“Crow,” he said, “can you tell Henry’s dad what the leaders of Warbler have told you about the thorns in your neck? Did they tell you something would happen to you if you took them off?”

Crow’s face turned ashen. He gripped the choker and backed away from Alex.

Alex put his hands in the air and stepped back. “Whoa, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Crow watched Alex for a long minute, and then he turned to Gunnar and began to sign.

Gunnar watched Crow carefully. When Crow finished, Gunnar turned to Alex and shook his head. “I didn’t get it all,” Gunnar began, “but the gist of it is that if they ever escaped and tried to remove the thorns, the birds would come.” “The birds?” Alex asked.

Gunnar looked at Crow. Crow signed some more.

“The Warbler birds, he says,” said Gunnar. “The Warbler birds will come and peck them, starting with their eyes. And then the people of Warbler would find them and kill them.”

Alex stared. Henry stared. Even Charlie stared.

Crow cowered, his hands over his eyes.

Alex’s mind raced. What would Mr. Today say right now to this scared little boy to soothe his fears? He put his hands in his pockets and offered a kind smile. “Well, all I know is that a crow can beat a warbler any day of the year.”

Crow didn’t move.

“And you know what else I know?”

Crow remained still.

“I know that warbler birds are friendly. I also know that the leader of Warbler told you that to scare you, and I bet I know why—they don’t want you to remove the thorns so you can’t talk to anyone about what they’re doing over there.” Alex began to wind up. “It’s like Quill. Justine told everyone that the walls were there for our protection from the neighboring lands, but she was lying to us. She only wanted us to be scared so that we wouldn’t dare to leave.” He took a breath.

Crow let his hands slip down from his eyes.

“There’s nothing special about that thorny necklace,” Alex said decisively. “Its only purpose is to keep you from talking to outsiders, and to scare you into obedience.”

Crow looked up at Alex, his eyes begging to be assured.

“I can prove it,” Alex said. “We took Meghan’s off this morning. She sat outside for hours, and no Warbler birds came. Plus, now she can talk again.”

Crow’s face strained with hope.

“Go find her—you’ll see for yourself. And tell your sister, too. She’s probably with Meghan right now.”

Crow bit his lip, and then he scrambled off Haluki’s bed and jumped to the floor, running at full speed to find Meghan and his sister.

Gunnar grinned at Alex. “You have a way with that boy,” he said. “He trusts you.”

Alex smiled. “I guess so,” he said, feeling a new confidence growing inside him. And then he turned to Henry. “Now that we have our art supplies again, see if you can get Crow to draw a map of the tunnels on Warbler, will you?”

“Sure,” Henry said. “He’s pretty good at drawing. I showed him my things and he drew some stuff.” He got off the bed and went after Crow.

Alex looked at Gunnar Haluki. “We’re doing everything we can to find Lani,” he said. “She’s alive, we know that much. She sent a seek spell this morning.”

Gunnar smiled weakly. “I know you’re doing your best, Alex. And from what little I’ve seen, you’re doing an excellent job. Marcus would be very proud.”

Alex blinked hard and looked at the floor.

Gunnar went on. “Thank you for taking care of my son. I can never repay you for that.”

Alex nodded. “I’m sorry about your wife,” he said.

Gunnar closed his weary eyes. “There is only one instance where living without ever expressing one’s feelings seems like it could be useful, at least on the surface, and that is when someone you love dies.” He took a breath. “I will never be the same person again.”

Alex nodded. He thought he understood, at least a little. After a moment, thinking Gunnar was asleep, he turned to go.

“Alex,” Gunnar said.

Alex stopped and looked at the man.

“I didn’t want to say this in front of the boys, but Charlie is communicating with Matilda, who is in Aaron’s office at the palace. She overheard a conversation. It seems Aaron has somehow managed to sentence your father to his death, but then decided to save his life again on the condition that they never support you in any way.” He paused. “I thought you should know.”

Alex’s stomach dropped. He felt numb. He pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache threatened. And then he let out a held breath. “I see,” he said. “Thank you for telling me.”

“And your mother is due any day now.”

Alex blinked. “She—what?”

Haluki opened his eyes. “Ahh, I’m sorry. You haven’t reconnected,” he mused. “According to Matilda, your mother is about to have twins.”

Information

Overload

A fter sending out a greeting to all of Artimé by way of a very cranky blackboard, Alex retreated to the

Museum of Large to search for a book that might tell him more about Warbler Island. But once he

got there, he was quickly reminded of the mess that Ol’ Tater had made. He picked up a few things, and then made his way to the gray shack. It was almost exactly as it had been when it stood alone on that dry plot, except for a few pieces of toppled furniture, most likely due to the Unwanteds trying to get out when they realized something was happening. He straightened it up.