Samheed couldn’t shake the doubts, though he vowed to himself to try. He owed it to Aaron. After all, Aaron had totally turned his life around and had played things right for over a dozen years. He’d apologized profusely for his wrongs, and he’d done everything in his power to make up for his misdeeds. Claire had forgiven him—that was a big moment. Kaylee had fallen in love with him, and she was one of the smartest people Samheed knew . . . though it was true she’d never known him when he was a horrible person. Aaron had even moved away from the island of Quill, showing no interest in ever wanting to be involved in the politics of Artimé—either with the magical world or against it. So why was Samheed so apprehensive about this appointment?

He floated on his back for a few moments, searching for answers, until he heard Lani calling for him. He flipped up and waved to her, then wiped his face and sloshed toward the shore so he could greet Henry and the others. And hopefully soon he’d be able to push the harsh feelings toward Aaron away for good.

Home at Last

The new arrivals ate heartily while Thisbe recounted the story of her time in the catacombs and her escape, as well as her time spent with Sky. Then Fifer told Aaron and the others about her group’s agonizing journey, their battle with the Revinir and its tragic ending, and the search for Thisbe. Aaron listened silently to the tale of his twin’s death. His face was gray and etched with grief, and he was unable to speak for a long while. When it came time to share his team’s story, Aaron nodded at Henry, asking him to do it. The young healer shared how things had gone down in Artimé from the time the world had turned gray.

Henry skimmed over the parts where Aaron had been challenged by the growing group of people who didn’t think he should be leading Artimé. He briefly mentioned one of the altercations, in which Aaron had felt that his son, Daniel, had been threatened.

Samheed frowned and glanced at Sean, who caught his eye with a grim look. Was there more to this than Henry was letting on? As uneasy as Samheed had been feeling, he wasn’t the least bit surprised that some other people back home had been vocal about Aaron being in charge. Not everyone had forgiven the young man—not everyone knew him as well as the group gathered here. So their judgments were sure to be skewed. Could that hurdle ever be overcome? Samheed turned his gaze toward Lani, who seemed sympathetic about what Aaron was going through.

Lani threw Samheed a warning look, as if she anticipated what Samheed might be thinking. She knew him well.