Page 10 of Rune Assassin

Cordelia lifted the glass to her nose and swirled the contents like a fine wine connoisseur. “An interesting blend of fruits and vegetables. I detect a faint whiff of grapes grown on the rocky mountains in the northern part of Conas and the earthy flavors of the southern part of Blutstein.”

Lusio clapped his hands. “Just so. It’s my personal blend which can be found only in my cellars. The maker is sworn to secrecy on the recipe.” He stood and raised his glass. “To a very entertaining tournament and may the best magician win!”

We all raised our glasses and murmured our agreement before we took a sip of our drinks. I tried not to wrinkle my nose. The stuff tasted like the ground beneath the grape plants. I plastered a smile on my face and set my glass down. Tegan set his drink beside mine and chinked them together just slightly. I looked up at him and found a twinkle in his eyes and his lips pressed into a tight smile. Misery loved company.

Lusio set his glass down and clapped, this time alerting his servants to lift the lids on the platters. Steaming piles of meat, sautéed vegetables, and all manner of fruits were presented for our astonishment and our stomachs’ torture. The servants set spoons, forks, and tongs down for each platter.

Our host smiled as he gestured to the platters. “Eat to your pleasure.”

We happily dug into the grub and soon our plates were piled with food. Lusio watched us with barely anything on his own plate. He merely swirled his specially made wine around in his glass and occasionally sipped on the drink.

Cordelia paused mid-chewing and studied our disinterested host. “You’re not eating?”

He shook his head. “I eat very rarely and would rather sup on your conversation.”

She smiled. “That sounds like an invitation to figure each other out so we can beat them in the tournament.”

Lusio shrugged. “Perhaps it is. I would expect those skilled in magic to be smart enough to be able to gauge their opponents.”

Cordelia glanced across the table at Beringer. “I can do more than that if the need arises.”

The older gentleman lifted his glass to her. “I am sure you can, young lady, but I am far too old to fall for such tricks.”

She laughed. “The only man who can’t fall for my tricks is a dead one.” Her attention fell on Tegan to whom she offered her coy smile. “Except for this sly serpent, of course.”

Tegan raised his glass to her. “My apologies, Miss Blost. It seems you’ll never let me live it down.”

Cordelia shook her head. “Never.”

Bertrand turned his attention to her left side and the young man who sat there. “You have hardly spoken a word, young man. Are you assessing us?”

Fidel choked on his food and coughed a bit before he recovered. “N-no, sir. I was just enjoying Mr. Lusio’s fine meal.”

“You can expect more of the same during your stay here,” Lusio promised him. “All the contestants are welcome to stay until the end, even those who drop out.”

Fidel cocked his head to one side. “What would force us to drop out?”

Lusio grinned as he sipped his drink. “That would be giving away the game, Mr. Colombo, and I never do that.”

His elusive response dampened what little jovial air we had and the party disbanded as soon as possible. I stood and jerked to one side when Morrigan’s fingers brushed against the back of my hand.

“My sincerest apologies,” she told me as she offered me an apologetic smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

I clutched my hand against my chest and shook my head. “No, I’m fine.”

“Miss Shea,” Lusio spoke up in a scolding tone as he rose from his seat. “I would ask that you not use magic during the tournament, nor should anyone else use any outside of practicing and partaking in the games.”

Morrigan lifted her chin a little. “I assure you, I did no such thing.”

Lusio stretched out his hand to me. “Come here a moment, miss.”

I reluctantly moved down the line of chairs and over to our host. Lusio grasped the hand that Morrigan had touched and reached into his pocket with his other hand. He drew out a strange yellowish-white translucent stone like quartz. The rock glowed softly and let off a soothing heat. He passed the stone over my hand and revealed a set of glowing fingerprints that perfectly matched where Morrigan had touched me.

He held up his hand so Morrigan and the others could see it. “What is this magic used for, Miss Shea?”

She pursed her lips. “It’s nothing more than a harmless tracking spell.”

Tegan narrowed his eyes at her. “That wouldn’t be harmless to us if you caught us.” His comment made Cordelia raise an eyebrow and the other two contestants also showed interest.

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