by M. L. Ryan
“That’s exactly my point,” I protested. “He’s 250 years old, and he’s never had a girlfriend!”
“You didn’t let me finish. It allowed him to avoid true intimacy, but not because he feared it. What if he just never met the right person?”
“Have you been reading Harlequin romances behind my back?” I said, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. “How was he supposed to meet Ms. Right when his encounters with women were limited to feckless fucking? It’s pretty hard to get to know someone when the extent of the conversation is asking where she keeps the lube.”
“That’s exactly my point,” he replied with a knowing grin. “Out of respect for you, he didn’t try to bed Rachel immediately. He’s gotten to know her. For the first time in his life, he’s had to interact with someone he is attracted to without immediately resorting to seduction and sex.”
I peered into Alex’s ridiculously blue eyes while I contemplated my response. I wanted to say something snarky, but, damn it, he actually made a credible argument. Plausible as it might have been, however, I needed a lot more to convince me.
“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean he has the necessary skills to navigate through a relationship.”
“Rachel’s an adult, and from what I can see, it doesn’t appear that she has fallen head over heels. If they get together and it doesn’t work out, I’m confident she will be fine.”
Just then, the theme from Game of Thrones blared from the phone in his pocket. Before answering, he advised, “You should try to stop worrying about it.”
Alex was right. Maybe I was just overreacting because I introduced them. Not that I did it intentionally, really; Sebastian got to check out Rachel through my eyes even before I knew he was inside me. By the time introductions were “official,” he was already smitten.
Alex wasn’t saying much, but his scowl made it clear it wasn’t good news. The call didn’t last long and when he was done, I asked who made him so cranky.
“Kyzal,” he said, still staring at the now-darkened screen.
“You programmed your phone to play the music from a show about morally ambiguous characters caught up in a civil war when your brother calls?”
Alex had a sense of humor, but that music was more something I might choose for his older brother. Kyzal wasn’t evil by any means, but he had a distasteful sense of entitlement and worldviews that were quite different from Alex’s more progressive notions.
“No, it’s the ringtone for the head of the Royal Guard. Kyzal couldn’t be bothered to call himself. And I didn’t set it; Tannis did. She thought it was funny.”
It made more sense that his sister was the culprit. She had a kind of love-hate relationship with the Royal Guards, although the “love” part was more like occasional protectors-with-benefits. It was hard to find fault; the uniforms made anyone look hot.
“Wait, I thought it wasn’t possible to place inter-dimensional phone calls.”
Alex pursed his lips. “It isn’t,” he said tersely.
That was strange. The Royal Guard of Alenquai only safeguarded Alex’s parents and Kyzal, the crown prince. Tannis hadn’t taken advantage of their protective services in years, and the king and queen never left their own dimension. It took a few seconds, but it finally dawned on me what that meant.
“Damn it, your brother is here, isn’t he?”
“He will be in an hour or so. The Guards are just doing some advance security work prior to his arrival.”
“You better call Sebastian. Maybe he can make an impromptu trip up to Phoenix and avoid the visit altogether.” Sebastian shared my distaste for Alex’s big brother.
“I’m not supposed to inform anyone.”
“Well, if you were supposed to keep it a secret, you’ve already screwed up,” I joked, pointing at Ulut and myself.
“Anyone Courso. And they will contact me shortly to let me know where we are supposed to meet.” Alex ran a hand through his shoulder-length, blond hair. “This is all quite curious. Quite curious indeed.”
The situation must have been out of the ordinary, because Alex only resorted to old-school English when stressed. You could take the early twentieth-century out of the boy, but you could never completely take the boy out of the century in which he learned the language, apparently.
“What do you think is going on?”
Shrugging, he replied, “I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
“We?”
“Yes, he wants you there as well.”
“Kyzal invited me?”
