Gatefather (30 page)

“Who were their trading rivals? File Apwor, Barliham, Ru, Nix—”

“Nix is in the far north,” said Hermia. “And I think Loki's work is all in the far north. From things Danny has said.”

“So the lightning singles out the ships of Nix?”

“I don't think you should
destroy
any of them. I wouldn't want us to start a naval war.”

“No, but … show their vulnerability,” said Gerd. “I'm thinking—vast lightnings in the sky, but only a bit of dancing light on every ship carrying the banner of Nix.”

“Maybe just …
little
fires at the tops of the masts?” asked Hermia. “Nobody dies, no ship sinks, but they have to scramble to put out the fires, and maybe refit a little before they sail away?”

“If only the ships of Nix are affected,” said Gerd, “are we saying that we're the friends of Ny or the enemies of Nix?”

“I don't think it matters yet,” said Hermia. “It's just enough to start rumors flying. The way the Tempester of Hetterwee has the whole world talking. They're speculating that a Great Gate has opened again, somewhere. Let's give them a little more to chew on.”

From the terrace of the house they had a fine view of all the ships docked at the wharves or anchored in the river. And once Gerd had a fairly steady stream of lightning dashing back and forth across the sky, it was easy to see which banners flew from the various ships. They marked five Nixy ships and Gerd drew down wisps of lightning to illuminate them, and then intensified them all at once, at the tops of the masts, so they burst into flame.

The banners immediately flared, and there was an immediate hurly and bustle on the docks. Two of the ships were at a berth, and men from shore could rush on board to put out the flames. Two others were anchored near to shore, so that boats could reach them quickly and join the men aboard who were already fighting the flames.

In every case, they immediately unstepped the highest portion of each burning mast, cutting the sheets and lines so that they could be pitched overboard. There was no machinery to bring water to the tops of the masts. Something for Alf to invent for them, perhaps, thought Gerd. A system of pumps. A fireboat that could stand off from a burning ship and put out the fires.

“Uh-oh,” said Hermia. “That one's getting out of hand.”

The ship that was anchored farthest out in the river was now burning right down to the deck. Nobody seemed to be fighting the fire on board, and if one of the boats from shore was headed out there, they weren't going to reach it in time.

“They should have left some of their crew on board,” said Hermia. “Instead of letting them all go drinking and whoring in town.”

“They might
be
on board,” said Gerd. “Asleep below deck. Where they couldn't hear any of the shouting from closer in to shore.”

“Probably all so drunk they couldn't be wakened by anything. Or the thunder would already have woken them,” said Hermia. “You put on quite a noisy show.”

“You have to go waken them so they can get off the boat,” said Gerd.

“There's nobody on board,” said Hermia.

“You don't know that,” said Gerd. “If this is to look like a great mage announcing herself, there shouldn't be any deaths.”

“I get it,” said Hermia. “You expect me to go out there, into a burning ship, and wake them up?”

“Gate them to land, if that's what it takes,” said Gerd.

“I can only do it one at a time. What if there are too many of them?”

“You said a moment ago that there's nobody. Go now, before the ship is gone and it's too late.”

“So I have to clean up after your clumsiness,” said Hermia.

Before Gerd could shout at her to
move
, Hermia grinned. “I bow to your vast wisdom, O ancient lady.” And she was gone.

A few minutes later, Hermia was back on the terrace. “Only one man, and yes, drunk as a skunk. He was actually on the verge of death from smoke inhalation, but I got him out into the water, and of course the movement immediately healed him.”

“Did it teach him how to swim?” asked Gerd.

“Don't sailors all know how to swim?”

“A Greek should know the answer to that,” said Gerd.

“Well,
now
it's required of every sailor on every ship in our fleet,” said Hermia, “but in ancient times … and yes, you're right, he's already completely underwater.”

