Page 34 of Rune Assassin

“It appears you will be the first one for this trial, Miss Blost,” Lusio commented.

Cordelia leapt to her feet and stomped her foot. “This is unfair! I have already been forced to go first! I demand a reroll!”

“Fair or not, we will abide by the die,” Lusio told her as he scooped up the trinket and put it in his pocket. “Today at noon, you will be the first contestant to partake in the next trial.”

The lovely woman’s face was marred with disgust as she crossed her arms over her ample chest. “There is some trickery here! Someone is working their dark magic on my luck! I never lose in die!”

I turned to Tegan and noticed that he hadn’t joined in the mirth like the rest of us. Instead, his focus lay on where Lusio had tucked the die.

“Come, come, miss,” Beringer soothed as he smiled up at her. “I swear to take your place should your luck falter again on the final trial.”

His offer assuaged some of her ire and she resumed her seat. “Alright, but I will keep you to your word.” Beringer didn’t speak but inclined his head to her.

Fidel turned his attention to the newcomers of the table and offered them a smile. “I’m glad to finally get a chance to speak with you, sir. Your wind magic is impressive.”

Quinn studied him with a slightly disinterested expression. “And your birds made quite a scene.”

Fidel’s good humor faltered a little at the backhanded compliment but he managed to keep his smile on his face. “I look forward to seeing the same from you, sir.”

I was in the middle of drinking my milk and snorted out some of it at the return insult offered by Fidel. Morrigan turned her nose up at me as I wiped mine with my napkin. I winked at Fidel and he returned the gesture.

“Quinn really is quite good, isn’t he?” Conor chimed in with his boyish excitement as the sarcasm flew over his head at a very high altitude. “He’s the best wind user in-”

“That’s quite enough, Conor,” Morrigan scolded him, and the sharpness in her voice cut his admiration off like a knife through fruit.

Beringer cleared his throat and leaned forward over the table to catch Morrigan’s eye. “Might I ask why the senate decided to send one of their representatives to the trials?”

“An outreach of sorts,” Morrigan admitted as she daintily took a bite of food. “The trials are very popular with many of our Key patrons and we sought to humor them by entering one of our best to show their money is put to good use in our training programs.”

Beringer smiled and nodded. “An admirable idea. And you chose young Quinn here based on his skill set?”

Her eyes flickered to Tegan and me and her smile widened slightly. “Among other reasons.”

Cordelia turned her focus to Lusio. “If I must go first, will you not at least tell me where the next trial is set to begin?”

Lusio shook his head. “Not this time. The last two trials will be kept secret in order to avoid any unfair advantages. All guests and contestants will be ferried to the locations an hour before the trial is set to begin.”

“Too late. . .” I heard Cordelia mutter under her breath.

I didn’t appreciate that look but the rest of the breakfast thankfully passed without any more incidents. We stood and our host was last to rise. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some final preparations before the next trial.” He bowed his head and left the room.

Tegan took my hand and guided me past Morrigan and company and into the entrance hall. Lusio was just about to head outside when Tegan called to him. “Lusio!”

Lusio paused and half-turned to us with a frown. “What is it?”

Tegan led me up to our host. “We’ll need to know the location of the next trial.”

Lusio narrowed his eyes at us. “Why?”

“To investigate the area so we know your life won’t be in danger,” Tegan explained as he folded his arms over his chest. “That is, unless you want to go blindly into danger.”

The corners of our host’s lips tightened but he adjusted himself. “Very well but I will do so only in private. Follow me.”

Lusio led us down the main hall and into one of the rooms on the right. The space turned out to be a small office with a heavy desk and a few bookcases on either side. A few large windows looked out on the grassy yard and the dunes that surrounded the property.

Lusio grasped a large rolled-up paper and took a seat in the high-backed chair behind the desk. He unfurled the parchment and revealed a map. “This is my estate,” he informed us as he tapped a finger against a square parcel several lengths from the house. “This is where the next trial will take place.”

Tegan studied the coordinates a moment before he rolled his eyes up to our host. “And the one after that?”

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