Thunder rolled. Renee pressed her nose to the window, a groan fogging the glass. “So much for biking this afternoon. I thought you said the forecast was sunny.”
Wendy shrugged, a little too pleased. “Weather can be unpredictable.”
I bit my tongue.
While our plans had been discomfited, my sister’s were on schedule. Nothing else could explain her need to clear the table of plates asap, or for the presence of her DnD case outside her room. Even the pantry was suspiciously stocked with Renee and Trevor’s favorite guilty pleasures. All she needed were my famous fresh-baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. And I’d played into her plot.
No wonder she enjoyed these strategy games; she knew how to win.
Trevor leaned on the counter, attention glued to the sweet-smelling oven. Voice low, he said, “I assume we’re in for another round of questing.”
I nodded. “Nothing else to do on a rainy Saturday.”
He grinned with a mischievous glimmer in his dark eyes. “I’m sure Renee would rather dodge lightning in a kayak than be stuck playing a game for several hours.”
“She hates driving in the rain. More likely she’ll find an excuse when the weather lightens.”
“How do you know?”
I pretended to hear the alarm and checked the oven. Then again, I’d forgotten to set one. And the cookies still had a couple minutes to go.
Returning to my post, Trevor gave me a curious glance. His eyes brightened, jaw slacking.
I glanced at Renee, but she fixated on the downpour. Satisfied she was unaware, I gave him a silentcing glare.
Trevor pursed his lips, flicking his head over his shoulder to spy on her. Perhaps to catch a hint of romance or disgust in her eye.
At this rate, I would take either response. After our spontaneous movie night, I’d convinced Wendy to try other activities. Pickleball, walking around a mall, the arcade. Renee and Trevor practically lived at my place, meaning I’d clocked many hours at Renee’s side. I made her laugh, listened to her work woes, offered advice.
But I couldn’t tell if she was interested.
Wendy sprung her trap, producing the game board. “It’s not raining in our quest. Maybe we could play a quick round in the mystic carnival.” Her fingers danced over the board like an enchantress with her cauldron.
Renee’s puckered lip sullied my soul. Her gaze met mine.
I straightened and combed back my blond locks.
Trevor snickered.
With Renee distracted, I mouthed to him, “Childish.”
He silently fired back, “Ask her.”
As if! He’d met his sweetheart in high school, the two thick as thieves despite her traveling abroad for college. Trevor didn’t know the struggle of deciphering what a woman meant by a glance or outfit. I’d seen enough guys get blasted for staring too long or saying too much.
Not me. Renee had to make the first move.
“You boys coming?” Renee called.
I checked the oven. “Start without me. The handsomest dwarf in all the land is baking.” A familiar melodious snicker tickled my ears.
“I’ll just recap where we’re at,” Wendy hollered. The atmosphere felt dry in spite of her exuberance.
“Three adventurers, Iris, Paladin, and Apollo, find themselves at a festival stuck in a perpetual loop. To break the curse upon the day, they must find He Who Shan’t Be Named and reverse his spell. They’ve explored the Carousel of Enchantment and the Ferris Wheel of Misery. Merely two more places to check.”
I slammed the oven door and carried the hot pan to the table. “What are we working with?”
Renee snatched a cookie off the tray but dropped it with a hiss.
Trevor opened his mangled notebook, various rules and numbers scrawled along the college-rule. “House of Wonder and Prize Pig Pastures.”
Wendy set the table at record speed, dice, guidebooks, and maps distributed along the table. She vanished to retrieve all manner of salty and sweet, along with a plate for me.
Renee held her cookie with light fingers. “I can’t imagine he hangs out with pigs.”
Shaking the baked goods onto the large plate, I raised an eyebrow. “I can imagine he’s moving around to prolong things.”
Wendy, settled in her seat, flipped her dyed hair with a stern look. “Your accusations are incorrect and hurtful.”
I put the pan on the counter and took my seat beside Renee.
She penciled details into her group shot of our characters. Trevor’s peg-legged hunter looked mysterious in his popped collar trench coat. My dwarf stood proudly with a thick beard and mischievous eyes. And her femme fatale held all her best qualities, only curvier and with swords.
