Part 3 (1/2)
”Don't call 'pathetic' a thing you cannot do,” said the whirlwind that was Thor.
”Oh, I'm quite aware that I'm the most pathetic of all. But then, I've had no training.”
”And who would train you? I hope you're not resentful.”
”Your sons beat me up. A lot.”
”Nasty little brutes, aren't they?”
”They're your sons.”
”I was a.s.signed to get a drowther wife. I did. The results were disappointing.”
”But they can make clants.”
”Apart from that, and copious amounts of urine, manure, and trouble, they produce little else. But one does what the Family needs.”
”And yet you've apparently known about me for a long time, and you said nothing.”
”Gyish and Zog would never let you live, Danny. You know that. And there are plenty in the Family who would back them to the hilt.”
”But not you. And not... who are are the others? And what exactly do you expect me to do?” the others? And what exactly do you expect me to do?”
”I can't tell you until I'm sure you're not coming back,” said Thor. ”Because it's possible you're such a donkey pizzle that you'll turn yourself in and name the people who protected you, and then die beside them to prove your loyalty.”
”And how do you you prove prove your your loyalty?” loyalty?”
”The way we've always done it in the North Family. Look for a gatemage to be born among us, and then s.h.i.+eld him and protect him until he's old enough to escape this prison compound and reach adulthood.”
Danny sat down and thought about this. ”So our compliance with the treaty is all pretense?”
”Oh, Zog and Gyish mean it with all their hearts. Gyish was never in on the secret, even when he was Odin. He was always just mad enough to take treaties seriously. Honor, you know. I don't have any. Not where our enemies are concerned. No, the only honor is doing what will allow the Family to rise again from the ashes of Loki's madness. You're the first gatemage since Loki to be clever enough to stay alive this long.”
”I wasn't clever, I just didn't know I had the knack of it.”
”Yes, but when you found out you didn't brag or ask questions or suddenly start looking up Loki in the library. And before you knew, you didn't boast about how fast you could run and then get yourself observed making instantaneous jumps through s.p.a.ce. That's how most of the others got themselves up in Hammernip Hill.”
”And yet you knew about me.”
”Knew about you? Hoped for you is more the truth. Your mother and father-so powerful, so unusual. Why do you think they wanted to make babies together? They'd had children in their first marriages. Pipo and Leonora were very promising. Quirky in their own way. Alf and Gerd, your parents, the two mightiest mages in generations. They won the war for us, you know.”
”I thought we lost.”
”Lost? That's what we called it, for the other Families' sake. 'We surrender! Do with us what you will!'” The mini-tornado sank down and seemed to grovel. ”But they would never have made a treaty and kept it this long if they weren't deathly afraid of us. Even now, they are making no accusations. Because they're afraid of your mother and father.”
”Why not? So am I.”
”They have to keep moving, so they won't fall into a trap. The other Families want them dead. And they s.h.i.+vered with fear when they heard that your mother was pregnant with Alf's child. And then Alf is made Odin, and the word gets out that their only child together is... a drekka? Oh, I'm sure they absolutely believed us on that one.”
”I did,” said Danny. did,” said Danny.
”How would you know that gatemages don't make clants? It's a closely guarded bit of information. Why do you need to make remote copies of yourself, when you can go, just go, go, as with the winged heels of Mercury, to whatever place you wish to see? But we knew. Your seeming drekkitude was just another hopeful sign to us.” as with the winged heels of Mercury, to whatever place you wish to see? But we knew. Your seeming drekkitude was just another hopeful sign to us.”
”Who is 'us'?”
”Just the five of us. Your parents and Mook and Lumtur.”
Aunt Lummy and Uncle Mook. And Thor, of course.
And Mama and Baba.
Danny found himself crying. He didn't know he was going to, didn't feel it coming. He was just... crying. And then sobbing into his hands. Loud sobs. And he wasn't even sure why. Except that it had to do with Mama and Baba.
”Don't you see they had to keep their distance from you?” said Thor. ”What if one of them was caught looking at you with love? Or pride? What would they say that they were proud of, without rousing suspicion? But you have to know that they are are proud of you. Of how well you've done in your studies. Languages-what a marker for a gatemage! Amazing that no one guessed just from that alone! And how resourceful you've been. You realize that you were leaving the compound for months before we finally saw you do it and months more before we saw you use all three escape gates. That was very impressive. Your gates still go only a short way, like the gates of a Pathbrother, but you're what, thirteen? Oh, yes, they're proud of you.” proud of you. Of how well you've done in your studies. Languages-what a marker for a gatemage! Amazing that no one guessed just from that alone! And how resourceful you've been. You realize that you were leaving the compound for months before we finally saw you do it and months more before we saw you use all three escape gates. That was very impressive. Your gates still go only a short way, like the gates of a Pathbrother, but you're what, thirteen? Oh, yes, they're proud of you.”
Danny got control of himself. He was ashamed that Thor had seen him cry, but he couldn't do anything about it now.
”So Mama and Baba don't want me dead?”
”Oh, don't get this wrong, Danny. If you come back into the compound now, you'll be killed. Maybe not at first-maybe they'll wait for your mother and father to come home. But only so they could lead the attack on you. Do you understand?”
”No.” Danny wasn't sure if he was furious at Thor for saying Danny's own parents would have him killed, or furious at his parents because it was true.
”Stop being angry, it just makes you dumb. They'll have have to show that they were absolutely heartless-the law that applies to other people's children applies to their own. It's not as if they could save you at that point. The moment they seemed to be wavering, Zog would peck your eyes out and Gyish would boil your blood.” to show that they were absolutely heartless-the law that applies to other people's children applies to their own. It's not as if they could save you at that point. The moment they seemed to be wavering, Zog would peck your eyes out and Gyish would boil your blood.”
”So now they'll track me down and find me.”
”Think, Danny. Why do you think I was put in charge of our network of informants? The only person tracking you will be me.”
”What am I going to do? In case you didn't know it, thirteen-year-olds aren't safe out in the drowther world, even if they don't have mages from another world hunting them.”
”Danny, Danny, we're not from another world. We're from this this world. For thirteen hundred years we've been from this world.” world. For thirteen hundred years we've been from this world.”
”You're still not answering my question.”
”You'll get along, Danny.”
”How?”
”You're one of us, us, Danny. You might be one of the most powerful mages in the family-we're certainly hoping so, because all this will be wasted if you can't learn how to open a gate to a world you've never seen.” Danny. You might be one of the most powerful mages in the family-we're certainly hoping so, because all this will be wasted if you can't learn how to open a gate to a world you've never seen.”
Danny thought about that for a while. ”I opened a gate to this this place when I had never seen it.” place when I had never seen it.”
”Very impressive. Let's see... two miles, to a place you can see from Hammernip. Why, you'll be ready to go to a planet in another star system tomorrow!”
”I don't even know what's hard or what's easy!”