by M. L. Ryan
“No, that’s completely unacceptable,” I barked. “Either we both go, or we both stay. I’m not going to sit around, with no way to communicate, waiting to hear if the lunatic who is gunning for you succeeded.” Crossing my arms in defiance, I dared him to disagree.
Alex opened his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Carisa,” he said softly, “Be reasonable.”
As my anger rose, the all too familiar tingling started to burn my fingertips. “Don’t ‘carisa’ me,” I spat, and without any movement on my part, I funneled some of the energy outward and slammed the French doors shut. The maneuver was consciously brought and completely controlled; nothing broken, just making a point.
Unfortunately, the reason behind my foot-stomping tirade was lost when both Alex and Sebastian began to congratulate me on my unprecedented magical finesse. Then, breakfast arrived and my ultimatum was further put on hold while the room service guy transferred the plates from his cart to the table and artfully arranged everything. By that time, the smell of freshly brewed coffee distracted me enough that we settled in to eat rather than continue the argument.
Five eggs, three slices of toast, a croissant, a bowl of fruit salad and most of Alex’s bacon later, I finally felt more like myself. I ate so much, Sebastian had to order more halfway through the meal to ensure there was enough for everyone. Not completely sated, but at least I wasn’t fantasizing about live prey.
I was about to revisit the topic of going home without Alex, when a rather loud commotion outside distracted me. Even with the closed doors to the balcony, it was obvious something was going on out there. Alex shoved me against an interior wall and assumed a defensive position while Sebastian quickly slipped out the door. I wasn’t terribly concerned; I knew there must be a slew of Xyzok guarding the Inn. In fact, Alex’s actions had more of a force-of-habit vibe than one based on actual danger.
A short time later, Sebastian returned, alone, sporting a curious expression. Part amusement, part dread. “You can stand down Alexander. There is no danger from attack. However, your mother has arrived and will be up shortly. Tannis is downstairs doing her best to delay her.”
Alex froze, and then let out a deep sigh of resignation. “I’m not sure which is more perilous, my mother or an assassin.”
~19~
Whatever tactics Tannis used to hinder her mother, it must have been ineffective. Within seconds, loud voices in the hallway signaled their arrival. There wasn’t even a knock on the door. I suppose when you are royalty, the normal conventions don’t apply. Rather, it just flew open as if by magic, which given the circumstances, was probably exactly how it happened, and the queen made her entrance.
She was pretty much how I had pictured her; tall, slender with light golden blonde hair, chin-length and slightly teased in a style many middle-aged, super-rich human women prefer. Her face was rounder than Alex and Tannis’ and her eyes were green, not the bright blue of her children. She wore an obviously expensive white suit, a color that can only be that pristine when the wearer can afford minions to make certain no speck of dirt comes anywhere near. And, apparently, a bevy of them were with her at the moment. She and her entourage swept into the room with Tannis bringing up the rear, looking harried and apologetic for not being able to stall any longer. The group fanned out behind the queen and Tannis had to push her way past them to stand next to the obviously miffed sovereign.
“Mother,” Alex greeted, stepping forward to embrace her stiffly.
She pushed away and held him at arm’s length, scrutinizing her younger boy with careful consideration. “Hello, dear. Did you really think you could sneak in and out of Coursodon for the trial and not answer my summons?”
“I was hardly sneaking, Mother, my presence was not a secret.”
“No, it was not,” she proclaimed, arching a brow in consternation. “Which makes it all the more insufferable that you did not plan a visit to the capital.” Flicking her hand in what must have been the imperial signal for “get-the-hell-out,” her posse wordlessly backed out into the hallway, the door closing as the last one cleared the exit.
Once her people had departed, she seemed to lose some of the monarchial pomposity. “Now, what is all this about you being attacked? Your father and I are quite concerned.”