This was getting weirder and weirder. What could possibly be so important that he would travel out of Coursodon for some hush-hush meeting with only us? I sort of understood a rendezvous with Alex, but Kyzal didn’t seem to like me very much. I ran a bunch of scenarios through my head to explain this unlikely get-together, but the least egregious was his wife, Tjryxina, was pregnant, and he wanted to plan a surprise baby shower.
I didn’t have high hopes.
At three AM, we met in an abandoned Titan II missile silo outside of town. There were eighteen or so of these vestiges of the Cold War dotted across the desert outside of Tucson, all sealed and blocked from the public save for one made into a museum. We accessed the underground facility through what looked like a giant manhole cover in the sand, except it only opened with some magical security code to which only a choice few were privy.
We descended a long, metal stairway and traveled through a number of eight-foot thick, steel-reinforced, concrete tunnels into what once was the command area. The Xyzok added a thin layer of praseodymium to create magical obfuscation to make the place even more secure. According to Alex, in the early 1990s, the enforcers purchased a number of silos in various locations around the country for use as local training facilities. This particular one remained unrenovated, but made an ideal spot to hold our covert confab.
Kyzal arrived soon after us, accompanied by a single Royal Guard. Safely delivered, the crown prince dismissed the officer and sent him to watch the entrance. When we heard the distant sound of the metal hatch clanging shut, Kyzal finally spoke.
“You told no one else you were coming?”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “No, and no one followed us either. What is the reason for all this secrecy, brother?”
“I’m sorry, this must seem quite unusual, but there are good reasons for keeping this between the three of us.”
As Kyzal’s jaw tightened, any allusions I had concerning a surprise celebration commemorating a royal birth dissolved. He looked deathly serious, although to be honest, it was hard to tell for sure, as Kyzal tended to appear that way most of the time. He was either completely humorless, or he required a good colon cleanse. Maybe both, but I suspected his current sour expression had less to do with his stuffy personality or intestines than with the circumstances that brought him here in the first place. While whatever that was may not affect his bowels, it sure scared the crap out of me.
“Someone is trying to find a way into the third dimension,” he continued, “And our operatives believe their motives may be less than altruistic.”
“Like the dudes in the suits that poured all over Keem’s bunker?” I inquired. The portal to Keem’s dimension disintegrated when I offed him. Within hours, a group of Courso, all dressed like poor imitations of J. Edgar Hoover’s G-men, descended on the giant pit in the middle of one of the few forests in Iowa, and no one seemed to know who they were or where they came from.
“We are not certain,” Kyzal answered, “but, in any case, a small faction in Alenquai believes the third dimension could be ripe for exploitation, and they have plans to do just that if they can gain access to Dekankara.”
“While that is reprehensible,” Alex replied, “why did you request this meeting? The Xyzok only investigate Courso-on-human crimes.”
“I did not ask you here as a Xyzok. A recently intercepted communique indicated they might have an interest in Hailey. They speculated that she, having had the most direct contact
with Keem, could prove useful in gaining access to the third dimension.”
“Are you fu…, uh, kidding me?” I refrained from using my descriptive word of choice, not in deference to Prince Prissy, but because I really was attempting to tone down the profanity. Aloud, in any case. A whole litany of swear words were repeating on an endless loop in my head. “Why would they think that?”
Kyzal turned to Alex, who was now standing a step closer to me than he had before the conversation began. “Their reasons are unclear, there may be nothing to it, but I think you would agree some extra vigilance is called for nonetheless.”
“We appreciate the information, but when did you start fielding intelligence?” Alex paused a moment and added, “And it is surprising as well that you would be the bearer of such news. Why not notify me through normal channels?”
“I’m not certain we can trust normal channels. Keem’s power terrified everyone. Frightened people—even those within the government—lose sight of facts. Only the royal family, the Xyzok, and the Glyzimutitch Zolmere knew all the particulars of the crisis. For those mysterious investigators to show up so quickly after Keem’s demise, it strongly suggests one of those groups sent them. That no one seems to know any more about these mysterious men than when this first occurred is extremely worrisome. At this point, I am comfortable sharing information only with our immediate family.”
