“I didn’t invite you,” said Stone, “you just came. But I’m glad you did. Because I can talk to some people who might know what to do about it.”

“Danny would rather that we kill him,” said Pat, “than let his body be used to hurt other people.”

“Every time I hear people talk about what somebody else ‘would want,’” said Hal, “it’s always pretty much the opposite of what they’d really want.”

“You’re a perceptive young man,” said Stone, “but in this case, Pat has a point. Danny North is a good man. Not perfect, because gatemages are all pranksters and brats, but he wouldn’t want his body used to harm other people. So here’s my hope: If he still has enough control to keep the Belmage from getting the use of his gates, then maybe he can stop him from doing other things, too.”

Pat noticed that the other three girls all reacted to that idea. Laurette with a little nod, Sin by resting her head on her hands, Xena by staring off into space as if remembering something. As if the idea of Danny stopping the Belmage from using his body to do harm meant something to each of them.

Don’t read too much into body language, Pat told herself. You’re a windmage, not a mind reader.

But maybe Stone noticed it, too. Maybe it really was something.

“I think Xena asked the right question,” said Hal. “Should we avoid Danny? Or would that just tell the Belmage that we’re on to him, and put Danny in worse danger?”

“You think this Set guy might possess one of us?” asked Sin.

“He’d prefer a mage,” said Stone.

Pat appreciated the fact that he didn’t look at her when he said it.

“But in a pinch, any body will do. And I mean it that way—not ‘anybody’ but ‘any … body.’ He could go into a dog or a horse or—”

“Pigs,” said Sin. “The Gadarene swine.”

“Anybody who comes near Danny is a potential target,” said Stone.

“How near?” asked Wheeler. “Do you have to be touching him? I mean, Nicki was, like…”

“We know what Nicki was doing,” said Stone, “and no, there doesn’t have to be physical contact. Some people have more resistance than others, though. I think Danny is particularly strong, and that’s why the Belmage set up a situation where he could trick Danny into inviting him in. That gives Set way more access than if he jumps in out of the blue. There are stories of how it can sometimes take a long time to worm in and take full control. Since this subject first came up, Veevee’s been doing a lot of research and trying to work up a sort of biography of Set. Though it’s hard to distinguish what’s done by Set himself and what’s really the work of the Sutahites.”