The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) (34 page)

Phantom had
lost a lot of blood and was weak but Mistral had quickly cleaned and stitched
his wound, minimising the damage done.  Phantasm was bruised but otherwise
unhurt.  Both their horses had deep bites on their haunches and shoulders.

‘These need
the Equus,’ muttered Mistral as she tentatively examined the wounds.  ‘I
can clean them but I don’t have enough silk to stitch them.’

The twins were
uncharacteristically subdued.  Mistral had seen them injured before and
knew that it took more than wounds to silence them.  She finished cleaning
the last bite on Jupiter’s shoulder and turned to face them both.  They
were stood, side by side, looking at her with tense expressions on their
faces. 

‘Do you know,
I could get used to you with mismatched wounds.  At least I can tell you
apart now,’ she joked.

The twins
didn’t return her smile.  Phantasm sighed heavily and looked suddenly
defeated.

‘You know we
can’t continue with the Contract, don’t you Mistral?’

‘Of course you
can’t!  I’m not nursing you for the rest of the journey!’  Mistral
said in a light tone and began packing away her medical kit into its canvas
pouch to avoid his gaze; she knew what he was about to say.

‘We can’t let
you go on your own Mistral.  I’m sorry, but it looks like we’ve failed …
just as Master Sphinx knew we would.’

Mistral kept
her gaze averted and finished rolling up the canvas pouch then tied it securely
before she replied. 

‘The ford’s
less than half a day’s ride from here.  With any luck I’ll be back in the
Valley before you two manage to drag yourselves to the Infirmary,’ she said
briskly. 

‘No
Mistral!  Didn’t you hear me?  I just said you can’t go on your
own!  It was an unachievable Contract with the three of us … but it’s
nothing short of a suicide mission if you go on your own!  What if the
wolverines attack again?’

‘I can handle
them,’ Mistral said and shrugged lightly.

‘Mistral! 
Don’t be so infuriating!  They nearly killed you just now, or have you
forgotten that already?’ 

Mistral stood
up and fixed him with a hard look, ‘I made a mistake.  I’ve learned how
they hunt now and next time, if there is a next time that is – I’ll be prepared. 
Now, if you think that I’m riding back to the Valley and giving Leo the
pleasure of failing the Contract while there’s still breath in my body then you
don’t know me at all Phantasm!’

There was a
tense silence while they locked gazes.

‘Fine!’ 
Phantasm snapped.  ‘I realise that I can’t force you to come back with us
but I think you’re seriously deluding yourself about this!  Think about it
Mistral!  Just how are you going to get Mage Grapple to even consider
speaking with you?  What do you think the warlocks that exist to solely to
protect him will do when they see a lone Ri apprentice riding up to him? 
They’ll kill you before you even get close enough to shout a greeting!’

‘You’re
wasting your breath Phantasm.’  Mistral turned away from him to check her
swords and slide them back into their holder.  ‘I would rather die at the
hands of the warlocks than admit defeat to Leo.’

‘That’s
exactly what I’m worried will happen!’  Phantasm exploded.

‘Just go
Phantasm.  There’s absolutely nothing you can say that’ll make me change
my mind.’  Mistral responded tersely.

He glared at
her for a moment longer then abruptly sighed, ‘Please promise me that you’ll at
least try and curb your more reckless side.’

Mistral smiled
at him, ‘I’ll try,’ she promised.

‘And if by
some miracle you do get to meet with him, don’t shout at Mage Grapple!  He
won’t take it well.’

‘I’ll be on my
best behaviour … no swearing or anything,’ Mistral laughed. 

She spent a
few minutes helping them prepare to leave being careful to make sure they had
enough provisions for the journey home.  Both horses were sound enough to
ride, but only at a slow pace; hunting would be out of the question. 
Mistral watched Phantasm help his brother mount up before pulling himself
awkwardly onto Jupiter’s back.  Satisfied that they were both securely in
the saddle and as comfortable as they could be, given their injuries, Mistral
turned to go.  

‘See you in a
couple of days,’ she called over her shoulder and walked quickly away before
Phantasm could change his mind about letting her go.

Mistral strode
towards where Fabian was waiting with the two horses and frowned at the thought
of the unpleasant task she now had to perform.  If Fabian hadn’t shown up
then she and the twins would have been killed.  Mistral groaned with
displeasure.  She was going to have to thank him. 

