“But our enemies can all see the limitations of our power because we’re showing everybody all that we can do,” said Gerd. “And they’ll gang up against us because the other Families have hated us for centuries. Us against everybody. I want to go home to Westil!”

Alf stood there in silence for a moment, and then put the toothbrush back in his mouth and brushed as he returned to the bathroom.

Where he was standing, a young woman suddenly materialized. Gerd recognized her immediately.

“You,” said Gerd. “That Greek girl.”

“Hermia by title,” said the girl. “Yllka was my birth name.”

“It seems the Great Gate has made a real gatemage out of you after all.”

“No,” said Hermia. “And Danny took all my gates anyway, so it wouldn’t matter.”

“Yet here you are.”

Alf was now standing behind Hermia, fury in his eyes and stance.

“There’s nothing you can do, Odin,” said Hermia, giving him his title. “Danny and his girlfriend taught me a different way of moving without gates at all. I can be gone—and healed from any damage you do—almost before you do whatever you’re thinking. Gone and with no trace of where I went.”

“Aren’t you the powerful one,” said Alf.

“You know that I’m not,” said Hermia. “Everything depends on gatemages, everybody’s power, healing in battle. But that’s all we are—transportation and medical. Everybody else has more real power.”

“How modest of you,” said Gerd. “Though of course you can ‘transport’ your enemies to the bottom of the ocean or deep into space or the heart of the sun or miles up in the sky. So I can’t really think of you as just ‘transportation and medical.’”

“All right,” said Hermia. “I’m very powerful. So powerful that I could listen to your whole conversation tonight without your knowing I was here. My purpose was only to gather information, but something occurred to me and I realized that you’re missing an opportunity by not doing exactly what Gerd is yearning for.”

“None of your business,” said Alf.

“Even if we can’t stop you from listening,” said Gerd, “we don’t have to empower you by listening to you.”

“‘Empower,’” Hermia repeated. “You are so American.”

“In gods we trust,” said Alf. “What do you want, Yllka?”

“I had a thought, that’s all. And since you’re the only people in either world who can do anything about it, I might as well say it to you and see if it leads anywhere.”

“Then say it,” said Alf.

“These planes and tanks you’ve enhanced—never run out of fuel, parts never wear out cause there’s no friction, make their own electricity, practically fly themselves, weapons that don’t miss—”

“We know what we did,” said Alf.

“You made them more powerful and useful, but you’re still just working with stuff drowthers made.”