38
I watch, sickened, as the contestants line up by the Guadalquivir riverbank ready for me to outline the first trial in this contest.
Apparently Starlen will be on the scene the whole time commentating on how it’s going, but I have to outline the task.
“For show continuity,” he’d said.
I stand where bidden and consider where we are.
This section of river, illuminated from beneath by lights and cameras, is a murky dark green, putrid with man’s filth washed into it over a millennium.
Once, though, it had been clear and fast-flowing.
Full of fish and life. Once, it had been a pleasant place to idle away an evening watching the stars reflect upon the surface as the cargo ships sailed into port.
Not now. Now I’d rather be anywhere else on earth. And from the look on the innocent little Icandler’s face, she concurs.
I’m not surprised to find she’s in the same room as Catriona, but Evelyn and Sona sharing with them is interesting.
I’d spent some time talking to the American on the first night; her accent, Angie’s accent, both soothed and saddened me.
But the accent was where the similarities ended.
They may have hailed from the same US state, but Evelyn was a city girl, spoilt and from money.
As far as I could tell she’d been groomed to have no other interest in life other than to appear on this show.
She might as well have grown up on a different planet for all the shared values or experiences she had with the now Lady Dragonspur.
And from the little I know of Catriona and Thorun, she wasn’t someone I would have pegged as a reliable ally for either.
Sona is a mystery, an odd little puzzle I’d yet to decipher.
Much like the twins from Zurich, I’m not sure I particularly want to get to know any of them.
But if Thorun likes Sona, and it seems as they whispered together during Starlen’s ridiculous pantomime that she does, then perhaps there’s more to the Nepalese psychiatrist than meets the eye.
I hope for all their sakes that there is, and that this team is not the one to come last. Even as I think this I wonder if it’s because I feel sorry for the Icelander, or because I’m still thinking about Catriona’s blood, because there’s no denying my fangs tingled the moment I saw that ribbon around her neck.
‘There’s no way I want that little prick Starlen tasting her blood.
But then, perhaps it’s better if she’s eliminated.
Take away the temptation…no, that’s just weakness on my behalf.
I can’t allow ANY weakness to rule me again, not after what happened with Angie.
My honour must hold in future. It WILL hold. ’
“Are you ready to relay the instructions, Viscount?”
I nod to the director
“And… Action!”
I begin without preamble.
“Ladies. While it’s true you’re operating as teams, you can lose one team member along the way.
Any more than that and your team is automatically disqualified, and you will all be eliminated.
It’s up to you to decide whether there’s strength in numbers or if someone is going to hold you back.
At the final test your remaining team members must all make it across the line together; no stragglers, you must all be together.
There will be temptations along the way that you will need to navigate.
The last team to arrive will be eliminated; every one of you.
Make no mistake, this is one of the deadliest contests in Vampire Bachelor Games history.
Working together, unlike previous contests, is not only suggested, but imperative — and this may be the first of many such group contests, so keep that in mind. ”
“Cut!”
“Ah, Viscount. We can’t say that. We don’t know if the producers plan to mix the teams next time, or no more teams…”
“Like I said, it ‘may’ not be the last of its kind. I wouldn’t put anything past that cunt, Starlen. Would you?”
“Sure, ah. Let’s proceed. Please, ah, stick to the script, Viscount.”
I clench my teeth, and nod. I’d hoped to impress upon the women that they might be best not eliminating anyone from their teams today, because they might need them in the future.
After all, four are already going to be killed at the end of this contest. How much bloodshed do the producers want in one challenge?
“And…Action!”
I pause and read out, word for word, the first trial.
“Your first trial, ‘the swimming of the witch,’ will involve you choosing two team members to be chained to weights and thrown to the bottom of the river. There, each will be tied to another, heavier weight — a clue. It’s imperative that you retrieve that clue and your teammate if you wish to succeed in the following tests.
You cannot simply take the clue without also bringing up your fellow competitor.
Failing to retrieve the clue will leave you at a distinct disadvantage in a further stage of the contest.”
There’s a collective gasp, and I wait until the titters and murmurs die down before continuing.
“The remaining team member, or members, must solve a puzzle here,” I point to a line of timber platforms containing big sacks full of puzzle pieces.
“When they’ve solved the puzzle they need to swim down to the bottom of the river, unchain their teammates, and get them and their clues to the surface, ready for the next obstacle.
If they don’t solve it quickly enough their teammates will drown.
Once all your team is on the riverbank you can open your clues and proceed to the next trial.
You have five minutes to decide who will be chained.
Other than that, just like with all contests, the only rules are that there are no rules. ”
I look up when I finish reading and meet the eyes of several of the contestants. Cherry looks like she might cry, but others are already organising themselves or arguing amongst themselves.
Thorun’s team, to my surprise, gets straight to work helping Catriona and Evelyn into chains.