Island of Dragons (Unwanteds #7)
Lisa McMann
For my editor, Liesa Abrams, who said yes.
This series, these characters, and all the islands became real because of you. From the depths of my heart, I thank you.
DEATH BE NOT PROUD
JOHN DONNE
Death be not proud, though some have callèd thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better than thy stroake; why swell’st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
Fire
The desert land of Quill was no more.
Even though Aaron Stowe had implanted the fatal scatterclip into Gondoleery Rattrapp’s forehead and cried out the words “Die a thousand deaths!” that ended her terroristic reign, the old woman’s weapons had hit many unintended targets. The fireballs continued doing damage long after her demise.
The Artiméans limped home after the battle past dozens of small fires that burned throughout Quill. Fanned by the sea breeze and fed by the dry, brittle wood houses, the fires grew out of control. Soon every quadrant in Quill was engulfed in flames. Frantic Wanteds and Necessaries were forced to abandon their homes and flee for the only part of the island that wasn’t burning: Artimé.
“Let’s keep the Quillens moving!” shouted Alex Stowe, the head mage of the magical land of Artimé, as the people passed through the invisible weather barrier to safety. “All the way to the shore and the edge of the jungle, so there’s room for everyone!” In the confusion, he turned to two of his closest friends, Lani Haluki and Samheed Burkesh. “Try to convince them that it’s safe to go inside the mansion, will you? I’m afraid we’ll run out of space out here.”
“We’ll try,” said Lani, “but it’s not going to be easy.” The lawn was tightly packed with Wanteds and Necessaries. Lani and Samheed did their best to spread the word, while Alex hurried inside the mansion to expand the upstairs living quarters so they could house the refugees who agreed to come inside.
But it was a lot of work trying to convince the stubborn-minded, fearful people of Quill that they wouldn’t accidentally get any magic on them if they decided to take a room in the mansion until things could be sorted out.
Alex overheard an exasperated Samheed talking to an old Quillen man. “Trust me,” he said. “There’s absolutely no way you are going to become magical just by sleeping in a nice bed for once in your life. Just come inside and I’ll show you to your room.”
When the stubborn man refused and instead sat down behind a bush outside the mansion, Samheed threw his hands in the air. “Fine,” he said. “Sleep there forever, then. I’m sure I don’t care.” He went grumbling back through the crowd toward the weather barrier to try to direct some injured Quillens to the hospital ward.
Simber flew overhead, occasionally sweeping over the burning part of the island from a safe height, looking to rescue anyone who might be trapped. The orange flames weren’t hot enough to harm him—not much, anyway. It had been the white-and blue-hot flames of Gondoleery’s fireballs that had done him in. Nevertheless, the giant stone cheetah was especially wary after what he’d gone through. Simber knew that if Alex’s twin brother Aaron hadn’t acted so quickly to restore him, his sandy remains would still be on the road near the palace right now, burning with the rest of Quill.
Artimé owed Aaron a debt of gratitude, though a few were having a hard time accepting that fact after all Aaron had done in the past to hurt the magical world. Alex was among the most grateful, though, for Aaron had done something that Alex couldn’t do—he’d brought Simber back to life. While Alex sometimes struggled with the complexities of magic, Aaron’s newfound abilities appeared almost effortless. Was there any limit to what Aaron could do? Alex was starting to wonder.
Needless to say, Aaron Stowe—former Everything, current Nothing—had earned a lot of respect from those who’d witnessed his unselfish actions. But he channeled his inner Ishibashi, kept his head down, and worked alongside the Artiméans to help with the injured and displaced people. And, being the closest thing to a leader of Quill, he found himself having to solve a whole new series of problems that came along with a community devastated by fire.
Once the fleeing Wanteds and Necessaries arrived in Artimé, they had no choice but to stay. Covered in soot and carrying what little they could salvage, they sought safety in the magical world they hated and feared. Some arrived defeated, some defiant, some overwhelmed, and some finally digging deep inside themselves and discovering their anger a little too late. And a few—mostly children—arrived with a tiny hint of excitement stirring in their hearts, for they had heard whispers about the happenings in Artimé, and they were not quite dead inside.