Gatefather (5 page)

“I haven't told them,” said Wad.

“What makes you think that they don't know?” asked the treemage.

“Because they're on one world, and their mother died on another.”

“These are not ordinary boys,” said the treemage.

That was true enough.

“You imprisoned them with their mother for more than a year,” said the treemage. “Then separated them so she could help you seek vengeance on Queen Bexoi. You owe them a conversation. You owe them the truth, that they are orphans no matter which world they're on.”

It was true that Wad owed a debt to them—their imprisonment had been terrifying and wrong, and it was all Wad's doing. Now their mother was dead because he hadn't realized that she was calling to him until it was too late.

And now that he thought of her, it was as if he could hear her voice in his mind. Why haven't you told my boys yet how I died?

“I can't tell them how she died,” said Wad. “It's too terrible.”

“Not telling them is terrible,” said the treemage. “Children heal better than adults. Tell them now, while they're still children.”

“They're on Mittlegard,” said Wad.

“Then you're the only person on Westil who can get to them,” said the treemage.

“I'm not going to make a Great Gate, and I'm not going to use any of Danny North's Great Gates either, because then the Belmage will know that I'm on Mittlegard.”

“Then make a Great Gate after all. Use it and eat it so it's gone.”

Hearing it spoken aloud made it seem so obvious. He didn't dare to make a permanent Great Gate, and the two that Danny made posed a serious danger to both worlds. But to make a temporary gate and then close it permanently—the Belmage couldn't use
that
to get to Westil.

Unless he struck while Wad was still on Mittlegard. Danny North would sense Wad's arrival—indeed, he would know that a Great Gate had been made. But would that knowledge be available to the Belmage? Would he understand it if he felt it himself? Danny was still able to make gates, using the captive outselves of long-dead gatemages; if the Belmage understood what was happening, he could force Danny to bring him directly to the Great Gate; Wad would have no choice then but to eat the gate before the Belmage could use it to go to Westil.

It would require alertness. But since Wad held all of Danny's gates inside him, Wad would be aware of whatever Danny did. There would be warning.

But it was still a risk; why chance it just to tell two boys that their mother was dead? Surely that was information that could wait a week or two more.

No. Wad had harmed the boys enough. He owed them honorable treatment now. To leave them in ignorance of such a terrible transformation of their lives was wrong. It had to be done.

Wad made the Great Gate in the clearing where Ced was studying with the treemage. “If anyone but me comes through this Great Gate,” said Wad, “kill him immediately. Or her. Whoever it is.”

“Even if they come with you?” asked the treemage.

“Especially if they come with me,” said Wad.

“And what if the Belmage has entered
you
?” asked Ced.

“Then it's all over, because you won't be able to kill me,” said Wad.

“We could try,” said the treemage.

“You would fail,” said Wad. “And you wouldn't know the Belmage had me, anyway. Not quickly enough. So I need you to watch for anyone
else
. It means they snuck through when I wasn't looking.”

“And the penalty for that is death?” asked Ced.

“The fate of this world is at risk here,” said Wad. “If someone comes through it means I failed and something's seriously wrong. It probably means I'm dead. Whoever comes through will be powerful and dangerous, and if you don't kill them at once, they'll probably kill
you
.”

“Remember, only
you
can prevent forest fires,” said Ced.

“I have no idea what you mean by that,” said Wad.

“I'm saying that we'll do what it takes,” Ced answered.

“Ced and I will talk about this when you're gone and reach our own decision,” said the treemage.

“I'm making such a huge mistake,” said Wad.

“Probably,” said the treemage. “But we treemages know that doing
anything
is usually a mistake. And so is doing nothing. Almost everything is a mistake. Have a nice visit to Mittlegard.”

Wad turned slowly a couple of times, and cast a Great Gate with both ends sealed against anybody but himself. But since there were Lock- and Keyfriends on Mittlegard, it would not guarantee anything.

