[Depart, Innocent]

  The theater was so popular over the weekend that an exasperated Lottie came to me asking that we make the theater its own public portal. Too many people kept entering the clinic, which would have disturbed patients if they’d had any. So I promised that first thing Monday morning Mossbeard and I would install a portal in front of the theater and exit portals right by the doors.

  Paula said we were making it so convenient to go to the theater it was as easy as netflix and chill. I had no idea what that meant but I was pleased that it was as easy to get to the library, as it was to walk to the center of your quadrant no matter where you lived in town.

  I saw the play four more times, both matinees and the evening performances. Lu’s playing got better with every performance.

  Monday morning, Mossbeard and I portaled to the clinic then walked up to the theater. While I generated the magical field, Mossbeard drew the portal.

  We portaled back to the store, Mossbeard finished painting the new portal, I grabbed it and jumped to Juliet’s World, I authored the painting dry. Then I authored seven exact copies and jumped back to the store. Opal was able to activate my magical copies just as well as Mossbeard’s copies.

  I got Mossbeard to help take down the portal painting for the Bookstore, Pub, Clinic, City Hall, Library, Guard House, Journey's End. Then we jumped to Juliet’s World, I authored copies of each portal location then we jumped back to the bookstore. Finally we jumped to the theater and put up all the portal exit paintings and lastly we jumped to every public portal and installed the theater portal painting.

  The portal network was truly done. I talked the Burgomaster out of any future private portals for rich people, the one we had installed almost made us the center of illegal gun trade in Emain Ablach. Perhaps what we ought to be doing as a town is growing our boundary lines. If the rich fled the town to avoid paying taxes, only to live in mansions in the hills. We should immediately cease expending any town resources outside of the town walls. Get a royal decree that the town borders had grown, then the council could levy taxes on said mansions and their farms upon which they’d grown rich.

  I portaled into the bookstore, I hadn’t done any writing since I finished the Disappearing Tower of Tregaron, the portal network had taken up a large chunk of time and resources. So today I planned on spending the morning writing, I just hadn’t quite decided what, yet.

  “Rose.”

  “Yes, EG”

  “Sparky would like to see you in his library at the tower.”

  “Thank you, EG”

  I portaled to Sparky’s library, it was even more impressive than the library on our floor as the ceiling was a good ten feet higher. Floor to ceiling filled with books.

  “Sparky, EG said you wanted to see me.”

  “I’ll be right there, Rose”

  Sparky came striding in a few minutes later, he was dressed in hiking clothes, black leather boots and a gray cape. In his right hand he carried a wooden staff. If he’d pulled up the cape’s hood he would have been a very skinny example of a Gandalf cosplay.

  “Rose I’m going on a very important research expedition, while I’m away I want you to look after the store and the tower. I have no idea how long I’ll be gone. Do not get yourself caught up in any more civic improvement projects. While I’m away. Also Mastat will no longer be working at the store after today, McCracken hired him permanently for the theater. He will be living in the tower for the time being however. Enigmatic Parchments can pretty much run the store on their own, but check in with them once in a while to make sure that things are going well. Do you have any questions?”

  “Where are you going on an expedition too?”

  “I mean, do you have any questions about the bookstore or the tower? I must be off momentarily, we’ll talk about the expedition when I return. So do you?”

  “No, Sparky, don’t worry about the bookstore or the tower, we'll be fine.”

  “Oh, one last thing I almost forgot, I want you first to teach Opal about magical fields and then have her start manipulating them every day. Lastly, have her start writing, start slowly, a quarter of a page a day, gradually building to eight or nine pages.”

  “Just how long do you plan to be gone? It sounds like quite a long time.”

  “Rose I don’t know how long, in many ways you and I are alike, one of the ways is we like to plan out every detail in advance, but sometimes, we are given a last minute opportunity and if you are smart you seize it. This is me seizing. Just take care of everything, like I know you will. Alright get back to the store.”

  I portaled back to the store. Mastat and Opal were at the counter side by side drawing and I could hear Mossbeard in the back painting. I walked into the back.

  “Mossbeard, if you need a canvas dried just let me know and I can jump to Juliet’s world and dry it for you.”

  “Thanks Rose, but I have this, I’m painting all eight public portals at once, that way when I need to let one dry I just move to the next painting in line. By the time I make it back to the first, it’s already dry.”

  I nodded alright and went back out front and sat on Sparky’s stool. That had been a very weird conversation with Sparky. He wasn’t always the most communicative but he’d never been that secretive before and why the big rush, it was out of character. Maybe it’s some type of test for me to see how I react to being responsible for everything.

