Orson Card - The Gate Thief

“No!” said Leslie. “Nobody’s come in here!”

“Somebody moved this end of the gate,” said Danny. “It’s not in the barn anymore.”

“Hermia,” said Leslie.

“I didn’t know she could do it,” said Danny. “But who else? Veevee?”

“What are you going to do?”

“She’s already sending people through. Her Family, no doubt. So much for my two-from-each-Family rule.”

“You realize that you have no time at all,” said Leslie. “Without the advantage of having been through a Great Gate when they haven’t, Marion and I aren’t such great shakes as mages. They’ll blow us away.”

“I suppose you’re right-they wouldn’t be doing it this way if they had peaceful intentions. I can’t believe she did this.”

“She thought she could get away from those Family ties, and she was wrong,” said Leslie. “You can talk to her about it later. Right now, what are you going to do?”

“I’ve got to get you and Dad and these boys somewhere safe.”

Leslie nodded, and there were tears on her cheeks. “I’ll get Marion in from the quarry.”

“No,” said Danny. “I will.” He walked to the boys on the couch and peeled the headphones off Enopp’s head. “Take my hand,” he said.

Enopp did, then took Eluik’s hand. Danny reached for Leslie, and as soon as they gripped each other he gated them all to the pit at the north end of the farm where Marion quarried simple granite from the bedrock. The pit wasn’t deep. He quarried by sending his outself deep and drawing up the stone, floating it to the surface. The pit was just so the neighbors and passing cars couldn’t see the stones rise through the soil without the aid of human hands.

Marion grasped the situation as soon as Danny said, “Hermia moved the gate and she’s using it.”

He gated them to Veevee’s condo. Veevee wasn’t there.

“She’s at the beach,” said Danny. “I’ll be right back.” And in a moment he was. Veevee was dripping and furious. “I can’t believe that little Greek bitch would betray us all like that.”

“Family,” said Leslie.

“That doesn’t excuse being a traitorous bitch,” said Veevee.

“But it explains it,” said Marion. “Besides which, I think the way they see it is, she’s finally stopped being a traitorous bitch and now she’s a loyal Family member again.”

“Or they held her dog hostage,” said Leslie.

“What’s happening?” asked Enopp.

“Join hands and at the next place, they’ll explain it to you,” said Danny.

He took them to DC, to Stone’s house. “Hermia’s been sending people through the Wild Gate. Turns out that passing to Westil and back gave her the power to move other people’s gates. Specifically, the Mittlegard end of the Wild Gate.”

“And you didn’t stop her?”

“I didn’t know what I was feeling until she was already sending people through,” said Danny. “I didn’t know you could move a Great Gate.”

Stone bowed his head. “Have you gathered up all the gates she knows about?”

“All of hers. All the ones that connect our houses. That was practically a reflex. Like clenching your sphincter muscles when you’re scared,” said Danny.

“What an ill-raised child you are, Danny,” said Leslie. “We don’t talk about sphincter muscles in front of impressionable children.”

“They’re going to attack all the other Families,” said Danny. “Mine first, I’m sure. But at this point, the only thing I can do is make a Great Gate and send everybody through. Or the Illyrians will kill everybody else and rule the world. Am I not right?”

“Oh, if history teaches us anything,” said Stone, “it’s that gods with a sudden increase in power instantly remember how much they hate their enemies.”

“We’re all so good at grudges,” said Leslie.

“What are you going to do to Hermia?” asked Marion.

“Nothing yet,” said Danny. “Unless she forces me. Where do you want to go?”

“Hermia doesn’t know about my place in Maine,” said Stone.

“Neither did I,” said Veevee.

Stone ignored her. “There isn’t even running water, but it’s between two very cold lakes, clean water, plenty of firewood, and an outhouse. These boys aren’t used to indoor plumbing anyway, am I right?”

“ I am,” said Veevee.

Leslie smiled sweetly. “Does a mage poop in the woods? I think so .”

“Any mages in residence here?” asked Danny.

“I’ll call them,” said Stone.

There were three, all women, one in her fifties and a pair of twenty-year-old twins. No time for introductions. Danny made a public gate, made it open and obvious, and they all passed through. Danny didn’t go with them-they’d all get acquainted at the lake and Danny would join them later. He took back the gate and then headed for the North Family compound.

He arrived in Mook’s and Lummy’s kitchen. They weren’t there.

He found them on the front porch. “Bring everybody,” he said.

“What is it?” said Aunt Lummy, looking scared.

“The Greeks got into a Great Gate that I thought was safe. They’re passing through it now and you know they’ll come here first.”

Uncle Mook was already running to the old house.

“I’m taking us all to a safe place,” said Danny.

“How long do you think we can hide from them?” asked Lummy.

“Long enough for me to make a Great Gate and pass you all through it.”

She burst into tears and embraced him. “I knew you’d forgive us.”

“You and Uncle Mook never did anything that needed forgiving,” said Danny. “And I haven’t forgiven anybody. I’m just not going to let the Greeks rule the world.”

“It was that Greek girl, wasn’t it?” asked Aunt Lummy. “You can’t trust a Greek. Homer said so and he was right.”

“It was Laocoon who said it. Homer was just quoting him,” said Danny.

“Actually, what Laocoon said wasn’t printable. Homer cleaned it up for him,” said Lummy.

The bell was ringing. It was never rung except when there was war. Danny took Lummy’s hand and gated to the gathering place.

“You!” shouted Great-uncle Zog, looking furious.

Danny gated him to the kitchen of the big house. “I don’t have time for any shit,” he said. “I was betrayed and the Greeks are going to Westil and back right now.”

All the adults knew what that meant, and they kept the children silent.

“I’m gating you to a place where I can make a Great Gate. But I’m telling you right now. I’m letting everybody use it. Not just the North Family. Anybody has a problem with that, then that’s a person who isn’t going through. Is that clear?”

“What do you mean by ‘everybody’?” asked Auntie Uck. “I’m not disagreeing, I just want to know.”

“Everybody who isn’t Greek,” said Danny. “Families and Orphans. And there’s a truce at the new Great Gate. Do you understand me? A total truce. As soon as I make the gate, Hermia will know where it is and they’ll head for it.”

“Then as soon as we get through it, we’ll head for them ,” said Grandpa Gyish. He actually looked happy. Thrilled, even. Also evil. Definitely he looked evil. Danny remembered why he hated some of these people.

“You’ve never been through a Great Gate,” said Danny. “It takes time to figure out what you can do. So no, I’m not sending you off to war. I’m going to gate off anyone who approaches. I can do it. When they see that everybody else has gone through a Great Gate, too, and they have no advantage, then I think we can work out a truce.”

“Don’t be absurd,” said Uncle Poot. “You weren’t here for the last war. There’ll be no truce.”