But she was faking it this time. It wasn’t until they had said last goodbyes that everyone but them stepped off the dais. King Orin made a final brief speech, the dwarven queen did the same, and a shout went up from the King’s Guard. Then everyone fell silent, Matt having decided to use Soliander’s staff to trigger the return spell. He did the deed as people watched, then resumed position, the floor beneath them lighting up just as the pillars did. The crowd cheered and for the first time, Anna felt the weight on her lift. She hadn’t let herself feel the gratitude or happiness until now and tried to cut herself some slack. Maybe Raven, Heather, and Jade were fine, and all this anxiety wasn’t worth it. Then the Quest Ring and those outside it disappeared.
The familiar vortex of light and sound roared around her. This time she remembered to cover herself as Eriana’s robe vanished, making her nude before her Earth clothes returned. She felt the lump of her smartphone in one pocket and briefly wondered what would happen if she tried to make a call. How soon would it get a signal to let her know how many texts, calls, and emails she hadn’t seen? Across from her, the others looked excited, if tense. Whatever happened to feeling safe now that they were going home? The three of them disappeared before her along with the noise, but the bright light remained, blinding even more, the sound of a car horn blaring, followed by the screech of skidding tires.
Then the darkness took her.
Chapter 9 – In the Dead of Night
“What is this?” Soliander asked, holding up a plastic card with numbers embossed on it. A credit card, he suddenly realized, knowledge from his previous mental contact with Matt surfacing. Pieces were falling into place, but many of them weren’t particularly useful. Still, he needed to know how to get around in this world. No magic portals existed, not that he couldn’t cast him and his apprentice somewhere. But he grew eager to experience this place he’d only seen in Matt’s memories before arriving on Earth himself. And then there was the question of seeming like they belonged here while avoiding suspicion. He had admonished Darron not to gawk, but part of him knew he was doing it, too. It was one reason they were in a Gaithersburg, Maryland hotel room now, gathering intel out of sight, with fewer bright lights and fantastic sights to make them stare.
“My credit card,” answered Joe, a middle-aged, portly man who seemed typical of those encountered so far. He sat before them on the lone chair, tan slacks and a white button-up shirt at odds with their jeans and t-shirts. Darron had asked about the differing clothes, but Soliander wasn’t inclined to explain trivial details, which he only sensed the significance of from Matt’s memories. The fourth-floor hotel room had two queen beds and furnishings that the wizard suspected were normal. Joe’s bag, or suitcase, lay open on one bed, the contents already rifled through.
“How does it work?” Soliander asked, images of using it to pay for goods flashing in his head. “You purchase things with it?”
“Yes.”
“What sorts of items?”
“Almost anything. Food, hotel rooms, merchandise.”
“Homes?”
“No, that requires a mortgage, a home loan.”
“Explain.”
Soliander and his apprentice listened as Joe explained about credit, banks, and the housing market. They had been at this for ten minutes, the spell Soliander had cast on Joe making him compliant and honest to a fault. This world was unlike anything he’d known. By morning, they’d likely know everything they needed. The information was overwhelming, and Soliander was growing impatient, because there was so much that was so different. He finally made Joe stop talking, grabbed his apprentice’s hand, and cast the Mind Trust spell on Joe. It allowed both of them to sift through Joe’s memories, which they did for hours, gorging on intel. They had previously done this to a hotel maid, then made her forget the encounter.
It had not taken long for Darron to contact him via the orb from a local park, then cast a cantrip to make a ball of light appear. Soliander had arrived moments later, but as strong as he was, magic was not without a cost and he felt a little weakened by the exertion. He recognized the sight of Matt’s house, or that of his parents, technically, but he didn’t go in. The lights and movement inside had not deterred him so much as the recollection, courtesy of Matt, of what lay inside. The memories returned more concretely now that he was here, his eyes going to one house or another, to places where Matt had experienced pain or pleasure, or where childhood friends had lived. And that’s how he realized the parents of Anna lived next door. That could also be useful.
It was partly for this reason that the pair had spent hours walking around town and sometimes sitting on a bench, watching people, and quietly remarking on observed details great and small. Everything became more distinct for Soliander, as if the disjointed nature of his Mind Trust spell with Matt was undone
