“Fife,” Thisbe said, raising an eyebrow. “Let’s be real. We both know you don’t feel any particular pull from Grimere, and that’s totally okay. But,” she said slyly, “you could definitely be an ally as the ruler of Artimé, you know? Help us out a little, maybe? Once things are settled here?”

Head mage Fifer Stowe? It was everything Fifer wanted. She loved being a leader. But it was frightening, too. What would she do with all the dissenters? That was a big dilemma. Would they rebuild the pen and jail them there indefinitely? How would Fifer manage this new problem, which didn’t go away just because Frieda Stubbs was taken down for good? Maybe Artimé would continue to be a world split apart, with Unwanteds fighting against one another. No one of sound mind would wish to inherit that. But it did spur Fifer on to want to fix it.

“I just…,” said Fifer. “There’s so much… and I’m not sure how people would accept me.”

“You are the best person to solve all of these things,” Thisbe said, more earnestly than she’d spoken to Fifer in a very long time. “And you know who’s more important than pretty much anyone, right?”

Fifer, still staring at the robe, wore an unreadable expression. She was having trouble catching her breath, and she realized she’d been holding it. She looked up. “Who?”

“Simber,” said Thisbe. “Simber is more important than anything. He’s the symbol of Artimé, more than the mansion or anything or anyone else. And Artimé needs him to be happy, or we all end up suffering.” She paused for a breath, then lowered her voice. “And he wants you. He always turns to you. It’s so obvious you’d be his number one choice. You two get each other.” She studied her sister’s skeptical expression. “Let’s not let Simber down. Don’t you agree with me?”

Fifer nodded. “I do,” she whispered. “You’re right. That’s part of the scariness, though, that it does feel so right…” She knew she had a special bond with Simber. Even though he’d seemed to ignore her for a time when Aaron was head mage, she still knew he’d loved working with her. And he’d seemed to focus on her again ever since they’d sprung him free from the theater. Almost as if he saw her as his alternative to Frieda Stubbs. As the leader of this fighting group.

Sky grasped Fifer’s arm. “We all believe in you. And we’ll help you with all the problems we’re facing. Bring Artimé back.”

“You can do it, Fifer,” said Aaron. “You’ve reenergized the core supporters of Artimé, and I know you’ll be a superb leader. We’ll help you if you need us. We’ll protect you from the dangers.” He paused, and they all heard a low rumbling in the distance.

“What is that?” asked Claire.

Aaron looked toward Quill. “Right on cue,” he muttered. “It’s the people of Quill coming to complain. No doubt they’re annoyed to have lost their world too. We don’t need them muddying things up here—let’s get this world fixed and turn them all around so we can help the injured ones.”