Island of Legends (The Unwanteds) Read Online Free PDF

was high priest. Besides, the distraction helped him think. He drew some other shapes too. Rectangles, like the sails of the ships. Before he knew it, he was drawing lines to connect them.
    Secretary cleared her throat. She’d returned, unheard.
    Abruptly, Aaron stopped drawing and looked up. He set down the pencil. “We need more than guards. We need to wall in the entrance to Quill,” he said. “Immediately. We— Haluki allowed Quill to be vulnerable for too long.”
    Secretary’s brow furrowed, the wrinkles in her forehead deepening such that they resembled tree bark.
    Before she could speak, Aaron lifted a hand. “Don’t even begin to argue with me,” he warned. “It’s my duty to keep Quill safe, and that is what I shall do. We’ll need a team of Necessaries to get to work immediately—and not my father this time, please.” He gave the woman a sour look, as if his father’s visit to the palace had been her fault.
    “But—” Secretary began.
    “Ut-tut-tut!” Aaron replied. “What did I say?”
    Eva Fathom closed her icy lips.
    Aaron watched her face, suddenly wondering what she was going to say but too proud to ask her now.
    “Very well.” She nodded. As she turned to carry out Aaron’s wishes, her face wore the smuggest smile Aaron had ever seen.
    Somewhere deep inside him, Aaron began to panic.

Skyfall
    A lex rushed to Sky’s side just as Henry came running.
    “Is she breathing?” Alex cried. “Is she dead? She can’t be dead!”
    Henry was silent as he checked over Sky. After a moment he looked around frantically and shouted, “Ms. Morning!” He turned to Samheed and squeaked, “For Jim’s sake, get Alex out of here. He’s making me nervous.”
    Samheed pulled Alex out of the way. Alex, numb, could do nothing but watch as Henry and Ms. Morning worked feverishly over the girl. A thousand memories pummeled his brain:Sky and Crow unconscious on the raft. Sky finally waking up on that fateful day. Sky inching away and spitting water in Alex’s face. Sky stoic and silent on the roof as Alex cried. Sky bringing him the model of the mansion, helping Alex figure out how to get Artimé back. Sky on the pirate ship’s stairway, startling Alex with a kiss. And Sky on a raft once more, determined to save her mother.
    “She’s not breathing,” Alex heard somebody say.
    “Oh no,” he whispered, leaning heavily against the door frame of the hospital wing. “No. No.” He wanted to scream it. He couldn’t bear to lose her. Not now. Not after everything. He gripped his robe—the robe that Sky had hemmed for him so it wouldn’t drag on the floor. He stood on his tiptoes, trying to see around the crowd of nurses, trying to see her face. If only he could see her face. . . . “Sky!” he screamed. “Your mother—you have to breathe! We need to save your mother!” Several in the room turned to look at him, their faces growing scared.
    “Alex,” Samheed said, his voice wretched. He gripped Alex’s arm tighter. “Pull it together, man.”
    “Sky!” Alex yelled again, and then he stopped and shot Samheed a wild look. “Where’s Crow?”
    Samheed shrugged, helpless. “I don’t know. I saw him, I mean . . . I think he’s fine.”
    “Do you think she’s . . . ?”
    “I don’t know, Al.”
    Alex knew that he should try to find Crow, let him know his sister was hurt. Or dying. Or . . . dead. But he couldn’t move. His feet were cemented to the floor. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
    More and more Artiméans rushed in carrying injured humans and creatures, filling up the beds.
    “What are they doing to her?” Alex asked.
    “It’s hard to tell,” Samheed said.
    “She can’t die. Not after everything.”
    Samheed looked on with Alex and nodded. “I know. It’s not right.”
    Just then there was a flurry of activity at Sky’s side.
    “Roll her on her side!” Ms. Morning shouted. “Quickly!”
    Alex strained to see what was happening. “Sky, please!”