"You called for me, Princess?" Riley asked as she stepped into the Princess's tower room.

She'd just finished a wonderful midday visit to the steam baths and her hair was still wet. She would have liked it if Alexia had joined her in the bath for some conversation, or if Riley was lucky and Alexia finally loosened up, for some fooling around. At least the solitary relaxation was nice and now Riley felt renewed and ready for her evening work shift.

"That's right," Princess Evelyn said with a nod that sent the twin strands of hair that framed her face swinging. The hairstyle looked great on her and Riley wondered if Beebee had styled it. "I have a request for you, and I apologize in advance for how inconvenient it will be."

Riley smiled. Evelyn really was kind, always asking and apologizing when she could just order people around. "Oh, I'm sure it won't be a problem. What would you like?"

"I'm leaving on a trip to Okwata soon, and I'd like you to come along. Zach will be joining us, and you'd be staying with him at night to keep him from flipping."

Riley blinked, then opened her mouth, then closed it. She spent a second to gather her thoughts then said, "Don't take this wrong, but… why me over the other maids?"

Evelyn answered, "Alexia will be by my side, Bethany needs to stay here to manage the other castle staff, and Eloise has an important task that will keep her here in the castle. That just leaves you and Beebee. I invited her too, but she declined, saying she wasn't in a good mental state to visit her birthplace right now."

"Ah." Riley could understand Beebee's choice. All the maids were careful not to bring up the subject around Beebee, since she was still so affected by what happened. The poor girl had been only three years old when the hurricane took her home and much of her extended family.

Riley swallowed, tried to ignore the heat in her cheeks, and said, "Alright, I'll accompany you and Zach. It will be fun to spend more time with him." Her face got even hotter and she quickly added, "I just mean as a friend. He's a good friend." It wasn't like Riley didn't find him handsome, but the thought of any intimacy with a man was a little overwhelming. She couldn't fully understand what her heart wanted, but she was sure that running from it wasn't going to help.

"Thanks, Riley," Evelyn said with a smile. "We're leaving by Bridge the day after tomorrow. Oh, and if you wanted to bring any library books along to keep up your magic studies, let me know." The Grand Library didn't normally allow citizens to borrow books for more than a week and it definitely didn't let them take books outside the city, but the Princess was an exception. She'd used her privileges to borrow books for Riley in the past, yet another way the Princess showed her kindness.

Everyone in the departing group had two days to prepare for the journey. Some needed that time more than others.

Zach decided to visit Denver, since it might be weeks before he'd be able to flip without affecting the Princess's travel schedule. When he awoke in his apartment, he was tempted to try to visit his friend Erin but she was surely busy with school, and he got a sickly, guilty feeling in his gut whenever he thought about seeing her in person. Instead he spent the morning inside doing some internet research on New Orleans and its history. He had the ability to get information from this world and bring it to the other, so he figured he might as well use it.

It didn't take long to figure out why New Orleans had been so devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Not only had some of the city been built below sea level, but almost all of it was below the level of the neighboring Mississippi River. Even with modern man-made levees, heavy rainfall and rising waters were significant dangers to the city. The location of Okwata wasn't exactly the same and the people of that world likely hadn't drained swampland to build below sea level, but the storm had devastated the city just the same.

After growing bored of the depressing research, Zach rode around town on his bike, enjoyed some junky fast food while sitting in the park, then watched a movie in his bedroom. Anything to keep from thinking to hard about the half of his life he'd chosen to leave behind. All in all, it was normal day for a normal person, but it would be Zach's last one for a while. He was pretty sure he was okay with that. He turned in just after sunset so he could wake up early in New Albion and finish preparing for the trip.

Back in New Albion, things had not been so calm. Throughout the castle, the royal guard was busy mobilizing the unit that would accompany the Princess, and her maids frantically gathered the clothes and jewelry Evelyn would need to wear during her stay. It was considered impolite for someone so wealthy to wear the same attire to multiple social events close together, so they packed over a dozen full outfits.

