Special Rewards (The Coursodon Dimension Book 2)

by M. L. Ryan

  Still hand-in-hand, Alex and I stood inside a tall, covered structure surrounded by water. The gazebo-like building had silvery-metallic vertical beams forming each of its five sides. Four of the sides had much thinner horizontal beams, each about four inches apart, stacked from floor to ceiling. Hanging from these “slats” were hundreds of small, crystalline, cobalt-colored spheres that swayed as a gentle breeze wafted through the open framework. Sunlight shined through the baubles, swathing everything with a kaleidoscope of dancing blue glimmers. Directly in front of us, through the only completely open side, was a jetty that led to a grassy shore. Except instead of being wooden, the pier was constructed from large, textured, rectangular tiles seemingly made from the same material as the suspended orbs but floating on the surface of the water.

  Using my usual incomparable command of the spoken word, I summed up my jumbled emotions with an eloquent, “Shit.”

  Beaming, Alex looked at me and said nonchalantly, “See, I told you could do it.” He opened his arms and gestured toward the landscape. “Welcome to Coursodon.”

  Now that the initial shock of making it through safely had sort of worn off, I perused my surroundings with greater care. The gazebo was on a small pond in a spacious, park-like setting. The wide expanse of beautifully groomed land was dotted with an abundance of stately, lush trees and masses of colorful flowers swept over the rolling hills. There were a fair number of people walking on the numerous paths that crisscrossed the grounds, and someone was even flying a kite. In spite of the bucolic backdrop, something seemed…odd. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but before I could analyze the situation, I noticed that Hogan and The Rock — along with a blonde woman I didn’t recognize — were waving at us from the end of the blue-brick road.

  Alex waved back and walked buoyantly toward the assembled group. I followed, and as we got closer, I could see the woman was tall, young and gorgeous. In truth, gorgeous was not enough to adequately describe her. Everything about her was magnificent from her long, silky, pale yellow hair to her milky, flawless skin. Her attire — a diaphanous, asymmetrical tunic the color of wisteria blossoms over tailored, dark grey pants — screamed couture and expensive. She looked a lot like Charlize Theron, except Charlize could only hope to be that magnificent and classy.

  When we reached solid ground, Alex embraced her warmly and then shifted around so they both faced me.

  “Hailey,” he began, smiling broadly. “This is my sister, Tannis. And Tannis, this is Hailey.”

  That explained the perfect features and the understated grace and elegance; she was the female equivalent of Alex. I extended my hand but instead of shaking it, Tannis held on firmly with both of hers. Geez, even her fingers are beautiful, I thought as I glanced at her delicate digits.

  With a welcoming grin, she said, “Alexander has told me so much about you. I’m so glad to finally make your acquaintance.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, too.” I smiled back amiably, but inside I was chastising myself for giving in to a momentary twinge of jealousy before I realized she was his sister. Hey, old habits were hard to break; I couldn’t be expected to change a lifetime of self-doubt overnight. I’m only human.

  Without releasing me, she looked intently into my eyes. “Thank you so very much for everything you did for my brother and Sebastian. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for your bravery and kindness.”

  You could start by sharing your skin care regimen, I reflected, scrutinizing her breathtaking complexion. “There’s nothing to repay.” I glanced over at Alex. “I’m quite content with how things turned out.”

  Tannis laughed and let go of my hand. Our Xyzok bellhops picked up the luggage and started down the nearest path into the park. Alex, Tannis and I followed and when Alex hurried ahead to help with some of the bags, Tannis put her arm around my waist and leaned her head close to mine.

  “If you won’t let me proffer some recompense for helping Alexander, I must insist you allow me to at least buy you a drink for dispatching Angelica. I couldn’t stand that bitch.”

  Astonished by her admission, I stopped abruptly and stared into Tannis’s lovely cornflower blue eyes. Shaking my head, I followed her example and wrapped my arm around her waistline and we continued on our way.

  “I think you and I are going get along,” I said with a chuckle. “We have similar warped sensibilities.”

