Zach spent another two weeks in Okwata, along with the Princess and her entire entourage. The group was focused on putting their new initiatives into effect to help the city, but they spared some time to relax and play tourist too. Their presence had become well known among the street merchants outside the Grand Hotel, who scrambled to be the first to sell their trinkets to the wealthy out-of-towners.

As Zach and Evelyn traveled to meet with Barrus, a crowd of beggars approached them, drawn by their high class clothing. But as soon they noticed the guards that escorted the pair, several of the beggars hid their faces and slinked away into the shadows. Grifters and muggers had learned to stay away from these particular visitors, lest they be arrested in short order.

In his office, Barrus reviewed Zach and Evelyn’s final proposals, written out in several large portfolios. He wholeheartedly approved of the plans, but he warned that implementing them would take considerable time, especially if there was any public opposition.

Barrus rubbed his stubbled chin as he said, “I’m pretty sure I can get the merchants on board thanks to the tariff cuts, but there’s bound to be some resistance from the entrenched Bridges. They aren’t going to be keen on losing their port monopolies.”

Evelyn nodded. “But I get the feeling you have a plan for that.”

Barrus grinned broadly. “I do indeed. With that new marine insurance thing reducing the risk, I think I can get them excited about new exploration. Or at least eager to expand their list of supported ports before their competition gets to it first. A little government funding can encourage somebody to take the initiative, and everyone else will follow.”

Then he rose from his seat and offered a hand toward the Princess. “You’ve both done great work for Okwata, but I’ll take it from here. I can’t have foreign powers doing everything for me. It’d hurt my chances of reelection.”

Evelyn clasped his wrist and smiled. “Of course. Happy to help an allied nation.”

Barrus offered his hand to Zach next, to Zach’s surprise and delight. As they shook, Barrus said, “I don’t fully understand how such young folk came up with such brilliant and detailed plans, but I recognize talent when I see it and I’d be a fool to turn away quality.”

“Thank you, Barrus,” Zach said as formally as he could. Even after all his time with Evelyn, he still wasn’t used being so close to such powerful people.

Then Barrus turned back to the Princess and said, “You’re welcome to stay another week or so in the hotel, if you want. In either case, I’ll be in touch via messengers.”

Evelyn nodded. “I believe I’ll take you up on that offer. I’ve fallen in love with Okwata’s theater scene, and there are still several shows I haven’t seen yet.”

That night after dinner, Zach, Evelyn, Riley, and Alexia were chatting in Evelyn’s hotel room when Zach said something that killed the conversation instantly. “I was thinking of returning to my world tonight. Just for one day.”

All three women spoke at once, talking over each other. Zach couldn’t make out everything, but he caught a few words. Alexia voiced concern about getting separated, Evelyn mentioned possible danger with flipping in Okwata, and Riley just wanted to know why.

Zach held up his hands. “Whoa, hold your horses. I have my reasons, and they’re important to me. If you give me a second, I’ll explain.”

The women nodded and Zach started, “First off, I promised my mother I’d check in by email every few weeks.” He looked at Riley and Alexia and explained, “It’s a way of sending messages, kind of like your Farspeakers. Anyways, I left suddenly and I’m sure she’s worried. I’d also like to research some concepts to potentially bring to this world, to help New Albion like we did with Okwata and to earn some money so I’m not just leeching off you.”

He didn’t say it aloud, but Zach also wanted to make sure he could still return to his world. Evelyn had somehow become stuck in his world for ten years, and he secretly feared the same happening to him here. My mom and my friends… if I got stuck and couldn’t see them again…

Zach shook his head to clear his thoughts. “So, is that alright?” he asked. “We aren’t going anywhere for a few days anyway.”

Riley and Alexia wore their concern plain on their faces, but they looked to the Princess to make the call. Evelyn hummed in thought for a moment, then said, “That’s fine. Just be careful. Don’t do anything that could prevent you from flipping back.”

