Back in bed, I hadn’t yet decided what to tell them of the dream. At first, I turned, looking for Riland, even muttered his name.

“You saw Riland?” Aerona asked, sitting up next to me, curious. The others entered as if on cue, and I groaned, trying to clear my head of the fog.

“In a sense, yes.”

“Then what?” Ebrill asked.

I frowned, confusion causing my irritation to rise. “He’s not here?”

“No,” Steph said, and came over, a hand on my shoulder.

“We connected,” I said. “And I don’t mean in some weird way—I mean, a connection based on magic, so I thought maybe he’d be able to come with me. And when he stepped into the portal, he vanished. It made sense that he would have come through.”

“I don’t see him,” Ebrill said, voice breaking. “But sure would like to.”

My mind clicked awake and I had to wonder how he played into all of this. “Who was he, to you? I mean, to the group?”

“A soldier,” Kordelia said. “One of many.”

Ebrill scoffed.

“Nothing more.” Kordelia shot her a glare that said enough was enough.

“Clearly, something’s not being said here,” I cut in.

“Sounds like there was a romantic situation, if you ask me,” Steph said. “Don’t worry, Jericho here is a big man. He can handle it.”

“It’s not so simple,” Ebrill explained. She glanced at Kordelia. “You want to tell him, or should I?”

With a sigh, Kordelia leaned against the wall, arms crossed, jaw set.

“Fine.” Ebrill opened her mouth to explain, but was cut off by Kordelia clearing her throat.

“I’m getting to it,” Kordelia said. Then, after a deep breath said, “He was a complicated character. Riland… Nephew of Rianne, fell in love with the princess.”

“Wait, the princess?” I eyed them to see if they were messing with me. “I thought—but didn’t he have a thing for Yenifer?”

“She was twice his size,” Kordelia said with a scoff.

“Excuse me?”

Kordelia eyed me, grimaced, and said, “Not all are as accepting as you. Especially back then.”

“But, I remember him acting a certain way toward her,” I protested.

“It might have seemed like he was into her,” Ebrill cut in, “but I think you’re misinterpreting the looks. See, Yenifer had served as the princess’s royal guard for a time. Until the wars started and the princess reassigned her to Rianne.”

“So, Riland saw Yenifer as his ticket to the princess’s heart,” I said, nodding.

“Close.” Kordelia cut in, agitated. “Or, pretty much, yes. In a sense, he already had the key, but she had… given out multiple keys.”

“I don’t… Ohhh.” I laughed, then turned to Kordelia. “You were one of them!”

She nodded. “The princess and I, yes. Yenifer and I never really got along, and Riland hoped to leverage her reliance on Yenifer to sway the princess his way.”

“This is some high school bullshit,” I said with a laugh. “Except, with princesses in school, I guess.”

“At the time, we took it very seriously,” Kordelia snapped.

“Sorry.” I held my hands up in surrender. “Wait, but you and the princess… now?”

Kordelia eyed me, then turned and left the room.

“Shit. I didn’t mean to…” I turned to Aerona and Ebrill for help. “Did I mess this up?”

“It would seem so,” Aerona said, and gave me a nod before jogging after Kordelia.

Ebrill said, “I need to use the restroom, anyway. Take five, we’ll get everyone together in the dining room.”

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“Sure, I guess,” I replied, rubbing my head, still trying to get over the things I had seen in that other world, as well as the new information regarding the princess. “Wait, Ebrill?”

She paused. “Yeah?”

“This… princess?”

“Dead, by my understanding.”

“And why did Riland think Yenifer would help him? I mean, with the princess.”

“Oh, that part.” Ebrill grinned. “They were bound. Magically connected in a way that few of us ever experience. They merged their powers together at one point. From then on, not only were each of their powers magnified when used around each other, but they seemed to be able to predict the other’s movements and more.

I nodded, processing that, but then added, “Was the princess magical? I mean, if there was a place where magical beings went instead of really dying…?”

“No. Sorry, but… not an ounce of magic in her.”

Taking that in, I nodded to Steph and we went to the door while Ebrill headed for the bathroom. We took the long way, not bothering to rearrange the house or anything, and I noticed Steph eyeing me with curiosity. Finally, I pulled her into a guest room turned lookout, and held her hands.

“I’ve been thinking, since I got back… And you can help me, maybe.”

“With what?” she asked.

“Riland. I want to bring him here like you do your wraith knights.”

“I’m not sure it works that way,” she countered.

“We formed a connection, kind of like what they said he had with Yenifer, I think. I mean, I don’t know. But if so, in turn he might be the key to finding her.”