  ~13~

  We continued for another hundred yards or so until we came to a rectangular, white marble building with a curved roof. It had three openings in front: a large arched doorway in the center flanked by identical, smaller archways. I could see through to the back of the structure, which was similarly constructed. Beds of flowers – all white – surrounded the perimeter and bordered the long, marble walk that led to the central entry point.

  “This is the Marqizobaz Manaveritaj, the Portal of the Moon,” Alex began when we reached the front entrance. “It is one of the oldest intra-Courso portals still in use, built over 700 years ago.”

  We all went inside and I studied the smooth walls more carefully. They had a kind of luminescence to them that did resemble moonlight, and there was subtle grey veining throughout that brought lunar craters to mind.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whispered as I touched the cool stone. I’m not sure why I felt the need to lower my voice, although it did kind of remind me of a massive mausoleum. I looked over at Alex. “What did you mean by ‘intra-Courso portal’?”

  “The marqizobaz we arrived in is an inter-dimensional gateway. This one allows movement within Coursodon.”

  “So you can just flash wherever you want using these marqizobazes?”

  “Marqizoborta. The plural is marqizoborta, not marqizobazes. And technically, travel doesn’t require using one, but it is considered very bad manners to just pop up wherever you want,” Alex explained. “It’s also less draining to use the marqizoborta system because transcommutional energy is concentrated there.”

  “Not to mention if you don’t use one, you could re-form some place unpleasant,” Tannis added.

  “Like in a bad neighborhood?”

  From their quivering shoulders and dropped heads, I could tell Hogan and The Rock were trying, with only limited success, to stifle their laughter. Alex guided me toward the center of the main room and said, “No, like in a bad neighbor.”

  That did sound unappealing. And dangerous. Equally horrified and disgusted, I narrowed my eyes and asked, “Is that fatal to either party?”

  “No, just extraordinarily painful.”

  Clustered together, Alex took my hand and I again felt the sensation like the earth had dropped out from under me. A little advanced warning would have been nice, but before I could give voice to my displeasure, we now stood in a different building, similar to the Moon Portal but instead of white marble, this one was made of rich, dark, reddish-brown granite.

  “I made a reservation for you at the Inn,” Tannis mentioned to Alex as we exited. To me she said, “I think you will like the Wjxsintiz, it’s very nice and much more casual than most of the other places to stay. I made sure you got a view of the river.”

  “Thanks. I’m sure it will be wonderful.”

  Outside, a quaint city stood before us. It was a similar to what I imagined a Tuscan city might look like, except having never been to Tuscany, I could have been way off. The buildings were definitely not new, and all were either made of stone or stucco with tile roofs. Each one had at least two stories, but I didn’t see any with more than four or five.

  As we made it to the brick-paved sidewalk, I finally realized what had struck me as unusual when we first arrived in the floating gazebo. It was remarkably quiet. We were in a city, and there were other people around, but no sounds of anything motorized or mechanical. Occasionally someone rode by on a three-wheeled bicycle, but no other vehicles. In fact, the majority of the people I could see were walking.

  Using my uncanny ability to state the obvious, I turned to Alex and blurted out
, “What’s the deal? There aren’t any cars.”

  “We don’t really need any. If we have to go somewhere, we can transcommute from place to place.”

  “What if you need to take something with you?”

  “Just like the luggage, inanimate objects can travel as long as they are in contact with the person who is transcommuting.”

  I thought about that for a minute. Still confused, I asked, “What if you have something too big to carry? Can you transcommute, say, a 55-inch big screen TV?”

  “Well, no. There is no television here,” Alex replied. “But when something large needs to be transported, there are vehicles for that sort of thing. But, they are powered with solar-collected energy boosted with magic. Internal combustion engines are not used here.”

  I was beginning to realize how much I didn’t know, and my mission to comprehend all things Courso was going to be quite a challenge. Sighing, I muttered forlornly, “I should be taking notes. My brain is already on overload and I’ve only been here 20 minutes.”