Eyes narrowing further, Alex said, “You suspect Karttyx?”
I understood Alex’s skepticism. As the long-time head Xyzok, Karttyx was an unlikely conspirator. The scheming politicos of the Glyzimutitch Zolmere, the body that actually ran the government of Alenquai—the country for which Alex’s mother served as queen—engendered none of the same unwavering confidence. I had no problem imagining any number of them as subversive traitors.
Kyzal shook his head. “No, but one cannot be too careful. Even if she is not involved, those close to her may be.”
I studied Alex’s brother with care. He didn’t look any more nutty than usual, but he always seemed a bit high-strung. I couldn’t help but wonder if he based this excessive caution on some real danger, or if Kyzal had grown paranoid in the aftermath of the Keem’s plot for world domination.
“What about Sebastian? You can’t possibly think we can keep this kind of thing from him. We all live in the same house, for goodness sake,” I said finally.
Kyzal pondered my question for a moment. “Yes, you may inform Kess, but no one else.” He moved a step closer and placed his hands on Alex’s shoulders. “Be careful. Trust no one.”
Alex nodded. “We shall, my brother. Thank you for the information. I appreciate your concern.”
The guard appeared, as if some silent call summoned him, and he and his charge disappeared together through the long passageway to the surface.
When we were definitely alone, Alex wrinkled his forehead. “What do you make of all that?”
I sighed deeply. “I think Kyzal needs his meds adjusted.”
4
Sebastian was awake when we made our way to the kitchen the next morning. I hadn’t seen him since he and Rachel took off in the Ferrari, and I was relieved to see he was alone. Alex wasted no time detailing our previous night’s encounter with Kyzal, but when he finished, Sebastian seemed unfazed.
“I agree, Alexander, your brother appears to be taking the cloak-and-dagger business a bit too far. However, the rest does not surprise me. The possibility of unfettered power is too much for most to disregard, and it has been clear that some entity is quite interested in the third dimension. It also makes perfect sense that the same entity will be equally fascinated with Hailey’s connection to it. Nevertheless, whoever authorized the unidentified searchers must be associated with a well-organized agency. This leads me to believe their interest in Hailey is more academic than nefarious.”
Alex stared daggers at his mentor. “I don’t care what you believe. I’m not taking any chances with her safety.”
“Neither shall I,” Sebastian shot back. “I was merely pointing out the improbability of Hailey being in real danger.”
Given my prior track record, I had no confidence in a resolution where I didn’t end up scared shitless or offing someone. Or both. “This is like when your flight attendant says, ‘In the unlikely event of a water landing, you can use your seat cushion as a floating device,’ as if anyone would survive falling out of the sky in the first place.”
Sebastian raised one eyebrow. “I have absolutely no idea what that means.”
“I mean,” I began after heaving a huge, exasperated sigh, “the unlikely part isn’t landing on water, it’s surviving the crash.”
“I understood that. What I cannot fathom is how it relates to the topic we were discussing.”
He gazed at Alex for support, but Alex simply shrugged. I decided to speak slowly; maybe then, someone would get my drift.
“I’m. Always. In. Danger.”
“So, am I the seat cushion?” Sebastian wondered, still obviously confused.
“No. No one is the seat cushion. I’m trying to say while we always seem to think everything is fine, I invariably end up in some ridiculous, life-threatening situation.”
“That is true, my dear, but your analogy is poor. A more apt comparison is when the flight attendant asks the people sitting in the exit row seats if they are physically able to fling a fifty-pound door out of the plane. If the doors require opening, chances are someone will be able to do so, even if it is not those next to the doors. The more likely circumstance is everyone is dead already and it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s exactly what I said,” I growled.
“Hardly. In my scenario….”
