Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

I awoke the next morning feeling as refreshed as a flattened flower. My groggy eyes creaked open and the unfamiliar surroundings confused my foggy brain for a few moments before I recalled the previous day's adventures. A groan escaped me and I buried my face deep into my pillow. Lusio was definitely a connoisseur of fine feathers.

"Time to rise," Tegan called from the dresser where he was freshening up.

I glared at him with one eye. "I'll rise but I'm not shining."

I crawled out of bed and slipped into my clothes. Tegan waited for me at the door and we stepped out together. Voices on the ground floor caught our attention and we ventured to the balcony that overlooked the front hall.

"What do you mean I will be going first?" The complaint came from Cordelia who stood before our host with a look of fury on her face. "I object!"

Lusio gave her a soothing smile that did nothing to assuage her ire. "The women have always had the pleasure of opening the games. It is merely a custom and you-"

"If I am to be treated as a lady then the lady demands that I go last!" she insisted.

"You will have a chance during the final two games," he countered. "Those are decided by the die. Now please present yourself in a better glow in front of the audience. They expect the best out of our contestants."

She shook her head. "I still-"

"And they expect four contestants," he interrupted.

The meaning was clear to Cordelia and she snapped her mouth shut. Lusio smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you agree. The games shall start promptly at noon. Please be ready to present yourself on the beach. Miles will give you further instructions at that time." He offered her his arm. "Now shall I escort you to breakfast?"

Cordelia grudgingly accepted his arm and slapped a smile on her face that was as sweet as a sour ball. "I would be delighted."

The pair strolled off in the direction of the dining hall. I looked up at Tegan who was amused. "What was that all about?"

"The first person to play the game is the first person to figure out exactly how it's played," he pointed out as we proceeded down the stairs. "The others can work off what they learned and do a better job."

"Why doesn't Lusio just have the other contestants hide away until it's their turn?" I wondered.

"For sport, young lady," a voice spoke up as Beringer joined us at the second-floor landing. "Our host is a great believer in luck and skill, and weighs them more heavily than experience."

"You've seen the tournament before?" Tegan wondered.

Beringer shook his head. "I haven't had the pleasure, but the gentleman with whom I spoke, the past winner, was kind enough to give me some advice."

"Did he say anything else?" The question came from above us as we reached the bottom of the stairs. We moved to the center of the hall and looked up at the second-floor balcony to find Fidel leaning over. Duncan was perched on his shoulder and a smile lay on his face. He waved to us. "A bright morning to you all!"

"I take it you slept well, young man," Beringer mused as Fidel hopped down the stairs and quickly joined us.

Fidel placed his hands on his hips and nodded. "Better than I ever have. Our host doesn't spare the sheets or the mattress stuffings."

I lifted my nose and sniffed the air. "Or the food."

A delicious aroma of breakfast floated around us and we quickly made our way to the dining hall. Cordelia and Lusio were seated in the same chairs from the previous evening and we did the same. I was glad when Morrigan didn't join us.

Our host was as giddy as a schoolboy on the last day of school. He could hardly sit still and ate faster than any of us. The rest of us were only half done with our plates when he pushed his empty one back and stood. "You will have to excuse me, but I must see to the final preparations of the trial." He didn't wait for a reply, but bowed his head and hurried from the room.

The moment he left, Cordelia stabbed her eggs with her fork. A scowl marred her beautiful features as she twisted the tines. "Damn him and his stupid chivalry!"

"It's only the first trial," Fidel pointed out and he received a look of death from her.

She yanked her fork from the eggs and wagged it at him. "Then are you offering to take my spot?"

Fidel's smile became a lot shakier and he swallowed hard. "I-I was only trying to console you-"

"I dare say our host wouldn't allow a substitution, anyway," Beringer pointed out as he cut his thick slice of pork. "He is a stickler to the schedule and order of his domain."

Cordelia wrinkled her nose and returned to stabbing her food. "And why wait until noon? The heat will ruin my hair. And the beach? With all that nasty sand?"

Tegan caught my eye and jerked his head toward the door. I gladly set down my napkin and fork as he stood. "If you'll excuse us, we have a busy schedule before the trial."

His words piqued the interest of our fellow guests and Beringer had a pointed reminder for us. "Ensure you remain on the estates, sir, or I guarantee you will have to contend with the senator and her entourage."

Tegan smiled as I rose to my feet. "It's lucky for us Lusio owns so much land around here."