“And if you have such a connection, you might actually have a chance at waking him.” She eyed me, then squeezed my hands. “When I let go, I want you to keep your hands in place, imagine you’re pulling on that connection. Then pull with all your soul, and bring him to us.”

“Simple enough,” I replied with a chuckle.

Then we were doing it, or trying anyway. I felt the link, envisioned Riland in my mind’s eye, and pulled with everything I could muster. When nothing happened, Steph frowned, summoned one of her wraiths, and told me to try like she had.

“What’s the difference?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Just… do it.”

I laughed. “Thanks, Nike.”

“I mean, can’t you copy me? Like watch with your screen, then use it to copy my actions.”

This time, I sort of scanned her with my magic screen, watching her spiritual essence and how it moved around her like a flame as she summoned the wraith. My body went through the same process, even feeling the similar sensations as I had sensed in her, but… nothing.

“We’ll keep trying,” Steph said, and we went downstairs to find the others. Aerona was cooking steak and eggs while Ebrill made coffee. With the beautiful ladies and this meal, it was perfection.

Minus the little fact that I was completely troubled by the events of the dream, where we would find the other gargoyles, and how this Galahad-related dinner would play into it all. While we ate, I opened up about the rest of what I had seen. I told them about the armies charging, and filled in the others about my attempt to call Riland to us. The only thing I left out, still, was the strange woman I had seen at the end.

“So, why there?” Kordelia asked.

“I don’t get it,” I admitted. “Before, I would travel into the past. Find the past versions of you all. Now, it’s nothing like that.”

“There must be a reason,” Ebrill said, hand on my lower back.

“Maybe it’s related to the fact that magic has changed?” Aerona offered. “Since my return, I’ve felt this darkness hovering over me.”

“A curse they managed to get off before being expelled from Avalon?” Kordelia said.

“I don’t think so. More like, other aspects of the magical world have changed, and we have access to those stores of magic that we didn’t have before. Rianne had hinted it would be different, although she didn’t seem to fully know either. And since it’s linked in a way to Glitonea, I suppose it makes sense, in a strange way.”

Taking a bite of steak, I savored the crispy outside and soft center, the slight taste of garlic she had apparently used, then nodded. I had to tell them. Swallowing, I took a sip of coffee—a bit too hot—and then said, “There was… a girl. I’m not sure why it matters, but it was like she wanted to speak with me, only couldn’t.”

“What sort of girl?” Ebrill asked.

“I don’t know, it was dark.” I racked my brain, trying to figure out what to tell them. That she was naked? No, that felt… out of context. For all I knew, she had been a part of an actual dream, and the last thing I wanted to do was tell a room full of lovers and potential lovers that I’d been dreaming of another nude female. As if I didn’t have enough!

“If you see her again, let us know,” Aerona said. “It could be someone trying to make contact, or could be nothing. We can figure it out together.”

“Understood.”

“So, when do we try again?” Ebrill asked.

“We have the dinner event,” I noted. “After, perhaps?”

Aerona nodded. “It makes sense. You two will need to get outfits, the rest of us need to plan our approach.”

“Do we have money?” Steph asked. “I had means, but… it was cut off when they found out I had switched over.”

I grinned and nodded. That was one area in which my aunt had left us well off. Or, at least I had recently found some of her stashes when rearranging walls and sensing the house. As for outfits and money to come, we had a stash to match whatever Harry had waiting for him at Gringotts. If you don’t get the reference, I’m saying we were set.

We spent the rest of the night going over the plan and a map for where the gargoyles would go when night came. As I understood it, the gargoyles would head to the destination when night came, moving along in the darkness. Staying to the shadows and on rooftops, using what magic they could to keep hidden. Steph and I were debating taking a cab, but apparently that wouldn’t be necessary.

“Wait,” I said, hand on the walls and sensing what we had available. “There’s a room with a back driveway. It’s possible they aren’t watching back there.”

“Or at all, now that the rune magic can mostly hide us, right?” Steph asked.

“Sure so…” I gestured her to follow, and a few minutes later we stepped into a fancy garage with three cars waiting, keys and key fobs hanging next to the door. Two were classics, the third more of a luxury SUV. Using my powers to rearrange the building and grounds, I was able to create a secret way out that would work like a Batcave exit. Even better, I could close it and open it at will.

Having a transmutation ability certainly came in handy sometimes! For the moment, though, morning was coming. We had time, so we headed back upstairs, checked on Shisa, and then headed for the bedroom.