Reaching out
wordlessly to take the reins from his hand, Mistral grasped the front of
Cirrus’ saddle and swung herself lightly up.  She gritted her teeth and
turned to speak to him but was surprised to see that he was no longer standing
on the ground but was mounted on his own horse beside her.

Mistral looked
at him coldly, all thoughts of gratitude wiped from her mind, ‘I hope this
doesn’t mean that you think you’re coming with me!’ she said in an icy voice.

He nodded
grimly and abruptly kicked his horse into a fast canter across the clearing.

Mistral stared
in open-mouthed astonishment at his back before angrily urging Cirrus after
him.  Shaking her head in disbelief at his audacity she immediately
resolved to leave him for dust at the earliest opportunity; his horse was
swift, but Cirrus had more stamina. 

Mistral soon
caught him up and matched his horse’s pace, cantering alongside him,
deliberately not looking at him or making any attempt at conversation. 
After a few minutes of silence she decided that riding with him for some of the
journey would be a good idea ... he might prove useful to have around if the
wolverines attacked again ... but she would definitely try and lose him once
they were clear of the forests. 

They quickly
crossed the large clearing and slowed to a walk when they reached the
treeline.  The forests were less dense here, the trees narrower and more
widely spaced, allowing enough room for them to ride side by side but still
remain a comfortable distance apart.  Mistral kept up her stony-faced
silence, staring steadfastly straight ahead.  Fabian didn’t seem at all
bothered by her cold manner and rode in matching silence, seemingly preoccupied
by his own thoughts.  With nothing to feed it, Mistral’s irritation with
him gradually faded leaving her even more intrigued than ever by the dark and
brooding Mage.  She stole occasional glances at his face out of the corner
of her eye.  He looked unusually calm, almost peaceful and once or twice
she could have sworn that she saw the corners of his mouth lift in a smile as
if he’d caught her looking at him. 

An unusual
feeling of tranquillity stole over Mistral while she rode beside the silent
Mage.  It was pleasant to be able to hear the gentle sounds of the forests
and the rhythmical thud of hooves on the earthy floor without the distraction
of the twins’ ceaseless chatter.  She waved a hand lazily to dispel a
cloud of small black insects basking in a shaft of warm autumn sunlight. 
The trail they were following was faint but easy enough and Mistral gave Cirrus
his head.  He seemed content to pick his way over tree roots and fallen
branches without her direction, leaving her free to idly watch patches of
bright gold sunlight dappling the horses’ sweating flanks.  She closed her
eyes, savouring the scents of dry earth and wood.  The sound of Fabian’s
mare swishing her tail irritably disturbed her.  She pulled Cirrus away
when the mare kicked out at the insects that repeatedly bothered her. 
Fabian controlled her easily with one hand; the other remained on the hilt of
his sword. 

‘Hush Spirit,’
he murmured soothingly when she snorted and shied from another cloud of
insects.

Mistral looked
over at him.  It was the first time he had spoken since they had left the
twins.  His voice had a softness to it that was far from weak, it was
strong but low with a curious gruff quality, like velvet.

‘Spirit?’ she
echoed the name questioningly.

‘Esprit de
Coeur; Spirit of my Heart.’

‘The Equus in
his French phase,’ Mistral said dryly.

A ghost of a
smile crossed Fabian’s face, ‘It was one of his less successful phases. 
Most of the warriors couldn’t pronounce the names so there was a whole
generation of Ri horses nicknamed “Froggy”.’

Mistral laughed
and was surprised to hear Fabian joining in.

They trekked
on through the forests for the best part of an hour, never managing more than a
walk.  The day grew warmer and Mistral was glad of the cooling shade the
trees provided.  The trail suddenly led them out of the treeline and into
an unnaturally large clearing.  The trees had been felled and a huge pile
of logged trees was stacked up on the far side next to where the trail
continued.  Some of the heavier logs had fallen from the pile and rolled
across the trail, blocking their route. 

Fabian reined
in his mare and gazed cautiously across the empty space, ‘There must be a
village near hear,’ he muttered. 

