Gramps nodded. “Thank you, Lois—for everything.”
With that, the witch opened her own portal and disappeared to a place where the sun shone brightly.
“Could you possibly open one for me, too?” Gelbus asked when Lois’s portal closed. He stepped forward, now no longer lost in the shadows of the others.
“In due time,” Gramps said. “For now, we would like you to come with us.”
The Gnome’s eyes lit up. “To Earth?”
“If you don’t mind.”
Gelbus shook his head. “For Maria Apple, I would do anything. I owe her more than my life.”
Maria smiled. “No, Gelbus, you owe me nothing.”
“Without you, I’d be gone.”
“I was just doing what any good person would’ve done,” she answered.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, can we quit all this sappy crap and go home? I really could use a good rooting through the garbage.
Maria wiggled her eyebrows and laughed. “Oh, Sherlock, you’d be lost without your new Gnome friend. I saw you two kicking ass back there. Never thought Sherlock would be one to get chummy with you, Gelbus.”
“Oh, I quite like Sherlock,” Gelbus answered.
Blah, enough sappiness. Let’s go!
Maria nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”
They left Oriceran, but they all knew they’d be back. Next time, for a war, and sooner than they planned.
Chapter Thirteen
The Ohio air was sweet. Maria came out on the other side of the portal without any issue. Same with her two best friends, who had started to seem like they were getting the hang of the whole portal-ing thing.
Maria’s head swam as the colors of her hometown popped all around her. Everything was brighter than usual, even the asphalt of the road.
“Well,” Ignatius said, “one task is done, but there is much to discuss.”
“Yeah, the biggest task of all is coming up,” Maria replied. But that was okay. She was stronger now, more experienced. Though the world in between was as much a mystery to her as Rogue Dragons and Gnomes were, she knew there was no other choice. The best teacher, she had heard time and time again, was experience. “I think—”
“Maria?” A voice cut her off.
Sherlock sniffed the air.
It’s lover boy, how sweet. In Maria’s mind, Sherlock made kissing noises.
“Joe?” Maria found herself saying aloud. Oh, no, what is he doing here?
Behind her, Claire and Tabby gave her a nudge. “Don’t keep him waiting,” Tabby said.
Maria looked back at her friends. She could feel the color draining from her face. “How do I look?”
“Like you just saved a town and kicked a dragon’s ass,” Claire answered. “Now go before he sees the rest of us…”
Joe had come around the side of the garage, where the portal had opened up. He stared at them all with wide eyes. “Where did you guys come from?” he asked.
Gramps and Frieda stepped forward with uneasy smiles on their faces, trying to shield Gelbus from Joe’s eyes. They were not quick enough.
“Oh, we were just on a hike,” Maria said.
“Where? Back there?” Joe asked.
Maria nodded.
The woods behind the Apples’ house were sparse. A hike through them would’ve taken all of about fifteen minutes.
“I’ve been calling you. I got worried when it said the line was disconnected.”
At least that Willen didn’t answer him, Maria said, thinking back to when she had offered most of her belongings to the creature for his knowledge on how to get out of the sewer system below Ashbourne. She felt in her pockets. The Aztec change purse was still there.
“I’m sorry,” Maria said. “I didn’t think we were gone for so long.”
The sky was dark with the oncoming night. What day it was there on Earth, Maria had no idea.
“I figured I’d stop by and wait for you before I launched a full-fledged investigation.” Joe said this jokingly enough, but Maria knew he wasn’t joking at all.
An awkward silence fell over them—one so common with those head-over-heels for one another. Maria interrupted this silence.
“Oh, geez, where are my manners? Let me introduce the whole gang to you.”
Joe did his patented scratch on the back of the neck.
“That older, jovial looking gentleman is my grandfather Ignatius.” Gramps stepped forward and offered Joe his hand. Maria’s stomach dropped as she pictured Gramps giving Joe one of his weird handshakes, usually consisting of undulating and dropping to one knee.
“Pleasure to meet you, young man,” Gramps said. They shook hands like normal, everyday Americans…thank the two moons.
“Of course you know Tabby and Claire,” Maria continued. The two girls offered shy smiles and waved. “And Sherlock.” Sherlock barked.
“Hi, boy. Wow, he’s a good-looking Bloodhound,” Joe said, grinning.
Yeah, yeah; keep it in your pants, lover boy.
Maria chuckled nervously.
“These are Gramps’s friends Salem and Agnes. They own Salem’s Ice Cream down on Main,” Maria said.
Agnes bowed to Joe while Salem offered him a fist bump, which Joe hesitantly took him up on.
“Nice to meet you, bro,” Salem said.
Oh, God, Maria thought.
“And that’s Frieda, Gramps’s friend,” Maria said. “Now, let’s get out of here. Go to the front porch. Side yard is not that nice.” She tried to spur Joe forward without much luck.
“Wait, who’s that behind you two?” Joe asked. “Sorry, I gotta ask. I’m gonna be a police officer one day…well, if my mom ever gives up on the whole overprotection thing.”
“Uh, who? That’s…uh, nobody,” Maria said.
Joe pointed. “I see their legs right there.”
Frieda plastered on her best fake smile as she moved closer to Gramps.
“Nope, no one there.”
Then, Gelbus’s nasally voice cut through the budding awkward silence. “Jig is up, Maria,” he said, and he stepped out from behind his hiding place.
Maria chuckled nervously. This was the worst. She liked Joe too much; she didn’t want to mess anything up. It was bad enough that Maria was magic and couldn’t tell him. Since becoming a witch or at least unlocking her powers, she had often daydreamed about a life with Joe where she never told him. It was a daydream that continuously got dimmer and dimmer.
When Gelbus
