“When I saw those people, what they were going through ... that nearly made me come for you then and there. Then, when I found out what that boy was doing ... well, that sealed it. We can’t have that, Eugenie. You know we can’t. If other gentry catch on to what he’s doing and realize they too can just march on over and take what they want, you can imagine the chaos that would follow. What’s really awful about it all is that in some twisted way, I understand why he’s doing it. He’s a kid. He sees a problem, and he’s trying to fix it. God help me, maybe I’d do the same in his place.”

It occurred to me then that Roland’s emotion wasn’t just because he’d come to me in exile or because of gentry going on rabid shopping trips. Those were upsetting him, but the real problem was that Roland’s worldview had been shaken. He’d spent his life in the shamanic trade, crossing worlds and ousting those who didn’t belong in ours. His view of the gentry had never been good, and it had worsened when he’d rescued my mother and later seen the way I’d been ensnared in magical schemes. Yet, now, through a weird series of events, against everything he’d always told himself, he’d suddenly come to see the gentry as ... people.

Having your beliefs radically altered like that—no matter what your age was—could be devastating. I knew that from personal experience.

I hugged him. “It’s okay,” I said, unable to remember any time in my life when I’d comforted him. “You did the right thing in coming to me. You’re right to feel like you do. I feel the same. It’s terrible—all of it.”

Roland awkwardly patted my back, and I knew he felt embarrassed by his emotions. With another sigh, he stepped back and regarded me wearily. “Yes, but what do we do about it? I can fight that kid off, you know. His hits are in Tucson—probably because of the gates—and I could easily call in a few outside shamans to help me. Still, I think a little reasoning might go farther.”

“It would,” I agreed. “Especially if it came from me.” It was also preferable to Pagiel getting banished. Unfortunately, me “reasoning” with him was easier said than done. “I have to go back.”

“Eugenie—”