Stone kept discovering Orphans from time to time, but because they weren’t receiving any training, only a couple of them reached a level of power where they needed to be given a choice: Play nice with the drowthers, or find yourself on Westil. Everybody decided to play nice, so far.
Danny and Pat went to all the proms, wearing clothing Veevee chose for them. They walked at graduation, and they were both happy that Danny got a huge ovation from the other students, and Pat got far less—but heard some heartfelt whoops from her real friends.
And a week after graduation, Pat’s parents put on an affordable wedding for them at St. John’s United Methodist in Buena Vista—Pat, determined not to be a bridezilla, put her foot down whenever anyone proposed something extravagant. But she couldn’t prevent Danny from giving her an absolutely amazing, yet perfectly tasteful, ring.
“You didn’t borrow this from some jewelry store, right?” she asked.
“I understand that you had to ask,” said Danny, “but no. I had it made for you by a metalmage in Westil. He was very proud of his work, and it’s not like he needed a lot of money for it, since he can draw gold up out of the earth whenever he wants.”
“So how did you pay him?” she asked.
“A couple of amulets of healing,” said Danny. “The ring was easy for him, the amulet was easy for me. But a fair exchange, for a man still raising stupid, reckless children.”
“You got to know his kids?”
“All children are stupid and reckless. Just … some more than others.”
And then they set about producing some stupid, reckless children of their own, while keeping track of their friends and making new ones and then doing a fairly lazy job of working their way through college while pursuing their real career, which was to try and make each other and their children amazingly happy every day of their lives.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ORSON SCOTT CARD is the author of the international bestsellers Shadow of the Giant, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Hegemon, and Ender’s Shadow, and the beloved classic of science fiction, Ender’s Game, as well as the acclaimed fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. You can sign up for email updates here.
BY ORSON SCOTT CARD FROM TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES
ENDER UNIVERSE
Ender Series
Ender’s Game
Ender in Exile
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind
Ender’s Shadow Series
Ender’s Shadow
Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of the Giant
Shadows in Flight
The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
Earth Unaware
Earth Afire
Earth Awakens
Ender Novellas
A War of Gifts
First Meetings
THE MITHERMAGES
The Gate Thief
Gatefather
THE TALES OF ALVIN MAKER
Seventh Son
Red Prophet
Prentice Alvin
Alvin Journeyman
Heartfire
The Crystal City
HOMECOMING
The Memory of Earth
The Call of Earth
The Ships of Earth
Earthfall
Earthborn
WOMEN OF GENESIS
Sarah
Rebekah
Rachel & Leah
THE COLLECTED SHORT FICTION OF ORSON SCOTT CARD
Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card
Keeper of Dreams
STAND-ALONE FICTION
Invasive Procedures (with Aaron Johnston)
Empire
Hidden Empire
The Folk of the Fringe
Hart’s Hope
Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus
Saints
Songmaster
Treason
The Worthing Saga
Zanna’s Gift
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 22
About the Author
By Orson Scott Card from Tom Doherty Associates
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
GATEFATHER
Copyright © 2015 by Orson Scott Card
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Getty Images; cover design by FORT
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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New York, NY 10010
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Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Card, Orson Scott.
Gatefather: a novel / Orson Scott Card. — First edition.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN 978-0-7653-2659-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4299-5208-8 (e-book)
1. Magi—Fiction. 2. Families—Fiction. 3. Good and evil—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3553.A655G39 2015
813'.54—dc23
2015028838
e-ISBN 9781429952088
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First Edition: October 2015