In Exchange for Magic

"Go, go, go, go..." Ez whispered tensely in my ear.

We were fighting through the crowd to get to a dingy looking hotel about a mile away from the Palace. We'd already passed a few nicer looking ones but, much to my disappointment, we both agreed that we couldn't take any chances. We had to go somewhere where nobody would think to look for us.

"May I help you?"

We stepped inside a dusty old motel with a blinking sign out front stating: We R Open! The main office was about the size of a closet, and it smelled like one, too. A hazy mixture of mildew and mothballs filled my head and made my eyes water.

"Excuse me?" The angry-looking gnome at the front desk barked. "May I help you?"

Ez suddenly came to his senses.
"Uh... Um... Yes!"
The gnome pulled out a ratty guest book as we stepped towards the desk.

Ez filled out the date and time, but hesitated at the space underneath "Name."

He quickly scribbled: "Harry Potter" and handed the pen to me. Giggling slightly at the irony, I wrote: "Thorn Potter."

"Newlyweds," Ez explained to the gnome behind the desk, who frowned in disapproval.

"Where are your bags?" the gnome asked.
"Oh... We don't have any bags..." Ez mumbled. "We... Uh... They were stolen."
The gnome squinted at him. "I'll have to be paid up front."
"Y-Yes, of course!"

Ez fished around in his pockets and produced three orange quarter-sized coins. He dumped them out on the table, and the gnome greedily scooped them up.

A slim Cyan girl appeared at the top of some creaky stairs.
"Jane, please show this couple to Room 14," the gnome ordered.
Jane nodded curtly and beckoned us up the stairs.

We followed behind her nervously, and it seemed that she was just as uneasy. She kept darting furtive glances at us over her shoulder.

We reached Room 14 and Jane shoved the keys into my hands. She then spun on a heel and dashed back downstairs.

"What's her problem?" I muttered, but Ez shushed me.
"Not out here," he whispered.

The room was small, but I imagine that there are worse out there. The dirty windows let in a small amount of light, but we didn't care too much - as the sun was going down anyway. There was that same stiff smell of decay floating around, but it wasn't as strong.

Ez breathed a sigh of relief and flopped down onto the bed.

"That was close!" he breathed.
"What?" I asked and started to poke through random drawers.
"They're going to keep a close eye on us," he told me. "We're already looked down upon because we're a mixed species couple, but that bit about not having bags... Ugh! We shouldn't have left our packs up in the woods... The Royal Guards are bound to find them."

I shook my head. We'd already discussed the matter of our packs on the way here. We decided to leave them in the woods so that we wouldn't look odd carrying them about. Upon hearing that Royal Guards would be combing the immediate area for any signs of the infamous last living Half-Breed, we instantly regretted it. But, after much consideration, we decided that it would be a nice distraction for the Royal Guards if they thought we'd be in the woods. It would leave the Palace wide open.

"Don't worry," I stressed. "Just relax."
"I can't!"

I rolled my eyes.
"You're being stubborn, husband."
He huffed.
"Aw, honey," I teased. "Don't be like tha-"

I stopped instantly.

"Wait, Ez, I thought that creatures from different species weren't supposed to... You know..."
He laughed. "Well... Dating and marriage are looked down upon, but they aren't illegal. Only producing a kid is prohibited by law."
"Oh."

Ez wriggled his ears as he yawned.

"I'm sleepy."
"Nice to meet you, Sleepy. I'm Rose."
"You're lame, that's what you are."

I laughed and plopped down on the bed next to him. We sat in silence for a while, until Ez yanked off his green elf-shirt and slid under the dusty quilt. He had already fallen asleep before I was ready to shut my eyes. I reached into the small purse that I'd brought along as a part of my vampire disguise and produced a small tank top and some shorts.

I kicked Ez's various appendages over to his own side and crawled into the bed as well. It seemed like I was out the second I hit the scratchy pillow.

And I slept peacefully throughout the rest of the night.

Just kidding. I'm living with Ezekiel the freak of nature, remember? I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in months.

"Oh my God!"

Ez jolted awake around dawn. His hair was standing stick-straight and his eyes were wild.

"What? What's wrong?" I pressed tensely.
"This time I was kissing a blonde girl!"
"Go back to bed!"