“That sort of test could be disconcerting for the current head mage,” Rohan said quietly, looking at Fifer. “You may wish to prepare yourself for some surprise answers.”

“It’s fine,” Fifer said. She knew she was in for some rough times ahead. At the moment, after her talk with Sky, she felt somewhat prepared. “I know a lot of them wouldn’t prefer me, especially after that unfortunate glass-breaking incident at the costume ball. And, well, I killed their leader. Obviously that’s on many of their minds.” A shadow crossed her face, but she continued. “I’ve dealt with people in Artimé running away from me my whole life, and talking disparagingly about me and Thisbe. I think… I can take it.”

Thisbe glanced at Fifer and caught her eye for a brief moment before Fifer looked away. They’d both been the source of much scorn over the years. That didn’t make it hurt less, but it had taught them to deal with adversity. It made them both think about how they needed to stick together, especially during tough times like these. Yet… they had to figure out how to get back on the same page first.

Lani came rolling down the staircase and curved into the classroom nibbling on a fruity pastry. Samheed quickly filled her in.

“Oh yes,” she said, when she heard about Fifer’s panel idea. “I want to be a part of this. And all of us have different perspectives on people. Samheed and I have had some of them as students, and we know them in that capacity. Others have been aggressive toward Aaron. It’ll be hard to admit them back into the mansion unless they show true remorse.”

“And if they don’t?” Aaron asked. “Then what? Banish them? Put them in confinement like they did to us? Are people allowed to have differing opinions in Artimé? Where’s the line?”

The questions were met with uncomfortable silence. After a minute, Fifer spoke. “I don’t want a jail here in Artimé. And of course we wouldn’t banish anyone for having a different opinion. I’m talking about the people who intentionally endangered your lives and who continue to be a danger to Artimé. After thinking about it overnight, I’m not opposed to sending the worst of them to another island for a while.”

“Which one of our allies do you want to terrorize?” asked Samheed, sounding a bit condescending. “That hardly seems fair.”

Fifer crossed her arms and looked hard at her former instructor. “I wouldn’t think of terrorizing our friends,” she said. “There’s an island that’s currently unoccupied.”

“Which one? The volcano island?” asked Lani.

“No. The Island of Dragons.”

Samheed’s jaw dropped. And then he gave a wry smile. “Never underestimate a Stowe,” he said. “When will I ever learn?”

Aaron gave him a pained stare. “Clearly never.”

Everyone else remained quiet, thinking about the logistics of turning the Island of Dragons into a temporary holding place. It made sense—there would be easy access to food and freshwater. And it wouldn’t be hard for Simber to glide over there now and then to check on them.