He found the two boys, Eluik and Enopp, racing each other through a pasture behind the home of Marion and Leslie Silverman. They were running toward the Great Gate, so they saw Wad arrive and changed direction, both at once.

For a moment Wad thought the older boy, Eluik, might have brought his ka out of his brother's body, but no. His eyes were still dead and empty. Yet he had been running, as surefooted as his brother. He must have been using his own eyes to see—the pasture was too clumpy and uneven for him to have been relying on Enopp's eyes to see for them both.

But either way, Wad knew that both boys would hear and understand whatever he said, even if Enopp was the one who would speak for them.

“That's a Great Gate you came through, isn't it,” said Enopp.

“You're speaking the local language very well,” said Wad, “but you should speak to me in Icewegian.”

“You understood me,” said Enopp. “Because we gatemages are very good with languages.”

“I only have a few minutes here,” said Wad. “And if Danny North shows up, I'll leave immediately, because the Belmage has possession of him.”

“Is Danny the enemy now?” asked Enopp.

“The being who's controlling him is the enemy. If Danny somehow gets free of him, he'll be a good friend to you again. But for now, he can't be trusted.”

“Bummer,” said Enopp.

“I came to tell you that something very bad has happened on Westil. Your mother was surprised by Queen Bexoi.”

Enopp immediately grew very serious. “Why didn't you gate her away?”

“She knew I was busy. I warned her that I couldn't watch over her, but she insisted on going anyway. She was sure she'd be safe. By the time I knew she was in trouble, it was too late.”

“What does ‘too late' mean?” asked Enopp.

“Queen Bexoi is a firemage,” said Wad. “Your mother was consumed by fire.”

Enopp regarded him steadily. “You're telling me the truth,” he said.

“Yes,” said Wad. “I would never tell you something like that if it wasn't true.”

“You think that Mother is dead,” said Enopp.

“I know she is,” said Wad. “Her friend Keel saw her die. There's no mistake.”

“Eluik says that she's alive,” said Enopp.

“Eluik isn't part of this conversation unless he talks to me himself,” said Wad.

“That's a poor excuse for not listening to someone who knows things that you don't know.”

“I have no evidence that Eluik knows anything. How can she be alive? Keel saw her body consumed in a flash of fire. I saw the ashes. Boys, your mother is truly dead. I'm deeply sorry and I would have prevented it if I could. But that's the truth.”

“No, it isn't,” said Enopp. “Mother is alive.”

“There's no way you or Eluik could know one way or the other,” said Wad.

“Just because you don't know of such a way doesn't mean it doesn't exist,” said Enopp. “When we were in the cave, Eluik came to me. Came into me. He helped me calm down and not scream or cry. He also helped Mother.”

“So even though the three of you were in separate caves, Eluik made contact with you and Anonoei?”

“He had to stay with me all the time at first, and then he just got used to it. But he could
feel
Mother the whole time. He made it so I could feel her, too, and she could feel us.”

“She never told me that.”

“So what?” asked Enopp. “Why should she tell you anything? You were the one who imprisoned us.”

“You're saying that Eluik can feel her
now
?” asked Wad.

“Yes,” said Enopp. “If she were dead, he'd know it because he wouldn't be able to find her.”

“He can't even find his own body,” said Wad. “I'm not going to believe anything he says unless he says it with his own mouth.”

“Why do you get to make the rules?” asked Enopp.

“Because I'm the most powerful mage in either world,” said Wad.

“I thought you were down to your last few gates because Danny North is stronger,” said Enopp.

“The Belmage got him but Danny gave all my gates back to me and gave me all of his, too.”

“He really trusts you,” said Enopp.

“Yes, I guess he does,” said Wad.

“Why can't you trust me and Eluik?” asked Enopp.

“Because I'm not as trusting as Danny North,” said Wad. “He's a kid, and I'm more than a thousand years old.”

“A thousand years inside a tree,” said Enopp. “That made you so much wiser, I guess.”

