A Storm in the Making

Chapter 20--First Meal

Taken separately, every element was crude and unappealing.  Together, though, all the different elements combined to make a homey, masculine retreat. I could see that now from the perspective of the gallery. My uncle and brothers could be very happy here, though they didn’t look it at the moment standing down there by the door.  Of course Luke looked up.  His mind-reading thing was going to be a real pain.  I could see that coming.

“Morning, Sis,” Luke grinned up at me. 

Oh yeah, I knew what put that silly grin on his face.  I had to get him alone and ask him about the princess.  He was shooting pretty high there.  I hope he didn’t get hurt. 

As quick as I thought these thoughts, I wondered if Luke could hear them.  But, I shouldn’t have worried.  His mind was so full of Princess Ranaloxa that he didn’t have room for reading my thoughts.

“Get a move on, gal,” Uncle groused, looking up at me.  “I ain’t in the mood for this to start with.  Don’t make me late.”

It looked like Uncle’s temper hadn’t improved much since Julius had come by last night to tell us that there would be no class today.  Though I had already gone up to bed when he came by, Chloe came up to let me know.   Instead of class, we would all to be tested this morning to see what kind of natural abilities—magical or otherwise—we possessed.  Chloe had been excited about the testing.  It could mean she would make 5th level.  I was really skeptical about my own testing.  I didn’t have a magical bone in my body.  Uncle was skeptical, too, apparently from the tone of his voice coming up the stairs. 

“I’m not in any mood to be tested about anything,” he grumbled.

“At least you’re probably going to get a new belt today.”  The pout in Andrew’s voice was plain.

“Lucky you, Uncle,” I said, coming down the stairs.

“Yeah, sure, just what I always wanted.  A new belt to go with my new dress,” Uncle said sarcastically, tugging at his robe.  He loathed the clothes they had given us to wear.  Uncle was strictly a tee-shirt and jeans kind of guy.

Luke, Andrew, and I did try to keep straight faces.  Honestly, we did.  But, it just wasn’t happening.  Uncle gave the three of us dirty looks when we all busted out with guffaws, and pushed his way out the door, our laughter following him outside.

A few minutes later we found him in the nearly-empty dining room at the monastery. He was still in a snit, I saw. He sat alone at the huge table staring morosely down at a plate of rolls as if they might be poison.

Breakfast, or First meal as they call it here, was a simple affair.  There was a choice of hard rolls that had never been near a wheat berry, or strange-looking, tiny gold fruit clusters that came in a long pod like dates.

Large carafes of the same hot, flowery beverage as last night, sent thin tendrils of steam into the air. That brew really did not smell appetizing first thing in the morning, either.   However, it was the only liquid offering available, besides gourd containers of what turned out to be plain water. I bypassed the hot brew and reached for the water.

“I wouldn’t drink that, if I were you,” Luke cautioned.

“Why not?”

“Montezuma’s revenge?” Andrew stretched his neck around Luke and snickered at me as he poured himself a cup of the hot fruit drink.

“What?” I asked, staring at the pitcher of water.

“Haven’t you ever heard the old saying that if you go to another country,” Luke queried, grinning. “Don’t drink the water; drink the wine, instead?”

Of course I had. Who hadn’t? Diarrhea. Ugh! I turned pale at the thought of spending any more time than absolutely necessary in what passed for bathrooms here, which they called latrines--which I refused to even think about this early in the morning.”

“Just give me the damned drink, and shut up. Both of you,” I snapped and accepted the cup Luke offered me that he had poured for himself. He turned and poured another.

My brothers each chose a roll and took a cup of the weird brew, then followed me to the table to join Uncle.  He was sitting alone at the big round table nibbling half-heartedly at a roll. 

“Man, what I wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee,” Uncle groaned, scratching at his now two day old stubble. “I guess they never heard of Dunkin Donuts here,” he growled. He sniffed at his cup and curled his lip, then shoved it away from him.

“Pretty nasty stuff,” said a familiar Crocodile Dundee voice behind us that I recognized.

“Nigel.”  I greeted him with a lilt in my voice. Nigel had already left when Uncle had came in last night. My exhurbent greeting to Nigel earned me a questioning look from Uncle when I whirled around a little too eagerly and smiled back at Nigel for no good reason.

“Mornin’ luv,” Nigel winked.

“Come join us,” I invited, feeling like laughing as I patted the seat beside me.

“Settling in all right?”  He questioned; laughter dancing in his hazel eyes as he came closer.

“Ugh!  I don’t even want to talk about it,” I answered before turning back around to make introductions.

“Uncle, this is Nigel Connors.  Nigel, this is my uncle, Vincent Weatherly.  And you met my brothers, Luke and Andrew, last night.”

“Vince, Luke, Andrew,” Nigel shook their hands and sat down beside me. 

“Been here long?” Uncle asked.

“It seems like forever.  Never saw this place coming.  How about yourself?”

“Yesterday.  Me neither.  It still doesn’t feel real.”

“Totally freaked us out,” Andrew added.

Luke remained silent.  He was busy searching the dining room with his eyes.  It wasn’t hard to guess who he was searching for. 

“She’s already outside with the others, Mate,” Nigel offered.  “Even the old blokes are out there.”

“Thanks, man,” Luke muttered, and began to nibble on his roll while he eyed the strange fruit with skepticism I’d put on his plate.

 Uncle searched Nigel’s face, and I was glad to see that Uncle seemed to like what he saw written there.

“They’re setting up a testing area out there on the rugby field,” Nigel added.

“You play rugby?” Andrew interrupted. 

“Not much since college, but I could give it a go if you like, if we had a ball.”

All of a sudden, I could see the locker room mentality forming as Uncle, Nigel, Andrew, and even Luke all huddled closer to each other as they talked.

“I’m out of here.  I’ll see you guys later,” I said, letting them get away with excluding me—this time.

I had my own search I wanted to do--away from their prying eyes.  Leaving the weird breakfast untouched, I took my tray, dumped it in the basket by the kitchen doors, and then wandered outside.  How hard could it be to find something that looked like a Rugby field?