Island of Silence (Unwanteds) by Lisa McMann Read Free Book Online

eventually I became disillusioned with our motives and moved from Quill to this part of the island, and I lived in the little gray shack you saw when you first entered the gate.”
    Alex nodded. “And . . . you said something about Simber?”
    “Ah, yes. One day I was down on the beach, feeling quite utterly alone in the world. I had suppressed my artistic tendencies, accepting Justine’s belief that creativity was a sign of weakness. But that day we’d had a rare bit of rain, and the entire stretch of sand was damp. I began to sculpt an animal I’d once seen in a book as a child’a cheetah. It was the most stunning creature I’d ever seen, and I still remember that picture as if it were here in front of me.
    “I worked to re-create it all day, getting the curve of its back and roll of its shoulders, the strength and proportion of its hind legs just right. Its face, its eyes’intelligent, powerful, fierce but caring eyes. And then, on a whim, becoming uniquely inspired, I added wings. Perhaps I was feeling a bit caged in myself.” He chuckled softly, lost in the memory for a moment. “When I knew that I had perfected each part of the creature, I preserved that part with magic, making its surface almost completely indestructible,” he said, smiling proudly. “And then, when I was quite finished, I brought it to life.”
    “Wow,” Alex whispered. “Simber is made entirely of sand?”
    “Indeed. Thus, Simber lacks the spots that a cheetah normally has.”
    Alex looked puzzled. “How did you bring him to life? I’ve never seen anyone do that before.”
    Mr. Today smiled as if he had a secret. He whispered, “That’s because I’ve never taught it to anyone before.”
    Alex leaned forward, his eyes wide, his heart pounding in anticipation. “Will you teach it to me?” he asked.
    The creator of all magical life in Artimé leaned forward as well. He pressed a finger to his lips for a long moment in consideration, his eyes flickering once to the wall and then back to Alex and remaining there, holding the breathless boy’s gaze, until the weight of the question nearly toppled them both. Finally, Mr. Today whispered the answer.
    “No.”
     

The Slightest Clue
    A lex’s face fell. He looked away. “Oh.” He felt heat rising to his cheeks.
    Mr. Today’s eyes were filled with pity. “I’m sorry,” he said, and it came from somewhere deep, somewhere very sincere. “As much as I want to, my dear boy, I can’t do it.”
    “It’s okay.” Alex wished he could disappear into the chair cushion. Why did he even ask? Why would he think Mr. Today would teach him when he wouldn’t teach anyone else? It felt almost as bad as when Ms. Octavia told him he couldn’t advance to Magical Warrior Training last year. He raised his eyes to the old mage. “It’s because I said I didn’t want to be the next leader of Artimé, isn’t it?”
    “Truthfully, yes,” Mr. Today said, sitting back in his chair once again. “I made a promise to myself a long time ago that there would be certain spells, certain properties of our particular kind of magic that I would not teach to anyone but my successor. I fear these abilities could get into the hands of people who are incapable of using common sense, and who don’t understand the value of that power.” Mr. Today eased off the desk. “So as much as I trust you, I must save this particular secret for the right person. However,” he said with a small smile, “I did give you the slightest clue.”
    “You did? What was it?”
    But Mr. Today only smiled and changed the subject. “So, now you know the story of Simber, who remains one of my most incredible magical creations . . . and my dearest friend. His memory is impeccable, and everything he has experienced is captured in his inner senses’it didn’t take him long at all to learn everything he knows. Such an amazing beast! He can see and hear better than any human or animal. He is capable of emotion, as you’ve