Magic Girls of Multiverse Inn 4: A Reverse Portal Fantasy, page 29
“What are wolves?” Farrah asked in confusion.
Kaz, Prinna, and Izzie stared at me in baffled horror as well, and I realized I’d used another Earth phrase they didn’t quite understand.
“Sorry,” I chuckled. “What I mean is, I’m not going to leave you to fend for yourself.”
“Oh, I see,” Kaz murmured. “These are metaphorical wolves, right?”
“Yeah.” I grinned.
Kaz had picked up on a lot of the nuances of the unique phrases and euphemisms that were just a natural part of language to me.
As if they could tell we were discussing our impending departure, Potorn, Obin, and Hool walked over to us.
“We assume you will be eager to continue on your travels soon, Champions,” Hool said, and his crow appeared to be asleep on his shoulder.
“We wanted to thank you for your presence,” Obin said, and he held out a large sack that looked rather heavy. “And here is the rest of your prize.”
“Oh.” I accepted the heavy sack, and I took a quick look inside.
The sack was filled with a few thousand gold solars, and I smiled ruefully at our many conversations about what the ultimate prize would be. This was a bit more of what we’d expected, and I chuckled as I looked at the gold coins.
Farrah leaned in with a curious look, and the coins shone brightly with her light.
“Oh, good.” Izzie smirked as she saw what was inside.
Hool and Obin’s eyebrows raised with interest at Izzie’s comment.
“Were you displeased with the ultimate prize, Champion?” Potorn asked me specifically.
“Um, no,” I said in hopes of not hurting Farrah’s feelings, and I realized it was true. “We just didn’t expect… Well, can I give you a little suggestion? As someone who’s won the Trial now?”
“Certainly,” Obin said with a smile. “We always entertain suggestions and input from our champions.”
“You might want to be a little less secretive about ultimate prizes…” I gave him a look somewhere between a smile and a grimace. “Just uh… be a little more straightforward with everything, I think. It was really unclear that we were volunteering for the trial until it was too late, and that’s kind of…”
“Ugly,” Prinna finished for me.
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, we had some fun along the way, but I don’t think we would have entered had we known what the Trial was beforehand.”
“Then you wouldn’t be champions now,” Hool said in smug satisfaction. “And you would not have the lovely Farrah, would you?”
“True,” I said dryly. “It’s just a suggestion. People tend to like knowing what they’re getting into and what they’re getting out of it.”
“I think he may be right, Hool,” Potorn said thoughtfully. “Some of our contenders were quite afraid when we declared them as having entered the Trial.”
“Perhaps we should adjust the process of entering,” Obin agreed.
Hool pushed out his lips in a thoughtful expression. “We shall discuss the idea.”
“And people like to win things that have va–” Izzie stopped herself before she finished the statement, and she gave Farrah a fleeting glance. “They like prizes that aren’t… people.”
Farrah seemed unbothered by the statement, and Prinna and Kaz both nodded in agreement.
“Do you think we should make the prize all gold?” Obin asked.
“Not just gold,” I said casually. “Gems, jewelry… Magical items? Things that could be easily traded… Again, it’s just a suggestion.”
The three wizards nodded thoughtfully, and I could practically hear the gears turning in their minds.
“Well, we’re going to head out now,” I said. “It’s been a real…”
Kaz giggled as I tried to come up with a word to describe our adventure in Maardox, and Izzie made sure to scoop all the offering items from the front of the stage into my rucksack.
“Well, it’s been enlightening,” I finally finished.
“Safe travels, Champions,” Hool said with a friendly smile. “Your statue will be completed and raised in the Gallery of Champions soon.”
“Right, thanks,” I tried to keep the shock from my voice.
We gathered up all of our things, and I glanced between the four beautiful and magical women at my side. Kaz, Prinna, and Izzie looked tired but satisfied, and I knew they were as ready as I was to go home.
Farrah clung to the strap of her satchel with nervous fingers, but there was an eager smile on her golden-brown face. I was curious about what items she had in there, but I didn’t want to push too many new things or questions on her all at once.
Her life was shifting dramatically tonight, and traveling to an entirely new realm was going to be enough for her to process without delving into all the private parts of her life to literal strangers.
“Come on,” I said to my ladies. Then I turned to the wizards and held out a hand to shake theirs. “Thank you for this… very unique experience.”
They all looked at my outstretched hand with uncertainty before Obin made the first move.
“Blessings upon your travels,” Obin said, and he placed the back of his hand against the back of mine.
“May your days be filled with strength, wisdom, and excellence, Champion,” Hool said next, and he matched Obin’s hand gesture.
“Be well, and may the gods smile upon you,” Potorn said, and he pressed his hand on mine as the others had.
I didn’t bother to correct them on the Earth gesture, and I smiled at them as we started to walk away. The people cheered and applauded for us as we walked through the tent, and many of them reached out to brush their fingers against our clothes.
Farrah waved and took many of their hands in a brief squeeze as we left, and it looked like she genuinely enjoyed the attention of everyone. She struck me as a social butterfly kind of personality, and I could already see her playing a very important hostess role in the inn during our grand opening and years of operation.
