Worlds Collide: Chapter 34 Returning

This place definitely has a bomb shelter vibe going on and I understand why as Esme begins to recite the spell and flames erupt from the potion. They die down and she gestures for me to drink. I breath through my mouth to avoid the putrid smell coming off it and try to tell myself that it's just like a flaming sambuca.
The first sip eradicates any hope that I can convince myself that this is something I want to drink. The taste is what I imagine rotting apples mixed with fish guts tastes like. There is no justifiable comparison for what this tastes like, it is definitely not chicken. I have eaten chicken feet, a century egg and rotting shark and this is worse than them all combined. I force myself to keep drinking the vile sludge and feel my stomach gurgling in protest. I know that if I stop I will just have to repeat the process and prolong the torture so I keep going. I count each sip and try to follow along with what the high priestess is chanting to distract myself. My body starts to itch and burn and I swear that something in this must be poison, but I keep drinking still. At least the pain takes my mind off the taste somewhat. The spell must be one of the longest in existence, most that I have seen are barely more than a sentence, but this feels like she is reciting a whole fucking book. It might be the literal torture I’m enduring that is making me feel that way though, each sip probably adds an hour to my perception of time.
Finally, mercifully Esme stops her recital and moves me gently away from the potion. She looks at me with concern and respect.
“Well done Rain, now just keep it down for half an hour. We have to remain here until you are in the clear.” She says, helping me to sit on the floor, as far away from the remaining potion as possible.
“Why?” I try to ask, but my throat burns so much it is more of a strangled croak than a word.
“Because the vomit produced from such a potion can be …volatile. Wayward magic must be contained for everyones safety.” She explains and I don’t think I want to know what she means by volatile, so I just nod and try to take deep breaths.
The nausea is intense and combined with the itching and burning I feel, I suspect my body wants to give up. I won’t let it though, pain I can deal with.
I fight the nausea and the pain while Esme gently strokes my hair away from my sweating face and wipes away the tears streaming down my face. Then suddenly the bubbling in my stomach stops and the pain ceases. It is like a switch flipped in my body. I cautiously un-curl myself from the hunched over position I had been in, but I feel fine. Esme looks at her watch and smiles happily.
“Well done, you have succeeded. Now we can go to one of the gateways to check that it worked. How are you feeling?” She asks.
“Actually ok now, don’t get me wrong though, that is not something I would ever want to experience again if it can be avoided. I guess that explains why so few people ask to cross and why you didn’t have people queuing up for this job.” I say.
“Well that and there are few that I would trust with this role, with this power. It takes a special person to be loyal to both sides and not abuse the role.” She explains.
“So no-one has asked you for this role or to cross over before?” I question
“Some have sought the informant position, but I did not trust their motives. Others have asked to return across the other side of the barrier, but they are few and far between, since they know the dangers that lie there and that it would be a one way trip. There are simpler spells to get across the barrier, ones that lesser witches could preform, but they only go one way.” She explains.
“Well I guess that disgusting experience was worth it to be granted such freedom and privilege.” I say
“Let's go and test it out. There are 5 access points around the kingdom with corresponding access points in your world. This is a map to them. You must guard it with your life. There can be glitches in the barrier sometimes, one which I believe you came through and we would not want anyone slipping through one. This is the nearest portal to the palace, we could teleport there since I know you have learnt the spell, but if you would like to walk, I can show you my home and introduce you to your grandfather.” She offers.
“Yes please, let’s walk.” I say excited to meet more of my family and interested to know what kind of man was brave enough to court the high priestess.
As we walk, we arrive at quaint looking cottage with a beautifully kept garden blooming with life. A home that I had not expected from the high priestess, but one which I’m glad my mother grew up in.
I barely walk through the door when I’m engulfed in a tight bear hug that makes me giggle.