Riley said, “Like hooking up with one of those wild co-ed girls.” Riley had been enjoying learning about Zach’s world and his college life, and she loved using new slang terms even more.

Zach felt his cheeks grow hot. He tried to ignore Riley’s jab and answered the Princess. “I promise. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow, for sure.”

Even with that matter settled, their dinnertime conversation never revived. They finished eating in silence, then Alexia left to request an additional bed from the hotel staff.

“You’re sleeping in the temporary bed, Zach,” Riley said in a huff. “I like the one we’ve been sharing. It’s comfortable.”

“Sure, that’s fine,” Zach said, raising one eyebrow. He didn’t understand why that mattered. At such a fancy hotel, even a rollaway bed was bound to be quite nice.

Riley crossed her arms and looked away, seemingly unhappy with his response.

Sitting a few feet away, Evelyn silently watched the exchange with an amused expression on her face.

It took Zach over an hour to get to sleep. After two weeks of sleeping with Riley’s hand tied to his, it had become the new normal. And the bed felt cold without her body heat.

When he awoke in his bedroom in Denver, he wasn’t entirely sure whether he was dreaming. His college life of studying and classes and roommates just felt like so long ago, his memories of it growing fuzzy.

The air in his bedroom was stuffy and there was a coating of dust on the desk and the back of his closed laptop. At least he could be pretty sure that no one had messed with his things. Zach didn’t want to deal with the awkwardness of running into one of his roommates just yet, so he started by booting up his computer and checking his email.

Scattered between two weeks of spam emails, there were a few emails from his mother and from Erin. He skimmed them, but couldn’t bring himself to respond just yet. They were both clearly disappointed with Zach’s sudden decision, but they at least pretended to understand. He was glad he had used the term wanderlust to describe his situation to his mom, since it had resonated with her. She was always on the go, traveling the world for business and even on her days off, so she couldn’t criticise Zach’s similar desire.

Erin seemed to be the one most bothered by Zach dropping out. She’s smart and strong-willed. She’ll be fine, Zach told himself. She’s a better student than me, and she can always find another study partner.

Other than a few quick forays into the apartment’s common spaces, avoiding contact with his roommates wherever possible, Zach stayed in his room all day. He put on his headphones, started a playlist of classic prog-rock, which he’d sorely missed while in the other world, and focused on research.

From refrigeration technology to early implementations of the stock market, Zach investigated all sorts of topics, keeping an open mind for things that could benefit New Albion or Okwata. He even briefly researched gunpowder and primitive firearms, until his conscience couldn’t handle the weight of being the herald of something so dangerous. Even if it helped non-magical guards fight back against monsters, Zach was afraid of the collateral damage of suddenly introducing guns to a new world.

The economy was Zach’s specialty, so he tried to stick to that. He took notes on various forms of insurance, investment systems, and elegant tax solutions. They were all things that might help a society become more efficient, and if Zach was clever about it, he could secure his own finances in the process. He really wanted something that would provide a constant income so he could focus on other things while his investments covered his living expenses. There was still so much about that world he wanted to learn, if he could set aside the time.

Later, just before bed, Zach wrote a reply to his mother’s emails. He told some half-truths and white lies about his travels, saying that he was visiting New Orleans with some new friends. He mentioned the plays they’d watched and he barely stretched the truth when he said he did some freelance work for a local politician. He ended the email with, “Thanks for understanding. I’m happy and safe, and I feel like I’m doing genuine good for the world. Love you.”

When he tried to reply to Erin, he found it far more difficult to find the right words. After starting the entire email over three times, he opened up his sent emails, copied the core of the email to his mother, and pasted it into the one he was composing. He edited it a little, cut the “Love you” at the end, and sent it.

He felt a little guilty about the whole thing, but he told himself there was nothing to be done. “It’s not like I can just tell her that I go to another world whenever I sleep,” he said to the empty bedroom. “And I definitely couldn’t tell her I have to sleep with someone’s hand tied to mine if I want to stay in one place…”

Blushing and frustrated in a way he couldn’t quite place, Zach shut down his computer and flopped onto his bed. It was pretty early to go to bed, but there was somewhere he wanted to be, and it wasn’t here.