As the Princess's personal assistant, Alexia would need to dress up for those events as well. While she wasn't the type to desire elegant clothes for herself, she was was no stranger to dressing the part during missions. She packed her own bags with several dresses and a half dozen sets of jewelry. If she included hairstyle variations, she'd have plenty of unique outfits to wear.

Then she went to check in on the royal guard. She wanted to personally review the list of accompanying guards to ensure it contained only men and women she could trust. A high ranking guard captain named Randolph had hand-picked the guards, but when it came to the Princess's safety, Alexia outranked him and had the final say.

"Who is this?" Alexia asked the guard-captain, pointing to the tenth and final name on the scroll. "Jen Willowby?"

Randolph was a tall man with short cropped black hair and thick eyebrows. Handsome, but slightly intimidating. He said, "She is assigned to the castle, working the servant entrance. I believe she was in your unit during your final year in the Guard."

"Ah, I remember her now," Alexia said. If Jen had been in Alexia's unit, that meant she knew about Alexia's graceless exit from the Guard. There was a chance that it would affect Jen's respect for Alexia, but their shared history made Jen a safer choice than a complete unknown.

Alexia rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the captain. "This list is good. Please have the team packed and ready at 10AM. We'll travel by escorted carriage to the docks and depart the city at noon."

Out of habit, Randolph's hand snapped up toward his brow to salute, but he stopped partway. Alexia wasn't quite his superior and she was no longer in the guard, so he wasn't sure what the correct response was.

Alexia cracked a small smile and said, "No need to salute, but it's nice to see I can still inspire that reaction in people."

He lowered the hand and said, "Of course. I'll personally see that the group is ready on time. Have a good night, Alexia."

"You too, Randolph." He was one of the good ones, a guard that cared about the people and a job well done more than the petty jockeying for power that plagued the Guard. Alexia had tried to fight against it, but the male-dominated infrastructure of the Guard had strongly opposed her. She'd lost the battle, almost lost everything, but it had drawn the attention of the newly returned Princess.

Alexia was the first woman selected by Evelyn to be one of her maids, and Alexia had then sought out the others. At Evelyn's request, Alexia gathered women who didn't fit society's mold, who deviated a bit too far from their expected roles, and she gave them a home and a purpose. To what end, Alexia didn't fully know, but she was eternally thankful to Evelyn nonetheless.

Zach felt out of place in about ten different ways. He was dressed like a middle-class merchant in a crowd of armored guards, maids in frilly dresses, and diplomats in silk and velvet. And in the middle of that crowd was the Princess, dressed more regally than he had ever seen and sparkling in the sunlight. It was the first time he'd ever seen her outdoors, and her hair shone beautifully, like it absorbed the sun and returned it infused with the taste of milk chocolate.

Zach shook his head to clear that strange thought, likely caused by his hunger. He really should have eaten lunch before coming to the docks, but he had been too worried about making it on time.

He checked in with Alexia and was told to wait within line of sight while the ferry-like ship was loaded with cargo. Tax evaluators would review the value of the shipment, then passengers would board after that. So, he stood in the shade cast by a tall warehouse and he watched the guards work. They loaded crates of food, dozens of trunks of clothing, and one metal safe so heavy it took four men to pull it across level ground. As Zach was wondering how they'd get it up the ramp onto the ship, a large crane swung into view.

The guards and some dockhands secured the safe to the crane, then gave the signal to lift it into the air. It moved slowly, with two men guiding it, then was lowered into the ship's hold through a hatch in the deck. Once the crane had been unfastened and withdrawn and a man in a stuffy-looking doublet vest had finished his inspection, a guard whistled loudly and announced, "Cargo loading is complete. Passenger boarding begins now. Line up by me."

Zach joined the loose line of guards and servants, and he noticed that Alexia was standing at the front next to the guard who had been calling the shots. It seemed that no one was allowed on the ship until both Alexia and the guard-captain approved of their presence. The line moved quickly and soon Zach was at the front.