Not to mention, that trick with the ball of light could be really useful for the ghost hunters’ entertainment.
I played with the different ways such a talent could be used to provide the best experience for our guests as we walked through the oasis to the Safron Tavern. The further we got from the tent, the quieter the night became, and I was almost relieved to see the people of Maardox didn’t follow us from the Atruuxo.
Farrah’s light faded as our audience disappeared, and I wondered how much energy it took to keep the light directed like she’d been doing.
I hadn’t realized how tense and overstimulated I’d felt from the constant attention until we walked down the quiet hall in the tavern to the room that would lead us home. There was something settling about the absence of people and voices.
Kaz, Prinna, and Izzie were just as quiet as me, and they seemed just as exhausted as I felt. That’s when I remembered we’d spent the entire fucking day walking and fighting through the labyrinth. We’d probably crossed ten miles today.
“Where are we going?” Farrah asked.
“Oh, sorry,” I said, and I rubbed a hand over my face. “We’re going to my home realm.”
“Yes, I know that,” Farrah said, but her tone was still uncertain. “Are we resting for the night first?”
“Nope.” Izzie grinned, and I could tell she was pleased to be in on the secret of our mode of travel.
“Then… why…?” Farrah’s eyebrows pushed together, and she gestured vaguely back toward the oasis.
“Just wait,” Prinna giggled. “You’re going to love it.”
I opened the door that would bring us back to Earth, and I held it as the four ladies walked past me into the room. Kaz, Prinna, and Izzie sighed in tired excitement as they waited for me to close the door, and Farrah looked around suspiciously.
I grinned as I closed the door, and my lovers and I shared a conspiratorial look as Farrah’s suspicion only grew.
“What is happening?” Farrah asked.
Her tone could have easily been frustrated, scared, or even demanding given the circumstances, but the only emotion I could hear in her tone was curiosity. I was starting to get the feeling that Farrah was the kind of person who was just happy to be included.
“This is how Sam travels,” Kaz explained. “None of us are quite sure how it works.”
“You don’t cross the Boundless?” Farrah asked with a hint of thrill in her brown eyes.
“No,” Izzie said, and she shared Farrah’s excitement. “Isn’t it amazing? I’m still getting used to it myself.”
“How long have you been with Sam?” Farrah asked.
“Just a few weeks,” Izzie answered.
“Two months?” Prinna said, and she looked at Kaz to confirm.
“A little less.” Kaz nodded.
“Yeah, it hasn’t been long,” I agreed.
“Did he win you in other Trials?” Farrah wondered.
“He bought me,” Kaz chortled.
“I just sort of followed along,” Izzie snickered.
“He offered for me to come with him,” Prinna said. “Much like you, I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
The way they described it made it sound like I’d collected stray cats who needed good homes, or like the Lost Boys Peter Pan looked after. I laughed at it and put the record straight.
“I offered all of you transportation to whatever realm you wanted to go to,” I reminded them. “You all decided to stay with me.”
“Like you wanted us to be anywhere else,” Kaz teased with love in her violet eyes.
“Okay, true,” I laughed. “And for the record, I bought Kaz because it was the only way to rescue her from a horrible man who treated her like property. I freed her immediately.”
“That’s true.” Kaz grinned.
“You’re a strange lot,” Farrah said with a shake of her head that made her thick brown curls bounce.
“We’ll tell you the stories later,” I assured her.
It was hard to tell when we’d made the shift from Maardox back to Earth, and I mostly judged it by my internal clock. After about a minute, it felt like we’d waited long enough to be home again, and I reached for the doorknob once more.
“Alright, we should be home now,” I said. “Ready to see where we live?”
“Yes,” Farrah said.
“Welcome to your new home,” I said, and I opened the door.
Farrah’s expression shifted from confusion to absolute amazement in the blink of an eye as she stared through the doorway.
The familiar hallway of my inn awaited us, and Kaz and Prinna stepped comfortably into the space of the fourth floor.
“Ah, it’s good to be home,” Kaz sighed.
“It is.” Prinna smiled. “What time do you think it is?”
“I don’t know,” Kaz said.
“This is your castle?” Farrah asked as she stepped into the hallway with us.
“Castle!” I burst out laughing.
Farrah frowned at us, and I worried I’d insulted her.
“I’m sorry,” I chuckled. “We don’t live in a castle.”
“It’s an inn,” Prinna said helpfully.
“We’re in the process of updating things and redecorating,” I said. “It’s still a big process.”
“You thought we lived in a castle?” Kaz asked.
“I thought all champions and heroes lived in castles,” Farrah said. “It’s how it was in all the stories I’ve read.”
“We have plenty of shiny stuff here, too, you know,” Izzie boasted. “Far more than even what we won in the Trial.”
“That’s very true,” Prinna giggled.
“Wanna see?” I smirked.
“Okay.” Farrah smiled, and a bit of light condensed around her like it reacted to her emotions.
“Come on,” I said.
My lovers and I led Farrah downstairs to the third floor, and Farrah gazed around as we walked to the end of the hall. The light from the LED bulbs in the new wall sconces shifted softly around us as she passed, and I knew she must have been searching for the best light for the hallway or herself.
