It took about an hour to show Travis around the Château and immediate grounds, including the Landsmaster offices, which consisted of a large room set on the second floor of the main building, overlooking the grounds. As the pair stood out on the balcony, watching the sun rise over the Rockies, Rik pointed out the Estates borders.
“The river divides the Estates, with the eastern side dedicated to the Village. North of the Village is the Field of Honor, where we hold huge festivals and host special events, such as the Rose War in August and the Cirque du Noir in October.”
Moving his finger, Rik pointed out, “That’s the area the Travelers set up their camp. Then that area is the stables, with a boarding barn, foaling barn, pastures, and all that. We don’t keep many horses on the Estates, but we have a state-of-the-art facility, and during the season, we have some performers and guests board their horses here during the week. Off-season, we tend to keep it closed down and have the horses wintered down in Austin.”
“What’s the season?” Travis asked, leaning on the marble railing as his eyes intently scanned the area.
“We say May Day through Samhain,” Rik replied with a shrug, “But it’s usually the last weekend of April through the first weekend of November. We close the Village over the winter, though we maintain the grounds year-round. Since the Château is open year-round, and we rent villas and cabins for those looking for a wintery, private retreat, the eastern valley is pretty quiet during off-season.”
“Can I ask what happened to your last Landsmaster?” Travis turned to regard Rik curiously, “I mean, why now? And why were Sam and I brought out here?”
With a sigh, Rik shook his head. “it’s not a pretty story. Suffice to say, our last Landsmaster violated a personal pact, and it was either get rid of him or risk the Rockies being buried under an eternal blizzard.”
Travis barked a laugh, but it quickly died at the serious expression on Rik’s face. “You’re serious?”
“Sort of.” Rik shrugged, “He pissed off the wrong Fae, one whose emotions tend to influence the weather around here.” He shot Travis a crooked grin, “You think it’s easy having a place like this in the Rockies? Having someone who’s able to manipulate weather comes in very handy. He’s subtle, but there’s a reason why we pull a healthy profit every year.”
Eyeing his watch, Rik said, “Come on. Let’s grab one of the UTVs and head over to the Village.”
As the two headed back downstairs, Travis got a few dirty looks, including the cold shoulder from both Gen and Danny, who were going over security cameras at the main desk.
Looking back over his shoulder as they headed down to the garage, Travis asked, “What’d I do? I just got here…”
Glancing back, Rik grimaced. “They know you’re here for the Landsmaster position, and they’ve already met and like Sam, who’s supposedly up for the same position.”
In a decidedly neutral tone, Travis asked, “What are you going to do about that?”
“Simple,” Rik’s grin was decidedly shark-like. “I’m hiring both of you. You’ll work together and share the damned title. It’s not like we can’t afford it, and believe me, I plan on keeping Ms. Samantha Kelly around for a good, long time.”
Travis let out a nearly inaudible sigh of relief, his grin bright in his bearded face as he clapped Rik’s arm, “In that case, sign me up. Sam and I can work it out, but I figure I can take the west side and she can take the east side responsibility-wise. We’ve worked together well before, so I’m sure we can get it all sorted out.”
Rik clapped his hands together, resisting the urge to rub them together and cackle maniacally, like a supervillain, as he replied, “Excellent. Let’s go. We can tell Sam later, but I’ve got to get to the Village, or we’re going to have a lion hunting me down like I’m a catnip mouse.”
Fishing out his phone as they headed for the ATV and UTV stalls, Rik quickly sent Sam a text message. Yes, he totally stole her number from her personnel file, but he was the Big Boss, so it was totally allowed. Grabbing a helmet, he tossed one to Travis and pointed out the crimson Yamaha Viking UTV, one of the three-seater utility vehicles kept by the Estates to get around throughout the year.
“Really?” Travis asked with sneer, a hint of his old arrogance as he hefted the black helmet emblazoned with the CDL white-and-gold lion logo.