"This is Zach Pike," Alexia told the guard captain, "Friend of the Princess."

The man nodded and checked off a line on a scroll, then Alexia turned to Zach and said, "You'll be sitting by Riley in the rear section. Seat 22."

"Oh, okay. Thanks," Zach said clumsily, then he climbed the long wooden ramp and set foot on the ship. He'd never been on such a large boat before, and definitely none quite like this. It looked a bit like a stereotypical pirate ship with its masts removed, or like a modern ferry with a raised cabin and helm stuck on top. Since it had no sails, Zach assumed it was powered by magic.

He quickly found the stairs down to the passenger seating and was surprised by how much like an airplane cabin it felt. Rows of cushioned chairs filled the space, all pointing toward the front of the ship, and there were numbers carved into the wooden armrests to indicate the assigned seats. Zach found seat 22 in the back corner of the room, two seats from the far wall. He sat down, then noticed something underneath him and stood up again.

"You're going to want to fasten that strap across your lap," Riley said behind him. She had been a few people back in the boarding line and now she was right behind him. "You'll want it tight so you can't get left behind when the boat goes through the Bridge."

Zach moved the seat belt-like strap out from under him and secured it across his lap and into a slot on the chair. "Thanks for the help, Riley. This is all pretty new to me. Back home we have something like it, but it's also really different."

"It's new to me too, you know," she said as she sat down in the seat to Zach's right. "This will be my first time traveling by Bridge."

As Zach and Riley spoke, guards and others from the Princess's entourage filed in and took seats nearby, but most seats remained open. For tighter security, the King had booked the entire ship for the Princess's group. Given what little Zach knew about Bridges, buying that many seats must have cost a small fortune.

"Nervous?" Zach asked Riley. He certainly was, as irrational as that was. He had flown in a metal tube propelled by jet fuel to speeds of 500 miles per hour while thousands of feet in the air. A quick trip through a magic portal in a sturdy boat should have felt safer than that.

"A little," she said. "But I'm excited too."

Before she could say any more, two people approached their row of seats. "Sorry, but we need to get past you."

Zach and Riley both turned to see Alexia with Princess Evelyn. Zach pulled his knees in to make room and mumbled, "Oh, no problem." He was honestly surprised to see the Princess down with the other passengers. He'd expected her to ride in first class, or some fantasy equivalent.

The two women scooted by and Evelyn's luxurious silk dress brushed against Zach's legs. Alexia passed next and he felt her knee bump into his. "Sorr—," he started, but he cut off when Alexia sat down in the seat next to him. Even if she did seem to trust him more, he wasn't looking forward to being stuck in such close quarters with her.

Alexia looked him in the eye. "Don't worry. It won't be for long," she said, as if she'd read his mind. "We'll be departing momentarily, if the Bridge is having a good day."

"Huh? Why would having a good day matter?"

Alexia lowered her voice to avoid spooking the other passengers, then said, "It requires immense focus to keep the portal open long enough for an entire ship to go through. A mistake could bring catastrophe, with the ship cut in half and sinking in two different ports."

"A-ah, I see," Zach said slowly, terror plain on his face.

Alexia sat back in her chair looking perfectly relaxed. "So we don't depart until the Bridge is good and ready. Sometimes the trip gets rescheduled rather than risk it." Then she smiled and added, "Sorry for scaring you. I forgot how easily you startle."

"It's okay. I appreciate the information," he said, unsure if Alexia was trying to be friendly or just poking fun at Zach's overreactions.

Two loud knocks echoed through the wooden ship, then a magically amplified voice said, "We are departing in two minutes. Everyone must sit down and secure themselves with the waist strap. Once you are secure, check that the passengers to your left and right have done the same. This is not optional. Failure to secure yourself during transit through the Bridge can result in death."

The look of terror returned and Alexia had to stifle a giggle. She patted Zach's left knee and said, "It's fine. No one has actually died that way. Worst case, you get dropped in the water. There's a shore crew waiting outside just in case."

