The Seer (113 page)

‘Did I mention to you Xerxes.’  Mistral said, disengaging herself
from beneath Brutus’ arm, ‘what a surprisingly good aim with the longbow
Marietta was during the battle?  I’m not joking, really ... she could hit
even the
smallest
of targets.’

Xerxes blanched and threw a disconcerted glance at Marietta cooing over
the baby held in Gemma’s arms. 

‘Looking broody brother.’  Brutus warned.  ‘I think your
bachelor days are numbered.’

‘I think I need another drink.’  Xerxes responded faintly and
hurried away to refill his goblet.

‘Poor Xerxes.’  Mistral laughed, watching him pour a goblet of
wine and down it in one swallow.  ‘You know that Marietta will never give
up on him don’t you?’

Brutus shook his head incredulously, ‘I know!  But I just don’t
get it!  He’s s gambler and a warrior and if that wasn’t enough to send
any woman with half an ounce of sense running a mile, he’s completely
unfaithful!  He’d rather be in the tavern or another woman’s bed than at
home, but she just can’t seem to get enough of him!  Why?’

‘She sees him as the ultimate challenge.’  Mistral shrugged, then
added.  ‘Which is something she definitely isn’t.  There’s not a lot
in Marietta’s head, and what little brainpower she has is mostly taken up by
thinking about frivolous rubbish; the colour of her dress and that sort of
thing.  To be honest, they’re pretty well suited.’

‘Harsh, but probably true.’  Brutus laughed.

‘Oh definitely true I assure you!’  Mistral responded with a
laugh.  ‘I’ve Seen it!’

Across the other side of the room Samson was watching Gemma holding his
godson with a wistful look on his face, ‘Are you sure you won’t marry
me?’  He asked.  ‘You only have to do it once … I won’t make you keep
on marrying me … and you never know, you might actually like it.’

Gemma smiled at him but shook her head.

‘Please?’  He continued in a softer voice.  ‘I swear not to
let you down this time.’

Gemma sighed and looked at the baby in her arms for a moment before
replying in a hesitant voice, ‘If I say I’ll think about it, will you promise
not to mention it ever again?’

‘Does that mean we’re engaged?’  Samson grinned.

‘No, Samson it does not!’  Gemma said firmly but he was already
gone, moving excitedly around the room to break the news.

‘Congratulations.’  Mistral commiserated, relieving Gemma of her
son as he began to stir.

‘I – I didn’t agree to marry him!’  Gemma stuttered.

‘Samson thinks you did.’  Mistral said looking pointedly at
Samson’s beaming face while the twins took turns to shake his hand.  ‘Are
you going to disappoint him?’

‘I would never want to hurt Samson!’  Gemma bridled.

‘Then it’s like I said.  Congratulations.’  Mistral smiled
grimly and took her son to meet his uncle, the Divinus of the Ri.

Stepping out onto the balcony Mistral could see that Leo and Fabian
were involved in a discussion that shouldn’t be interrupted so she showed her
son the view she had spent so many hours admiring.  Cradling him in her
arms, Mistral identified the trees that formed the thickly wooded slopes, now
drenched in the golden glow of autumn sunshine.  His eyes followed her
pointing finger while she drew a line from the trees up to the grey might of
the Western Range, listening as she named each of the towering pinnacles that
jutted up into the cloudless blue sky. 

‘Yes it is isn’t it,’ she agreed softly.  ‘I thought that the
first time I saw it.’

Feeling Fabian’s arms wrap around her she leaned her head back onto his
shoulder and looked up to meet his curious gaze.

‘Our son thinks the view is beautiful,’ she said in answer to his
unspoken question.

Fabian’s eyes widened briefly then slowly closed, ‘Please,’ he sighed
wearily, ‘please, tell me you two will actually have audible conversations some
of the time, or I’m going to become extremely confused.’

‘We will, once he can talk, which will be in about a two months, I
think –’

Fabian’s face clouded, he had still not completely come to terms with
the phenomenal rate at which his son would develop.  Mistral could hear
his anxieties but didn’t know how to assuage them without creating more. 
The silent bond that existed between her and their son defied explanation, even
by someone far more adept at expressing themselves than her.  If she even
attempted to try and describe it, she would only end up making Fabian think
that his son was even more of an oddity than he already did.

