The Way of the Brother Gods by Stuart Jaffe

things, and if you repeat any of this, I'll kill you. I've traveled a long way to find Cole Watts because I knew she'd be the one who could open a portal. I've risked the lives of my friends to do so. I did this because I'm going through the portal, and I'm going to find my way home. Now I didn't learn about you until just a few days ago, but it seems to me that you can answer a lot of my questions, save me a lot of time and trouble, and maybe even help me avoid hurting my friends. So, you better start telling me about the Gate and who I am or you'll find out just how many of the rumors about me are true."
    Harskill didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't show the slightest sign of fear. With a stoic face, he returned every ounce of the cold strength pouring out of Malja. A strong wind rattled metal on metal. But when Malja frowned and backed up a sliver of an inch, Harskill winked and said, "It seems Ms. Watts was accurate when she told me how tough you are and how you prefer to solve your problems by force."
    "Tell me —"
    Raising a hand that, to Malja's surprise, stopped her, Harskill said, "Give me a little of your trust and I promise that all your questions will be answered. Even though when I'm finished, you'll probably wish you hadn't asked."
    Before Malja could say another word, Harskill continued up the stairs. At the top was another wide hall. Harskill led the way through a heavy door to the outside. The floor sloped upward, ending on the edge of the Dish.
    Malja gasped. This high up, the air was cold and strong. It whipped around causing Malja's assault suit to heat up in an effort to maintain her body temperature.
    "Look behind you," Harskill said.
    When Malja turned around, she gasped again. From this vantage, the Dish laid out before her like an enormous, smooth crater. The light gray surface had been made out of endless tiles, each one the size of a large bed. Three crews of workers walked to various spots — patching or replacing damaged tiles. A platform had been erected at the bottom of the Dish in the center, and on that platform, a large portal frame sat.
    "When this is complete," Harskill said, placing his hands wide apart on a chipped, metal railing, "the Dish will focus all the energy Ms. Watts can produce onto that single point in the center. From there she hopes to be able to crack open a portal inside the frame that will be controlled and sustainable. Unfortunately for her, she wishes to achieve this without the aid of magic. I've never seen such a thing successfully done. And I've seen many attempts."
    Malja took a deep breath, trying to control her impatience. The best she could manage was to sound calm when she asked, "Who am I?"
    "You are one of the Gate," he said, never taking his eyes from the Dish. "And if your goal is to find a way home, well, then you share the same goal as most of the Gate. I regret having to tell you this, but we have no home anymore. Ours has been gone for generations."
    A sharp pain burned in the center of Malja's chest. "W-What?"
    "Surely, you understand by now that, for most people on most worlds, playing with portals is more than just dangerous. It can be catastrophic. To the best of my knowledge, our people are the only ones to ever successfully reach a level of control over portals that we can travel through them without the physical consequences others have experienced. Like the Devastation that Ms. Watts told me about. But all things still have a price."
    "Are you saying the Gate destroyed their world?"
    Harskill patted the metal railing as if assuring himself of its sturdiness. "I never thought Ms. Watts would get this far, but then again, I've never quite seen a world like this one. Despite the horrible repercussions you've suffered from attempting to control portals, you all still keep trying. And, if what I understand is correct, you've had some limited success as well. But that won't last. If this Dish gets close to working, it'll make your Devastation look like