The Assassin's Destiny (Isle of Dreams) (2 page)

Mistral fixed Fabian with a
pleading look, ‘Please let me skive off with you this afternoon.  I will
honestly die of boredom if I have to spend the afternoon with Malachi Nox.’

Fabian touched her cheek and
murmured softly, ‘It’s not forever.’

‘Talking of Master Nox,’ Phantom
interrupted loudly.  ‘Do you know what blood he has?  Only I can’t
work it out … he’s not of elven descent that’s for sure.’

‘Blood is the right word to use
when referring to Malachi.’  Fabian replied.

The twins gazed at Fabian
silently, waiting for him to explain.  Mistral sighed disinterestedly and
leaned against his side while he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 
They could talk all they wanted for all she cared, she was quite happy to drink
and enjoy being close to Fabian for an all too brief hour.

‘Malachi Nox is of Mage descent
on his mother’s side,’ Fabian continued in a low voice.  ‘And his father
is reputed to have been a vampire.’

The twins’ eyes widened at this
salacious piece of information and instantly began a murmured conversation
between themselves about the reclusive tribe of vampires that lived in the
Northern Range.

‘Good, that’ll keep them occupied
for the rest of the hour,’ said Mistral with a satisfied look on her
face.  ‘Now you can tell me what we’re doing this weekend.’

‘Well, I know it’s not quite up
to the chimera hunt –’

‘Oh, now that was fantastic,’
interrupted Mistral with a happy smile.  ‘Did I ever thank you for
that?  It was the best holiday I’ve ever had … well the only one actually,
but it’ll be a hard one to beat.’

Fabian smiled and kissed her
gently, ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it.  However, this weekend I thought we
could go home and hunt.  The cellar is looking a bit bare now that there
are two of us eating there.’

Mistral grinned up at him; she
had been worried that he would have commitments in the Valley since he had
promised Leo two full months of his time as a Training Lieutenant for the Ri.

‘That sounds perfect!  Is it
too early for bears?’

‘Yes,’ said Fabian sternly. 
‘We’ll be hunting for deer and boar only.’

‘Huh, nothing that could bite me
back you mean,’ she grumbled.

‘Only me.’

Mistral felt the breath catch in her
throat and stared back into his deep black gaze. 

‘Do you know which vampire it was
rumoured to be?’  Phantom asked, abruptly dragging Mistral out of her
private world.

She spun round to glare at him
furiously.  Did he have some sixth sense prompting him to barge in on her
and Fabian when it was blatantly obvious they shouldn’t be interrupted?

‘I think it was widely believed
to be Bellicose La Monte but don’t quote me on that.  He is still quite
active and I would hate to be on his calling card,’ said Fabian smoothly, his
face betraying none of the emotion his voice had held only seconds before.

As the twins proceeded to assail
Fabian with an endless barrage of questions regarding Malachi Nox Mistral
sighed and sank quietly against his side, knowing that they would have no more
opportunities for whispered conversations that lunchtime. 

When their hour’s break was over
Fabian left The Cloak and Dagger with them.  He kissed Mistral briefly
then strode across the snow covered square towards the stableblock to saddle
Spirit and go out to check on the first years progress with their knucker hunt.

The twins were full of the
information they had gleaned from Fabian about Malachi Nox and talked in low
voices between themselves all the way back to the Main Building.

‘Mistral!’  Phantasm
suddenly gasped; making her jump … she had been busy reliving a world where
Phantom hadn’t interrupted her conversation with Fabian.

‘Do you think you could try and
read Master Nox’s aura this afternoon?’  he asked with a wicked gleam in
his eyes.  ‘My brother and I will create a diversion so he won’t notice
you going all blank.’

‘Sure, no problem,’ she sighed
heavily, shoving all Fabian-based thoughts to the back of her mind as they
walked into the Entrance Hall and began to climb the stairs up to the second
floor.

The twins’ whispered speculations
abruptly halted when they reached the black wooden door to Malachi Nox’s tower
room.  Phantasm raised his fist and knocked on the door again.  It
opened promptly with the sharp features of Malachi Nox appearing to greet
them.  Saying nothing he stepped aside to admit them into his book-filled
domain once more.

Mistral followed the twins across
the room and took her seat, gazing listlessly at the array of strange items
laid out on the table in front of them.