Zach awoke to an eyeful of bright orange hair. “Riley?” he mumbled. “Izzat you?”

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice wavering. “I tried to put the bed back in the same spot after housekeeping moved it, but I was so worried I’d misremembered and you’d get…” She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

He rubbed his eyes. “Huh, I had wondered what would happen if I flipped in a field or something and someone built a house there before I returned. Probably pretty unpleasant.”

“That’s what I just said,” Riley grumbled, but she was smiling despite herself. She sat down on the edge of the bed. “But you’re safe, right?”

“I’m fine. I guess you never went through this with the Princess, since you never let her flip.”

Riley nodded, then stared down at her hands which were fretting with the material of her dress. Her current outfit wasn’t her standard black and white maid uniform, but a green and white dress that looked just as natural on her. Her voice was quiet as she started, “Can I… Can I say something? And you have to promise not to make fun of me for it.”

Zach blinked and sat upright. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, but he and Riley had gotten past that level of embarrassment long ago. “Of course.”

“I was worried you wouldn’t come back,” she blurted. Her voice wavered as she rambled, “That you’d get stuck over there like Princess Evelyn had. That you’d leave m— us.”

Zach felt himself move before he knew what he was doing. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around Riley and held her tight. “But I did come back. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Riley looked up at him, her green eyes glistening, her face mere inches from his. She moved slightly closer and he did the same. After so long together, after so many conversations and personal moments, often in their underwear, this was something new. But it felt right.

Zach moved his lips closer to hers, his heart hammering away in his chest. He briefly worried about his morning breath, but even that thought was washed away by the moment. Then—

The door banged open as Alexia strode in, then she slammed it behind her. She was unfazed by the near kiss before her. “Start packing, both of you. We need to return to New Albion immediately.”

Riley jumped to her feet and stammered, “W-what? Why?”

Zach pulled the bed sheet over his chest and started scanning the room for his clothes. No matter how familiar he was with Riley, he wasn’t comfortable with other women seeing him in his underwear.

Alexia grabbed a shirt off the floor and threw it at Zach, then said, “I can’t say why. I’ll just say that Princess Evelyn received a message from Eloise and we have to return immediately. Get packed and meet in the other room. And hurry, I want us on the very next Bridge.”

Most of Evelyn’s original entourage remained behind, planning to take a later Bridge. Four guards followed as far as the docks, but only two of them boarded the ship, which was a small merchant vessel. It was more suited for transporting bags of grain than people, and the interior was far from comfortable.

The Bridge that owned the ship had cleared space for six people along a wall, and Zach found himself in the middle between Riley and Evelyn. A coarse rope across their laps would keep them secured through the portal, or at least that was the hope.

After a sizable amount of gold changed hands, the Bridge cast his spell and the boat started moving. Like before, Zach saw the shimmery magic portal approach. His gut clenched in dread at the thought of link sickness, but it never came. It seemed to be true that people only experienced it once. They passed through the portal uneventfully and arrived in New Albion before the sun had crested the Gwendolyn Wall.

From there, the Princess and her companions were secreted to the castle in an unmarked carriage. They sped through town to the castle’s carriage entrance where a dozen guards awaited. The armored guards surrounded Zach and the three women and escorted them inside.

Once inside, Princess Evelyn and Alexia rushed off to the King’s chambers, leaving Riley and Zach confused, exhausted, and more than a little terrified. They started walking through the servant halls, heading nowhere in particular.

“Any idea what happened? Or when they’ll be back?” Zach asked.

Riley shrugged. “No clue. Something involving royalty, and probably national security. I wouldn’t expect to see either of them until tomorrow.”

Zach fidgeted for a moment, then said, “Ah. I really needed to talk to the Princess about lodging. My gold mining investment hasn’t made any money yet, so I, uh, can’t really afford an inn.”

