Zach was getting sick of magic. He'd been practicing invocation magic, specifically conjuring fire, for days now and he had little to show for it but a few melted candles and a half-dozen blisters on each hand.

Zach had developed a basic feel for how mana felt as it moved through his body, and by visualizing a spark and focusing his thoughts until there was nothing in the world but his hand and the candle, he could create a tiny tuft of flame.

"No need to clench your jaw," Milo said. He'd been watching Zach work, offering small suggestions. "It just creates another thing that might catch your attention and break your focus."

"Got it," Zach said.

After rubbing his jaw for a bit to loosen the muscles, he tried again. Sure enough, it was easier to zero in on the spark and the flow of mana without that tension. A ball of fire the size of a lighter's flame appeared about an inch from Zach's palm, then floated toward the candle's wick, two feet away. It fizzled out before reaching it, but it was progress.

There was no denying that he'd improved, considering he could now successfully light a candle with a thought, but his growth was far too slow. To use up the extra mana entirely, Milo had estimated that Zach would need to conjure a full fireball at least as tall as himself.

"I'm starting to think I just don't have the talent for invocation magic," Zach said. "Would learning connection magic be a better way to burn off my mana? My link sickness implied I've got a natural talent for that."

Milo scowled. "You're welcome to, if you can find an expert willing to teach you," he said dismissively. "The Gatehouse has a complete monopoly on connection magic, and I doubt a beginner like the Princess or her maid could teach you anything worthwhile."

"What's it take to join the Gatehouse?" Zach asked, genuinely curious. That organization had remained strangely absent from the public eye, despite its massive role in New Albion's society and economy.

"Most people get in through family ties, but I've heard that people with the right social connections can buy their way in for a few thousand Crowns per year."

A few thousand Crowns? Zach thought, alarmed. That'd be like paying a tuition of 300,000 dollars a year! He figured that his connection to the Princess was enough to get access to the expensive option, but there was no way he could afford it. His mining deal was producing 30 to 50 Crowns a month, enough for him to start thinking about renting a house or shop, but nowhere near enough for the Gatehouse.

"Ah. What about the other kind of magic, augmentation? That includes healing and… creation, was it?"

"I can't heal," Milo said flatly. "You should know that already."

Zach shivered as he thought back to that terrible morning in the mountains, the screams and the pain, and the near-paralyzing fear for Riley's safety.

Milo continued, "And I'm no expert at creation magic either, so I can't teach you that. But the world's greatest creation caster lives right here in this castle."

Zach was slightly impressed with Milo's ability to admit his limitations. Then Zach blinked and asked, "Wait, do you mean the King?"

Milo nodded and said, "But I'm pretty sure the King of New Albion has more important things to do than teach you. Now focus on your practice so you can burn off your mana and we can finally be rid of each other."

"Right, sorry." For all of Milo's vitriol, he was actually a decent teacher. He explained what to do in ways that even Zach could understand without prior exposure to magic and its terminology, and he noticed and corrected Zach's form whenever it was off. But practice was crucial to actually performing magic, and Milo wasn't the kindest motivator.

After a long session and a visit to the castle nurse to soothe his blistered hands, Zach encountered Bethany in the hallway. She carried a clipboard with a very long checklist on it. She was doing a seasonal checkup on all the maid-staff's duties, making sure they were caught up and ready for the coming winter.

"Hello, Zach," she said cheerfully. She seemed happy to have head maid responsibilities, now that Alexia had moved her focus elsewhere again. "We don't talk much anymore, since you don't need to be let in and out of the castle all the time. What have you been up to?"

"Hi, Bethany. I've been trying to learn invocation magic, to try to get my ability back."

She shrugged. "Magic, huh? That's beyond my expertise, but good luck." Then before Zach could thank her, she added, "And what about your relationship with Riley? Is it going well?"

He smiled and answered, "Yes, actually. Things are really great. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious if you two were really serious or just messing around," she said simply.

Zach felt his cheeks growing hot. "Um, I think we're serious. We're looking into renting our own place nearby so that I won't be leeching off the castle anymore."

Bethany smiled. "Then that's a big change for Riley. She's never been one to put down roots like that, but I think it's been good for her to have someone stable to anchor herself on."

Zach went silent. What Bethany had said kicked his thoughts into motion and now they were running a mile a minute, assembling a jigsaw puzzle of memories and ideas. A picture was coming into focus and he didn't like the look of it one bit.

He swallowed, feeling his skin grow cold and clammy. "Um, sorry, I need to go," he blurted before taking off at a run. He was hoping against hope that what he was thinking wasn't true.

What if my love for Riley is what's keeping me here? What if it's that connection that's overriding the one to my home?

He didn't know who or where he was running to. He couldn't bring his theory to Riley, since it would only upset her. And Milo didn't know anything about connection magic. That left only Eloise and Evelyn.

He checked Evelyn's tower first, sprinting the entire way up the stairwell, but she wasn't there. He nearly crashed into Beebee on the way back down, so he asked her, "Where's Evelyn? I really need to talk to her."

Beebee was a little startled by his frantic attitude, but she answered, "She went to some noble's celebration, outside the castle. She may not be back until morning. I've heard that those parties just don't know—"

Zach interrupted, "Do you know where Eloise is?" He was grasping at straws now, since Eloise didn't even like him.

"On a Friday evening? She's probably cleaning the tombs."

"T-tombs? There are tombs in this castle?" The thought affected Zach more than he would have guessed. Before, he had thought of the castle as a big town hall with built in living spaces, but now it had a particular seriousness and a life-or-death vibe. These stone halls were the product of generations of people who had lived and died for their kingdom.