Alex cut in. “Stop. No one is floating, crashing, or flinging.” Turning to me, he cautioned, “You don’t have to put yourself in harm’s way, carisa. I can see you aren’t exactly pleased about the danger associated with your new position. Don’t feel obligated to continue your training; this should be your choice and your choice alone.”
I paused to choose my answer carefully. Prior to learning other dimensions existed—a time I now referred to as “B.C.”—before Coursodon—my biggest worries involved how to pay back my student loans on a chinchilla-milker’s salary and making sure I didn’t run into my scumbag ex-husband. Without a doubt, my life now was more perilous, but I wouldn’t change one damn thing.
“Well, I can’t say I’m thrilled that I’m some sort of a target, but you misunderstand. I was in danger even before I decided to help the Xyzok. Remember Otto and Angelica? And Lyjwix? I’m safer learning how to defend myself.”
Alex scowled. “If not for us, you would not have to defend yourself.”
“She also couldn’t experience the thrill of changing into a magnificent bird of prey,” Sebastian pronounced.
Trying to lighten the mood, I added, “Or have mind-blowing sex every day. What’s a little peril in exchange for all that?”
The corners of Alex’s mouth rose slightly, and he wrapped his arms around me. “I hope I mean more to you than my skill in the bedroom.”
“Of course, Blondie, you are also fantastic in the kitchen.” The man made a mean blueberry muffin.
Sebastian snickered. “And to think before you made my acquaintance, you were such a prude.”
“Must everything evoke a sexual connotation with you? I meant Alex’s baking prowess and, besides, I wasn’t a prude.”
“Of course you were, my dear, but it was a most endearing quality. I still remember fondly when you insisted on showering in the dark so I could not see you naked. It was quite quaint.”
“Hey, lighten up. Having a strange man, emphasis on the strange, inhabiting my body and being able to see what I saw freaked me out at first.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Alex doing his best to stifle a smile. I knew he was recalling me sprawled on the floor of the bathroom after slipping on the wet tile in the dark. Definitely not one of my best moments, and I was completely embarrassed a
s Alex and Sebastian both got a good look at my bare ass.
“Can we change the subject?” I griped. “Alex, what’s our plan concerning Kyzal’s warning?”
“We take it seriously. I don’t want you to leave the house without a Xyzok accompanying you. Because of your training schedule, Sebastian is with you a good portion of the time when I am not around. When neither of us are available, Aiden or Cortez will escort you.”
Closing my eyes, I let out an exasperated breath. I really didn’t want babysitters, but I knew Alex wasn’t likely to relent, so there was no point arguing. “Fine. Maybe you could attach a transmitter to me as an added precaution.”
“No need,” Sebastian replied with a dismissive flick of his hand. “We can already track your location through your cell phone.”
“You what?” I sputtered. “Not that I’m doing anything I wouldn’t want you two to know about, but you are keeping tabs on me? That’s just fu… uh, that’s just not right.” Trying to avoid dropping the f-bomb was harder than I thought, damn it.
Alex took my hands in his. “No one is keeping tabs on you. However, in an emergency, we can use your phone to establish your location.”
“I thought only the phone company could do that,” I said, frowning.
Sebastian cocked one brow in response.
“Oh right, I forgot about magical surveillance.”
“We could resort to that, carisa, but we don’t have to. Cortez found a way to hack into the cell towers.”
“When in Rome,” Sebastian conceded with a shrug. “Why waste energy maintaining arcane methods when human technology makes it easy to do so without?”
I shook my head. “That seems so, I don’t know….”
“Mundane? Slothful?” Sebastian offered.
“No. Unfantastic, I guess. There is something kind of romantic about making stuff happen using magic.”
“I never stopped to consider how humans might perceive our abilities,” Alex replied. “To us, there’s nothing wondrous involved. It’s just how we do things. But, it’s more difficult in your dimension than in ours. Therefore, we use human methods when we can.”