“Nope!” Jear snapped, her shoulders limp and her eyes droopy. Thick bags hung under her eyes, and even her incredibly long ears seemed down.

  She, Luka, Eve, and little Leo sat in the shaded area of the employee garden, their feet kicked up on the stone barricade around the firepit. They were drinking root beer—another new recipe with tweaked rations courtesy of Vlad—talking about the park’s future and Ressen’s role.

  Well. Sort of.

  That was how the conversation started, at least.

  “You don’t know anyone with alchemical stores?” Eve asked, not believing it.

  “Not any alive, no. So, unless you can resurrect the dead, the reagents you seek are long gone.”

  Luka and Eve shared a look. “What about alive connections?” the former asked. “You’ve got to know someone.”

  Jear scoffed. “I haven’t left my husband’s side in almost a century. I don’t know anyone alive.”

  At that, Ressen shook her lowest branch, shifting the shadows over the group.

  “Yes, yes,” Jear mumbled, “I know them and you. You’re right. But they understood what I was saying.”

  The wind picked up, then suddenly dropped.

  “Oh, don’t you start!” Jear snapped at her husband. “I’m trying to teach her context clues! Don’t—”

  The wind rushed.

  Jear ground her teeth. “Fine. But when she starts taking every word literally, it will be your fault!”

  The shadows shifted.

  “I wasn’t being mean!” the high elf pleaded. “I was just—”

  The wind came.

  Then the shadows moved.

  “Hey! I’m sitting right here!”

  Both the wind and shadows moved at the same time.

  Jear recoiled. “That was uncalled for.”

  The wind slowly rolled.

  Then the shadows shyly apologized.

  “It’s okay. You’re just a kid—I love you.”

  The shadows perked up. The wind sang.

  Eve, Luka, and Leo all shared a look, silently got up, and left the family to their strange little moment.

  Once out of earshot, Luka said, “Time for plan B.”

  “What’s with you and naming plans after letters?” Eve asked.

  ***

  They found Franky and Princess Alexandra spinning in a teacup, frantically yanking the spinning wheel with all their might, a dozen royal guards in teacups of their own. Alex giggled and laughed while Franky howled with amusement.

  “Faster! Faster!” he yelled, the world spinning.

  Her face was split in two, her lips stretched into as big of a smile as possible. “I think I’m going to be sick!”

  Their yelling echoed across the waiting line of guests, and the few envious royal guards who chose to sit this one out. Was it strange that a princess was having fun at an amusement park? No. Was it strange she was doing so with a platoon of guards? Yes. Did they get in the way of other guests? No, luckily not.

  “Move your dog back, sir.”

  Luka looked over, finding a guard standing stiff. They wore the kingdom’s colors, red and silver. With armor as reflective as a freshly washed spoon, the man looked as comfortable as an octopus in lava—that was to say, not very. Emberwood wasn’t particularly hot, but it was bright! The sun pelted the forest, growing the trees and plants, but causing all to squint. Ressen, unfortunately, did not produce shade, sunlight passing through her canopy without impediment.

  “Hey, you know what?” Luka said to the guard. “You want a pair of sunglasses? We need people to wear them so that they’ll sell. And who better than Alex’s persona—”

  “Move. Your. Dog. Back. Sir,” the guard interrupted, his face firm and bordering on a snarl.

  Leo, on the other hand, was snarling. His small size left little to fear, however. In fact, he was mighty cute as a puppy-sized wolf.

  “Well, that’s just not nice,” Luka muttered.

  Eve stepped in. “Do you know who we are?”

  Everyone listening to the conversation, including the World Walker himself, cringed at the question.

  “Don’t care. Princess Alexandra needs space to exit the attraction. Your mutt will block her path.”

  Suddenly the cringe of the situation waned. Luka frowned at the man, Leo slowly growing in size. Eventually the dire-wolf was no longer puppy sized but rather wagon sized. His snarling suddenly dripped with frothy foam and spittle, watering the grass one watering can sized wad at a time.

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  Luka patted him on the flank. “Easy, boy. Mutt is a complement in some cultures—”

  “No it isn’t,” the guard spat, his hand gravitating to his sword.

  Blinking slowly, Luka said, “I was trying to help you out, man.”

  “I’m not your ‘man,’ buddy.”

  “What is even happening right now?”

  “Nothing other than you moving your mutt so Princess Alexandra can exit—” the words died in the man’s mouth. He moved to intervene, but froze.

  “Luka! Eve! Leo!” Alex yelled, wobbling on her feet as she stepped out of the teacup. Franky held her tight, and the pair drunkenly walked across the ride platform to the exit.

  Leo’s snarling ceased, and he smiled like a gambler who just won the pot. Alex departed the stable refuge of Franky’s arms and crashed into the soft, pillowy dire-wolf fur. “So soft,” she muttered into his fur, closing her eyes tight. The world spun worse. “Nope! Gotta keep them open! I’m going to be sick!”

  Then, uh, she puked—right onto Leo’s front paws.

  Leo, however, didn’t mind per-say. Of course he did, but in that moment, he smirked at the annoying housefly of a guard. Yeah, that’s right, I know the princess personally, bow down to me! His expression read.

