Bastion

honey in it. Mags felt as drained as could be.
    “How did we do that?” he wondered aloud.
    “Your Gift,” Amily repeated. “I told you already. It’s very strong. I suppose Dallen can Heal, but can’t see how to do it. Bear knows what to do, but can’t Heal. You bridged them and made up the difference in energy.”
    That’s what I thought. But it still don’t seem possible. He thought he should feel triumphant, but instead he only felt horrible. This wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for him. They wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for him. . . .
    He was pretty darn sure of at least one thing. This wasn’t Bey’s doing. Bey hadn’t been up there with the others. Bey probably didn’t even realize the other Sleepgivers were there; he’d gotten the feeling that Bey hadn’t left the caves in the entire time that he’d been here, so he wouldn’t necessarily know when his countrymen turned up. Or even that they had turned up.
    Well, he knows now.
    Maliciously, Mags wished that another storm would come and turn them all into frozen lumps, but if the last one hadn’t, they’d probably survive another. There must be some sort of shelter up there, he thought. Maybe other caves, ones that don’t connect with the ones down here. That last storm might have done them an actual favor, scouring most of the snow from the heights so they could move around. Damn them!
    How long had they been following him? Probably since his return to Haven. He thought that if they’d been following earlier, Bey would certainly have noticed and would probably have joined with them.
    Or maybe not; Bey seemed to want to handle this himself. He did have a lot of contempt for the second-rankers. Some of them, at least.
    His thoughts circled around and around, restlessly, and he knew what he was trying to avoid. The obvious. He had to give himself up. There was no other answer. He couldn’t allow his friends to be cut down, and he couldn’t allow innocent villagers to be murdered. And this time there would be no reprieve—
    Would Dallen come with him?
    :I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth,: came the exhausted reply. :Do what you must, Chosen. You will still be a Herald of Valdemar no matter where you go or what else you are. If you must turn yourself over to them, tell them at once that you are Bey’s prisoner and that he said not to meddle with you. So long as we can keep those spirits out of your head, you will remain yourself, and this will be somewhat on your own terms.:
    Somewhat, Dallen said. And Dallen was right, he could never do this completely on his own terms, even at the best interpretation. All Bey had to do was make a veiled threat about what the Sleepgivers would do to people he cared about, back in Haven, and Mags would give in and do whatever he asked. Really, all he had to do was threaten anyone in Valdemar, and Mags would yield. Mags liked Bey and trusted what he said, and he believed that, on his own terms and in his own way, he was honest. But Bey was also a ruthless killer and saw no reason why threatened death could not be used as a lever to move Mags.
    He looked over at Amily and dreaded telling her. She couldn’t come with him; that was impossible. Bey wouldn’t allow it, and neither would her father. Or if Bey allowed it, it would only be so he had another hold over Mags. Sure, they would be together, but they would be miserable, what with him knowing Bey just had to hint he’d hurt her to get his way, and her knowing that she was the reason he’d be doing things that weren’t right. She sipped tea and smiled tremulously at him. Did she guess?
    “I’m gonna check on Jakyr,” he said, lurching to his feet. He trudged toward Lita’s sleeping nook; Amily seemed to understand he needed to be alone and remained where she was.
    Or maybe she realized what he had to do, and she was wrestling with the implications, too. Maybe he had made her sad that he hadn’t asked her to come with him, and she hadn’t yet figured out she would be the weapon against Mags in Bey’s hands. Or maybe she had realized that, and that was making her sad. In any case, what could he say to her? He seemed to be fumbling everything at the moment.
    Lita had left a lantern burning on the hook she had made above the bed area. Jakyr was awake and staring at the ceiling of the nook when Mags peeked around the canvas curtain. Before Mags could say anything, he spoke. “This was why I fought with Lita and