She sat down on one of the big dark blue chairs, and with her white outfit, she matched the room perfectly. She probably did that on purpose; pre-scouted the décor for maximal effect. Keeping to the front of the seat cushion, she primly crossed her feet at the ankles. They must teach that in queen school. No plunking down to take a load off for her, those cheeks were used to a throne. And she looked like she was sitting on one now.
Alex gave her a brief run-down on the events of the last few days, concluding with, “We are not certain who is responsible or why I have been targeted.”
The queen’s glower grew with each detail. “My son,” she chided softly, shaking her head. “The Royal Guard is much better suited for protection than the Xyzok. The fact you did not ask for them after the first incident is just another example of how you continue to distance yourself from your royal duties. If nothing else,” she continued, shifting her gaze in my direction, “you would think you would have more concern for the protection of your new lady friend.”
Alex winced slightly, but did not reply. Instead, he gestured for me to step forward, and positioned me directly in front of him, his hands set protectively on my shoulders. In a more formal tone than I was used to hearing, Alex made the introductions.
“Rexanatyxa, Sovereign Queen of Alenquai, may I introduce Hailey Parrish, of the human dimension.”
Not wanting our first encounter to include a protocol faux-pas, I whispered, “Am I supposed to curtsey or something?” to Alex. Behind me, he whispered back a breathy, “No, just let her address you first.”
As instructed, I remained quiet, trying desperately not to fidget while she sized me up. “I wish I could say that Alexander has told me so much about you, but unfortunately, he has not. However, despite his apparent reticence at providing me any details, I am pleased to meet you. I have heard many nice things about you. Not from my son, of course.” She shot a scathing look at Alex before she continued. “Particularly how you placed your life in danger to aid my son. For that alone, I shall be eternally grateful, Hailey.”
The queen reached out and grasped my hand. She had a nice, firm handshake. None of that finger-grasping nonsense that a lot of hoity-toities favor. Not that I had much experience shaking hands with the upper-crust, but I appreciated the full-on, thumb-crotch to thumb-crotch contact.
“I’m very happy to meet you too,” I squeaked out. So much for making a confident first impression. I shouldn’t have been so awestruck, but hey, it’s not every day you meet a queen. Besides, she was Alex’s mother, and that was reason enough to be a little nervous.
“Alexander, I have been informed of all the details of last night’s incident as well as your plans to have Hailey leave here without you. While I can see the logic in separating her from you to keep her safe, she is a newly emerged Yterixa. Sending her back to her dimension without any preparation or training could be disastrous. Do you want to risk her transforming accidentally in front of humans?”
She was right. Transforming at home could be a problem. It’s one thing to have someone alter the memory of a few people that might witness me going birdy, but what if it was caught on someone’s cell phone and posted on YouTube?
“I hadn’t thought it through carefully, but you do have a valid point, Mother. Perhaps she can go with you to the capital and I can stay here.”
“With all due respect, uh, your majesty, if your guards are as good as you say, there’s no reason why Alex and I can’t stay together. I’d be more comfortable being with someone I know and trust, and as Alex and I were discussing before you arrived, I’m willing to take the risk. And no one is going to make me change my mind.”
She glared at me, and for a moment, I sort of regretted being so f
orceful in my stance. But I’d had a very trying last few hours, and even in the best of circumstances, I wasn’t known for my diplomacy.
I tried to look apologetic. “No offense, intended,” I added in an attempt to seem not as bitchy as I probably came across.
“None taken,” she replied with well-honed imperiousness. Without taking her eyes off me, she said, “Alexander, it seems Hailey will not be dissuaded from this more risky choice. I must say, I have a certain amount of admiration for her headstrong nature. We shall all depart for the capital then.”
One of her attendants re-entered the room and stood a few feet behind her. She must have summoned him, because she didn’t turn her head when she instructed him to “make the proper arrangements.” He gave a little bow — which unless she had eyes in the back of her head, seemed like a complete waste of time — and departed, never having uttered a sound.
