Then, in a rush, all the rest of them streamed back to Danny. To his hearthoard. He hadn’t taken them back from Loki. He had only given them their freedom, and they respected and affirmed their bond to Danny. They came home.

But these were the prets that had already been attuned to Danny all his life. Of course they understood his invitation and of course most of them heeded it. What were the Sutahites seeing? What sense could they make of his invitation?

He felt the first one after only a few minutes. But those minutes were long, and it was only one.

Then another. And one of the Sutahites went to Loki. And three to Pat. And five to Veevee. And ten to Anonoei and a hundred to Enopp and ten thousand to Eluik and a million to Loki this time and now ten million to Pat and billions to Danny North. He felt them gathering in his hearthoard, settling among the prets that had served him, had been a part of him since birth. Perhaps learning their work, understanding their lives by sharing memory with Danny’s longtime prets.

All the Sutahites were gone. Yet none were loose in the world, and none had returned to Set. They had all been incorporated into someone’s outself. And every one of the Mithermages gathered at the shingle oak was now far more powerful than if they had passed through ten Great Gates.

Is the bond real? Danny had no way of knowing, except to see what would happen.

He made a gate. Veevee opened it. Closed it. Moved it. Locked and unlocked it.

Then Veevee made a gate. For the first time in her life, she was a full-fledged Pathsister, at least, if not a Gatemother. She could make gates and make them public and they would persist in time and space. She wept.

Danny felt a momentary pang at not having included the Silvermans in this, or Stone. But then he thought of his parents and aunts and uncles, and imagined what this vast increase in power would have changed them into, and he was content that it was only this group.

“So now you have to decide how you’re going to use this new part of yourself,” said Danny aloud. “Because it matters to the prets how you use them. Let it be a joy to them, to be part of your life and all your actions. Not a burden or a shame.”

“Thanks for saying that,” said Loki. “I’ve now changed completely from bad to good.”

“Don’t be such a brat,” said Anonoei. “You’ve always been good.”

“I had odd ways of showing it,” said Loki.

“Time for self-analysis later,” said Danny. “All of you should go back where you were, please. Because Hermia’s coming.”

“How do you know?” asked Pat.

“Because I’ve been sending her away the instant she appeared.”