Zach glanced to his right and saw a worried look on Riley's face. She'd heard what Alexia had said about the ship getting cut in half and was looking a bit spooked by it. He offered a hand and Riley quickly grabbed it.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Then the boat bobbed and a low hum filled the room. When Zach was about to ask if that was from the Bridge spell, a bright light appeared ahead of them. The portal filled the room from floor to ceiling like a glass window filled with neon blue light. The ripple of pure mana moved smoothly over the cargo and empty seats, then it swept over Zach's row. It flowed through his body, feeling familiar and welcome and distant, like the memory of the embrace of a family member.

It reminded him of the dreams he'd had since he was a child, the ones about New Albion. But it brought to mind one particular memory that he had mostly forgotten. Now it was back and perfectly clear, playing in his head as vivid as a dream.

Zach had been standing in a field of green grass, wearing a t-shirt and jean shorts. A young girl in a too-large hoodie was holding his hand. She was crying and she looked scared. She kept trying to speak, but she was too emotional to get many words out. Zach was just a child himself and didn't know what to do, so he just hugged her.

She seemed comforted and she hugged him back, her small arms tight around his back. Then he felt a wave of warmth flow through him, familiar yet unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He nerves tingled with the energy, then it passed.

Zach held the girl until he heard a voice calling for him. He gently pulled loose of her grasp and said, "Sorry, but I have to go. I hope you feel better soon."

The girl frowned, but she didn't resist. She glanced down at the grey hoodie she wore, then back up at Zach. "What about this garment?" she said, the first full sentence she'd managed to say since they met.

Zach smiled. "You can keep it. My dad has a bunch just like it." The hoodie had a screen-printed logo on the front that said 'Pike's Bikes'. Behind the text was a bright green silhouette of a mountain bike over an orange sunset.

The girl nodded, but she still looked lost and worried. Zach felt bad about leaving her, but he needed to get back to his mom before she got upset. They were going to go to Zach's favorite restaurant that night, and he didn't want to give his parents an excuse to cancel. He didn't understand why they didn't like going to Casa Bonita; it was like an amusement park and restaurant all in one, with caves and mines and even an arcade!

"Bye!" Zach said as he ran off in the direction of his mother's voice. He hoped he'd see the girl again, but he never did get her name.

"Princess Evelyn! Something's wrong with Zach!" It was Riley's voice, frantic.

Something's wrong with me? Zach thought, but the words were slow in his head and he couldn't see anything. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't make heads or tails of what he saw. Everything was a kaleidoscope of overlapping light and faces.

"Zach? Are you okay? Talk to me," Evelyn said. She sounded worried.

Zach was lost in a fog of thoughts and blurry images. He felt warm pressure on both of his hands. Comforting. He tried to reply, but time slipped through his grasp. It felt like hours passed before the outside world broke through again.

"I brought the Bridge." That was Alexia's voice.

Hands grabbed Zach's cheeks and an unfamiliar face got too close. Zach tried to flee but he couldn't get his muscles to cooperate. After a couple seconds, the face pulled back. That let more light into Zach's overwhelmed eyes and he winced in pain.

A gruff voice said, "Ah, this happens to some first-time travelers. Give him a few minutes and he'll be fine."

Zach's head lolled from side to side and he couldn't get his eyes to focus.

"Sir, you're sure this isn't a problem?" Alexia said. Was that worry in her voice?

"Yes, I'm sure. It's just link sickness, rare but harmless. I see a case of it every month or so, and I felt it myself the first time I took a Bridge. Link sickness does have a silver lining: affected people turn out to be better than average at connection magic. With training, of course."

Evelyn said, "Oh, now that you mention it, I think this happened to me as a child. I'd completely forgotten."

The man said, "Oh, that's exciting, Princess. Have you considered talking to the Gatehouse? I'm sure they'd let you in."

Zach finally focused his eyes enough to see Evelyn's knowing smile as she said, "I've thought about it."