Rexanatyxa stood and nodded to Tannis. “You shall come as well. It has been a long time since I have had all my children together in one place.” She moved toward the door, but stopped as if she had forgotten something. She cast a withering gaze upon Sebastian, who had done a good job of making himself inconspicuous. In fact, he had all but vanished during her entire visit. “Why the Glyzimutitch Zolmere hasn’t locked you up and thrown away the key long ago is beyond me. But it is your magic that Hailey needs to command, so much as it pains me to say, you shall come as well, Kess. Don’t make me regret it.” With that, the door opened and she was gone.
The slight frown on Alex’s face made it clear he wasn’t entirely pleased. I hoped his consternation was aimed at his mother’s theatrics rather than at my getting my way with the whole “we both stay or we both go” demand. My bet was that he was annoyed at both of us, but I wasn’t brave enough to find out. His only comment was, “I’ll get word to Cortez to let Rachel know we will be away longer than expected.” He grabbed his phone and spoke rapidly in Courso. When he was finished, he said, “A Xyzok operative will travel to your dimension and give Cortez the message. He will inform Rachel that my parents have planned a family reunion, but everyone can’t be there for a couple of weeks. We decided to extend the trip so we can attend.”
That was at least mostly true. I hated to lie to anyone, but I particularly hated lying to my best friend, and I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. Not that it was likely Rachel would ever find out I was being less than truthful, but it still bothered me. “It shouldn’t be a problem. Even if Rachel found a new place, I’m sure she won’t mind having Vinnie as a houseguest.”
Tannis and Sebastian must have sensed the tension between Alex and me, because they both looked uncomfortable when they announced they were going to their respective rooms to pack for the trip. I watched as Alex yanked our suitcases out of the closet and placed them on the bed. Yep, still not happy. I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what was shaping up as our first argument.
“Are you mad at me?”
Historically, when faced with a relationship problem, I have taken the path of least resistance and never dealt directly with whatever was wrong. Which is probably why my relationships didn’t work out. If I had more practice at initiating an honest, mature conversation when disagreements occurred, I’m sure I would have come up with a better preamble. Even if my question wasn’t particularly eloquent, at least it was right to the point.
Alex stopped flinging clothes into his bag and leaned on the edge of the bed. “No, I’m not. I’m angry that you’re in danger because of me. I’m angry that as much as I try to distance myself from my familial obligations, somehow I always get sucked back in. And I’m angry that my mother is correct that the Royal Guards will better protect you here than I can.”
I crossed the room and stood directly in front of him, straddling his long legs where they stretched out from the mattress so that our faces were mere inches apart. “Which part ticks you off most, the fact that you think you can’t keep me safe or that your mother is right?”
Tilting toward me so our foreheads touched, he murmured an exasperated “I’m not sure.”
“Look at it this way, you may not want to go play Prince Alexander, but at least you’ll be around to help me embrace my inner Yterixa. We’ll make a deal. I won’t let your hereditary resplendidness go to your head, and you can make sure I don’t succumb to ‘fowl’ play.”
Alex smirked. “I’ll be sure to watch you like a hawk.”
“Ha, ha,” I chuckled. “Make sure you tell me to duck if I’m in the line of fire.”
“I don’t mean to ruffle your feathers, but if these puns continue, you’ll ‘egret’ it.”
Not wanting to let him have the last word, I added, “Hey, toucan play at this game, Blondie.”
“Sorry, I was just winging it,” he said, smiling.
“Okay, stop it already. This word play is getting hard to swallow.” Take that, I thought triumphantly.
“Fine,” he shot back. “Just stop grousing about it.”
Snatching one of the decorative bed pillows, I smacked him repeatedly with it. I knew I should have been concerned when Alex became obsessed with an anagram puzzle in the Tucson daily newspaper. Once the words were deciphered, selected letters were used to reveal the answer to an attached cartoon, an answer that inevitably formed a really lame pun. “You may have won this round, but I’ll have my revenge. Just you wait.”