‘Tell me what you see before
you,’ Malachi began without preamble.

‘A small turnip ... some
parsley.  That looks like asparagus and … is that a bulb of garlic?’ 
Phantasm frowned and picked up the whitish coloured root.

‘Exactly the response I was
expecting,’ murmured Malachi icily.  ‘And precisely why so many people
unwittingly poison themselves.

‘That,’ he said sweeping suddenly
towards the table and lifting the bulb of garlic between one finger and
thumb.  ‘Is a narcissus bulb and quite deadly when prepared in the correct
manner.  The “small turnip”,’ he continued in a condescending tone, ‘is
actually root of aconite, the “parsley” is cleverly disguised I agree but it’s
true identity is far more harmful, it is of course, lesser hemlock.  And
finally, the “asparagus” is really white hellebore. 

‘Tell me apprentice, did you
think you were here to learn how to cook?’  Malachi fixed Phantasm with a
disdainful look.

Phantasm met Malachi’s cold gaze
and kept his face expressionless, ‘No Master Nox.’

Malachi Nox regarded him silently
for a long moment then abruptly dropped the narcissus bulb onto the table.

‘You will spend the afternoon
researching poisons that cleverly adapt innocuous disguises.  The
reference manuals you will require are located on this shelf,’ he gestured
lazily towards one of the towering shelves.  ‘There will be no need to
talk to one another.’  Malachi finished in a cold voice and strode over to
take a seat in a high-backed armchair, picking up the large book resting on the
arm and opening it.

The twins shared a brief look and
slid from their stools, as Phantom brushed past her Mistral felt a slight
pressure on her arm and knew that they were about to try and create a diversion
long enough for her to read Malachi’s aura.  She jumped off her stool and
hurried over to the bookshelf Malachi had pointed at.  Grabbing the first
book that came to hand she quickly took her seat again while the twins began to
idly peruse the long row of leatherbound manuals.

‘Master Nox?’  Phantom
enquired in a polite tone.  ‘Would you consider “Natures Weapons” to be
more instructive to us today rather than “Theriac Production: The Definitive
Guide”?’

Malachi glanced over with barely
disguised irritation, ‘Do you even know what Theriac is?’

‘No, but it sounds fascinating,’
replied Phantom with absolute sincerity.  ‘If it’s not too much trouble
Master Nox, do you think you would be able to tell me more about it?’

Giving a sibilant sigh Malachi
laid the open book across the arm of his chair once more and stood up. 
Moving over to where the twins were standing he took the heavy manual from
Phantom’s hands and opened it at the beginning.

‘This book is far too advanced
for you,’ he snapped, ‘but if you are truly interested in learning how to brew
an antidote that cures all known poisons and has a basic ingredient list of
over seventy items then I suggest that you begin with Chapter Two.’

Malachi began to flick through
the pages.  His back was to Mistral, providing her with the perfect
opportunity.  Slowing her breathing and concentrating on the air around
Malachi’s head until she was rewarded by the appearance of a slight shimmer of
pale colour.  Malachi’s aura glimmered briefly in an indefinable halo then
the vision abruptly vanished.  Mistral frowned and tried again. 
Clearing her mind she re-focussed and once again Malachi’s aura swam into view
in an indistinct swirl only to disappear almost immediately. 

‘Now, if your curiosity is quite satisfied,
perhaps you would like to continue with the task I have set you.’

Malachi’s curt voice snapped
Mistral from her trance.  She immediately bent her head over the book she
had selected, gazing unseeingly at the words on the page while her mind whirred
frantically.  Why hadn’t she been able to read Malachi’s aura?  With
a sudden wave of panic she wondered if she was losing her gift.  She
turned quickly to look at Phantom.  Forcing herself to become calm she
called up the vision of his aura.  It swam obediently into view in a swirl
of metallic grey shot through with bright bolts of silver: curiosity and
excitement, the very essence of Phantom’s nature.  Mistral blinked and the
illusion vanished, leaving her feeling relieved but perplexed.  With no
opportunity to whisper her findings to the twins Mistral had no choice but to
try and concentrate on the work they had been set. 