“Just put it on,” Rik chuckled. “Got to make it look good for the straights. Plus, liability insurance is a bitch. Get used to it. I’ll even buy you a helmet with a puppy on it, if it’ll make you feel better.”
Rolling his eyes, Travis strapped the helmet on and climbed into the UTV as Rik hopped into the driver’s seat. Strapping in, they roared out of the garage and down the hill. With the UTV, they were able to hop off the main road, cutting along one of the side roads that led by the lake and cut directly toward the Village instead of taking the long way around.
As they crossed over one of the river bridges, Travis leaned over and hollered, “So what’s with the light side and dark side of the Village?”
“Easy. The ‘Light Side’ represents the Seelie Court, and is more geared toward kids and family-friendly entertainment. The ‘Dark Side’ is the Unseelie Court, and is more adult-oriented,” Rik hollered back as he maneuvered onto one of the spiraling paths leading through the Unseelie side of the Village. Here, the buildings were all darker, in grays and blacks, with an eerie vibe that was both menacing and seductive.
“Every Saturday, the Village stays open until about 2 AM,” Rik went on to explain. “We call it After Dark, and it’s only open to those 18 and older. We started it a few years back after getting some complaints from vamps that wanted to visit, and since they’re not the only nocturnals, we figured it made sense. The Unseelie-side really comes to life then.”
“And the entire Estates, both the Château and Village, are considered a Sanctuary?” Travis asked, his grip on the safety bar a bit white-knuckled. Not that Rik noticed. Well, okay, so he noticed, he just didn’t care.
“Yep, it’s expanded over the years, but the Château was made a Sanctuary back when my grandfather built it, one of the first in the Rockies, and the only one for a good few centuries,” Rik said as they pulled up outside the amphitheater.
It wasn’t even noon yet, but a good crowd had already begun milling through the Village. Some of the shops were opened, getting aired out and stock being moved in and prepared, while some of the venues were likewise being cleaned up and prepared.
The amphitheater was a reproduction of the Théâtre antique de Lyon, a Roman theatre in Lyon, France. Built at the base of a hill, upon which sat a stone keep, the semi-circular amphitheater could easily seat over 1000 people, with the staging area roughly about 150 feet wide and 75 feet deep. With its marble winged lion statues, orchestra pit and even “Royal Boxes,” many considered it one of the centerpieces of the entire Village. Few outside the Uncanny knew that it had been here for centuries, serving as a private meeting place for moots and ceremonies, but almost everyone could feel the impressive weight of its presence as they stood at the top and looked down at the stage below.
“Wow,” Travis breathed as he stepped out of the UTV. “It’s different being down here than seeing it from at the Château.”
“Mais oui, mon ami,” Rik teased as he climbed out and joined the wolf at the top of the amphitheater, looking down at the small group gathered on the stage. When one of the distant figures raised an arm and waved them over, Rik chuckled and slapped Travis on the back. “Come on, pup, time to introduce you to the troupe.”
Jogging down the wide stone stairs, Travis behind him, Rik headed for the group of guys standing around a bunch of heavy-looking, large canvas bags. Clay was there, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and flip flops with a University of Hawaii ball cap.
The big feline pulled Rik into a manly hug, with lots of back-slapping as he crowed, “Well, look here. The man has managed to peel himself from between the luscious thighs of his anam cara. This calls for a celebration!”
Rik winced. Not only from the heavy-handed slaps against his back from his so-called best friend, but the loud announcement that echoed through the amphitheater. Damn acoustics!
Rik was surrounded by the members of his troupe, in a rough group hug filled with teasing congratulations.
“Damn, man, trapped? Lucky git!”
“Who’s the unlucky wench that got boarded by you?”
“Poor Clay, he’s finally lost you to the Dark Side. Always knew he wasn’t pussy enough for you!”
“Hey, fucker!” The roar came from Clay as he launched himself at a massive, chortling Viking.
