Page 4 of Rune Assassin

The detached stable that stood some two hundred feet to the left of the home was likewise adorned with all the pomp and circumstance as the house. A pair of pillars framed the large doors that opened outwardly and I glimpsed a long row of stalls with the shadows of horses in them.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“An engineering marvel crafted by the smartest minds of both the kingdom and the empire,” Tegan informed me as he, too, admired the view. “It took a decade to build and reinforce so the ocean didn’t draw the house into its depths.”

Our driverless carriage rolled down the driveway and around the circular end to park in front of the door. Tegan alighted with our shared knapsack slung over one shoulder. I shouldered my broom and he helped me out. We stepped onto the deep and wide porch and paused on the threshold. A wide assortment of elegant chairs and benches were placed against the front wall with an abundance of tables between them. The whole thing could have comfortably seated fifty people and still had room for a small orchestra.

Tegan rapped on the door and we soon heard footsteps venture across an echoing room. The entrance was opened by a man on the right side of forty with a permanent stoic appearance on his face. I could see the displeasure in his eyes as he looked over our ragged knapsack and my broom.

“May I help you?” he inquired.

“We believe Lusio is expecting us,” Tegan informed him. “We’re here by request of one of his friends.”

The man opened the door wide and stepped aside. “Come inside.”

We strolled into the large entrance hall. I tilted my head back to find the ceiling and discovered the room stretched to the very top floor where huge bare beams glistened far off like stars. All the above-ground floors had balconies that looked down at us, and each was accessed via a wide set of spiral stairs on both sides. The winding steps traveled all the way to the top and were supported by a thick metal post in their center.

“Lusio certainly likes to walk in circles a lot,” I mused.

My comment received a disapproving look in the servant’s eyes but he said nothing as he stretched his arm toward a central hall that cut the house in two. “If you will follow me. My master is at the rear of the house.”

CHAPTERTHREE

We followedthe aloof manservant down the hall. Pairs of wood doors lined both sides and featured intricate carvings that showed people in various poses showing off their powers. The very first door featured a figure with their arms raised. A crowd stood before them with their arms raised in the identical fashion and the name of Hugo flowed from their lips. Some of the figures wielded wands against magical creatures. I couldn’t help but nudge Tegan’s arm with my elbow and nodded at one scene in particular. It was of a dragon surrounded by a half dozen magic users. Its fangs were bared and it had a wild look in its eyes.

“A relative of yours?” I whispered.

He noticed where I indicated and smiled. “Former relative, by the looks of it.”

“These doors are to commemorate past tournaments,” the man spoke up without turning his head. “Each scene is one of three tests which was passed by the previous contestants.”

I viewed the doors with renewed interest and marveled at the dozens of scenes set before us. “How long has he been doing these?”

“Twenty-nine. This will mark the thirtieth year.”

I looked up at Tegan. “Are these trials that important?”

“They gave Lusio enough prestige to land him some very important trade contacts,” Tegan told me as he nodded at the fancy wood and lush carpet beneath our feet. “So most of this wouldn’t be here without it.”

We reached the end of the hall where a pair of elegant doors of simpler design led us out onto a large terrace. The open space was constructed from stones and fitted together with pale mortar to match the tan colors of the rocks. The stones had been polished to a smooth shine and were surrounded by a low stone wall that separated the onlooker from a drop of some ten feet onto the white sands.

The beaches stretched for sixty yards before reaching the current edge of the blue-green waters. A set of stone stairs led down to the sand and it was there where we found the host. A group of a dozen servants were scurrying around the beach. Each of them held a pointed stick with a small jar affixed to the top. Other servants were busy off to the side adding the finishing touches to a set of long white wood bleachers.

A man of about fifty was directing their efforts. Unlike the others clad in plain whites and blacks, he was dressed in a casual suit jacket of plum purple. His tan pants ended with suede shoes and he grasped a drink in one hand as he pointed at one side or the other.

“Not there, you fool! A little farther away than that or they will break each other!” the man snapped.

Our guide led us across the sands and stopped within five feet of the general. The servant crossed his arm over his chest and bowed low to Mr. Suede Shoes. “My Master, you have company.”

“Then leave them and bring me another drink,” the man snapped as he handed the servant his mostly empty glass. “And make it stiffer. This is not going as well as I had hoped.”

“Very good, sir,” the man agreed and he scurried off to obey.

Lusio didn’t pay us a lick of attention as he resumed his shouting duties. “Farther apart and farther back or they won’t stand a chance!” Two of the carriers were so eager to obey that they didn’t watch where they were going and crashed into each other. Their sticks fell to the sands and a colorful gooey substance fell out of the jars. The man stamped his foot against the ground. “You fools! Now have Clara refill those and get back here at once!”

“Yes, sir!” they shouted as they scooped up their and scurried not to the house but down the beach. They soon disappeared behind a dune near where white sand met green grass.

Lusio shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “The rest of you rest a moment until they return. Anyone who has been given their spots may return to the house.”

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