Then he followed them back to her gatehoard and ate the last one, too. All three now, everything she had, was inside his hearthoard. He could feel their terror. But no anger. Hermia was not angry. She was afraid, but she knew she deserved this. She knew that he could easily kill her, gate her to the bottom of the ocean and have done with her. Her treachery deserved no less. It had been the opening salvo in a war she could not win.

But he wouldn’t kill her. She must have known that about him, though clearly he did not know her at all. However, she would understand that rendering her blind and crippled to gates was actually a mild punishment, compared to the rules of war. Now he would not have to stay awake, waiting for her next move.

Indeed, this attempt to move his new Great Gate might have been intended as an offering. She must have known he would detect the attempt and block it. She was giving him the chance to punish her in this lesser way. Still terrible, but there was always the chance he might give her gates back to her.

The chance, perhaps. But he could not think what she might say or do to win back his trust.

There were nowhere near as many Norths as there were Illyrians. They were already done, and all the Orphans, too.

“I want you to go through the Great Gate, too,” said Danny. “And come right back. This is a better gate. It will make you stronger than you are. Will you do that?”

“Yes,” said Enopp. “Who was it that you ate up?”

“A friend who betrayed me,” said Danny.

“But you didn’t gate her anywhere,” said Enopp. “Wad gates people places. He kept me in prison for more than a year.”

“I’m not … Wad,” said Danny. “I’m a different man and I use my magery a different way.”

“Are you a weakling?” asked Enopp. “Eluik thinks you are weak, to be afraid to hurt people.”

“When someone is dead I can’t bring them back,” said Danny. “And if I hurt them too terribly, I can never win their trust.”

“Weak,” said Enopp. “That’s what Eluik says.”

“When he takes back his own body and speaks for himself I’ll take notice of what he says,” said Danny. “Meanwhile, are you willing to go through the gate and come back?”

“Yes,” said Enopp.

And Eluik nodded.

Danny gated them down to the isthmus where the outbound gate was. Stone would send them through.

Then Danny gated himself to Lexington and found Zog. He was still full of rage, but he spoke politely. Fawningly. “The Lord Danny has subdued this vile old bird,” said Zog. “I know who holds the power here.”