the only way to escape.”
Travis gazed at the piece of the artifact. “How did you open it, Vani? The gate.”
Beltan gave him a startled look.
Travis sat again. He slid his hands across the table toward her own but did not touch them. “The blood I filled it with beneath the Steel Cathedral would have been consumed when you and Beltan returned to Eldh. So what blood did you use to open the gate?”
Vani opened her mouth, but no words came out.
“It’s all right, Mother,” said a small voice behind them. “You can tell them. I don’t mind.”
Nim stood in the kitchen door, holding a piece of paper.
“Tell us what, sweetheart?” Travis said, keeping his tone light, unsure how much she had heard.
The girl pranced to the table and set the paper down. “How we came here. Look, I drew you a picture. It explains everything.”
Travis turned the paper around. The drawing was made up of simple but expressive lines. At the bottom of the paper was a small black triangle. Above the triangle was a large circle with wavy edges. On either side of the circle stood a stick figure, one tall, the other short. The shorter figure held a hand toward the triangle. Small black shapes like teardrops fell from the little figure’s hand onto the triangle.
Only the drops weren’t tears, Travis knew. A sweat sprang out on his skin.
Vani picked up the paper, folded it in half, and gave it back to Nim. “It’s time for you to go to sleep.”
“I know,” the girl said. “I can put myself to bed. I just wanted my fathers to kiss me good night first.”
They did. Beltan picked her up and hugged her, and Travis gave her a solemn kiss on her forehead. She ran to the door, then stopped and looked at Vani.
“I’m lucky, Mother,” she said.
Vani’s gaze was thoughtful. “How so, daughter?”
“Most children have just one father. But I have two.”
With that, Nim was gone. Travis and Beltan sat again at the table. Vani stared at the door where the girl had vanished.
“How?” Travis said simply.
Vani didn’t look at him. “She told me to do it. I refused at first—older though she seems, she is only three—but the sorcerers were close behind us, and I knew my people would not be able to delay them for long. I had little choice. And I learned early on that she knows things. Things she shouldn’t know, yet does all the same.”
Beltan pressed his hand to the inside of his right arm.
“So her blood activated the gate,” Travis said, feeling ill.
“She didn’t even cry as I pricked her finger with a needle.” Vani hesitated, then touched his hand. “Somehow, through some magic of the Little People, she truly is your child, Travis. Even as she is my child, and Beltan’s. She is what she is because of all of us.”
Travis struggled to comprehend. How could Nim really be his child? The Little People had tricked Vani and Beltan, making each think the other was Travis. The two had lain together, and Nim was conceived. But it was only illusion; he hadn’t really been there. Or was it some enchantment of the Little People? Some magic that had taken something from all three of them and imparted it to Nim?
“There’s something else I have not told you.” Vani circled her hands around the onyx tetrahedron—the topmost portion of the gate artifact. “It has been three weeks since I came to Earth. It took me that long to find you, for I began my search in Colorado.”
“Sorry,” Travis said. “We didn’t know we needed to leave a forwarding address.”
Vani did not smile. “I kept the lid of the gate artifact so that I might remain in contact with my people. While a Mournish man or woman’s blood is not enough to open the gate—”
“It’s enough to send a message,” Travis said. “Yes, I know. Are you saying you’ve heard something?”
“Hold out your hand.”
Travis did so, and she set the onyx tetrahedron on his palm. It was warm, and he felt a hum of magic. Blood flowed beneath his skin. Blood
Travis gazed at the piece of the artifact. “How did you open it, Vani? The gate.”
Beltan gave him a startled look.
Travis sat again. He slid his hands across the table toward her own but did not touch them. “The blood I filled it with beneath the Steel Cathedral would have been consumed when you and Beltan returned to Eldh. So what blood did you use to open the gate?”
Vani opened her mouth, but no words came out.
“It’s all right, Mother,” said a small voice behind them. “You can tell them. I don’t mind.”
Nim stood in the kitchen door, holding a piece of paper.
“Tell us what, sweetheart?” Travis said, keeping his tone light, unsure how much she had heard.
The girl pranced to the table and set the paper down. “How we came here. Look, I drew you a picture. It explains everything.”
Travis turned the paper around. The drawing was made up of simple but expressive lines. At the bottom of the paper was a small black triangle. Above the triangle was a large circle with wavy edges. On either side of the circle stood a stick figure, one tall, the other short. The shorter figure held a hand toward the triangle. Small black shapes like teardrops fell from the little figure’s hand onto the triangle.
Only the drops weren’t tears, Travis knew. A sweat sprang out on his skin.
Vani picked up the paper, folded it in half, and gave it back to Nim. “It’s time for you to go to sleep.”
“I know,” the girl said. “I can put myself to bed. I just wanted my fathers to kiss me good night first.”
They did. Beltan picked her up and hugged her, and Travis gave her a solemn kiss on her forehead. She ran to the door, then stopped and looked at Vani.
“I’m lucky, Mother,” she said.
Vani’s gaze was thoughtful. “How so, daughter?”
“Most children have just one father. But I have two.”
With that, Nim was gone. Travis and Beltan sat again at the table. Vani stared at the door where the girl had vanished.
“How?” Travis said simply.
Vani didn’t look at him. “She told me to do it. I refused at first—older though she seems, she is only three—but the sorcerers were close behind us, and I knew my people would not be able to delay them for long. I had little choice. And I learned early on that she knows things. Things she shouldn’t know, yet does all the same.”
Beltan pressed his hand to the inside of his right arm.
“So her blood activated the gate,” Travis said, feeling ill.
“She didn’t even cry as I pricked her finger with a needle.” Vani hesitated, then touched his hand. “Somehow, through some magic of the Little People, she truly is your child, Travis. Even as she is my child, and Beltan’s. She is what she is because of all of us.”
Travis struggled to comprehend. How could Nim really be his child? The Little People had tricked Vani and Beltan, making each think the other was Travis. The two had lain together, and Nim was conceived. But it was only illusion; he hadn’t really been there. Or was it some enchantment of the Little People? Some magic that had taken something from all three of them and imparted it to Nim?
“There’s something else I have not told you.” Vani circled her hands around the onyx tetrahedron—the topmost portion of the gate artifact. “It has been three weeks since I came to Earth. It took me that long to find you, for I began my search in Colorado.”
“Sorry,” Travis said. “We didn’t know we needed to leave a forwarding address.”
Vani did not smile. “I kept the lid of the gate artifact so that I might remain in contact with my people. While a Mournish man or woman’s blood is not enough to open the gate—”
“It’s enough to send a message,” Travis said. “Yes, I know. Are you saying you’ve heard something?”
“Hold out your hand.”
Travis did so, and she set the onyx tetrahedron on his palm. It was warm, and he felt a hum of magic. Blood flowed beneath his skin. Blood
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