Wad couldn't believe this conversation. He had expected to comfort two grief-stricken boys. He had thought maybe his news would bring Eluik out of his trance, put his ka back in his own body. Instead, they were pretending it wasn't true and Wad didn't think there was any urgency about forcing them to believe. “Believe what you want,” said Wad. “I have to get back.”

“What are you going to do?” asked Enopp.

“I'm going to leave you here for the time being. You're still King Prayard's illegitimate sons. You look like him. So there are still people who'll want to use you and people who'll want to kill you.”

“Not about us,” said Enopp. “Eluik wants to know what you're going to do about Queen Bexoi.”

“I'm going to kill her,” said Wad. “As soon as she has her baby. Your brother. Once he's born, you're not as useful and not as dangerous. Maybe you can go home.”

“Don't kill her,” said Enopp.

“You don't get a vote on that question,” said Wad. “Even if I don't kill her for killing your mother, I'll kill her for murdering my son.”

“Don't kill her,” said Enopp. “Eluik says you can't.”

“Eluik said nothing,” said Wad. “I watched his lips.”

“Eluik says that's where Mother is.”

Wad thought about this for a moment. “Inside Bexoi?”

“The way that Eluik is inside me,” said Enopp. “That's what he says. Only farther in. Completely in. It's the
only
place she is.”

Wad wondered if it might be true. “You mean she has Bexoi the way the Belmage has Danny North?”

“No,” said Enopp. “She isn't in control. They're still fighting each other.”

“Are you and Eluik fighting each other?” asked Wad.

“Why should we?” asked Enopp. “He still has his own body. Mother doesn't. She's got nowhere else to go. Bexoi can't throw her out and Mother's afraid to let Bexoi leave the body for fear it'll die. So they can't either one of them do anything with their body.”

“How can Eluik know any of this? They're on separate worlds.”

“Why can't you believe children know what they're talking about?” asked Enopp. “Why are you so stupid?”

“Because this isn't something that manmages can do,” said Wad.

“Just because you never heard of a manmage doing it doesn't mean it can't be done,” said Enopp. “That's not Eluik talking, that's me.”

“Anonoei's inside Queen Bexoi's body?”

“That's what Eluik says, and he wouldn't lie about something like that. If Mother weren't there, he'd tell you to go ahead and kill that murdering bitch.”

“If Eluik's so smart, why doesn't he go back into his own body?” asked Wad.

Enopp didn't answer.

And Wad finally got it. “You won't let him go,” he said.

“He can go whenever he wants.”

“You don't want him to leave you,” said Wad. “You're afraid to let him be a separate boy again.”

“I'm not making him do anything,” said Enopp, “and he isn't making
me
do anything, either.”

“When he thinks about going, you become afraid and so he feels like he can't leave you.”

“I'm not afraid,” said Enopp.

“You're still terrified that if he leaves you, you'll feel the way you did back in the cave, when you were first a prisoner there.”

Enopp said nothing.

“I'll tell you what,” said Wad. “I'll think about what you
say
that Eluik says about your mother. And you think about what I'm saying about you and Eluik. Maybe I'll believe you, maybe I won't. Maybe I'll keep Bexoi alive, maybe not. Maybe I'll think of a way to help your mother get complete control of that body and get Bexoi out of there. But when I come back, let's see if you figured out a way to let Eluik go back to living his own life instead of being trapped helping you live yours.”

Enopp said nothing.

“I'm going now,” said Wad. “Think about it.”

“Don't kill Bexoi until Eluik says you can.”

“When Eluik talks to me with his own mouth,” said Wad, “then I'll take the two of you seriously. Do you understand me?”

“You'll kill Mother if Eluik can't get back to his own body?” asked Enopp.

“I don't know,” said Wad. “First I've got to figure out a way to prove whether she's in there or not.”

“Eluik says she's there, that's your proof.”

Wad only smiled. “Eluik says nothing, so there's no proof. I've been here too long. I'm going now.”

“If Danny never gets free of the Belmage, who's going to teach me to be a gatemage?” asked Enopp.