The Assassin's Destiny (Isle of Dreams) (41 page)

‘I apologise for my outburst,
Mage Grapple.  And I will do as you ask, only … please can you not call me
Lady De Winter anymore.’

Mage Grapple laughed again,
making his scarred face look suddenly younger and less intense.  Mistral
thought she saw a flash of Emiror and also Leo in the brief light that flared
in his eyes but then it was gone, leaving behind only the stern, cold grey
stare as he dismissed her with a curt nod.

‘He likes you.’  Fabian
remarked, watching the door close behind Mage Grapple.

‘How can you tell?’  Mistral
frowned.  To her all Mage Grapple’s facial expressions were limited to the
movements of his scars as he spoke. 

‘He laughed … twice, in
fact.  I am not sure I have ever heard Eximius laugh.’

‘I have to say that I’m impressed
with how well she seems to be coping with her Mage’s absence.’  Cain
remarked while he watched Mistral pulverising one of the first years in the
Training Arena.

Xerxes was sat on the Arena fence
beside him, idly cleaning his fingernails with his dagger, ‘Huh, you mean she
hasn’t tried to kill herself yet.’  

A stilted silence fell and Xerxes
looked up, his expression defensive, ‘What?  Is it too soon for that joke
yet?’ 

‘Yes brother it is!’

‘Oh lighten up Cain –’ 

‘Lighten up?  Tell me
Xerxes, have you forgotten Mage Grapple, his Leoship and the slightly scary
Mage De Winter all giving us specific instructions not to let her out of our
sight until the Contract on Putreo is completed?’ 

‘I know.’  Xerxes sighed
heavily.  ‘Babysitting Mistral is a bit like trying to take a tiger for a
walk; dangerous and neither of you really enjoy it.’

Cain gave a short bark of
laughter, ‘I can see the similarities.’ he leaned back against the fence,
gazing across the village square to see Brutus talking to the blonde girl from
the saddlery.  ‘Oh damn your brother!  I was going to try my luck
again there this evening!’

Xerxes followed his gaze and
scowled, ‘No, you can’t have been.  She promised me a date for tonight!’

Cain gave Xerxes a calculating
look, ‘Do you think they’ve started playing us?’

Xerxes watched the blonde
twirling a strand of hair through her fingers while she giggled at Brutus, ‘I
hope so.  Then they won’t complain so much about my apparent lack of
morals, or whatever the latest slur is on my good name.’

Cain laughed and turned to watch
Mistral throwing her opponent to the ground, ‘You know what brother, you’re
lucky Mistral isn’t a feminist or she might’ve had some of your anatomy for
jewellery by now.’

Xerxes flinched, ‘Ouch! 
You’re making my eyes water!’

‘Talking of eyes watering, I’m
not sure that first year is going to be able to walk after what Mistral just
did to him –’

Xerxes turned to see the new
Training Lieutenant, Nereus, hurrying over to where Mistral was apologetically
helping the apprentice to his feet.  They watched Nereus begin to yell at
her while she stood still, nodding absently and gazing into space over his
shoulder.

‘She’s got that down to a fine
art now.’  Cain commented.

Xerxes grunted, ‘She’s had enough
practise at riding out the windswept treatment over the last couple of
years.  I don’t envy her.  It used to drive me insane having to stand
there and take abuse from Caleb and Barak.  I wanted to kill them!’

‘His Leoship is worse.  He
does that whole icy death-stare thing.  It’s really unnerving.’

‘Oh, here she comes.  Got
time for a game of cards?’  Xerxes jumped down from the fence and called
out to Mistral. 

‘Maybe later.  I’ve been
summoned to go and see the Divinus.’  Mistral said with a roll of her
eyes.

‘We’ll walk with you.’  Cain
offered, automatically falling in step beside her.

Mistral gave him an irritated
look, ‘Don’t you think you’re taking this a bit far now?  I’m sure I can
walk up the path to the Main Building without being kidnapped by a marauding
gang of Rochfortes.’

‘You can glare all you want
Mistral but I’m far more frightened of Mage Grapple than you, and his
instructions were most specific.’

‘Well I’ll be having a shower
first, do you want to accompany me for that too?’ she snapped then glared at
Xerxes.  ‘Don’t even bother to answer that one Xerxes!’

