I rented a car and found a fantastic vil on the Riviera. During dinner, I announced, “To celebrate your new css, we’re going on vacation to the French Riviera. I found aed a luxurious vil for us.” I couldn’t hide my excitement as I grinned from ear to ear.

  Lis and Mahya looked hesitant, exging uain gnces, so I asked, “What’s the problem? Why the faces?” I asked, trying to read their expressions.

  “Thank you, John,” Lis said, his voice softening as he g Mahya. “We just thought that after I get the css, we could start visiting Gates to advance ate t.”

  “Numents,” I said firmly, leaning forward with determination. “I’ve already paid for it, despite its high cost. You do your blueprint thing anywhere, and I really want to celebrate your new css, Lis. You deserve it, my friend.” I gestured towards Lis with a reassuring smile. “And we Gate-hop after the vacation; two weeks won’t ge anything,” I insisted, crossing my arms fidently.

  They both nodded, so I said, “I think we should leave tonight to escape the worst traffic.” I tapped the table for emphasis, eager to get started.

  They agreed, so we stored everything and drove to the Riviera.

  The vil I rented looked good in pictures, but it looked eveer iy. It was two stories, with a rge living room, a fully equipped kit, four bedrooms with balies, a wooden deck around a pool, and a sea view.

  When we arrived, I took out my purifying aluminum lump and threw it into the pool. Lis and Mahya looked at me strangely, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Lis stepped closer, peering into the water, and asked, “What are you doing?”

  “This is the purifying blob I created in Shimoor. I hate chlorine,” I expined, dismissively waving a hand at the pool. “I think purified water is much better than chlorinated water.”

  The lump rose from the water and flew to Lis’s hand, and he ied the blob closely.

  I blinked and asked, “You have the Telekinesis spell?” My voice carried a note of admiration.

  “Of course,” Lis said with a grin, turning the lump over in his hand. “It’s too useful to pass up.”

  He looked at it ily, trag the surface with his fingers, and asked, “How did you make it?”

  “I read in the Archive that in low-mana worlds, they don’t use runes but instead melt the metal and cast spells on it while it’s in liquid form to embed the spell inside,” I said, recalling the process. “I tried it, and it worked.”

  Lis houghtfully, a slight frown f. “I think the spell will wear off with time.”

  “Yes,” I agreed, nodding. “I read that, but I always melt the metal and cast the spells again.”

  “True,” Lis said, handing the lump bae.

  After choosing rooms, we went down to the bead were shocked. The beach was teeming with people, making it difficult to walk dowreet. We quickly returo the vil and decided that our pool was a much better pce to enjoy the sun. That’s how we spent the first week, mainly by the pool in the sun or in the pool, with Lis’s magical Mini Radio pying music. I was still ihat he had made it.

  I didn’t feel like cooking, and the vil had aensive colle of takeaway menus, so we just ordered in. Rue spent the days in the pool or on one of the lounge chairs. It kept surprising me he loved the sue all that fur.

  After a week of inactivity, Lis and I started getting bored, so we took out books and tiudying. I kept learning about mana structs for spells, and Lis studied a phonebook-thick textbook on schematics. Mahya braved the beach.

  At dinner, Mahya told us, “I met a new friend.” She paused, gng between us with a small smile. “She’s also a Traveler; I’ll introduce you in a few days.”

  Lis leaned ba his chair, folding his arms with a ed look. “Be careful,” he said, his tone serious.

  Mahya waved a hand dismissively, a fident grin spreading across her face. “Don’t worry, I know how to be careful; I’ve been traveling for over a hundred years.” She looked directly at Lis, her eyes firm. “Lyura isn’t dangerous; this is the first world she’s really traveled.”

  After three days, in the evening, we felt two Travelers approag. I immediately reized Mahya a araveler with her. She came with anirl who looked young. She didn’t look youthful like Lis or Mahya, but you could sehey were signifitly older. This girl was young. She was a blonde beauty with glowing e eyes who looked shy.

  “Hello, my name is Lyura Saman,” she said, her voice soft and shy. She looked at each of us with her glowing e eyes. “I e from an archaiied world three Gates from here.”

