“We knew Loki was against our taking armaments to Westil,” said Mother. “But I think it was you that brought our tanks and chopper back.”

“And all their crews and pilots,” said Danny. “When they invent explosives on their own, then they can fire projectile weapons at each other.”

Mother and Father looked at each other. “You’re going to send us there, aren’t you,” said Father.

“I am,” said Danny. “And I’ll do it right this second, unless you can convince me that you won’t tip my hand to the rest of the Family.”

“You’d just gather us all up anyway,” said Mother. “All we’d accomplish is making it take longer.”

Danny shrugged. “I might miss somebody. I don’t carry a perfect census of the Family in my head. And Thor had roamers, didn’t he? Family members who never came home.”

“We can ask him,” said Father.

“I’ve had a chance to see a lot more of Westil than a grassy hill with standing stones,” said Mother. “You aren’t exactly punishing us.”

“No running water. No airplanes. No sewers.”

“But you forget,” said Father. “We specialized in drowther machines. I don’t know how long we’ll have to be without the modern amenities.”

“Better plumbing than tanks,” said Danny. “But don’t count on finding fossil fuels. I have no idea if Westil had a carboniferous period.”

“I guess we’ll find out,” said Father. “But I think we proved that we’re not reliant on fossil fuels.”

“I hope,” said Danny, “that you give the drowthers a better life, the way their scientists and engineers and doctors gave a better life to us.”

“And you don’t want us to improve their weapons,” said Mother.

“Arrows and swords cause plenty of damage,” said Danny.

“Especially without a gatemage to heal them,” said Father. “That choice was yours.”

Danny listened to that. When he left the Families stranded in different parts of Westil, he gave each Family a half-dozen healing tokens—gates that would move a person a fraction of an inch whenever they were touched by the face of the amulet. He also gave Loki dozens of them to pass out among the Westilians—mages and drowthers alike.

“I think I need to learn how to make more like this,” said Loki.

“Knock yourself out,” said Danny.

Anonoei brought her sons home, but they returned to Ohio and Kentucky whenever they wanted, because nobody could stop them anyway. As Leslie joked, “It’s not like we can send them to their rooms for a timeout when they’re naughty.”

“Then again,” said Marion, “they’re never naughty.”

“And that’s what should worry you the most,” said Veevee.

By the time all the mages were transferred to Westil, it was time for school to start in Buena Vista, Virginia.