Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Many years later, Arthur wakes in his bed at the orphanage, worried that the children are unusually quiet. It’s much later than he’s generally able to sleep, and he’s afraid the children are up to some mischief. He wakes his partner of one year, Linus. Linus points out that their cat, Calliope, is not in her place on the bed. They feel relieved that Calliope is with the children, sure that she will not let any harm befall them. They throw on robes and hurry down the hallway, checking the children’s rooms and finding them all empty. They hear a crash from the kitchen below and realize that this must be where the children are. When they reach the head of the stairs, they see that Phee, a forest sprite, and Chauncey, an amorphous green being with tentacles and eye stalks, sitting at the bottom of the stairs, acting as lookouts for the other children. Chauncey confides in Phee about an incident at his bellhop job, where a woman reacted negatively to his physical differences. Phee tells him that he is “handsome as crap” and reminds him of all his positive attributes (23). Arthur and Linus hear another crash from the kitchen; they retreat a ways down the hallway and then make conspicuous noises as they return to the head of the stairs, so that the children will realize they are on their way down.

Chauncey yells a warning to the other children, who call back that he must stall Linus and Arthur. The men can hear a flurry of activity in the kitchen and they hear Talia, a gnome, accuse one of the other children of getting batter on the ceiling. Phee and Chauncey go into the kitchen, and the children hold a loudly whispered conference about whether they will be in trouble for the huge mess they have made. They ask Phee to stall Arthur and Linus while they clean up. Phee comes back out. In the moment of privacy Linus and Arthur have with her, they praise her for her kind words to Chauncey. She expresses frustration that the world is not getting better for magical people, and they tell her that change takes time. Inside the kitchen, they hear Lucy—whose name is short for “Lucifer,” as he is the son of the Devil—exuberantly suggesting that Theodore—a wyvern who has recently discovered an ability to breathe fire—“burn everything” (28). Linus and Arthur hurry into the kitchen.

When Linus and Arthur enter the kitchen, the kitchen is still in a state of disarray, although the children are scrambling to make it more presentable. Arthur gently chides Lucy for encouraging Theodore to start fires. Arthur asks Theodore whether he can really produce fire. Theodore looks to Sal—the shape-shifting young man who can turn into a Pomeranian—before answering. Sal, in his role as wise older brother, nods that Theodore should answer honestly. When Theodore indicates that he can, Arthur and Linus are surprised—wyverns are not supposed to have this ability. At Arthur’s request and over Linus’s protests, Theodore demonstrates his newfound ability. A banner the children have placed above the table catches fire, and Linus clucks that “this is why we don’t breathe fire inside the house” (32). The banner now reads “Happy Birt.” As the children debate whether this is actually better than “Happy Birthday,” Arthur suddenly realizes that all of their preparations are for Linus and that today is, in fact, his partner’s birthday. Linus is overwhelmed with emotion. The children explain that the banner and the breakfast they have cooked are both a birthday celebration and a going-away party since Linus and Arthur will be leaving the island without the children for the first time.

Linus reminds the children that they will only be gone for a few days, but Arthur knows that, like himself, Linus is worried about leaving the children. Zoe and her partner Helen—who is the mayor of the nearby mainland town—arrive for breakfast, and they remind the children that they will be with them to take care of them. Arthur and Linus each playfully try to get the other to be the first to try the somewhat unappetizing breakfast the children have created. Arthur reminds the children that his and Linus’s trip is an important one because they will be testifying before a government committee about Arthur’s painful experiences as a child on Marsyas and advocating for better treatment for magical children. Phee expresses concern that they will not be listened to and that, in the worst case, the government might try to take the children away from Arthur and Linus’s care. Zoe vows that she will not let anyone come onto her island to take the children away. Theodore worries that Arthur’s testimony might affect his and Linus’s petition to adopt the children, but Arthur reassures him that this is unlikely. He reminds them that he and Linus might also be bringing them back a new brother, David, who is a yeti. The children wrap up the festivities by giving Linus his present, a poem written by Sal surrounded by portraits of each member of their family. At the bottom, they have left a space for David’s picture.

As Linus and Arthur are getting ready to board the train to the city, Sal takes Arthur aside to tell him that the children have decided they are going to listen to the radio broadcast of Arthur’s testimony. He knows that Arthur worries about them hearing hateful comments about magical people, but he reminds Arthur that they are growing up and will need to learn to make their own decisions about such things. Arthur and Linus board the train; Arthur finds it very difficult to leave the children, but Linus assures him that they will be well because Arthur has “taught them how to be” (48). As they near the city, rain begins to fall. Despite the uncomfortable weather, Linus asks Arthur to go on an excursion with him. They travel to the house that Linus lived in before he moved in with Arthur and the children. There, they plant magical seeds that Talia and Phee have given Linus. In less than a minute, the yard is full of vibrant flowers.

The men head for their hotel, the Rose & Thorne, which they have chosen because it is close to Bandycross, the building where Arthur is scheduled to give his testimony in the morning. The first thing they do is call the children. Linus discovers a listening device in the bathroom. Based on his own past as a government worker, Linus immediately thinks the government has bugged their room in order to gain information before the hearing. Linus wants to change hotels, but Arthur wants to stay. He says that they will give the government “a show” and puts on music, inviting Linus to dance with him (55).

In the morning, Linus and Arthur arrive at Bandycross. They are surprised by the number of protestors who are there—some in support of magical beings and some opposing. Linus suggests that they try to slip in through the back, but Arthur insists they go in through the front, in full view of the crowd, “with [their] heads held high” to “prove to them that [they] will not be intimidated” (58). They are swarmed by reporters and members of the public, who shout questions about Lucy and the other children—it’s clear that people are fearful of the children’s abilities. Inside the building, they are escorted around the long security lines by a woman who introduces herself as Larmina. She tells them that “a friend” sent her to get them, intimating that there are people working inside the government who are sympathetic to Arthur and his goals.

Once they are in the elevator, Larmina presses the emergency stop button so that they can talk privately. She tells them that she’s motivated to help them because her wife is magical. She’s carrying a message from the DICOMY Extremely Upper Management secretary Doreen Blodwell, whom Linus knows from his time working at DICOMY. To prove to Linus that Doreen sent her, Larmina hands Linus his old office mousepad, which features a beach scene and the words “Don’t you wish you were here?” (65). She tells them that the focus of the hearing is not what they think and that some very powerful officials will be present: four members of parliament, from the Council of Utmost Importance. Minister of Education Jeanine Rowder will also be there. Linus pales, explaining that Rowder has supported regressive policies like making it illegal for children from queer families to talk about their families to other children and prosecuting parents who seek medical care to support their transgender children. The goal of Rowder and others holding the hearings is not to examine the need for change within the government, it is to destroy Arthur’s reputation.