Hermia disappeared, and this time when she returned she was soaking wet. “I wasn't really in the mood for a dip tonight,” she said, shaking herself a little. “But I got him right over to a boat that's headed for his ship, and they're pulling him in. Of course he got undrowned in the process. It's nice that some aspects of this take no effort.”

That farthest ship was burning to the waterline.

And the two boats that had been pulling toward it suddenly reversed direction and raced over the river, heading back toward shore.

“Well, well,” said Gerd. “I think we will have accomplished more than we hoped for.”

“What do you mean?” said Hermia. “Obviously they saw that it was hopeless and they're heading back.”

“At that speed?” asked Gerd. “No, I think somebody has invented gunpowder or some other explosive, and that ship is full of it.”

As if in answer to her statement, the burning ship was replaced by a fireball and then the boom of an explosion, so forceful that the terrace trembled and Gerd could hear glassware and ceramics in the house breaking.

“It must be explosives used in mining, that's all,” said Hermia.

“Mining is done with the help of Cobblefriends and Rockbrothers,” said Gerd. “This is Westil, where magery isn't a secret and technology isn't a solution.”

“Good point,” said Hermia.

“Nix was bringing explosives here for some other reason. I think it will be nice for us to allow the Nixies to explain why they anchored that ship so far out in the water, with only one watchman aboard. What
were
they going to do with it? Why did they bring it right upriver to Ny itself?”

“You have a gatemage's heart,” said Hermia.

“In a box on my closet shelf,” said Gerd. “Now take me home to my husband. I think he may conclude that we need to find out if Nix has reached a technological level that Alf and I can work with.”

 

14

“I wish you wouldn't,” said Wad, but Anonoei knew that he couldn't stop her. And, because he couldn't, he wouldn't even try.

“You're free to come along and watch,” said Anonoei.

“You think I oppose this because I'm afraid for you,” said Wad, “but I'm not. I know you can escape instantly. I still don't understand what you do, or how Danny North managed to teach it to you. But you're safer alone than you are with me.”

“Why do you oppose it, then? The last thing we need now is for Frostinch to invade Iceway, and I intend to prevent it.”

“I know you've been practicing with Bexoi's powers, since you have them along with your own.”

“I'd be a fool not to,” said Anonoei.

“I don't want Frostinch's life to end in flames,” said Wad.

“There's no reason why it should,” said Anonoei.

“He's a selfish little cretin and he poisoned his own father, but only because you persuaded him to.”

“I take responsibility for that,” said Anonoei.

“No, you don't, and you never will, because if you did, people might realize that Bexoi's lovely body no longer contains Bexoi's ugly little pret.”

“Inside my own mind, I take responsibility for it.”

“And feel not even a spark of guilt.”

“Frostinch's father was the Jarl of Gray, who forced King Prayard's father to accept humiliating terms and compelled Prayard himself to take Bexoi as his wife. I can't mourn too much for his unfortunate demise.”

“And when you're there in the presence of Frostinch, his murderer and successor, it will occur to you that Frostinch frightened is not half so useful as Frostinch dead.”

“Now it won't occur to me there,” said Anonoei, “because you said it to me here.”

“There are larger issues in the world than whether Iceway or Gray is the dominant power in the North.”

“Larger to you,” said Anonoei. “Wad, don't you see? Danny's the one in control of things now.”

“Danny has no gates,” said Wad.

“Danny doesn't need them,” said Anonoei. “And if he
did
have gates, then Set would have been able to use them.”

“Danny thinks he has Set under control, and so he's going to try to do stupid things.”

“Danny told you that he knows that whatever control he has over Set can't be relied on, and he will never bring him here.”

“Until he changes his mind,” said Wad.

“So only you are wise,” said Anonoei.

“Only I am a thousand years old,” said Wad. “I've learned to be relentless, and Danny North hasn't.”

“You're telling me to abandon the liberation of my own people, who are currently under the control of a conquering enemy, in order to help you prepare for a struggle that's
over
, except in your nightmares.”