  “It is a lot to wrap your head around, but we promise there will not be a quiz,” Tannis replied reassuringly. She stopped walking and gestured to an expansive, white stucco building across the road. “Here we are!”

  The Wjxsintiz Inn, named after the city we were in, was set back about 50 feet from the walkway. A simple, waist-high wrought iron fence with a vine-covered arbor entrance surrounded the property. The lodge had numerous tall windows along the front, and the small balconies jutting out from the ones on the upper floors were festooned with planters filled with multi-colored blooms. Off to one side, I noticed an elaborate garden with manicured hedges and a grand, multi-tiered fountain.

  The lobby was equally attractive, decorated with what looked like expensive antique furniture. Alex and Tannis conversed with the woman behind the ornately carved wooden registration desk. I couldn’t understand anything that was said, but it must have had something to do with me because at various times all of them glanced my way. Eventually, Alex nodded and momentarily placed his left palm on a mirrored tile affixed to the countertop. Then, he gathered up all our bags and bid farewell to our bulky Sherpas.

  “What was all the discussion about?” I asked Alex as we walked up a narrow flight of stairs to reach the second floor.

  “We weren’t sure if you needed a key.”

  That didn’t make any sense; he didn’t even get one. My bewilderment must have been obvious, because he quickly added, “You’ll understand shortly.”

  We passed several rooms before Alex stopped in front of one toward the end of the hall. There was an angular symbol on the door, which I assumed was the room number, and without anyone touching the knob, the door opened. After everything else I had seen today, I shouldn’t have been surprised at the automatic, or perhaps, auto-magic door. Nevertheless, my mouth hung open.

  “The door was coded to my essential signature at check in,” Alex explained. “It will open only for me during our stay. Better than a keycard, no? You can never lose it or leave it in the room accidentally.”

  “So, what was the problem with the innkeeper?”

  “No problem. She wondered if you wanted to be keyed-in as well. While it would be interesting to see if your borrowed magical signature would work, I wasn’t prepared to reveal the complicated nature of your…situation. Sebastian is already in enough trouble for taking up residence in you in the first place. I don’t think it would help if it was widely known that he left a little of himself when he moved out. I told her you were half-Courso, and most hybrids don’t have enough magic for their signatures to register.”

  I forgot that I was an anomaly. The average Courso would perceive me as being the progeny of an inter-dimensional liaison. But instead of possessing half-Human, half -Courso genetics, I was all human with a magical transplant. “I guess it makes sense to keep my oddness under wraps,” I remarked wistfully.

  “You are not odd, carisa. You are the first human able to venture into Coursodon. You are special.”

  “Yeah, sure,” I quipped sarcastically. “Special like riding the short bus.” Having completed the air-quotes around the word “special,” I breezed past Alex and entered what was, without a doubt, the most magnificent room I had ever seen.

  The walls were painted rich cobalt, and contrasted beautifully with the white trim around the floor, doors and windows. A large, wooden four-poster platform bed was the dominant feature. The frame was dark, with clean, crisp lines and the low head and footboards were also simple but elegant. The bedding continued the blue and white color scheme; the coverlet was deep blue with a white, embroidered floral design and the canopy along the top of the posts was an open, white, hand-knotted lace. Opposite the bed was the balcony, and as Tannis promised, we could see a lovely, meandering river through the glass panes of the French doors.

  If I didn’t think it was way too girly, I might have twirled around in utter delight. Instead, I settled for a less dramatic, but heartfelt, “Oh Tannis, this is beautiful.”

  “I thought you would like it. Alexander said you have wonderful taste.”

  Of the various descriptions of me that I could imagine Alex using, possessing aesthetic acumen was definitely not one of them. My house was decorated in Late 20th Century hand-me-downs and, in general, I was happy if my clothes were clean and in one piece. I glanced at Alex and then back at Tannis. “He did?” I said skeptically.

  “Yes, I did,” Alex proclaimed as he kissed my forehead. “You picked me, that shows your judgment is exemplary.”