A voice murmured in Mistral’s head, instantly quelling all her troubled
thoughts.  Smiling in response to her son’s request she turned to place
him in Fabian’s arms.  ‘He wants his father.’

Fabian gazed at his son with fresh wonder, marvelling at every detail
perfect in miniature right down to fingernails no bigger than fragments of
shell adorning the tips of each tiny finger.  Tucking the swaddling away
to stroke a finger gently against one soft cheek Fabian gasped when his son
gripped him with a startling strength.  His eyes widened then became
vacant as he experienced firsthand his son’s exceptional gift.  Then, like
the sun appearing from behind a rain cloud, Fabian smiled with complete
understanding.

‘Yes, I see now,’ he murmured, then raised an eyebrow and nodded. 
‘But, of course.’  

Kissing Mistral gently before he complied with his son’s request,
Fabian turned away from her and walked to where Leo was finishing a
conversation with the twins at the far end of the balcony.  Mistral
proudly watched him present their son and was surprised when Leo took him from
Fabian’s arms and raised him up in the air so that they could regard each other
face-to-face, as equals.  Her surprise swiftly changed to astonishment
when Leo smiled at his nephew; not the controlled tight smile he occasionally
displayed, or even a polite greeting, but one filled with genuine warmth and
affection.

‘Has a thaw broken out on the iceberg that is our Divinus?’ 
Phantom murmured softly in her ear as he and his brother appeared quietly on
either side of her.

Mistral nodded mutely, not trusting the emotion constricting her throat
to allow her to speak.  Keeping her eyes downcast to hide her expression
she suddenly noticed rolls of parchment in each of the twins’ hands, the broken
wax seal was stamped with the mark of the Ri, the emblem she had helped design.

‘Oh brothers!’  She whispered, looking up with shining eyes. 
‘Well done!’ 

‘Thank you.’  Phantasm responded coolly, but his brother was
typically less reserved and gave her a dazzling grin.

‘Say hello to the newest Magnate members!  You may bow.’

‘But of course.’  Mistral grinned and swept her hand across her
body in a mock bow.  ‘Hello, Master Argyle.’

Phantom’s face immediately fell, ‘Er, I think we might disregard
tradition in this instance, after all, we are sharing one role, so we don’t
really warrant a title each.’

‘Will you be leaving the village then?’  Mistral suddenly asked,
realising with pang that she would miss the nights she and Fabian had spent sat
around their cosy kitchen table sharing food, wine and talk.

‘What?  And move into a tower room with the Divinus conveniently
just down the corridor where he can knock on our door any time of day or
night?  No thanks!’

‘We will be using the tower room as a base for business and meetings,
not to live in.’ Phantasm replied more tactfully then smiled.  ‘Besides,
there‘d be nowhere for our godson to stay.  He has his own room at our
house.’

‘Good, because I want you to look after him while I go on the vampire
hunt next month.’  Noting the “oh no you are not” look on Phantasm’s face,
Mistral added quickly.  ‘So, who got the second post then?’ 

‘It’s being offered to Imperato … this afternoon actually.  The
Divinus has requested that we accompany him to visit the tribe when we leave
here.’  Phantom replied.

‘I would suggest that you use your gift to inform Imperato, but I’m
sure he already knows that Leo is coming, what time he will be arriving and the
purpose of his visit.’  Mistral sighed then felt a jolt of guilt. 
‘Damn!’

‘What?’ the twins promptly chorused.

‘Er, please could you tell Alyssa that she’s a grandmother now?’ 
Mistral asked worriedly.  ‘Oh!  And you’d better invite them to this
Naming Ceremony thing next week too –’

‘Relax Mistral, it’s all been taken care of.’  Phantasm said,
smiling at her almost nervous expression.  ‘They were invited months ago
when we booked it.’

‘Why am I not surprised?’  Mistral said then eyed them both
suspiciously.  ‘In fact, I’m willing to bet you even had a bed booked in
the Infirmary for me didn’t you?’

‘Of course not Mistral.’  Phantasm said smoothly.

‘Really?’  Mistral asked, ignoring him and giving Phantom a
piercing look.

‘Er, we might have made a slight reservation on your favourite bed by
the window.’  Phantom admitted, wilting under the intensity of her glare. 

‘Oh I bet you did!  I can see Serenity now, arranging flowers in a
vase on the bedside table!  In fact, I bet you even sent some up there!’