“Exactly,” said Wad. “Because my nightmare is infinitely worse than the petty humiliations that Gray exacts from Iceway.”

“Let's not quarrel,” said Anonoei. “I promise not to kill Frostinch.”

“You shouldn't put King Prayard's baby in danger.”

“There's no danger.”

“What you really mean,” said Wad, “is that it's not your baby. But it's the child of that body you're wearing, and that's the only body you can ever use to have a child, so you might as well consider it to be yours.”

“I have two sons of my own,
real
sons, back in Mittlegard,” said Anonoei. “When I bring them home—”

“King Prayard will have them killed, because they're bastards born to a mistress and now they pose a threat to his legitimate heir. What story will you tell him,
Bexoi
, to explain that you're secretly his mistress after all? How will you convince him that you're not insane?”

“Wad, I came to you as a courtesy, because I thought you were my friend. I see that you want to control me—”

“I'm trying to
persuade
you,” said Wad.

“You want me to do your will,” said Anonoei.

“I want you to help me save Westil.”

“I have Bexoi's powers,” said Anonoei, “plus my own, all enhanced by passage through a Great Gate. When I've resolved things in the North, I'll help you wherever you need me.”

“I know you mean what you're saying…”

“Wad, you know that if I wanted to use my powers to persuade
you
…”

“I know you've told me that you never have.”

“And I spoke the truth. If it
weren't
true, do you think I'd waste time arguing with you now?”

“I think you know that I'm right, and so you don't want to meddle with my superior wisdom.” He said it with a slight smile, meaning her to take it as irony, as wit.

But Anonoei decided to distract him with something true. “Wad, I know that there's more danger to Westil than whatever Danny North poses. That selfish, irresponsible Greek girl brought someone else from Mittlegard several days ago. A week, now, come to think.”

“There was no Great Gate, and she can't make gates anyway.…”

“How long did you think it would take trusting, sweet-tempered Danny North to teach her to do what he taught
me
to do?”

“This power of movement can carry you between worlds?”

“Without the creation of any kind of gate.”

“And you can sense it?”

“Just as you can sense gates,” said Anonoei. “I can also sense every person who dies, from the moment their pret moves away from Mitherhame to return to Duat. It's distracting but not unpleasant. Like a kind of music in the background of my life. A lot of people die, every hour of the day and night.”

“Where is the Greek girl?”

“She took the woman back to Mittlegard,” said Anonoei. “They were only here for a day. In Ny, though I can't think why.”

“Did you go there? Watch them? Listen?”

“I can't peep through tiny gates the way you can, Wad. Either I'm there or I'm not. And I'm pregnant. I have no idea what powers the mage she brought with her might have. So I'm not going to put the baby at risk.”

“If you had told
me
she was here,
I
could have listened and watched to see what this was all about.”

“So go now,” said Anonoei, “and ask people if anything strange happened a week ago.”

“I needed to know what they were
planning
.”

“Then go to Mittlegard and interview her yourself. I couldn't tell you she was here, because I didn't know where you were. This is the first time you've come to me since it happened, and so you can see that I told you at the first opportunity.”

“You know where I am all the time,” said Wad.

“I suppose I do,” said Anonoei. “But I can't very well show up, a pregnant queen, when you might be involved in some delicate conversation.”

“While you wear that face,” said Wad, “it's better if you don't make foolish excuses or gloat about having deceived me.”

“I'm not doing either,” said Anonoei. “I'm not trying to control
you
, I'm trying to give you your freedom as you used to give me mine.”

“Nobody can control you, so you have your freedom,” said Wad.

“I do,” said Anonoei. And with that she moved herself instantly to a corridor in Frostinch's palace.

The truth was that she
didn't
know exactly where Wad was, the way he could instantly track every gate and leap right to it. She had a bit of herself in Wad, just as she did in Frostinch and every one of the others she influenced—her heartbound, if truth be known. But unless she actually chose to take control of him, she couldn't locate him precisely in space.