It was just that Aaron looked so much like Alex with that robe on. Samheed’s heart throbbed painfully, but he attempted a grin and embraced Aaron. Then he took a few steps back as the new head mage and Simber exchanged an awkward hello. Feeling entirely out of sorts, Samheed kept walking backward to give the two privacy and allow Aaron to talk with his new right-hand statue. As Samheed turned away, tears pricked at his eyes and momentarily blinded him. He stumbled in the sand and moved more quickly as a huge wave of grief washed over him. Seeing Alex’s identical twin wearing the robe was truly jarring. All of Samheed’s worst memories of Aaron came flooding back: The time Aaron pretended to impersonate Alex in the first battle with Quill. The time Samheed first learned of Mr. Today’s death at Aaron’s hand—they’d told him and Lani just moments after Alex had risked everything to rescue them from Queen Eagala. And there was Aaron’s absolute heartlessness with his parents and family when he was leader of Quill. Yet Alex had kept giving Aaron chance after chance after chance.

And now Alex was gone, and that same person who’d committed all those horrible acts was in charge of Artimé. It was shocking to think of it like that, but those were the facts. Samheed continued to flee the celebration gathering, reprimanding himself. He should feel excitement—they’d found Thisbe and Sky, and they’d be home soon. But he couldn’t shake the troubling thoughts. Surely he wasn’t alone in thinking them. Many people disliked Aaron because they didn’t know all the intricate details of how Aaron had come around to being a good and worthy person.

Eventually Samheed waded out into the water, not far from Drock, who appeared to be brooding too and not inclined to talk. Samheed dove under a wave, trying to clear his head. Trying to talk himself out of this funk. Aaron had been bad once, but he’d changed. And he’d sacrificed a lot for Artimé. Samheed knew this intellectually, but his heart still yanked around inside him. Was Aaron right for Artimé? Could he be effective as a leader after the choices he’d made? After the history he’d had?