Xerxes laughed and began to hum
his favourite goblin song.  Mistral scowled to herself and ignored
him.  Fabian had only been gone for two days and already her brothers were
suffocating her with overprotectiveness.  She knew they felt responsible
for her abduction and were desperate to make amends, but at this rate she was
going to kill one of them out of sheer frustration.

They walked into the Entrance
Hall to be greeted by the stern features of the Ri’s Contracts Officer,
Gleacher Shacklock.

‘Ah, Xerxes, Cain … good, could
you please gather the rest of your brothers and meet me in my office
immediately.’

Xerxes and Cain watched Gleacher
Shacklock’s tall figure retreat down the corridor then shared a puzzled look.

‘What’s that about?  We’re
signed up with Scrimshaw!  We don’t take Training Contracts anymore!’
exclaimed Xerxes, looking offended.  ‘It’s nothing short of a deliberate
insult!’

‘I smell his Leoship behind this
one.’  Cain muttered darkly. 

‘Love to help, but I have my own
problems right now.’  Mistral sighed heavily and began to climb the
stairs.  ‘See you in The Cloak later –’ she called, vanishing around a
curve in the stairs.

Mistral paused quickly to throw
her weapons on her bed and let Prospero out of her room.  Since Fabian had
gone she had been forced to lock him away during training sessions as he’d
suddenly taken it upon himself to attack whoever she was training with. 
She hurried into her bathroom for a rapid, ice-cold shower before dressing
hastily and running up to the third floor where the Magnate each had a tower
room.  Slowing to a walk when she reached the stairs to the Divinus’ bleak
room she began to climb with a growing sense of trepidation.  Since her
return to the Valley she had thrown herself into all aspects of training with
renewed vigour, mainly to try and blot out the clawing ache of missing Fabian,
but also in a determined effort to master her gift.  Part of her training
now included an hour in the company of the Divinus.  Today was her first
session and she wasn’t too sure what to expect.

She knocked and listened
carefully for the Divinus’ quiet order to enter.  Drawing in a deep
breath, she opened the door and stepped inside.

‘Good afternoon Mistral.’
 the Divinus greeted her in his sighing voice.  ‘Please, come
closer.’

Mistral took a couple of hesitant
steps towards the frail figure on the high-backed wooden chair and halted,
uncertain of what was expected of her during the hour of his time.  In the
short silence that followed his greeting Mistral gazed at the Divinus’ papery
white skin.  It looked so brittle that she almost expected it to crack
whenever he spoke.

‘Before he left, Mage De Winter
made a special request of me to see you for one hour a day until his return; to
assist you –’

I know!  Like I haven’t
had enough torture already …

The Divinus stirred slightly at
the unbidden thought in Mistral’s mind. 

‘Forgive me Divinus.  I
meant no disrespect.’  Mistral mumbled quickly and cursed herself for not
being more careful with her thoughts.

The Divinus gazed unseeingly into
space for a long moment before he spoke again.

‘Your apology is genuine.  I
am not offended by your impatient nature.  However it does stand between
you and your gift.  You must temper your impetuosity before you can hope
to embrace the lifelong commitment of Sight.’

Mistral forced her mind to remain
blank and not think the hundred negative retorts that instantly began to form.

‘Yes Divinus,’ she replied
meekly.

The Divinus sighed and stared
sightlessly at her, his unsettling milky-white eyes always making Mistral feel
as though he was looking straight at her.  The silence lengthened into
minutes while Mistral waited for him to speak again.

‘Er, do you wish me to read your
aura?’ she finally asked.

‘No, I wish you to sit and
listen.’

Mistral looked around but there
were no chairs or even any other pieces of furniture in the desolate
room.  Shrugging, she sat cross-legged on the floor and waited for the
Divinus to begin.

‘Your Mage … he is travelling –’

Mistral felt the breath freeze in
her lungs.  She stared at the Divinus with wide-eyes, ‘You See Fabian?’

The Divinus nodded once and
tilted his head slightly, as though listening to someone speaking in his ear.

‘The sun is warm … his horse is
bothered by the flies.’

Mistral watched him in silent
rapture, drinking in every word; visualising Fabian, how Spirit would be
kicking out irritably at the flies, how he would correct her with the slightest
of touches …

‘He thinks of you … I See gold
satin ribbons –’

Mistral blushed and was careful
to keep her mind blank when the Divinus smiled faintly and shifted on his
throne-like chair.

