The Lost Gate

Overview

Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different, and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.

He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins, and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.

There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English — but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny’s cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.

Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.

Plot

Danny, being the oldest person in the North family not to have developed any visible powers, is forced to work as a teacher and babysitter for younger kids with more magical power than him. One day, while trying to make his cousins to focus on learning about their powers, he decides to take drastic measures. Wrapping their 'clants', creatures they create by channeling their wills, in a sack, he prevents them from leaving their clant bodies or from escaping the sack. He ties them in a tree to teach them a lesson, but is confronted by his outraged family. After everyone leaves, his favourite aunt, nicer than most of the family, tells him to retrieve the girls, and while climbing the tree for the second time, and more slowly, he discovers that he has created a magical gate while climbing the tree. The gate teleports him a short distance up the tree, healing his bruises at the same time, and is a forbidden type of magic he didn't expect to have. After returning the girls' clants, freeing them, he pretends not to know about his forbidden powers, and continues with his duties, knowing he is hunted. When Danny is thirteen, he and his family are inspected by the Argyros family, the Greeks. With them is a girl a year or so younger than him. The Norths try to act pathetic and weak, and later, while he is spying on the adults from both families, the twelve-year-old girl, Yllka, comes into the room and reveals him as a gatemage. While he is a Gatefather, the most powerful type, she seems to be nothing more than a Finder, who can sense gates. When Danny escapes, he comes apon Thor, who informs him that the North family has suspected his skill, but promises not to try very hard to track Danny, while warning Danny that he should try to hide or Thor will be forced to capture him. Afterwards, Danny goes to a local Wal-Mart, where even though he is observed by a detective, Danny makes off with decent clothes. Danny then encounters Eric, a teenager who begs and burglarizes houses, and they beg for money and rides until they get to DC. There, Danny and Eric find a house home to a man named Stone, a windmage(a person that can control wind) named Ced, and Ced's wife Lana. Shortly after entering, Danny is sexually assaulted by Lana, which makes Danny realize the consequences of not being able to use his gates in an emergency.Afterwards, Danny and Eric rob a house using Danny's gates to their advantage, only to find that out of all of the houses in the area, they chose the one which had already been robbed. Inside a cellar in the house, Danny finds a family tied up and left for dead, and the father has died. Danny calls the police afterward and is yelled at by Eric for calling the police whilst robbing a house.

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