Mistral didn’t
look at him; she was eying the pile of logs with a dangerous glint in her
eye.  On a sudden impulse she dug her heels into Cirrus’ side and the
powerful horse immediately lunged forward.  She heard Fabian swear as his
horse reared and tried to follow and smiled to herself.

Time to
lose you Mage!

Mistral felt
the familiar wild exhilaration as Cirrus thundered towards the fallen
logs.  When she drew nearer she realised that the pile was wider than
she’d first thought.  Gauging the distance between her and the logs
Mistral shifted her weight forward in the saddle, checking Cirrus with a light
pull on the reins she squeezed her legs against him, signalling for him to take
off.  He responded instantly; the muscles in his haunches bunching and his
forelegs curling up to launch into the air.  Mistral felt her heart
soar.  She glanced down at the endless logs passing beneath them and gave
a wild laugh.  Cirrus’ front hooves touched the ground on the other side
and a hollow double thud followed as his back hooves clipped the last log.

Mistral
grinned to herself and slowed him to a canter, not stopping to wait for
Fabian.  She was certain there was no way his slighter built mare could
clear that.  He’d have to find another way around and Mistral intended to
be long gone before then. 

A dull wooden
clunk made her look over her shoulder in surprise.  Fabian’s mare had
struck the same log on landing and was now cantering towards them, snorting and
tossing her head excitedly.

Mistral
couldn’t believe it.  She hardly dared looked at Fabian, expecting him to
be furious with her for being so reckless.  She bit her lip and risked a
wary glance at his face when he caught up with her and stared.  His face
was blazing with wild elation, his black eyes dancing with laughter. 
Mistral couldn’t help but grin in response.  She knew exactly what he was
feeling.  He caught her expression and a smile lifted one corner of his
mouth, melting the hard expression he usually wore.  She laughed and
slowed Cirrus so that they were cantering together along the trail.

‘Some warning
would be good, next time.’

Next time
...

Mistral didn’t
reply, she was too busy wondering why those words should make her feel
strangely pleased. 

They spoke
little, riding together in easy silence for a couple of hours.  Gradually
the trees began to thin giving way to scatterings of tall pines, patches of low
growing scrub and sloping rocks.  They would soon be heading down towards
the banks of the River Amber.

‘Let’s stop
here and rest the horses before we reach the ford.  We might have to ride
hard to catch up with Eximius.’  Fabian reined in and leapt down lightly,
leading his horse over to some scrubby grass to graze.

Irked by his
assumption that he was in charge, Mistral glowered at him and seriously
considered riding on.  She was still mounted, scowling undecidedly, by the
time he had unpacked a small meal of bread and dried meat from his
saddlebag. 

‘Would you
care to have dinner with me?’ he asked with a mocking smile, proffering the
food in her direction.

‘No thanks,’
she retorted and quickly dismounted.  Looping Cirrus’ reins over the pommel
of her saddle to let him forage.  She may not want a rest, but Cirrus
deserved one. 

Fabian
shrugged dismissively and sat down at the base of a large spruce.  He
closed his eyes and leaned back against the trunk, stretching his long legs out
in front of him.

Mistral shot
him a glare as she took a long drink from her waterskin.  She had given
all of her provisions to the injured twins, knowing that they would be unable
to hunt.  Her stomach growled loudly.

Fabian sighed
but did not open his eyes, ‘Please eat something,’ he murmured.  ‘I
promise I haven’t poisoned it.’

‘I’m not
hungry,’ she replied shortly.  Her stomach rumbled emptily again.

Fabian’s eyes
flew open, fixing her with a black stare, ‘Don’t be so stubborn.  Eat
something or you won’t have the strength for the rest of the journey.’

Mistral’s
first instinct was to refuse.  She hated being ordered to do anything, but
she could see reason in his words.  She hadn’t eaten since the previous
evening and didn’t know when she might get the chance to eat again.

She stomped
ungracefully over and threw herself down a short distance away from him.

‘Here,’ he
said, offering her a strip of dried beef and a hunk of rye bread.  He
studied her face for a moment as she took the food, watching her tear off a piece
of bread and begin to eat.

‘That’s
better,’ he smiled and leaned his head back against the tree, closing his eyes
once more.  ‘I have had enough of the damsel in distress for one
day.  I don’t think I could cope with you fainting in the saddle as well.’