Beebee answered, "Of course. Where else would they put the bodies of past royalty? I can walk you there if you want, but I don't like to go inside."

Zach tried to calm himself. Beebee had been very helpful, all things considered. When his breathing had slowed, he said, "That would be wonderful. Thank you, Beebee."

Zach parted ways with Beebee at the top of the tomb stairwell. There was a massive iron gate, but it was kept open for visitors during the day. It was only open at this hour because Eloise was working down below.

He took a deep breath and started down, his heels echoing off the smooth stone. The air was dry, with a slight earthy smell, and it wasn't nearly as dark and creepy as he'd expected thanks to regularly placed lamps, each lit with magic fire. After less than two flights of stairs, the hall opened up to twice the width. Larger sconces lit the way forward, and he could see someone in a black and white dress moving in the distance.

As he made his way through the tomb, he was happy to see that there were no exposed bones anywhere in sight, like the ancient catacombs he'd seen in movies. Instead, there were just stone walls and occasional alcoves which either held or would someday hold the coffin of a deceased king or queen.

It didn't take long for Eloise to notice him approaching. She paused her work of dusting cobwebs from the corners with a long duster, and smiled in his direction. She looked to be in good spirits despite the dreary setting.

"Hello, Eloise," he started, feeling awkward.

"Good evening, Zach. Can I help you?"

"Uh, hopefully? It's about connection magic. I want your opinion on something."

Her smile faded and her standard appearance returned. It was what Zach's peers in his world would call 'resting bitch face'. "You already know I'm not an expert in that, but I'll hear you out."

"Well, you know how I came from another world, and how I can't get back anymore?"

She nodded indifferently.

"Well, we're operating on the theory that my being stuck here was caused by absorbing so much mana and that anchoring me here." He was careful with his phrasing to not upset her. She worshipped mana more devoutly than anyone he'd met, except perhaps the farmer woman who he'd met on his first day. "But I have another theory that I wanted to run past you."

"Alright. Go on."

Zach took a couple breaths then took the plunge. "I realized how much I care for Riley around the same time as I was exposed to all that mana. What if it's my love for Riley that's keeping me here, by overpowering my connection to the other world?"

Eloise looked interested again. "Love, huh? I didn't realize you two were that serious…" She twirled a lock of her glossy black hair around a finger for a moment, then said, "It does sound possible, based on what I learned in class. Intimate relationships are the strongest form of connection, even greater than blood. My teacher had all the students do all our farspeaking practice with close friends for that reason. And I already told you that Farspeaker lovers can communicate with their thoughts instead of whispers."

She continued, "So if your strange ability really is a form of connection magic, it would probably require a solid connection to your home to function, and your relationship with Riley could potentially overpower that. Or it could be a combination of your relationship and all that mana you absorbed."

That wasn't what Zach wanted to hear at all. He'd wanted her to say something like 'No, relationships with people don't affect connections to places. After all, Bridges can travel anywhere, even with loved ones at home.'

He felt ill, like his stomach had dropped all the way into his shoes. Beebee's words about choosing between love and country echoed through his head. Do I have to choose between Riley and my home? If I stay with her, can I never return to my own world? Never use my ability to bring information over? Never see Erin or my mom again?

Eloise noticed his unpleasant expression. "Let me guess. You're thinking that you'll have to break up with Riley to get back home?"

He nodded weakly. He didn't see another option, short of giving up on his old world entirely, an option which wasn't off the table yet.

She scoffed. "That's awfully defeatist, don't you think?"

"What? Is there some other solution?"

"I don't know much about your world, but you've cooked before, right? Followed a recipe?"

"Yeah," he answered. He'd never been big on cooking since he wasn't particularly food motivated, but he'd done it hundreds of times, especially after he'd moved out on his own.

Eloise said, "Suppose you're making soup and you accidentally add twice the salt, overpowering all the other flavors."

"Okay…" Zach knew Eloise was setting up some sort of metaphor, but he wasn't sure where she was going with it.

"In that case, you'd have a couple options. You could toss it out and start over." She leaned forward and whispered, "By the way, that option represents breaking up with Riley."

Ah… Zach was starting to understand. He spoke up, "Or I could add more of everything else…"

Eloise nodded. "Exactly. Double the recipe. It uses just as many ingredients as starting over would, but you end up with twice the soup." She raised her eyebrows expectantly and said, "Now don't make me hold your hand through the rest of it."

He continued down the path she'd set him on. "So I need to strengthen my bond to my home." He thought for a second, then added, "I could think about home more, maybe write down my memories?" Eloise didn't respond, so he kept thinking and added, "And I can reminisce with the Princess about my world!"

"You've got it. Those are all techniques that Bridges and Farspeakers use to strengthen their bonds. Now I have work to get back to. I'd like to finish Queen Gwendolyn's sepulcher tonight."

Zach was so relieved he wanted to hug her, but he kept his distance and said, "You're brilliant, Eloise. Thank you so much."

Her pale skin gained a hint of color, but her face remained neutral. "Don't thank me yet. There's no guarantee any of this will even work. I still have no idea how your strange ability functions." She gave a small wave and stepped through an archway into a small room filled with flowers and white marble, the same color as the Gwendolyn Wall. Zach knew immediately that the King had built this room too, using his magic to create his wife's final resting place.

Zach started back out of the tombs, feeling much better than before. He could wait for Princess Evelyn to return and talk to her in the morning, as a way of strengthening his connection to his own world. And in case all the mana he'd absorbed on that trip was also contributing, he planned to continue his practice with Milo.

I don't need to push Riley away anymore, Zach thought with a wide grin, conveniently ignoring Eloise's warning. I should go give her a kiss right away, to make up for ever considering such a thing.