  Tannis furrowed her brow. “A bit full of ourselves, aren’t you, big brother?”

  Alex just laughed and lifted the suitcases onto luggage racks in the closet. I liked that he and his sister got along so well.

  We arranged to meet up later for dinner at a bistro a block from the inn, and Tannis departed to her room, which was one floor up. While Alex unpacked his things, I stretched out on the bed, intending only to relax for a few minutes. I must have been more worn out than I thought, because I quickly fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already getting dark and the only light in the room came from a small lamp next to an indigo leather wing-backed chair in which Alex sat, reading. The lack of illumination was welcome, however, because it made it easier to hide the fact that I had been drooling in my sleep. I don’t care how much someone cares about you, that’s a visual you don’t need to share.

  When Alex noticed I was stirring, he set his book down and said, “I’m glad you are up. It’s almost time to go to dinner. Inter-dimensional travel brings new meaning to the concept of jet lag, particularly the first few times. I wasn’t looking forward to waking you.”

  A mid-afternoon siesta isn’t something I normally do and I was groggy and a little disoriented. I rolled off the bed and shuffled into the bathroom. To perk myself up, I brushed my teeth and took a quick shower. Rejuvenated — and now aware that I was famished — I put on one of my new outfits and hoped dinner was soon.

  “When will we get to see Sebastian?” I inquired while waiting for Alex to change. I wanted a chance to talk to him before I had to testify on his behalf. I knew Alex would instruct me as to the particulars of Courso jurisprudence, but getting Sebastian’s take certainly couldn’t hurt.

  “While you were getting ready, I spoke to him. He will join us tonight,” Alex replied as he pulled a sky blue, v-neck sweater over his shirtless torso. I’d never seen that one before, and both the style and the color made him look particularly amazing. So much so, that I momentarily forgot I’d even asked about Sebastian. Bad, horny me. I really needed to get a grip. And if I was lucky, I would later tonight.

  Tannis and Sebastian were waiting in the lobby when we made our way downstairs. Sebastian greeted me enthusiastically with a hug, after which he pulled back and looked me up and down.

  “You have been neglecting your physical training, I see,” he said with dispassion. “You had such an excellent foundation of fitness, it would be a blunder of epic proportions if
you do not keep at it.”

  Scowling, I chided, “Nice to see you, too.” In my head, I added, “fuckwad” to the end of my admonition. I resisted saying it out loud because Tannis didn’t need to know about my propensity for foul language. At least not right away.

  “I am very happy to see you, and grateful that you came to help. That does not, however, preclude me from stating fact, my dear.”

  Ah, yes. Sebastian at his finest. That’ll teach me to ignore my better judgment; I knew I shouldn’t have sworn off the swearing.

  We left the inn and made the short trek to the restaurant. The place was cozy and only moderately crowded, and the menu was much like what one would find in any American café serving good, simple fare. For some reason, I imagined Courso food to be more different from what I was used to, but with the exception of a dessert Alex called “Congealed Oxyntberry Pie,” everything sounded pretty normal.

  While waiting for our meals to arrive, I noticed that many of the other patrons seemed inordinately focused on our table. There was a lot of whispering and hiding behind menus as they tried, unsuccessfully, to appear uninterested in us. At first, I assumed it was because Sebastian’s case was fodder for gossip and they recognized the rogue deconverger. Upon closer observation, they didn’t seem outraged or judgmental; they seemed almost awestruck. Maybe it was only the authorities that thought Sebastian’s experiments with spiritual transference were wrong and the general public saw him in a different light. I didn’t delve further into the complexities of Sebastian’s public image because I was distracted, first by the delicious food and, later, by the discussion of Sebastian’s legal woes.

  It turned out the powers that be were keeping the whole possession-of-a-human thing under wraps, and Sebastian was confident that this meant the Glyzimutitch Zolmere were just trying to screw with him and didn’t feel they had a strong case. If they really thought he was guilty of crimes against humanity, Sebastian’s actions would be front page news. Apparently, there was no love lost between Sebastian and those who ran the government.