‘Of course we didn’t!’  Phantom bristled.  ‘You hate
flowers!’

‘Well at least you got one thing right!  Infirmary indeed!’ 
Mistral snorted. 

‘Yes Mistral, the Infirmary!’  Phantom snapped, ignoring his
brother’s warning look.  ‘You were supposed to provide our godson with a
safe arrival in clean, warm surroundings not a dirty forest floor in the middle
of the night!  We had everything prepared last night, only you went and
wandered off!’

Mistral raised an eyebrow at him, ‘Prepared?  And just how did you
know I was going to give birth last night?’

Phantom waved a hand dismissively, ‘Cain realised you were in the early
stages of labour yesterday.  He spoke with us and Mage De Winter while you
were giggling with Mage Grapple by the paddock, which you still need to explain
by the way – and we informed Serenity who spent most of the evening in the
Infirmary waiting for you.  It was all perfect until you went and changed
the location of our godson’s arrival slightly, so slightly that we had to find
you first!’

‘That’s one hell of a dog you’ve got.’  Cain remarked, strolling
out from the living room to join in the conversation.  ‘If he hadn’t
turned up and howled his face off outside your front door none of us would’ve
known you’d left.’

‘He’s the best.’  Mistral said, smiling warmly at Prospero,
drooling into Brutus’ lap and watching him eat a leg of chicken.

‘I think it’s time we left now brothers.’  Cain said to the
twins.  ‘It’s been a long night and Mistral will need her rest, although I
don’t think that their son is going to behave like your average newborn.’
 He added with a thoughtful glance at Mistral’s son, asleep in Fabian’s
arms once more.  ‘Now, I’ll be back tomorrow to see you Mistral, but there
a couple of things we should go over in private before I leave.’

‘Are there?’

Ignoring her obvious reluctance, Cain pulled her from the balcony and
almost physically hauled her up the stairs to the gallery bedroom to lecture
her on topics that made Mistral press both hands to her face to hide her
embarrassment.

‘Oh thank heavens for that.’  Mistral sighed and leaned against
the door when she had closed it behind the twins and Leo, the last to leave.

Smiling her favourite smile, the one that made her lose all sense of
reality, Fabian walked over to take her hands in his and lead her to the
sofa.  Sitting down he pulled her onto his lap where she curled up, revelling
in the fact that she could now bend and move easily again.

Pressing his lips against her ear Fabian murmured in a voice of satin,
‘Our son is asleep in his crib and the house is ours again, so now perhaps you
would like to share with me the idea you have for his name?’

Mistral laid her head against his shoulder while she considered how to
broach that particular subject, she knew what she wanted to call him, what was
right
… but whether Fabian would agree to it or not was another matter
entirely. 

‘Of course I will,’ she began in a hesitant whisper.  ‘But first I
need to tell you everything that happened last night –’

The following Saturday dawned bright and clear with the first crisp
frost of the season touching the exposed pasture land above the Valley. 
In their small village house Mistral finished feeding her son and settled him
back into his crib, smiling down at him and rocking him off to sleep before she
washed and dressed quickly; wanting to be ready before the knock she knew was
coming sounded on their front door.  She had just started cooking
breakfast when a light rapping announced the visitor she had been dreading.

‘Brother,’ she greeted Phantasm curtly and strode back into the kitchen
to continue preparing Fabian’s breakfast, ignoring the two parcels in his
hands.

‘A gift for our godson.’  Phantasm said, ignoring her obviously
unreceptive mood and following her into the kitchen to place one onto the
table.

‘Yes, and it’s a lovely, thank you.’  Mistral replied tersely,
concentrating on the eggs she was frying.  ‘But you can take the other one
and stick it right –’

‘Good morning Mage De Winter.’  Phantasm said pleasantly as Fabian
entered the kitchen.

‘Good morning Phantasm.’  Fabian replied, walking over to pull
Mistral into his arms and whisper something in her ear that instantly
transformed her grumpy expression into a coy smile.  Kissing her, he took
the plate of eggs and bacon she offered and pulled out a chair at the kitchen
table.  ‘Would you care to join me Phantasm?  I am sure that Mistral
could make something for you.’

‘Thank you but no, I’ve already eaten.’  Phantasm replied politely
and moved over to stand beside Mistral with the second parcel tucked
threateningly under his arm.  ‘I’m only here to help Mistral prepare for
today’s Naming Ceremony.’