“Rain, I’m so glad to finally meet you! I have been pestering your grandma since you arrived for a chance to see you, but she always puts work first.” He says throwing a glare over my shoulder to her which quickly turns to a smile as he releases me to kiss her cheek.
When I get a better look at him, he is a plump man with white hair and a kind face. He reminds me a little of Santa Claus and so I instantly love him.
“Sorry it took so long, I’m glad to meet more of my family.” I say warmly.
“Well I know you are going to be busy with your new job, leading a double life can be hard, but please visit any time you like.” He offers without putting pressure on me, making me smile.
I’m about to thank him when a timer beeps and he rushes off to another room, returning swiftly with a plate of piping hot cakes. Confirming my belief that this man has honed the role of house husband to a tee.
“Now I have heard a lot about you from Esme, but she cares more for the functional information, whereas I would like to know you more on a personal level. For example, what is your favourite thing to eat?” He asks.
“I hardly think we have time for that just now, we do have business to attend to” Esme says sternly.
Grandad is unfazed “Oh let the child eat a cake and answer the question.” He says offering me a cupcake style cake which I take gladly.
“That is very hard to say, there are so many delicious things I have eaten. One of my favourites is tim tams, they are a type of chocolate biscuit that you can get in Australia and New Zealand back home and if you bite the end off each side you can use them to suck tea up like a straw resulting in the perfect dunked melty goodness.” I say smiling at the thought. “Although this is amazing too, the lemony flavour is just right!” I add finishing my cake.
“Thank you, if you bring me some of these biscuits to inspect, I can try to re-create them for you here.” He offers and my love for him grows further.
“You can do that?” I ask.
“I can try, a lot of the food we have now has come from your mother bringing something back or a recipe which I test and then distribute through the community.” He says proudly.
“There will be time for you to show off later Lawrence, Rain we have to go, so say goodbye.” Esme says authoritatively, but this time I can tell that there is a softness there she is trying to hide.
I jump up and kiss his cheek “It was lovely meeting you granddad, I will be sure to visit again when I manage to sneak away from her” I say.
He chuckles “Good luck getting past her. But seriously, good luck with your new role too and make sure you find a way to balance work and pleasure. You are living proof that your mother did.”
“Thank you, I will, and thank you for the cake!” I say as Esme pulls me out of the house.
The crossing point is only a sort walk from the cottage making me think that they built it here deliberately to be close to their daughter. It is hidden in a cave covered with ivy and over grown shrubs.
“So if all goes to plan, you should just be able to walk through to the other side of the cave, which will open out in a cave in Cairns. If you are able to pass through, I will leave and return tomorrow at noon to receive your report. Should you fail to return by noon, I will assume that something has gone wrong and begin my preparations to retrieve you myself, so don’t be late.” Esme instructs.
“Ok, I will see you then” I say, realising that I’m not going to get any sleep and that it will take a miracle to pry myself away from Lily, but also thinking that it is worth it.
I enter the cave and soon become lost in its twists and turns but I keep walking quickly. Eventually I see a light at the end of the tunnel and I feel hopeful that the potion has worked, so I speed up into a run. When I make it out of the cave, the temperature change tells me that it has worked before anything else, the Australian heat hitting me like a blanket. I shift into my dragon and make a bee line for home, soaring over the great barrier reef and flying until I reach our flat in Edinburgh.
I knew Lily would be here, if she thought I was missing, she would want to be somewhere we called home and somewhere I’d likely return to. I still know all the codes to access the doors and as I rush up the stairs, I’m greeted by the familiar scent of us, one that I had grown so used to living here that I didn’t notice until I had been away, but the subtle floral combination of all our perfumes and body washes smells like home to me.
As I reach enter the flat, I am greeted by moans from Lily’s room “Oh yes, Sky, just like that” I hear her say.
Now most people would probably leave and come back later, but one, I’m on a tight time schedule, two, I have seen this girl in worse situations and three, I lived with the pair of them long enough to be used to them going at it like rabbits. So of course I barge right in.