Riley broke out her mischievous smile. “No need for an inn. You can sleep with me.”

Zach let out a startled gasp as he turned bright red. “Um, uh, I don’t…”

Riley giggled and slapped Zach on the back. “Calm down. We’d just be sleeping in the same bed, just like we’ve been doing for weeks now.”

“Oh, right. Of course. Sorry.”

At barely a whisper, Riley added, “Unless you want to do more.”

Zach nearly tripped over his own feet, and Riley skipped ahead, laughing aloud at Zach’s reaction.

The servant quarters were attached to the west side of the castle, and they had a similar construction to the Hard Fought Rest: hewn log rafters and wood plank walls. Riley’s room was snug, but not too small; cozy. The walls were windowless with warm unpainted wood, and the room had a large bed, a stout chest of drawers with a mirror on top, and a desk with a simple chair.

The bed was covered with a surprisingly soft down-filled comforter, embroidered with bright red roses with dark green leaves. The desktop was scattered with books and trinkets, such as a large seashell, a chunk of white quartz crystal, and wooden quill-holder.

Zach thought the whole room really suited Riley, like she had made it her own in a hundred tiny ways he felt but couldn’t name.

Zach and Riley were getting ready for bed, and Zach had already washed up in the butler’s restroom. Like everything else in the servant portions of the castle, the restroom was utilitarian, but clean and comfortable.

Zach sat on the bed and cleared his throat, then asked, “Um, what are we?”

Riley raised one thin eyebrow. “Uhh, judging by our short ears and lack of fur… we’re humans.”

“No, I mean our relationship. Is… is it something?”

“Well, it’s definitely something, since it isn’t nothing.” Then she sat down next to him and her tone got more serious. “Not sure what it is though.”

Zach tried to meet her gaze. “Um, what do you want it to be?”

She thought for a moment that felt like forever to Zach, then said, “I don’t know, actually. I have desires, obviously, but they’re secondary. As much fun as I have with you, keeping you from flipping is my job. Maybe I don’t want to complicate that.”

Zach nodded. “And you still like women, right?”

Riley blushed and looked away. “That’s different. That’s just desire, like a craving for strawberry cake. I won’t turn it down if it’s on the menu, but I can live without strawberry cake.”

Zach’s eyes widened. “Wait. If you can live without that, what about—”

She cut him off by pressing a pillow to his face. “I don’t know, okay? I need time to think.” She jumped to her feet and said, “I’m going to take a bath. Don’t follow me or the guards might arrest you. Men aren’t supposed to be in this area after dark.” With that, she ran off in just her nightgown and socks.

Zach returned the pillow to its place and sat on the bed, kicking his feet idly. He couldn’t go to sleep alone or he’d flip, so he needed to find a way to stay awake without leaving Riley’s room. He glanced around the room. His eyes lingered briefly on the dresser that held all her clothes, then they settled on the desk. It was simple polished hardwood, and on top were several books with weathered covers and interesting titles like, ‘Conjuring Basics’ and ‘Mana Channeling for Combat Applications’.

He crossed to it and sat down, then opened ‘Conjuring Basics’. For a book with ‘basics’ in the title, most of it was way over Zach’s head. The first chapter seemed to focus almost entirely on how to properly channel mana without harming yourself. Zach had never considered that simple magic could be dangerous if done incorrectly, but he supposed it made sense. Driving a car was a standard and mundane thing in his world, but it was dangerous too.

Zach had no idea what many of the words in the book meant, but the parts he could understand were interesting enough to keep his attention and keep him awake. Maybe I can do magic, if I train hard. From what that Bridge said about link sickness, I should be good at connection magic, at least.

The reading was slow going, but when Zach finished the first chapter Riley still hadn’t returned. His thoughts threatened to return to the topic of their relationship, asking himself questions like ‘What do I want right now?’ He pushed them aside and focused on the book again. He knew he was just procrastinating, but the alternative scared him.