  We introduced ourselves with friendly smiles and invited her for dinner.

  Mahya leaned forward, a thoughtful expression on her face. “We pn to travel between Gates to increase ate t. What do you think of Lyura joining us?” She g Lyura, then back at us. “She pns to find a low-mana world to go ahings in because she’s starting to run low on money.”

  “You go to Shimoor,” I suggested, nodding encingly. “The mana level is 17, and I made a lot of mohere. Just say you’re from the southern isnds. I know two Gates that lead there.”

  “Is it the pce you told me about where you healed a Lis?” Mahya asked, leaning ba her chair.

  “Yes,” I firmed with a nod.

  Lyura’s eyes lit up with i, and Mahya said, “I might join you. I need some mental healing after Tír na nóg, and I o make some money.”

  “Buy liowels, fabric, metal cookware, soaps, and shampoos. Those are the bestsellers in the area,” I advised, leaning in spiratorially. “Also, order a big batch of gaming copper s online and exge them fold.”

  They both seemed very enthusiastic about the idea and started talking among themselves about pnning their trip to Shimoor. Lis looked at me questioningly, but I could uand what he wanted. I motiooward the pool with my eyes, and he nodded.

  After dinner, Lis and I went out by the pool, and the cool night air was refreshing. I leaned against the railing, looking at the water, and asked him, “What?”

  He looked thoughtful, gazing at the pool’s shimmering surface. “What do you think of her joining us orip between Gates?”

  I shrugged, sidering it. “I don’t have a problem with that. She seems nice, and my Lud Perception are quiet, so I don’t think she’s dangerous.” I looked back at him, my voice steady. “I also feel like she’s the weakest of the four of us.”

  Lis nodded, but his brow furrowed slightly. “I don’t mean in terms of danger, but there will be five of us now. We’ll need a much bigger vehicle.”

  “I don’t io drive all over Europe,” I said, shaking my head. “It would make the most seo fly or take the train a a van only if necessary.”

  “You know,” said Lis, a small smile pying on his lips, “it would be much simpler if you bought Telepathy; that way, we could talk without having to relocate every time.”

  “Hmm,” I said, rubbing my thoughtfully. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  He ughed, the sound light and teasing. “My mistake. As your sensei, I should have said something. Anyway, I reend you buy the spell; it’s useful in many situations.” He leaned closer, emphasizing his point. “Just remember that if the person you want to talk to doesn’t have the spell, you ’t talk with them. But enough mages and other csses in medium h mana have the ability, so it’s worth it.”

  I bought the Telepathy spell and Telekinesis. If Lis found them helpful, I was sure I would, too.

  We invited Lyura to stay with us—we had a spare bedroom—and she accepted graciously.

  We sat down with a printed map of Europe and our Traveler’s Map open to pn our route betweees.

  The distribution of Gates across Europe eculiar:

  Oe in PalTwo Gates in SpainTwo in Frawo in ItalyTwo in Germany (Shimoor)Two in RomaniaThree in RussiaOne in FinndAnd two in SwedenI asked Lis, “Doesn’t this Gate distribution seem odd to you? There are a lot of empty areas.”

  “There might be Gates there; there might be fifty Gates in Europe or even a hundred,” Lis said as he traced a route on the map with his finger. “But if a Traveler didn’t pass through a Gate, it doesn’t appear on the map.”

  I furrowed my brow, trying to my head around it. “I thought Gates automatically appeared on the map.”

  Lis shook his head. “No, only nd masses.” He poi a bnk spot on the map for emphasis. “Travelers have to add everything else, including Gates.”

  Huh.

  After some deliberation, we decided to start with the Gates in Russia because they were the northernmost Gates, and we didn’t want to reach them at the height of winter. From there, we would fly to Finnd and take a train to Sweden. From Sweden, we would fly to Romania, and from Romania, we would fly tal and proceed north through the Gates by train, with Germany being the st stop to drop off the girls.

  On our st three days on the Riviera, we braved the crowds and walked around a bit to see the pce. I ’t say it was fun, but at least we saw the pot just the pool.

  It turned out that August was not the best time to visit a seaside vacation site.