The afternoon wore by with
mind-numbing slowness.  Mistral could feel Phantom’s impatience growing
with every hour that dragged by until he was fidgeting restlessly and looking
pointedly at the door every few minutes.  When Malachi finally released
them with a terse dismissal Phantom took hold of her arm and almost dragged her
from the tower room. 

‘Finally,’ he muttered when Malachi
closed the door behind them with a soft snap.  They ran quickly down the
stairs and straight along the corridor to the twins’ room in silence, only
speaking again when they were safely inside with the door firmly closed.

Mistral sat on the edge of Phantom’s
bed while they settled themselves on the bed opposite her, leaning back against
the wall and gazing at her with identical expressions of anticipation that
never failed to make her smile.

‘Tell all sister,’ breathed
Phantom, his eyes shining with excitement.

Mistral clasped her hands
together in her lap and frowned at them, ‘I wish I had something to tell you
brother.  But I haven’t.  I couldn’t read his aura.’

The twins stared at her
wordlessly; Phantom’s face dropping with disappointment and Phantasm’s
instantly creasing into a concerned expression.

‘You don’t think the strain of
taking a second year has made you lose your gift do you?’  he asked
anxiously.

Mistral shook her head, ‘No, I
read Phantom’s aura straight away to check.’

‘I wish you wouldn’t,’ snapped
Phantom looking annoyed.  ‘I might have been thinking about something
personal!’

‘Oh Phantom, how many times do I
have to say this?’  Mistral exclaimed exasperatedly.  ‘I can only see
your emotions, not hear your thoughts –yet.’

‘But still –’ Phantom persisted
in a miffed tone.

‘If it makes you feel better I
can tell you what I saw,’ Mistral offered with a smile.

‘No thanks,’ snapped Phantom
huffily. 

‘Can we please consider the
important issue here?’  Phantasm demanded. 

‘Yes, my privacy!’

‘No Phantom, the real issue is
why couldn’t Mistral read Master Nox’s aura?  Has this ever happened
before, apart from when you were going slightly demented last winter that is.’

Mistral scowled at him.  She
didn’t care to be reminded of how she’d felt during Fabian’s long
absence.  Losing her ability to read auras had been the least distressing
part of that particular period of her life as far as she was concerned.

‘No,’ she replied shortly.

‘He’s half-Mage isn’t he?’ 
Phantom said, still looking slightly sulky.

‘Yes, but we all know that the
Craft doesn’t pass down to half-breeds, so he can’t be using that to deflect
Mistral’s sight … I wonder if it’s something to do with him having vampire
blood –’

‘Don’t know … don’t care.’
 Mistral suddenly leapt to her feet and headed for the door. 
Training had finished for the day and Fabian would be waiting for her.

Snow continued to fall heavily
for the rest of the night but had ceased by breakfast on Saturday morning,
leaving a glistening white blanket across the Valley.  Mistral walked into
the Refectory with Fabian and gazed pensively out of the long narrow windows at
the low bank of grey cloud veiling the mountainside from view.

‘Do you think we’ll be able to
ride home today?’ she asked him in a worried voice.

Fabian glanced up at the sky and
frowned, ‘I don’t think it will snow any more today and the Valley is a
misleading guide to use anyway; it always seems to catch the worst of any
snowfalls.  I’m sure the snow won’t be as deep out in the meadow and
there’ll definitely be less snow laying on the trail through the forests. 
It may take us a little longer, but I’m certain we will be able to ride home
today.’

‘Thank goodness for that,’
Mistral sighed.  ‘I can’t wait to get out of here for a couple of days!’

Fabian instantly tensed but said
nothing and Mistral kept her gaze firmly fixed on the snowy scene outside the
window.  Her staying over at the small mountain house was a continual
matter of contention between them with Fabian insisting on sleeping on the sofa
and making her sleep alone in his bed upstairs.  Despite his best efforts
to keep her away from him he usually failed as Mistral would wait until he was
asleep then creep down and curl up with him on the sofa.

‘I know what you’re thinking,’
she murmured. 

‘I wish you did then it wouldn’t
be such a problem,’ he muttered back.

Mistral shot him a covetous look
from under her eyelashes, ‘We don’t have to wait you know.’

Fabian clenched his jaw and continued
to glare out of the window rather than look at her, ‘We made a deal
Mistral.  Establish Sight and then we can begin our lives together.’