  Well just sitting here thinking about it, isn’t going to make it any clearer. I’d planned on writing so I might as well do that. I’d written two fantasies almost back to back. I’d also written that science fiction with Eldara but I never was very happy with it. I guess Jaq’s story might really be considered urban fantasy, I mean it is set in the contemporary world.

  Lu loves mysteries, so it’d be nice to write something for her. But I hate outlining, I don’t want to know the villain until the end but if I write it like that won’t it just feel like I meandered for a couple of hundred pages and slapped a solution on at the end?

  Then a very pretty young Indian man walked into the shop, he looked around, but not at the books. So I assumed that he was looking for the portals.

  “The portals are on the wall by the door.”

  “Portals?”

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  “Yes, just touch the painting of your choice to be portaled.”

  He approached the counter.

  “This is Enigmatic Parchments is it not?”

  “Yes it is, I’m sorry I assumed you were looking for the portals. How can I help you, I’m Rose by the way?”

  “I’m Arjun Votrie, I’m here for Sparky.”

  “I’m sorry Arjun, Sparky left this morning.”

  “That can’t be I’ve been searching for him for years, but the locate spell never worked until ten days ago he suddenly was visible here in Wyldwood.”

  He scrunched his face up, if I was guessing he was trying a locate spell right now, to see if I was telling the truth.

  “Damn, the locate spell is dark again, why? Well, can you tell me where he’s gone?”

  “I’m sorry, the only thing I can tell you is that he told me this morning to look after things here at the store. He did make it sound like it might be quite a while before he returns. I’d be happy to take a message and have him contact you when he returns. Or you could write him a letter with your contact details if it is a private matter and I’ll make sure he gets it the moment he gets back.”

  “No, I’m not giving up, Rose, I’ve been searching for years. I’ll find an inn and will be back later this afternoon.”

  “There is a nice inn on the portal network. It’s called the Journey’s End.”

  “I just have to touc…”

  With that he was gone. Stranger and stranger, the day Sparky departs mysteriously, someone comes looking for him. I’ve never before had anyone come looking for Sparky since I started working here. Sparky also has a tendency to not walk anywhere. He is the person who came up with the private portal network, connecting the only three places I’ve known Sparky to go to. The bakery, the bookstore and the tower.

  But this morning he looked like he was ready to tackle the Misty Mountains. Hours later a beautiful stranger who’s been looking for him for years arrives in town as all of Lu’s detectives would say ‘I don’t believe in coincidences’ these two things are connected.

  Did Sparky realize that Arjun was on his way here to find him, and decided to leave town before his arrival. Also why would Sparky who must have been actively cloaking his location like Mistralyn did, suddenly turn it off then some time later turn it back on.

  I’d never tried to do a locate spell on Sparky before so I tried Locate:Sparky

  Nothing.

  I tried Locate:Thistlewick Brightspark

  Nothing.

  I tried Locate:Grandmaster Thistlewick Brightspark

  Nothing.

  I tried Locate:Grandmaster Brightspark

  Nothing.

  Well I couldn’t think of another name to search for and If Arjun saw his location, at least for a short period of time.

  I walked into the back room.

  “Mossbeard, I’m going to the bakery, what would you like?”

  “Pizza please Rose.”

  I went back out front to ask Mastat and Opel.

  “I’d like pizza please, Rose”

  “I’ll have the same lass, thank ye.”

  “I’ll be back shortly.”

  I portaled to the bakery kitchen. Lily was doing some magical bakes.

  “Hi Lily, just the woman I was looking for.”

  “Oh no Rose has gone blind, she thinks Lily is the tall beautiful werewolf in her life, but that’s Lu who works in the rival magical eatery.”

  “Rival? You guys are thick as thieves, you even share a magical field.”

  “It’s true, we even have staff in common. But I didn’t mean to distract you, what can I help you with? Lunch?”

  “Yes, Lunch but something weird is going on at the bookshop.”

  “It’s been like that since you started working there, there used to be dust everywhere because no one ever went inside, except for the owner. Now there’s five employees and I have even seen the odd customer nosing about the bookshelves.”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Sparky has left in the oddest manner. I got called to his tower and he said he was going away for research. Have you ever known Sparky to go anywhere for research or vacation or anything? When he was cursed he must have come in here everyday.”

  “Yeah he did at that Rose, but since you came he mostly just sent you to pick up his three dozen donuts and he would stay in the store I presume.”

  “Yep but today he gave me a lesson plan for Opal and listen to this, he said to start her writing for about one quarter of a page and to gradually work up to eight or nine pages. I mean realistically that could take months, right?”

  “That is odd behavior for him, but have you stopped to consider, maybe the reason he never went anywhere or did anything was he wanted to stay close to home and so he always knew where his next meal was coming from?”