Lani said when Alex had finished.
“Are you stupid?” Samheed said. He looked uncharacteristically anxious, and kept glancing at Alex, wondering if Alex had turned him in but not daring to ask in front of everyone. “Can you imagine how furious the high priest must be, knowing that Mr. Today has betrayed her all these years? She’s got to feel like the biggest fool ever. If she doesn’t want to fight and word of us gets out to the Quillitary, they’ll take her down and come after us!”
Sean nodded. “No doubt,” he said.
Meghan chewed her fingernail. “I hope Mr. Today is all right out there.”
“Don’t worry,” Sean said. “There’s nothing they can do to him. He could kill them all in an instant. They didn’t appear to have any weapons. But I am surprised Justine didn’t arrive with her guards. She must have great confidence in Governor Strang and Aaron—or else she’s grown so confident in her power that she no longer feels she needs protection.”
“That won’t last long,” Lani said.
The five sat in silence, waiting for news. When Earl announced that everyone was to return to the lawn, they all jumped up anxiously and headed for the tubes.
Exposed
As the Unwanteds filed out to the lawn, one by one their faces reacted to the new scene in front of them. In place of the enormous iron gate was, well, nothing. Nothing but a gaping hole that exposed the most desolate part of Quill. Beside the hole stood three of the girrinos, peering curiously around the edge of the wall into Quill. Arija had gone back to the jungle to give an update.
“Hideous view, isn’t it?” Mr. Today said when they had all come to order. “As it turns out, Governor Strang had a bit of a dizzy spell, and when he fainted, he pushed the gate closed with his head. It locks upon latching, of course. Tch. Such a pity.” When the crowd offered quizzical looks, he explained. “There’s no other traditional way back into Quill. And with the only key to the gate in Justine’s hand and no way to get over the wall, they were stuck, which put them into a bit of a panic.” He chuckled quietly at the memory and went on. “So I gave Justine three options: to stay here forever, to be eliminated, or to go back to Quill through magical means. And, as I didn’t think Strang’s gentle heart would be able to handle the magical means I intended to use on him, I decided instead to use magic to remove the gate entirely and allow them out that way.”
“But—but—” Several voices sputtered and erupted into a melee of questions. “Aren’t you going to put it back?” “Can they come in here?”
Mr. Today held up his hands for silence. “I understand your concerns. Yes, they can see in, just as we can see out.” After the next round of murmurs Mr. Today nodded seriously. “And yes. You may come and go as you please, now, just as the people of Quill will be able to enter and leave here. Though I doubt we’ll see anyone but the Quillitary coming in. The Necessaries won’t even be told about it, I’m sure.”
This brought an outcry, and several Unwanteds jumped to their feet in protest. Patiently Mr. Today waited for silence, and then he waited a moment longer, as if the decision had weighed heavily on his mind. Finally he spoke.
“Friends. Hear me out, won’t you?” He paused, gathered his words, and went on. “Now that we have been discovered, I loathe the idea of continuing to hide Artimé. Be assured that the Quillitary is finding out about us right now, and they will soon be on their way to attack. They wanted all of you dead once, remember? Now they want me dead most of all. Do you think they will simply say, ‘What? You’ve been tricking us all these years? Oh, that’s all right,’ and leave us be?” He shook his head. “No, and I’ve never led you to believe that. This is the big opportunity they have been saving all their rage for. The removal of the gate gives us, the people of Artimé, more options. It allows for easy exit. And it allows us to see them coming.”
A question came from the front of the crowd. “But—why not just seal us off completely from them rather than making us more vulnerable?”
Mr. Today smiled grimly, and then he turned and gazed over the beautiful blue-green sea. “They can reach us from the sea if they wish to—if Justine thinks of it. And she will, if it comes to that. Do you really want walls all the way around us, now that they know? Are we so afraid?” he asked, turning back to face them. “Just like Quill?” He waited to see if anyone would speak, and when no one did, he continued.
“I’d rather die fighting to keep us free to do as we wish, fighting to be free to come and go as we please, fighting so we no longer need to hide. Fighting the fear that all of you were programmed since birth to have. Fighting against Quill’s bigotry, which says brains and brawn are better, or more important, than creativity. And now, with luck, we may have a chance. A chance to prove ourselves.”
The crowd remained hushed.
“You will all be faced with two options: Fight or provide. For those of you who need or desire protection, or have medical skills, you will find protection and provisions in the mansion. Parents and families—I trust you will make your own decisions on whether to protect your children or fight. Both are noble deeds, and you must decide for yourselves what is best. Those who remain under protection will be able to assist with our soldiers through various ways: aiding the wounded, providing nourishment for those who fight, and caring for our youngest ones who need assistance.