Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Beringer rose to his feet and sauntered past our group. He took up position in the center of the sand with a bemused smile on his face. The older gentleman received polite claps from the audience, but most were amused by his advanced age compared to the woman who had just left the stage.

"Are you ready, Mr. Beringer?" Lusio called to him.

Beringer leaned on his cane where he faced our host and nodded. "I am, sir."

Lusio snapped his fingers and the bubble pots were revived. The dangerous droplets floated above their containers before they shot across the sand to their victim. Only Beringer wasn't a victim.

He smiled and tapped his cane against the ground. The very air vibrated as the ground shook. The women in the crowd let out screams and leapt to their feet.

"Be calm, everyone!" Lusio shouted as he held up his hands. "There is nothing to fear from the contestants! You are perfectly safe!"

The same couldn't be said for the staves. The sticks rattled as cracks shot out from the base of the cane and darted through their ranks. Many threatened to fall over and a few splashed their contents onto the ground. The vibrations in the air meant the bubbles popped before they could travel even halfway to Beringer.

"Enough!" Lusio yelled as he snapped his fingers. The magic dulled and the bubbles stopped coming.

Beringer stopped his earthquakes and the sand settled back into the cracks. Soon it looked as if nothing had happened.

"You have passed," Lusio announced.

There was sparse applause from the crowd but Beringer bowed his head nonetheless before he exited the field. He resumed his seat beside Cordelia who looked him over with an amused smile. "You made quite the show."

Beringer smiled at her. "Thank you."

She dropped her eyes to his untouched person and the corners of her lips twitched downward. "And not a scratch on you."

His eyes twinkled. "No."

Lusio waited for the crowd to settle down before he cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the representative from the Key senate, Mr. Quinn Rowan."

The introduction caught the attention of the spectators, and while the clapping wasn't quite as enthusiastic as for Cordelia everyone's eyes were focused on Quinn as he stood. He skirted around the booth and down the steps where he positioned himself in the same spot as the others.

The Key briefly turned to the crowd to bow his head to them before he faced Lusio. I couldn't help but see the pride on Conor's face as his master took the stage. Morrigan appeared happy but there was a tension in her hands in her lap which clasped her purple robe.

Our host raised one hand. "Are you ready, Sir Rowan?"

"I am," Quinn replied.

Lusio snapped his fingers and the bubbles came alive once more. Quinn lifted his arms and air blasted out in the direction of the staves. The bubbles didn't stand a chance against the sharp gusts and they were popped as soon as they were formed. The audience politely clapped but there was little enthusiasm for the minimal display of effort.

Lusio took the hint and snapped his fingers. The glow faded and the bubbles stopped fruitlessly popping up. "A round of applause for Sir Rowan!" The clapping increased just slightly as Quinn bowed his head and left the stage. Lusio cleared his throat. "And now without further ado, I present to you the final contestant in the trial. Mr. Fidel Columbo!"

Fidel stood and slipped past us.

"Good luck," I whispered and he acknowledged with a bow of his head.

Fidel didn't receive the same attention from the men as Cordelia had but the womenfolk gave me a worthy ovation. The young man stopped at the same point where the others had stood and inclined his head to the audience.

"Are you ready, Mr. Columbo?" Lusio asked him.

Fidel nodded. "I am ready, sir."

Lusio snapped his fingers and the bubbles floated out of their cages once more. Fidel smiled and lifted his chin slightly. I heard a faint whistle emanate from his lips that cut through even the roar of the crowd as the bubbles shot toward him. Fidel was much better equipped clothes-wise to escape their wet touch, though he wasn't left completely unscathed. One bubble in particular struck him in the calf and exploded, sending sand flying in the air.

Fidel was thrown onto the beach and winced as he clutched his leg. His pant leg now had a hole which revealed the angry welt left from the bubble. More of the fiendish droplets floated out of their pots ready to fire.

Something flew past me and I realized it was Duncan. The little bird flapped hard and swooped down low to capture one of the thin staves in its mouth. The bird's momentum pulled the stave from the ground and the creature tried to lift off with the stick. The bowl, however, proved to be too heavy and the contents spilled out onto the sand.

A faint noise struck my ears and I looked up to see a black shadow fly from the inland area. There were a myriad of avians from sparrows to huge ravens and even an eagle. The birds swooped over our heads and dove down to the staves. The larger birds scooped up the sticks and pulled them from the ground where they then flew off still clutching their prizes.

Lusio was not pleased with the turn of events and raced down the stairs with his cheeks reddened by rage. He snapped his fingers to stop the magic as he skidded to a stop in front of Fidel. "You are breaking the rules, young man! You cannot touch the staves!"

Fidel climbed to his feet and leaned his weight on his good leg as he smiled at our host. "Your instructions were not to break the staves. My friends are carrying them off unharmed."

Fidel whistled and the avians returned. True to his word, none of the birds broke the sticks which they had carried off and which they now deposited at Lusio's feet. Our host swallowed his ire and brushed out the crinkles in his suit and his attitude before he turned to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our first trial! All the contestants have passed so all will continue to the next round which will be held at noon tomorrow in the fields!" The audience clapped and stood to leave.

We stood as well and ventured down to the beach just as Lusio whipped his head around to glare at Fidel. Our host spoke in a low, threatening whisper. "You made me look like a fool in front of my guests. Do not stretch the rules again or you will be disqualified. Do you understand?"

Fidel's good humor dropped off his face and he nodded. "Yes, sir."

Lusio adjusted his neck and clothes before he cleared his throat. "The same goes for everyone else. Now if you'll excuse me I have my guests to console after those dreary displays you put on." He marched off with a harder step than he intended.

Cordelia waltzed up behind us and folded her delicate arms over her chest. "Well, well, it appears our host does have limits to his fawning."

"Every man has his limits," Beringer mused.

I noticed Fidel was unusually quiet, so I set a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. What you did was really fantastic."

A crooked and bittersweet smile slipped onto his lips. "Fantastic and it nearly had me ejected from the trials."

Cordelia nodded at the audience as the people congregated in small chattering groups. "Lusio wouldn't have ejected you even if you had broken the rules, not this early in the game. He wants to keep attendance high enough to make back the prize money."

"So the audience is here for all the trials?" I guessed.

She snorted. "Of course. Lusio wants them more than anyone."

"Does anyone know where the next trial will occur?" Beringer spoke up.

Fidel shook his head. "I did not even know it would happen at that hour until just now. My friends won't be too happy with performing so soon."

Cordelia chuckled. "That's the price you pay for relying on animals. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if can't make something more of this audience like a free necklace." She sauntered off into the crowd.

Beringer bowed his head to us. "I, too, will pay my respects to those who sought to see us." And with that, he also left.

Fidel ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I think I'll go rest up."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Does calling the birds wear you out?"

He sheepishly smiled at me. "Not exactly, but I really should be going. See you later."

He scooted off before I could ask for the particulars. Instead, I looked up at Tegan whose attention lay on the crowds around Lusio. I leaned toward Tegan and lowered my voice to a whisper. "Do you think Lusio made that bubble magic himself?"

He shook his head. "I doubt he had an ounce of magic in his body. No doubt he has a magician helping him."

I studied the crowd for anyone who looked possessed of magic but all that came up was Morrigan in her purple robes. She had a smile on her face as she chatted with her host but, like so many times before, the happiness was only skin deep. Her eyes told the true story, especially when they flickered in Tegan and my direction. Our presence, without shackles and chains, irked her.

Good.

"So what now?" I wondered.

He sighed. "Now we watch over our kind host and see if anyone tries to kill him."