4
I took the shock of finding out we had an inter-dimensional portal in our stockroom and put it to one side and then set about trying to rebuild the business relationship with the gnome. After all, he was the nearest thing we'd had to a customer in weeks. All three of us scurried around, getting what he wanted, then found the price list for the obscure items. The gnome looked much more pleased.
“There you go, sir, we've added extra powdered amber as compensation for our earlier behaviour," Tess said, placing the neatly packaged parcel in his hands.
“Much obliged," the gnome said with a smile. "His Highness helped me to understand the situation better. I had no idea Mistress Miranda had passed. Please accept my condolences."
"Of course," she said.
"Obviously, she did not have time to train you to take up your birthright. I will instruct others to make allowances."
Jez’s and my eyebrows shot upwards at the same time at this. Tess hastily smiled and ushered the gnome out. I swivelled around to Prince Harold who lounged elegantly against the counter. “So, inter-dimensional travel, something that happens in your world?"
“Indeed, it’s how I found you. A portal opened on my morning ride."
"And you just went through? There could have been anything on the other side."
He shrugged, "I felt certain I was needed and I was correct."
I shook my head, this was just too weird. I sat down behind the counter, scrubbed at my scalp, then picked up the little nuggets of gold he’d left. Evidently, it was a currency that worked across dimensions. Was this how Nan had made money? Hawking strange body parts to people from other worlds? Was it like, one of those dodgy traditional medicine places where rhino horn was sold illegally to give guys boners? Where did the gryphon beak come from? Maybe they were endangered in their world and we were making small change selling powdered forms of it. And the portal. Could we walk through it? What would happen if we did? Could we get back?
“Forgive me, Lady Ashley, but you look pensive. Is there any way I can be of assistance, outside of moving books, of course?”
I met his violet-blue eyes head on and said, “How much do you know about portal travel?”
Jez, Tess and I sat the prince down and quizzed him for a few hours. It appeared that gryphons were not rare and the beaks came from a group of people who cohabited with the bird/lion hybrids. The beaks and other body parts came from animals who had died naturally and were harvested and sold for income. The gryphons were not terribly sentimental about the bodies of their fallen comrades. Once you could not fly, you were meat. The Lamassians used the money they accrued to maintain the tribe and to buy items the gryphons loved but could not get nearby, like fire mice. I nearly asked what fire mice were, but stopped myself from going down that wormhole.
“So, how do people travel between realms? For example, how are you going to get home?” I asked.
“One travels with the aid of sorcerers. There are many who make their living this way, ushering those with coin from one world to the next.”
“And if we went through the door without one?” Jez asked.
“I would advise against it, my ladies. Without the properly qualified person, you may be stuck in the realm you have entered.”
“Dude, I knew you were going to say that,” Tess said, slamming her hand down on the table. Jez and I looked at her in mild shock. My sister was the easy-going one, but apparently, this was the final straw. “What if I went through and Ash kept the door open?”
“My lady, we have no idea how the magic of the door works. How long it stays stable, whether travel is possible from both directions.”
“Tess, we’ve got to be careful here. I get it, this is exciting–”
“Exciting? Exciting? I've been preparing for this my whole life! I spent my childhood burrowing into the backs of wardrobes and looking for mysterious doors. My Nan was a witch and knew magic. I was destined to be that kid in all those books, destined to have incredible adventures and make magical friends. . . . Do you know what it’s been doing to me, seeing the spell work on you every morning? You get to meet all the people I’ve wanted to my whole life!”
“There’s nothing stopping you from talking to them!”
“But they’re all here for you! I’m not the tough and sassy protagonist, I’m the geeky sidekick!”
“I’m not sass. . . . Not the point. Look, I’d do anything for our roles to be reversed and for you to wake up in glass coffins, believe me. Actually, maybe that’s it.”
“What’s it? You want to bury your sister in a glass coffin?” Jez asked.
“No, we should be looking into the spell, into all of Nan’s books. She has to have written all this stuff down, right? How else did she expect us to look after the shop without her help?”
5
We spent the rest of the afternoon pawing through the piles of books, looking for some clue but not really finding anything.
“What I can’t believe is that I didn’t know that door existed,” Jez said. “Like, your Nan used to disappear into the storeroom all the time, but I thought it was to do grandma stuff like crochet or something.” Tess held up a New Age tome that talked about opening the doors of perception through drugs, but Jez was dismissive of this. "Old hippie stuff, keep looking," she said.