The hour passed too quickly for
Mistral, sat entranced on the floor of the barren tower room listening to
Fabian’s thoughts.  Even the simplest of things such as Fabian suddenly
realising that he was thirsty or noticing a change in the landscape was as
soothing to her as the sound of his voice.

When the Divinus eventually
sighed wearily and motioned with one pale hand for her to stand, Mistral
realised that her hour was up and she was being dismissed.  She rose
stiffly to her feet and gazed hesitantly at the Divinus, unsure of how to put
into words how much the last hour had meant to her. 

The Divinus smiled and nodded,
and for once Mistral was grateful for his ability to hear her every unspoken
thought.

‘Can I come back tomorrow?’ she
asked uncertainly.

‘Mage De Winter requested that
you see me every day until he returns.’

Mistral felt her face split into
a wide grin that she knew the Divinus couldn’t see, but could also See more
clearly than anyone else on the Isle.  She floated towards the door in a
state of blissful happiness, repeating in her mind every thought the Divinus
had plucked from Fabian’s head and spoken aloud for her to hear … gold satin
ribbons featured more than once in her musings.

Two storeys below her brothers
were gathered around the desk in Gleacher Shacklock’s small office, gazing at
the tall Contracts Officer with folded arms and hard expressions. 

‘Training Contracts? 
Seriously?’  Xerxes  raised his eyebrows. 

‘These are not Training Contracts
Xerxes but a selection of Group Contracts from all three agencies.  Master
Sphinx has requested you select one and in return you will each be paid the
full Contracted amount, in cash, up front.’

The atmosphere in the room
shifted to one of disbelief.

‘Master Sphinx said that?’ 
Phantom frowned.

Gleacher nodded curtly and spread
a sheaf of parchments across the desk, ‘However, there are one or two special
requirements that need to be added to any Contract you choose.’

The twins shared a knowing look
and Xerxes made a growling noise.

‘And what are these “special
requirements” exactly Master Shacklock?’  Cain enquired carefully.

Gleacher regarded him coldly,
‘Firstly, that the Contract you choose is taken by you all –’

‘Yes, a group Contract, we
understood that part already.’  Xerxes snapped impatiently.

Gleacher fixed him with a stony
look, ‘The Contract must include Mistral.  It must also be something that
is both distracting and … safe,’ he finished stiffly.

Cain looked at Gleacher,
‘Distracting and safe are not really two compatible concepts where Mistral is
concerned.’

‘Now if you’d said “distracting
and life-threatening” then we’d have been onto a winner.’  Xerxes
agreed.  ‘But I can’t really see anything that would be both of the things
you want to a girl who tries to stab a cyclops to death with a short-bladed
dagger just because she was a bit bored.’

Gleacher nodded, ‘Exactly the type
of situation Master Sphinx is trying avoid happening again.  He
understands that by her very nature Mistral will not stand being confined to
the Valley for long, hence the supervised Contracts.  And please note the
word supervised.  I cannot stress enough to you the importance of
Mistral’s continued safety while the situation with the Rochfortes remains
unresolved.’

The warriors shared a look of
surprise. 

‘He’s letting her out?’

‘I guess it’s either that or risk
her exploding again.’

Cain smirked, ‘Make an awful mess
for his Leoship to clean up –’

‘When you are in my presence I
would prefer it if you could please refer to a member of the Magnate by their
correct title and standing!’  Gleacher snapped frostily.

‘Sorry Master Shacklock, won’t
happen again.’

Brutus leaned over and spread the
parchments across the desk, ‘Right, let’s see if we can find something that
fits the quite frankly unattainable requirements of being both “distracting”
and “safe”  to old stroppy-pants herself.’

They all laughed and leaned
across the desk to select a Contract.

‘Knucker hunt.’  Brutus
dropped the parchment onto the floor with a snort of disgust.

‘Bodyguarding.’  Phantasm
looked up thoughtfully.  ‘What do you think?’

‘Sounds promising.’  Phantom
peered over the top of the parchment in his brother’s hand.  ‘On second
thoughts forget it.  That’s a Councillor known for his sympathies with the
Rochforte tribe.’

‘Sounds ideal!  We can get
rid of another one!’  Xerxes rubbed his hands enthusiastically.