He grabbed the pillow from my grip and wrapped his arms around me. “No problem, I’ll give it a ‘nest’.”
My groan in response could surely be heard throughout the inn.
~20~
The trip to the capital was largely uneventful. I’d become accustomed to the strange sensations of travel through the marqizoborta system, but traveling with royal guards took a bit of getting used to. Their impressive uniforms were designed to intimidate: medium-blue fitted jackets with white buttons and trim over matching form-fitting pants tucked into knee-high black boots. Their heads were protected by shiny metal helmets with a small brim, and pristine white gloves finished off the ensemble. They looked a little like jacked-up motorcycle cops. In any case, I had no worries about anything sinister happening when they were on duty. That probably had less to do with their attire than the fact they were all extremely vigilant, kept us completely surrounded and wouldn’t let anyone closer than 20 yards.
The royal palace was located in Azeryx, the capital of the northern region of Alenquai. In terms of the human dimension, it was roughly situated on the eastern shore of Virginia. The city was considerably larger than Wjxsintiz, but still retained a similar old-world quaintness. It was situated on a narrow peninsula with one side facing a huge bay and the other the ocean. Again, there were no high-rises, only a-few-stories-tall stone or brick buildings. While Wjxsintiz had a sort of Tuscan vibe, Azeryx seemed more like what one might expect in Britain. Or at least, since I had never been either place, what I expected Tuscan and British architecture to look like.
Another marqizobaz delivered us directly to the palace, which was, well, palatial. Set on a grassy hill, the immense structure loomed over the city. Which wasn’t saying much, as the rest of the terrain was flat as a pancake. The front was five-stories tall and symmetrical with a slightly protruding columned section at the center that served as the main entryway. On either side, each floor had at least 15 identical bays of tall, multi-paned windows. At the corners were squared, tower-like structures, each with a short, walled edge at the top patrolled by royal guards.
Our guards whisked us into a huge marble-floored, multi-story foyer. Only when the hulking, carved entry doors were closed did they break their protective formation, fanning out behind us with precision.
Sebastian leaned in close. “They are terrible conversationalists, but you have to admire their style,” he observed.
“True,” Tannis agreed, nodding. “I, for one, have always loved the leather boots. Nothing like a man in uniform,” she added in a dreamy voice, as if recalling some long past, but pleasant memory.
<
br /> Sebastian gasped in mock horror. “What’s this? I thought fraternizing with the help was expressly forbidden.”
Tannis grinned suggestively but stayed silent.
Alex glared at his sister. “No wonder Mother insisted you have only female guards once you reached puberty.”
Her smile widened. “The women look just as hot in the boots, you know.”
A pained expression flashed across Alex’s face. “TMI, Tannis, TMI.”
“In truth,” Sebastian volunteered, “I was thinking the more detail the better.”
Tannis and I looked at each other. Shaking our heads, we said simultaneously, “Men.”
“What about them?” a deep voice chimed in from the other side of the room. From a side door, a man with long, straight champagne-colored hair approached us. He didn’t simply enter the room, he somehow filled it. And not just because he was built like a linebacker. This was a guy who commanded the space he occupied.
“Father,” Alex said as he stepped forward. They embraced with genuine affection. The obvious warmth between them made me happy. No one in my family ever greeted one another like they were truly happy to see each other. After not seeing my sisters for a couple of years, when we finally did get together, after the obligatory dispassionate hellos, we all just kind of stood around and fidgeted awkwardly. I usually approached my mother like she was radioactive; anything more than a few seconds of exposure could be lethal. If I ever hugged my parents in welcome, they’d probably keel over from shock.
Next, the king turned his attention to Tannis, who gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It is so wonderful to have you both here, particularly you, Alexander. Your visits are far too infrequent.” He gazed past his children and noticed me, standing off to the side and trying to stay out of the way. “You must be Hailey. I am very pleased to meet you.”