“I see that your outself may indeed be divisible,” said Wad. It was true enough—the outselves of all children might be divisible, and those that were going to be gatemages would be the most divisible of all. But there was no way to tell at such a young age. “But things like that take time. No one knows what you’ll become.”

Anonoei looked at Wad. “For you he speaks,” she said.

“He sees my power,” said Wad. “He’s too young to understand my wickedness.”

“The wickedness of all the mages,” said Anonoei. “What did I ever do but seek to advance myself?”

“And love your children.”

“Look at the danger I put them in,” said Anonoei.

“Their very conception was dangerous,” said Wad. “But all children are born into a world of danger, where they’re bound to die.”

“Listen to the two of you,” said Eko.

They looked at her, surprised that such a quiet, mousy person would speak to mages of their kind.

“Bragging about who is most monstrous,” said Eko.

Was I bragging? Wad asked himself.

“Monstrous or not,” said Anonoei, “I want revenge.”

“I came here so you could have it,” said Wad. “Against me, if you choose. I will not gate away.”

“And what then?” asked Anonoei. “Without your help, what vengeance can I have on her?”

“Promise me this,” said Wad. “That you will not harm her baby.”

“This from the man who—”

“I know what I did to your sons,” said Wad. “I’m telling you now that if you harm her baby, you will not be able to live with it. I know what I’m talking about. No matter how you rage against her, her baby has done nothing. Your children did not deserve to suffer, even though their existence posed a danger to my son. My son did not deserve to die, even though his existence posed a danger to this new child of Prayard’s and Bexoi’s. And their son does not deserve to die.”

“So this is the root you’ve found for your morality?” asked Anonoei. “Do what you want, just don’t hurt the children?”

“For lack of any deeper root, that will have to do for now,” he said. “Agree to that, or kill me now, because I’ll never help you get revenge against a child. I’ve gone down that road and it’s too terrible to travel on again.”

“There’s no way that we could hurt her more,” said Anonoei.

“But what good is it to hurt her, if we destroy ourselves in the process?” asked Wad.

“Listen to the two of you,” Eko said again. “All your power, and all it is to you is a means to get revenge.”

Wad looked at her sadly. “I tried to save the world, once upon a time, but what I was saving it for I still don’t know, and in the end I failed.”