“Yes, I do,” said Wad. “If your choice is between the knife and her certain death, you’ll choose the knife, with me watching to keep her safe.”

“You can heal her from the knife, but not from this … this sleep that is on her.”

“She is not asleep,” said Wad. “I believe she hears all, knows what is happening, listens to this conversation. She’s helpless to respond, because her body is not under her control.”

“So is she under the control of a manmage?” asked Prayard.

“Don’t imagine manmages to be all that powerful,” said Wad. “This is a weak age of the world, with no Great Gates to enhance the power of mages. No manmage could steal this woman’s body from her.”

But Anonoei had been through a Great Gate. And Enopp and Eluik had some weird power over each other that had left Eluik as silent as Bexoi, though not quite so inert. Wad had no idea if what he was saying to Prayard was the truth. He almost hoped that it was not, because that might mean that Anonoei was somehow still alive, trapped—at least her ba—inside Bexoi. So when it came time to kill Bexoi—after the baby was safely born—then killing her might also liberate the remnant of Anonoei, setting her ba free to return to Duat, the way Danny North had set the captive gates free by giving them to themselves.

As if he had been called by Wad’s thought of him, Danny North suddenly stood behind King Prayard, his hands in his pockets, slouching like a boy who isn’t sure whether he’s going to be in trouble or not.

How could Danny North be here on Westil? If he had made another Great Gate, Wad would know it, not just because he could sense any gate that was made on either world, but also because all of Danny’s gates were under Wad’s control, and could not be used without Wad’s knowledge.

Only Wad now realized that Danny had appeared here without the use of any gate at all, or at least none that Wad could see. And Wad could see all gates. How had Danny come?

Prayard must have noticed Wad’s surprise, because he turned to look where Wad was looking.

Danny North wasn’t there.

But he wasn’t dodging Prayard’s notice. Danny North was now kneeling at the head of Bexoi’s bed, and he reached out a hand and touched her forehead.

“Who are you?” asked Prayard quietly. “You came as this one comes. Are you a gatemage?”

“He is,” said Wad. “But he has no business here.”

“Then send him away,” said Prayard.

Wad tried. He made a gate and passed it over Danny North—but Danny did not move. It was unthinkable—nobody could resist the power of a gate. And yet that’s what he had done.