Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Lusio led our wary group inside and to the spacious dining room. A long table that could seat twenty stood in the middle of the room with a huge fancy rug beneath it. The wood-paneled walls were decorated with portraits of our host painted in poses that showed his prowess on the horse, aboard a large ship, and even in battle. The last one was a little ludicrous as it showed Lusio decked out in full armor wielding a sword above his head as his foes lay in a bloody mess at his feet.

"Some admirable portraits you have here," Tegan mused as we congregated around the table. "Are they taken from specific events?"

The corners of Lusio's lips twitched downward as he took the seat at the head of the table. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"I was merely trying to place the boat," Tegan assured him. I had to stifle a snort as Tegan purposely stared at the battle portrait as he answered.

"Yes, well, I can't recall the name," Lusio flippantly replied as he gestured to the seats stretched out in front of him. "Beringer, you will be on my right. Miss Blost, on my left."

"Not your right?" she teased as she took a seat. "And here I thought I would be the one favored. To win, that is." The seductive look she gave our flattered host was impossible to miss.

Lusio cleared his throat and resumed the seating. "Mr. Fidel Colombo, you may take a seat beside Miss Cordelia Blost." Fidel seated himself on the lady's left and she looked him over with more interest than was decent. Lusio turned his attention to Tegan and me and his mood darkened. "You two may take a seat on Mr. Alan Beringer's other side."

I was glad to plop myself down and Cordelia asked the question on everyone's mind. "There are more people here than contestants."

Lusio nodded at Tegan and me. "Those two are merely my guests. They are-" He struggled to remember our names and then I recalled that we hadn't given them.

"Tegan and Kate," Cordelia finished for him as she coyly smiled at Tegan. "And better company is hard to find."

"But you told us we were all here," Beringer reminded him.

Our host pursed his lips. "As you are but the other one has chosen to dine in his room-"

"But I will stand in his stead," a voice spoke up and Morrigan made her appearance in the dining room. She reached our end of the table and smiled at all of us. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Miss Morrigan Shea."

Cordelia didn't look too happy with that introduction as she lifted an eyebrow. "The senator from Malartu?"

"Just so," Morrigan confirmed as she looked about the chairs. "Where shall I sit?"

I didn't like the look in Lusio's eyes as he nodded at the empty seat beside me. "You may sit there."

Morrigan's lips twitched but she took the seat. I tried not to show my nervousness by leaning away from her and Tegan was rather stiff on my other side.

Lusio clapped his hands and the door to the kitchen opened. A parade of apron-clad servants marched into the room each carrying the dishes and glasses needed for our feast. They set the dishes in front of each of us before retreating. Lusio clapped his hands against and different servants entered, this time bearing large covered platters. Those were placed in a neat row in the center of the table and those servants vanished. A third clap brought the pitchers brimming with drink and the servants filled our glasses with a red substance. The scent tingled my nostrils and reminded me of wine, but not quite.

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.

Lusio pressed the stone against the markings and the glow faded. He pocketed the rock and smiled at me. "There. Let that be a lesson to everyone that outside practice and the competition, there is to be no magic use whatsoever." He stepped back and clapped his hands together. "With that said, please enjoy your stay here and I shall see you tomorrow." He bowed his head to us and left.

Morrigan quickly followed him but cast a dark look at Tegan and me. I scowled right back at her before she lifted her snooty nose and exited.

Cordelia sauntered over to Tegan and put her hand on her hip. "You must be in a lot of trouble to have that witch admiring your backside."

Tegan grinned. "Let's just say I don't play nice with her hounds."

Cordelia's eyes flickered to me and her gaze fell on the ring on my finger. "You'll have to tell me what you've been up to later. I have a feeling it'll be a long conversation."

"Perhaps," Tegan casually replied.

Cordelia cast one last coy look at him before she strolled out of the room. I didn't like the look she gave me before she left. It reminded me of a cat watching her prey.