Page 36 of Rune Assassin

Lusio’s eyes rolled up and his mouth dropped open. A faint glow came from the contents and the bubbles out of the die came fast and loose. The pressure was extreme enough that Tegan raced over to a waste basket beside the desk and tossed the glass inside. I heard an explosion before the vial even struck the bottom and a small volcanic eruption occurred. Blood and bits of die were sent flying a foot above the rim of the basket before splattering over everything close at hand.

Lusio and I gaped at the mess before our host shook his shock off. He whipped his glaring face about to Tegan and stabbed a finger at the splattering. “W-what in the world was that?”

Tegan reached into the basket and drew out the die, or what remained of it. Part of one corner had been sheered off and there was a gaping hole in the opposite end. “There was a strange scent on the die that I noticed when I passed it to Kate,” he explained as he turned the remains over in his fingers. “The magic of Conrad’s blood reacted to the other magic and that caused the explosion. I must admit I didn’t expect such an impressive display of me being right.”

I snorted. “The display matches your modesty.”

He grinned. “It does, doesn’t it?”

I decided not to continue to feed the bears and nodded at the basket. “Why would anyone want to rig the order of the people?”

Tegan shook his head. “If we knew that then we’d probably know our foe. As things stand, the order is all we have to go by and should be watched with the utmost care tonight.” He returned his attention to Lusio and held out the remains of the die. “Would you like this back or do you still not trust us?”

Lusio’s cheeks had reddened and he balled his hands into fists at his sides. “You are sure of everything you just said?”

Tegan nodded. “Positive.”

“Then the die were tampered with by magic?”

“Most certainly. Did anyone touch them besides you before the dinner?” Tegan inquired.

“Only one,” Lusio answered before he snatched the die from him and marched over to the corner where a servant’s rope hung from the ceiling. He grabbed the rope and furiously jerked on the cloth until the edges began to fray.

Footsteps raced down the hall and the door opened to reveal Miles out of breath and with his stoic expression a little shaken. “Is something the matter, sir?”

Lusio marched over to him and practically shoved the die into his servant’s face. “What is the meaning of this?”

Miles had to cross his eyes to see what his master held. “A-a broken die, sir?”

“Someone placed a spell on this die to rig the order of the competitors,” Lusio growled as he examined his servant’s face. Miles had some nice beads of sweat forming on his brow. “You fetched this from my desk this morning. Did you do it?”

Miles’ eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly agape. “M-me, sir? I do not know the first thing about magic!”

“Then how did the spell come to be on the die?” Lusio demanded to know.

Miles shook his head. “I-I don’t know, sir! I swear it!”

Lusio stepped back and sneered at him. “So you say, but what assurance do I have?”

You could have knocked Miles over with a feather, so stunned was he. “B-but sir! I have been in your employ for decades! Why would I do such a thing?”

“I think you’re swinging your paranoia around again,” I spoke up.

Lusio whipped his head around and glared at me. “Do not interrupt this conversation.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared right back at him. “I’m just trying to avoid you looking like an ass. Where would Miles even learn about magic?”

“Clara knows magic,” he reminded me.

I rolled my eyes. “So now she’s in on the conspiracy? Are you going to include the clams on the beach, too, because they’re just outside the house?”

His lips tightened but Tegan stepped into the fray before he could reply. “This squabbling is wasting time. We should work with what information we have and stop leaping to conclusions at the slightest whiff of suspicion.”

Lusio’s eyebrows pointed down but he turned to Miles. “You are excused.”

The color drained from Miles’ face. “P-permanently, sir?”

Lusio rolled his eyes. “Of course not, you fool! Return to your duties!”

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