The word cookies had a magical effect.
"Okay!" Allegra skipped after him toward the kitchen.
When the doorbell rang, Okidu changed direction and rushed to the door with Allegra trailing behind him like his little shadow.
Kian and Syssi followed them, arriving at the foyer just as Okidu opened the door with a formal bow that would have been more appropriate for visiting royalty than lunch guests.
"Master Elias and Mistress Tamira. Welcome." Okidu stepped aside. "Please, come in."
"Thank you," Eluheed said, stepping inside. "And please call me Eluheed. Your boss convinced me that my real name didn't sound as strange as I thought it did."
Okidu froze for a moment as if confused by what the shaman had just said. "It is a very pleasant-sounding name, Master Eluheed."
Allegra, who had been standing beside Okidu, suddenly stepped forward and lifted her hands, a cookie clutched in each. "Do you want a cookie?"
When had she managed to snatch them?
Tamira looked lost and turned to Syssi. "Should we?"
Syssi nodded. "You don't have to eat them."
They were slightly crumbled.
Eluheed smiled and took a cookie from Allegra's hand. "Thank you. They look yummy."
"They are." Allegra extended her other hand to Tamira. "Okidu made them."
Eluheed smiled. "Then they must be wonderful."
"Welcome," Syssi said, ushering everyone toward the dining room. "Can I offer you anything to drink before lunch is served?"
"Water is fine." Tamira reached for the carafe and poured some into her glass.
"After lunch, then." Syssi sat down. "You have to try my cappuccinos. I'm quite famous for them."
As the conversation moved to Tamira's acclimation to village life and the book rebinding business that she and the other ladies were endeavoring to start, Kian listened impatiently, waiting for the right moment to ask the questions that were burning in his mind.
10
ELUHEED
Eluheed was fascinated by Okidu. He now knew that the butler was not a creation but a machine built to resemble a human, but he would never have guessed it if he hadn't been told. The man looked so real.
It was remarkable.
Syssi smiled knowingly. "Okidu is an excellent cook."
"Everything looks and smells incredible," Tamira said. "And given that we were pampered by excellent chefs in the harem, I consider myself somewhat of an authority."
Eluheed nodded. "Every meal was served like in a palace. Not that I would know since I've never visited one, but it was all very fancy."
Compared to the dining room on the island, Kian's was modest and so was the food presentation, but the harem had been a gilded cage, while this was freedom, and therefore everything tasted better.
They served themselves family-style, passing dishes around the table, and Kian poured wine into everyone's glasses while Syssi encouraged them to try everything.
"Teletubbies," Allegra demanded, refusing to eat.
Syssi turned to Okidu. "Can you please take her to the family room? She's already eaten."