We headed into our suite, and Izzie strode right over to her treasure trove with a smug grin on her tanned face.
“Okay… now, it’s not organized yet,” Izzie cautioned. “So it’s going to look way different once I have time to really do my thing in here.”
“It’s all still in boxes, isn’t it?” Kaz laughed.
“Yeah,” Izzie grumbled. “Maybe I’ll work on it tomorrow, especially now that we have so many more goodies to add in.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said.
Izzie grinned once more before she opened the doors to the walk-in closet. She hurried in and began to open a few of the cardboard boxes to reveal how many gems, gold solars, and bits of jewelry were inside.
Farrah nodded approvingly as she stepped in, and the light shifted around us. Slowly, the gold coins began to shine, and all the gems and pieces of jewelry sparkled like they each had their own individual spotlights shining right on them.
“Whooooaaaa,” Izzie almost moaned.
“There we go,” Farrah said with a smile. “That’s better. No sense in enjoying treasure without the proper lighting.”
“Oh, my nine seas,” Izzie breathed as she lifted a necklace with large rubies. “This stuff has never looked so good.”
“Thank you,” Farrah said in an endearing tone. “I love to make things look their best. People, too.”
Izzie gave Farrah an appraising look, and I chuckled at how easily the curly-haired woman had won her over. I imagined they would bond quickly over organizing this room to its best appearances, and I smiled to think about the long hours they might spend together.
Farrah peered down into one of the boxes, and Izzie started to pick things up and show them to the new woman. Kaz joined in, and I offered the rucksack to Prinna so they could add in all the new offerings from the travelers in Maardox.
Then the new doorbell rang abruptly, and all five of us jumped slightly at the unexpected sound.
“What’s happening?” Farrah asked in a panicked tone. “Is that a horn of warning? Are we being invaded?”
“It’s the doorbell,” Kaz explained. “So probably not an… invasion. But who could be at the door?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
A quick glance at the window confirmed it was nighttime, and I hurried to check my cell phone to see how late at night it was. Much to my surprise, it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet.
“I’ll go see,” I said. “You guys stay here.”
“Okay,” Prinna said.
Izzie nodded and put her hand on her holstered pistol like she was ready to defend her treasure with force if necessary. I shook my head at the fierce pirate as I jogged out of our suite and down two flights of stairs.
I looked out the window of our new front door, and I was shocked to see an adorable ghost standing on my front steps.
“Oh, shit,” I chuckled as I opened the door to the child wearing a bedsheet with eyeholes cut out of the front.
The little kid under the hand-made ghost costume gasped loudly as I stood in the doorway, and then he turned away to shout down to his friends who waited in the gravel driveway.
“They opened the doooooor!” the kid screamed.
“Yes!” another kid dressed as Iron Man shouted back.
A group of children raced up to the door, and they all started to shout “trick or treat!” at the same time.
“Sam?” Kaz’s voice called from the stairs behind me.
“It’s trick or treaters,” I chuckled over my shoulder. “Do we have any candy?”
“We do!” Prinna called, and she rushed around to the kitchen.
I glanced back and saw that my three lovers were already aware there was no threat, certainly thanks to Prinna’s gift. Kaz and Izzie looked interested while Farrah peered around their shoulders in confusion.
Izzie, Kaz, and Farrah came over to join me at the door. Izzie nodded approvingly at one kid’s costume that included a fake hatchet with painted-on blood, and Farrah looked baffled by the whole thing. This must have been the weirdest possible introduction to our realm that she could have gotten.
“Hello children,” Kaz said in a friendly tone.
“Hello,” the ghost-child said.
“Your house is really creepy,” the little Iron Man said.
“Thank you,” Izzie replied with a proud grin.
“Here’s the candy,” Prinna said as she came jogging back from the kitchen.
My white-blonde witch passed out a few pieces to each of the costumed children on our front step. After they’d received their goodies, the kids raced back to their parents who waited at the end of the gravel drive.
“Happy Halloween,” I called after them.
The parents gave friendly waves, and I recognized a few of them as the neighbors from the cul-de-sac. Before I could even think about closing the front door, though, the group alerted another batch of trick-or-treaters that we had candy, and the new kids came racing up to our door.
“Whoooaa!” one girl dressed as a mermaid shouted, and her eyes went wide as she stared beyond us into the inn. “This place is cool!”
“Thanks,” I chuckled.
My ladies and I returned to passing out candy, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the shocked expression on Farrah’s face as the whole spectacle unfolded. She quickly eased into the exchanges and even joined in with a few “Happy Halloweens” with us.
I tried to slip in a few explanations about the situation between groups of kids, but there was hardly time to say more than a few words.
“You can explain later,” Farrah said with an understanding smile. “I knew this realm would have its surprises, though I’m pleased to find you’re such a benefactor among your people. These small creatures seem to hail from so many races… and yet they come together and rely so much on your charity. It’s a beautiful thing. I’d expect nothing less of my champion.”
Farrah sent a pair of hobbits a gracious smile as she patted them on their curly wigs, and then she offered the same treatment to an extremely convincing and probably too old to be out here Darth Maul.
