asked. He nodded.
“I’ve got to make arrangements to get the Russians back to the real world. And Joy and I would like to get a little time to ourselves while we still can. The only way we’re likely to get that time is to go back to Chicago or Louisville, and I’m not sure that I can anymore.” I told Aaron what Mother had said about Pregel.
“I don’t think you have to worry,” Aaron said. “Before he started working on this new magic, and back when Parthet was teaching me about being a wizard, he did a lot of talking about Pregel. He talked about how they went to the St. Louis World’s Fair together back in the beginning of the century, about being among the first people ever to eat ice cream in a cone. What your mother was talking about, that must just have been because your grandfather was already so sick.”
That sounded encouraging. “I’d better double-check though,” I said, getting up from the desk. “Is Parthet so deep in his conjuring that I can’t disturb him for a minute?”
“I don’t think so. He’s not in a trance or anything.”
Parthet confirmed what Aaron had said. After that, I could hardly wait to get back to Joy. It was almost midnight in Varay, which would make it about three in the morning in Chicago, but I was almost certain that Joy would want to go through right away, get away for as long as we could, as soon as we could, before anything could come up to keep us from leaving. I took just enough time before I left Basil to tell Kardeen where Joy and I would be and to tell him that we weren’t to be disturbed unless it was absolutely a matter of life and death.
“As soon as I tell Joy the trip’s on, I’ll be back to go up to Arrowroot for the Russians,” I told Kardeen. “The sooner they’re gone, the better. I’d hate to have any unpleasantness up at Arrowroot.” Then I hurried back to Cayenne.
Joy was still up on the battlements, staring at the night sky.
“You ready for that honeymoon?” I asked.
“Aren’t any of the stars here the same as they are back home?” she asked. I looked up at the sky.
“I’m not sure. I think they must be, but we’re seeing them from a different perspective. I know what you mean, though,” I added before she could say anything. “The patterns are different. There’s no Orion, no Dippers, nothing to recognize. It bothered me at first too, especially not being able to see Orion. But you get used to the new patterns.” As long as you avoided dwelling on the paradox of the same moon being in the sky with different constellations.
“I wonder,” Joy said, and then she switched topics. “You mean we can go back to our world?”
“Anytime we want. The trouble with Grandfather was that he was already so sick. He just couldn’t take the strain of being away from the source of the magic that was keeping him going. He was even in our world when I was born. He came to see me while I was still in the hospital.”
“Can we go right now?”
I smiled. I knew her well enough to predict that response. “I hurried back as soon as I found out. We can go anytime you want. It’ll be about three in the morning there, though.”
“As long as there’s hot water in the shower.”
“There should be.” And then I decided that the Russians could wait for a few hours, until morning. There was no sense waking them up now. Joy and I deserved a little treat.
“But will it be safe? Will the police be waiting, about Aaron?” Joy asked.
I laughed. “So I’ll claim diplomatic immunity. I’m the head of state of a sovereign kingdom.”
The joke came at a good time. We both laughed, and we needed a laugh.
“Okay, your high-and-mightiness, let’s go take a hot shower.”
We went down to the bedroom, grabbed clothes to change into after our shower, and went to the doorway leading to the bedroom in the Chicago condo. I handed Joy the clothes I was carrying so I would have both hands free to open the passage. I put my rings on
“I’ve got to make arrangements to get the Russians back to the real world. And Joy and I would like to get a little time to ourselves while we still can. The only way we’re likely to get that time is to go back to Chicago or Louisville, and I’m not sure that I can anymore.” I told Aaron what Mother had said about Pregel.
“I don’t think you have to worry,” Aaron said. “Before he started working on this new magic, and back when Parthet was teaching me about being a wizard, he did a lot of talking about Pregel. He talked about how they went to the St. Louis World’s Fair together back in the beginning of the century, about being among the first people ever to eat ice cream in a cone. What your mother was talking about, that must just have been because your grandfather was already so sick.”
That sounded encouraging. “I’d better double-check though,” I said, getting up from the desk. “Is Parthet so deep in his conjuring that I can’t disturb him for a minute?”
“I don’t think so. He’s not in a trance or anything.”
Parthet confirmed what Aaron had said. After that, I could hardly wait to get back to Joy. It was almost midnight in Varay, which would make it about three in the morning in Chicago, but I was almost certain that Joy would want to go through right away, get away for as long as we could, as soon as we could, before anything could come up to keep us from leaving. I took just enough time before I left Basil to tell Kardeen where Joy and I would be and to tell him that we weren’t to be disturbed unless it was absolutely a matter of life and death.
“As soon as I tell Joy the trip’s on, I’ll be back to go up to Arrowroot for the Russians,” I told Kardeen. “The sooner they’re gone, the better. I’d hate to have any unpleasantness up at Arrowroot.” Then I hurried back to Cayenne.
Joy was still up on the battlements, staring at the night sky.
“You ready for that honeymoon?” I asked.
“Aren’t any of the stars here the same as they are back home?” she asked. I looked up at the sky.
“I’m not sure. I think they must be, but we’re seeing them from a different perspective. I know what you mean, though,” I added before she could say anything. “The patterns are different. There’s no Orion, no Dippers, nothing to recognize. It bothered me at first too, especially not being able to see Orion. But you get used to the new patterns.” As long as you avoided dwelling on the paradox of the same moon being in the sky with different constellations.
“I wonder,” Joy said, and then she switched topics. “You mean we can go back to our world?”
“Anytime we want. The trouble with Grandfather was that he was already so sick. He just couldn’t take the strain of being away from the source of the magic that was keeping him going. He was even in our world when I was born. He came to see me while I was still in the hospital.”
“Can we go right now?”
I smiled. I knew her well enough to predict that response. “I hurried back as soon as I found out. We can go anytime you want. It’ll be about three in the morning there, though.”
“As long as there’s hot water in the shower.”
“There should be.” And then I decided that the Russians could wait for a few hours, until morning. There was no sense waking them up now. Joy and I deserved a little treat.
“But will it be safe? Will the police be waiting, about Aaron?” Joy asked.
I laughed. “So I’ll claim diplomatic immunity. I’m the head of state of a sovereign kingdom.”
The joke came at a good time. We both laughed, and we needed a laugh.
“Okay, your high-and-mightiness, let’s go take a hot shower.”
We went down to the bedroom, grabbed clothes to change into after our shower, and went to the doorway leading to the bedroom in the Chicago condo. I handed Joy the clothes I was carrying so I would have both hands free to open the passage. I put my rings on
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