With a resigned sigh, Rik turned to Travis. “Meet my troupe. You already know Clay,” Rik pointed to the snarling feline, who was rolling around trying to pin the helplessly gasping from laughter Viking. “And that big, blond idiot is Donar.”
“The skinny one over there,” Rik pointed to the grinning auburn-haired guy, whose long hair was pulled into a neat ponytail, except for a white lock that fell into his golden-hued eyes. Compared to the others, he was indeed shorter and more slimly built, but he had the lean, wiry build of a long-distance runner. “Goes by Sionnach. Don’t take a single thing he says seriously. Ever.”
“The pirate-looking guy over there,” Rik indicated the tall, elegant guy with a rakish goatee, thick brown hair pulled back into a queue, and gleaming golden hoops in both ears. The man’s wide grin was startlingly white against his darkly-bronzed skin. “Is currently going by Santiago. He’s a bit of a slut, even compared to the rest of us, so don’t get between him and his flavor of the evening, or you may find yourself on the wrong end of a boarding party.”
Santiago swept an elegant bow, every inch the perfect gentleman, despite wearing a pair of sweatpants, ratty old Nikes, and an old, holey Metallica t-shirt.
Turning toward Santiago, Rik asked, “Where’s everyone else?”
Shrugging elegantly, Santiago drawled in a thick Texan accent, “Now, don’t go gettin’ yer knickers in a bunch, hoss. Gus is givin’ his lil’ sis a hand settin' up her shop, Bard’s settin' up his smithy, and the others aren’t gonna make it ‘til sometime next weekend.”
Rik was about to respond when he heard a voice that caused his heart to stutter to a halt—and not in a good way.
“Rikard, I’ve missed you,” a woman’s voice purred from behind him, her precise British accent warmed by a throaty tone that once Rik found incredibly sexy, but compared to Sam’s naturally husky voice, it now sounded false and flat.
Rik turned, moving his shoulder away from the lifted hand as he took a step away from the tall, athletic blonde woman. She was nearly as tall as he was, her pale blue eyes almost at eye level with his own. She had broad shoulders, full breasts, and a flat stomach with strong hips and thighs, the build of a true Amazon. Her long white-blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she was dressed simply, in a sports bra and yoga pants, which only emphasized her powerful build. She was heart-stoppingly beautiful, but Rik felt absolutely nothing as she ran those cool eyes over his body hungrily.
“Evie,” Rik grunted an abrupt greeting.
Smirking at his greeting, Evie shook her head in amusement. “Now, now, I heard you found your anam cara. I hope she knows that you’re not going to be faithful. I mean, after all, you cheated on me with Mona of all people.” She shrugged eloquently, lifting a hand to lightly trace her fingers down Rik’s arm. She damn near purred at the feel of the bicep bulging beneath her fingertips as Rik clenched his fists at his sides.
“You’re not her,” Rik said bluntly.
Drawing her hand back and narrowing her eyes, Evie glanced around. An elegant eyebrow arched, “So, where is the lovely little lady?” She began to stalk around him, eyeing him like a side of beef as she smirked. “Already bored with her?”
Conversation, and the scuffle between Clay and Donar, had come to a halt with Evie’s arrival, leaving the two of them the center of an avid audience. Feeling the eyes upon him, Rik gritted out, “Not now, Evie. This is neither the time nor the place.”
“We had an understanding,” Evie hissed as she once more confronted him face-to-face. Crowding into his personal space, her breasts pressed against his chest, she glared up at him, “And I never give up what belongs to me.”
Before Rik could respond, Evie was suddenly wrapped around him, her arms tight around his neck, a leg hooked around his thigh, as she pressed up into him and drug his head down for a bruising kiss.
“Oh, fuck no!” Rang out loud and clear through the amphitheater, echoing a sudden crash of thunder that rolled overhead.
Not good. Not good at all.