Florence began training the newcomers alongside the veterans, teaching magic to those who possessed abilities and combat to those who didn’t. Samheed, Lani, Seth, and Carina all assisted Florence in demonstrations and teaching beginning magic. Kaylee, Sky, Maiven, and Ishibashi taught nonmagical combat and, in their spare time, created more throwing stars and other small weapons. Rohan and his friends from Grimere assisted with the weapon making and grew stronger and more adept magically, too. And, after so many years of oppression in the catacombs, the black-eyed children were finally learning how to socialize.

The mansion had been repaired after the civil war destruction, and now that everyone had arrived from the other islands, things began to settle down in Artimé. In the evenings after training there was time for everyone to relax and learn about each other. To keep their minds off of Thisbe and Fifer’s troubling absence, Rohan and Maiven and the other black-eyed people often sat and talked with new friends like Seth and his family, or Henry and Thatcher and their children.

One evening Rohan, Maiven, and Asha met up with Seth, Henry, Ibrahim, and Clementi in the dining room for a late snack. Clementi, an Unwanted, and Asha, one of the black-eyed children, sat together, for the two were like long-lost friends from the instant they’d met during the civil war. Aaron wandered past, and Maiven urged him to join them, so he did.

“I’ve been meaning to see you anyway,” said Aaron to his grandmother. “I was wondering if you would tell us more about… my mother. And how everything happened with her.” He glanced around, realizing a little too late that she might not want to talk about it in front of so many people. “Or would you prefer not to?”

Maiven Taveer reached out and gave Aaron’s hand a squeeze. She smiled sadly. “I’ve come to terms with her death,” she said. “I’m willing to share what I know in case it brings peace to anyone who needs it. And perhaps you’d be willing to share what you know as well.”

“Of course.”