That was the problem. Since the Families didn’t regard drowthers as having any value, they wouldn’t hold them as hostages. If they got annoyed, they’d just kill his emissaries.

In fact, as soon as anyone realized that Danny had friends, they might try to use them against him. Threaten them. Follow them. Kidnap them. Kill them. Without waiting for Danny to send them anywhere.

He couldn’t concentrate on all of them at once. He couldn’t keep them safe. “What have I done to you guys?” asked Danny.

“What are you talking about?” asked Laurette.

Danny explained his worry.

“Cool,” said Wheeler. “It’s like being inside a comic book.”

“Except we’re collateral damage,” said Hal.

“We’re the red shirt guys,” said Pat.

Danny made a gate, a very small one, and put it directly above a small stone lying in the clearing. “Hal,” said Danny. “Would you pick up that stone?”

Hal didn’t bother looking to see exactly which stone. He just lunged for the general area, reaching for any stone, and when his hand brushed the gate, he fell into it and he was sitting ten feet away. “That is disorienting,” he complained.

“That wasn’t what I wanted,” said Danny. “I’m trying to see if I can tie a gate to a thing instead of a place. Just move the stone, somebody. Laurette, keep your hand low and move it slowly and I’ll tell you which stone.”

She moved carefully—though Danny also noticed that she bent over at such an angle that her considerable cleavage was aimed right at him. Was that because it was her habit, or because she was thinking the same way Xena was, that because Danny could do magery he was suddenly cool enough to be worth flirting with?

“That one,” said Danny.

Laurette picked up the stone.

The gate stayed in the air above where the stone had been.

“Damn,” said Danny.

“Didn’t work?” asked Laurette.

“I was hoping I could do it because I went to Westil. The enhancement of my powers.”

“Bummer,” said Hal. He was back in the circle now.

“Who cares?” asked Sin. “It’s just a rock.”

“He wants us to be able to carry gates around with us,” said Pat. “So we can stick a finger in a gate and be somewhere else.”

Sometimes she surprised him. Sour as she was, she was always thinking. Maybe when you don’t care whether other people like you, you have more brainspace for analysis.

“Well, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work,” said Hal. “Whether you went through a Great Gate or not.”

“What do you know about magic?” said Xena contemptuously.

“What I know about is physics,” said Hal. “Basic, elementary, pathetic, every-semi-educated-moron-should-know-it-level physics.”

“Xena slept through the physics unit in eighth-grade science,” said Laurette.

“Danny always attaches his gates to small moving objects,” said Hal. “He’s never done anything else.”