Part 19 (1/2)
”We're in the other realm,” Cory said.
”I don't understand.”
”Yes, this is why it is easier to demonstrate than to explain,” Tessa said. ”But you need to understand it, to determine whether it would be useful for your Quest.”
Cube was pretty sure it was useful, because the Princesses had pointed the way here, and the two of them would complete the roster of nine Companions. But caution was best. ”Yes, I want to understand.”
”It is, as far as we can tell, an alternate realm with nothing in it,” Cory said. ”So what we see is regular Xanth, showing through. But it isn't real, in this realm. That's why we can walk through rock, or trees, or whatever.”
”So I see,” Cube agreed, peering through the rock surrounding her.
”Once we conducted a young man through a rainstorm,” Tessa said. ”He was amazed that we didn't get wet. That was fun.”
”A young man?”
”His name was Umlaut, and he was handsome,” Cory said.
”He kissed us,” Tessa said, smiling reminiscently. ”We didn't know that he didn't exist, then.”
”He what?”
”He kissed us,” Cory repeated. ”He had to stand Tessa on a rock to do it with her, and had to stand on the rock himself to do it with me.”
”Uh, that's nice,” Cube said, wis.h.i.+ng a handsome man would kiss her. ”But what I meant was, he didn't exist?”
”Well, hethought he existed,” Tessa said. ”And now he does. He's dating Surprise, who is Grundy Golem and Rapunzel Elf's daughter. But back then he didn't.”
”It's complicated,” Cory said. ”And incidental. We had better focus on clarifying sidestepping.”
”Yes.” Cube realized that it was best not to get sidetracked. ”Your joint talent is to step to the, uh, side, and enter this empty realm. Can folk in regular Xanth see you when you do?”
”Oh, yes,” Tessa agreed. ”And hear us, a little. But they can't touch us. We seem like ghosts.”
”Like ghosts?”
”We shall demonstrate,” Cory said. ”Step this way.” She walked out of the rock.
Cube followed. Now she seemed to stand beside the dark lake. Karia and Diamond stood there. The centaur's mouth worked, but there was only the faintest of sounds. Cube nevertheless made it out, since there was no other noise. ”Ah, there you are! Was it nice in the wall?”
”Observe,” Cory said. She stepped right into the centaur--and through her, emerging on the other side.
Cube was almost as startled as Karia was. ”Ghost,” she said loudly. ”We are like ghosts.”
”Ghost!” Karia repeated loudly/faintly.
”Sidestepping,” Cube shouted. ”We're in a different realm.”
”We'll bring them in now,” Tessa said.
The two women linked hands and stepped forward together. Then Cory took Karia's hand, and Tessa rested her hand on the dog's back. They stepped back, drawing centaur and dog with them.
”Well h.e.l.lo again!” Karia shouted.
”Now sound's normal,” Cube said. ”We're both in the same realm again.”
”Oh.” Karia looked at the cave wall. ”We can step into rock?”
”Follow me,” Cube said, and walked back into the stone.
Centaur and dog followed, both looking bemused. ”This is interesting,” Karia said, evidently not one for overstatement.
”It's an--an alternate world, or something,” Cube explained. ”With nothing in it, so we see Xanth s.h.i.+ning through.”
”Without interacting physically with it,” Karia agreed. ”As if it is illusion. This could certainly simplify trekking through some of the natural hazards. I believe the Princesses are correct: we can use these people on the Quest.”
”I agree. But maybe we should check with the others.”
”Princesses?” Cory asked.
”Let's return to real Xanth, and I'll introduce you to the other members of our party.”
They went back to the lake, and sidestepped out of the other realm. Then Cube brought the others out of the pouch, introducing each as she did. Cory and Tessa were duly awed by the presence of the Princesses and the dragon.
Demoness Metria popped into view. ”Nothing much beyond the lake. Have I missed anything?”
”Very little,” Karia said with half a smile.
”That's good. I would have hated to miss their smooching with Umlaut, because I knew him and smooched him some myself.” She formed into a large floating candy kiss.
The centaur's half smile faded, becoming half a frown. Apparently she hadn't known that the demoness was not always as absent as she seemed.
Then they went through the sidestepping demonstration with the others. ”Do these two women seem to be a worthy addition to the Quest?” Cube asked the group.
The others agreed that they were. So they explained the nature of the Quest and returned to the cave apartment, where Cory and Tessa made them all comfortable.
”How did the two of you get together?” Princess Melody asked as they relaxed on the couches and sipped boot rear diluted with tsoda popka.
”Since you must not have known your half talents before then,” Harmony added, chewing on a mellow fragment of a sweet marsh--a marsh mellow that made the centaur wince.
”Or discovered the other realm,” Rhythm concluded as she nibbled on a.s.sorted mints from a mint julep tree: hot pepper mints, delightful compli mints, and pointed spear mints.
”It's a dull story,” Tessa said.
”Very dull,” Cory agreed. ”We're from Mundania.”
”So we can skip it,” Metria said. ”Xanth is dull enough without even thinking about dreary Mundania.”
”But you two have magic,” Ryver said. ”Everyone knows that Mundanes don't have magic talents.”
”Everyone knows wrong,” Cory said.