  A crack in the ground opened, pulling in the pile of sickness with only a flex of Luka’s magic. A moment later, a tumbleweed of grass clippings rubbed Leo’s paws clean—and was disposed of in the crack. Next came a glob of water pulled from a nearby food stall’s ice chest. It was cold, but Leo endured the chill well. Again, the contamination fell into the crack.

  Luka then sealed it, scratching his head. “You know, there are some things I never would’ve expected to do. That was one of them.”

  Franky stepped up beside Alex, rubbing her back as she dry heaved, and subtly standing between her and the gawking crowd. “You okay?”

  She nodded her head, a gesture that sent ripples through her stomach. “Can you believe this is only the second most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to me?”

  “Oh?” Eve asked a little too eagerly. “What’s the first?”

  Alex’s eyes drifted to the annoying guard, then to Franky’s blushing green cheeks. “That’s personal.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Around, the other royal guards circled the group—most wobbling on their feet. Luka studied them all, finding the same reflective armor issue as the annoying guard.

  “Say, you guys want sunglasses? I think they’ll fit your fashion choices well.”

  Franky’s eyes went wide. “Yes, they do!”

  “Do they?” Alex asked.

  “They do! Trust me!”

  “And they’ll get them,” Luka said with an almost predatory eye. “But first, I need a favor.”

  The annoying guard scoffed, like he was expecting such a thing.

  “What kind of favor?” Alex asked.

  “Nothing much, I just need some contacts for alchemy reagents.”

  ***

  “Can’t do it,” Alex said an hour later.

  They were, as a group and very well protected, sitting at one of the many picnic tables, snacking on lye pretzels and melted beer cheese. As it turned out, once you expelled the entire contents of your stomach, you were indescribably hungry.

  Luka frowned and asked, “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t know any alchemists and my parents would never allow the royal stock to dwindle. They need everything inside.”

  For the first time today, Franky dispelled the pure joy that was a new romantic relationship and got down to the nitty gritty. Obviously, he wouldn’t break up with the girl if she couldn’t help, but this was his parents they were talking about, even if she didn’t know it. He shared a look with his sister—both on the same page. They were in this together, even if today they were separated.

  Franky grimaced. I need to apologize.

  “What if we pay? Surely you have your own supplier you can order more from?”

  Again, Franky grimaced. Luka had good intentions, but making a deal with the youngest princess likely wasn’t the best idea—even if the outcome resulted in alchemy reagents. Her parents, brothers, and sisters would hold the park over her, expecting favors for simply not messing with the park she so obviously adored.

  Still, he wasn’t going to throw the deal as well. It was a tough situation, disregarding the whole girlfriend and parental reincarnation thing.

  “Simply can’t do it,” Alex said, dunking her pretzel into the cheese, getting full coverage. She ate it happily. She paused, then in a dark tone said, “Please don’t ask again.”

  Franky recognized that tone. “What’s wrong?” he asked before Luka or Eve could say anything.

  Alex shifted uncomfortably. “Remember what I was saying earlier about back home?”

  He did. People had long tried to become Princess Alexandra’s friend for the sole purpose of gaining favor, renown, or political capital. She lacked true friends and was often isolated at the castle—which was why she ultimately traveled here alone. Well, alone with a platoon of anonymous guards.

  Luka went to speak, but Franky cut him off with a shake of his head. “I think we should look for a different way. Even if it takes longer.”

  Eve eyed him like a betrayer. She didn’t say anything, however. Instead, she silently got up and walked off.

  Everyone watched her go, then Luka said, “Go after her, dude.”

  Franky was up in a heartbeat.

  ***

  Luka and Princess Alex finished off the pretzel and cheese.

  “This was good,” she said. “They feed me whatever they deem as healthy back at home. It’s good to have something with actual flavor.”

  He gave her an appraising look. “You’re a foodie”

  “A… what?”

  “Foodie—an Earthen term for someone who likes food more than normal. Eating, making, discussing recipes, stuff like that.”

  Alex considered for a moment. “I suppose.”

  “Then you should talk to Ren.”

  “The… child? Franky mentioned him once or twice when we were sampling a smash burger and pizza.”

  Luka almost snorted. “Ren’s our resident foodie. He wants nothing more than to grow up and open a restaurant. He even carries future menus, dining wear, and floor-space layouts for what his restaurant will look like.”

  Alex pressed her fingers into the thick salt crystals left over in the pretzel’s paper sleeve, eating them like candy. “Why not open a restaurant for him here?”

  “Oh, we will. But once he’s older and finalizes the menu. First it was pizza, then smashburgers, and a dessert shop, then some dish I’ve never heard of. Then he decided to go for fine dining, and—”

  Alex was smiling. Something had finally clicked in her mind.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You know Franky talks about you a lot.”

  “Does he?”

  “He raves about how you are the best thing that’s ever happened to him, his sister, and this village.”

  “That’s nice of him—”

  “I want to help.”

  Luka paused. “With what?”

  “The park. What can I do?” He hesitated, so she continued, “What kind of girlfriend would I be if I don’t help my boyfriend’s best friend save his home?”

  “I’m his best friend?” Luka hadn’t really thought about it. Realization dawned like a daybreak bell. “Huh, I guess he’s my best friend as well.”

  Alex smiled wide. “So, tell me. What can I do?”

  Alchemy reagents were already off the table. Was there something—Luka froze. Of course there was. “What do you know about the Guilds?”

  “Just that my uncle is the top boss there. Want me to send him a message?”