Renee added dismissively, “House of Wonder seems more promising.”
“More interesting too,” Trevor added.
I snuck a little closer to her shoulder, trying to figure out what weapon she was drawing for me. “Peachy.”
Renee flicked her gaze to me.
I backed off.
Wendy clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention. “Beautiful. Then let us journey into the House of Wonder.”
The fantasy became our reality, carnival NPCs walking briskly past. The House of Wonder seemed harmless, a generic red and blue building with a doorway that appeared to be a clown’s mouth.
Renee led the way as Iris. Stepping gracefully, she held the staff she’d gained last mission out in front. A purple glow lit the ominous entrance and revealed alternate paths.
Trevor as Paladin hobbled behind her, nursing a wound to his shoulder.
I, being Apollo, hustled on short legs to be beside the lovely Iris.
Our troupe met several crossroads, choosing to stay on the main path. We hiked up several inclines that shouldn’t exist in such a small building. But then again, magic was involved.
Our progress stalled in a library.
Iris waved her staff across the shelves of scrolls and tomes. “What kind of carnival house is this?”
“The boring kind,” I chortled.
Paladin approached and selected a book off the shelf. Flipping through, he found empty pages. “Anyone got a blacklight?”
A voice seemed to sputter from the atmosphere. “Black flame.”
Paladin rolled his eyes. “Black flame. Can we check for invisible ink?”
I shrugged. “Ask the lovely lady in leather; I don’t have magic.” Walking deeper, I skimmed the shelves.
Iris rolled for black flame but could only muster several seconds. The page remained blank.
I stopped by a shelf. In between a couple books was a diorama of a dark alley. Laundry hung on tiny clothespins while torn posters were plastered on the tiny bricks.
“Oh cute.” A little bit of Renee came out as Iris ran over. “I love book nooks. I have every single one from the bookstore by my apartment.”
Making a mental note to research book nooks, I said, “It’s the only thing telling a story in this library.”
Paladin hobbled over, looming over my head. “What’s with the background?”
We all leaned in. The back appeared to be a door with a carousel carved into the wood.
Iris leaned on her staff. “What do you wanna bet He Who Shan’t Be Named is in there?”
I stroked my reddish beard. “Inside a diorama. Trippy.”
“Cool, right?” For once, Wendy interrupted the fantasy. A giddy smile creased her skin.
Renee’s quirked brow met my unimpressed gaze. She smothered a snicker, olive skin brightening like her amber eyes.
Man was she gorgeous.
Trevor cleared his throat, my thoughts retreating. “I’m not sure there’s a spell for jumping into a book nook.”
“Shrinking?” Renee shrugged.
I chewed on gummy worms while glaring at the dice. “Not if there’s a barrier like in the carousel.”
Wendy folded her hands to contain her enthusiasm. “What would you like to do?”
Trevor rolled his dice. “I test for a magic barrier.”
After checking his dice, she replied, “You test the nook and there’s no barrier.”
“So we shrink and go in.” Renee said.
Wendy shrugged. “That’ll probably get you into the diorama, but not through the door.
I propped my feet on a chair. The display was a distraction while the door was the prize. Visualizing the door, I said, “We could teleport.”
Renee shook her head. “That requires seeing where we’re going, so no better than shrinking.”
“Does the door have a keyhole?”
Wendy rolled her eyes. “Well yeah.”
“Is there light behind the door?”
Her brow furrowed. “Yes.”
I grinned. “If I stare into the keyhole, do I see the other side?”
Wendy’s eyes widened, cheeks pale.
Renee gasped. “Oh that’s genius.” She rolled her dice. “I peer through the keyhole, see the other side, and teleport to the other side of the door.”
Wendy’s lips moved soundlessly. She raked her red hair as she reviewed the roll and allowed the spell. Trevor did the same and they pulled me through.
Renee elbowed me in the ribs. “Handsomest and smartest dwarf in the land.”
I draped my arm across the back of her chair. “Go out to dinner with me and we can add ‘luckiest’ to the roster.”