He offered me his arm and led me to the rear terrace. A gentle sea breeze brushed against my cheek like a shy kiss and the sun shone brightly above us. I paused in the middle and took in the sights of the white sand and the gentle waves.

"It's hard to believe we're in a place like this," I mused as Tegan stopped beside me.

He smiled as he looked out on the beautiful view. "The view is pretty breathtaking, isn't it?" His gentle eyes settled on me. "Now where would you like to go?"

I furrowed my brow as I thought about his question. "Why not toward the cliffs? We haven't been that way."

He smiled and inclined his head. "Then to the cliffs we shall go."

Tegan led me down the central stairs of the terrace and into the white sand. The gentle morning sun shone down on us as we turned leftward toward the cliffs in the distance. Gulls flew overhead and the sound of the waves lapping against the beach made the scene a soothing picture of contentment.

We had gone about two miles when something surprising appeared in our vision. The object was a lean-to some hundred feet long and twenty feet deep. The building faced the ocean and a mess of crates and boxes were stacked beneath its thatched roof. A dozen huge cauldrons were half-buried in the sand with deep holes around them to light a fire underneath their bellies. A neat stack of wood stood nearby to feed the hungry fires.

They were cold right now, the only life being a single young man of about twenty who worked away at cleaning the insides of the pots.

"What's that?" I asked my guide.

"Part of Lusio's operation," Tegan explained. "But we'll see if the man will tell us more. Hello there!"

The worker looked up and revealed himself to be a young man of about twenty with brilliant red eyes. He scrambled to his feet and bowed his head. "H-hello. . ."

We stopped before him and Tegan smiled. "There's no need to be so formal."

The man lifted his head and studied us with a questioning look. "You're not from Mr. Lusio's house to inspect the

Tegan shook his head. "The first is true, but we're not here to inspect. We were just curious what you were doing."

He nodded at the cauldron which he had been working on. "I was just taking out the sand and filling it with fresh wood."

"What do you cook here?" I wondered as I inspected the area. There didn't appear to be any of the usual trappings for food such as bowls and utensils other than some huge wooden straining ladles.

A smile touched his pale lips. "We don't really cook here. It's just that the oysters need to be cracked open and boiling them is the easiest way."

"This is one of Lusio's boiling huts, isn't it?" Tegan wondered.

The good humor the man had exhibited dropped and a darker emotion touched his eyes. His look reminded me of the looks the vampires on the road had given us. "Yes, it is."

"We didn't see you yesterday on the road with the others," Tegan mused.

The young man knelt back down and proceeded to use a spade to continue his digging. "I just got this job and didn't want to lose it."

"Then you're not from around here?" I guessed.

He shook his head. "Not for a few years. I came back to help with this year's harvest."

Tegan looked out to sea. "Isn't it mid harvest?"

The man continued his work without looking up. "It is, but they're a little shorthanded because so many are refusing to work for Mr. Lusio." He paused and squinted up at us. "Aren't you one of the ones staying at the house?"

Tegan nodded. "We are, but how do you know that?"

"Conrad told me," the man revealed, and our questioning faces made him smile. "You met him on the road. He was the one handing out flyers to anyone who passed through to Mr. Lusio's mansion. He told me a man and woman drove past yesterday. That was you, wasn't it?"

Tegan nodded. "That was us."

The man leaned back and looked us over. "Are you contestants?"

"Merely spectators," Tegan replied as he, too, examined our new acquaintance. "But what's your name?"

The vampire chuckled. "I suppose with all the questions I've asked you I deserved that one." He wiped the sand from his fingers and held out his hand. "My name is Hugh."

"Tegan," Tegan replied as he shook the man's hand. "And this is Kate."

"A pleasure," Hugh replied as he inclined his head to me.

"The same," I answered in turn.

"Well, I should get back to work," Hugh mused as he resumed his digging. "This sand fills in almost as fast as we can dig it out so this will take a while."

"Would it be too much trouble if we came back tonight to watch the diving?" Tegan wondered.

Hugh paused and stared ahead as he furrowed his brow. "I suppose not. That is, if Conrad allows it."

"So Conrad can still work for Lusio even when he's handing out those flyers?" I wondered.

He grinned. "Mr. Lusio has little choice. Nobody knows these waters better than Conrad and none of the divers will listen to anyone but him. They have enough risks without taking advice from somebody who doesn't know what they're doing."

"Then we'll be back this evening," Tegan promised as he took my hand.

Hugh nodded. "Until then. And enjoy yourselves at the trials. It is quite a show."