The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) (33 page)

‘Tell me about
the boy who dared to ask you out,’ said Phantasm suddenly.

Mistral looked
at him dubiously, ‘Really?’

‘Yes, really.
 I can’t imagine anyone brave enough to do that.  He must have been a
goliath or something!’

Mistral shook
her head and laughed, ‘No, no quite the opposite, I think he was in training to
be the village idiot actually.  Anyway, he wouldn’t take no for an answer
at first, but finally got the hint after I knocked two of his teeth out.’

Phantasm
pulled a sympathetic face, ‘Poor boy, prepared to suffer for love.’

‘Love is for
fools,’ said Mistral scathingly. 

Phantasm shot
her a pitying look, ‘You don’t really think that do you?’

Mistral
considered for a moment, ‘No, I guess not.  I love Cirrus, so I suppose
I’m not totally immune.’

Phantasm and
Phantom both laughed and Mistral joined them.  The atmosphere suddenly
became more relaxed.   

‘Do you think
we can do this?’  Mistral suddenly asked. 

The twins
looked at her; they knew she wasn’t talking about the ride.

‘What, meet
with Mage Grapple and persuade him not to protect his only sister from an army
of Ri mercenaries?’  asked Phantom lightly.

Mistral
sighed, ‘I know it sounds improbable.  Just
what
is this Contract
all about?’

‘You know my
thoughts,’ said Phantasm softly.  ‘And I’ve thought about it non-stop
since we took the damned thing.  But even with my take on things, it just
doesn’t add up.  There’s a piece of the puzzle missing –’

‘A piece with
dark hair and lack of a winning smile,’ muttered Phantom sarcastically.

Mistral knew he
was referring to the brooding figure of Fabian De Winter and felt her heart
quicken. 

‘Well, I don’t
know about you but I think it’s time for something to eat.  Shall we make
camp?’  Mistral said abruptly and started looking around at their
surroundings for a suitable site.

The twins
shared a perplexed look but didn’t pursue it. 

‘Fine by me,’
said Phantom, lowering himself down from the saddle with a groan.  ‘I
think I’m allergic to cider.’

Mistral
smirked and wheeled Cirrus around towards the treeline, ‘I’ll hunt,’ she
announced and immediately kicked Cirrus into a canter, riding swiftly away from
them.

‘What was that
all about?’ asked Phantom once she had vanished into the depths of the forests.

Phantasm lifted
the saddle from Jupiter’s back and dropped it onto the ground beside him, ‘I
think we touched a nerve somewhere,’ he said thoughtfully.

Phantom nodded
in agreement, ‘Yes, but which bit?  Was it the bit about the boy who asked
her out or not believing in love, or the Contract or what?’

Phantasm shook
his head and looked reproachfully at his twin, ‘Oh come on, it was obvious –’

The sound of
hoof beats cut across their conversation, drawing their attention instantly to
a figure approaching quickly on horseback.

‘I don’t
believe it,’ murmured Phantom.

‘Believe it
brother, this means trouble,’ said Phantasm grimly staring with narrowed eyes
at the rider.

Fabian De
Winter reined his horse in sharply and looked down at the twins.

‘Your presence
here is unadvisable, Mage De Winter,’ Phantasm spoke in a quiet voice, but his
face was tense.

Fabian De
Winter’s horse snorted and pawed the ground impatiently.  He sat astride
as easily as though the horse were a statue and continued to look at the twins,
his expression unreadable.  After another second of silence broken only by
the nervous fidgeting of the palomino, he swung a leg over the back of the
saddle and dismounted lightly.  Holding the horse’s bridle with one hand,
Fabian began stroking its neck, talking in low soothing tones.  After a
few moments the horse dipped its head and began to nibble at the sparse grass.

Fabian turned
and spoke directly to the twins for the first time.

‘It would be
irresponsible of me to let you travel alone.  I cannot have your deaths on
my conscience.’

‘Thank you for
that ringing vote of confidence,’ said Phantasm in a sarcastic tone.

‘But we feel
we would have more chance of succeeding without you,’ finished Phantom in a
hard voice.

Fabian’s face
took on a stubborn look, he opened his mouth to argue but anything he was about
to say was drowned out by the sound of galloping hoof beats coming straight for
them.  All three turned to face the direction from which they were
coming.  Fabian’s horse neighed loudly and began to paw the ground again.

Mistral was
riding Cirrus at a breakneck gallop across the wide clearing.  She was
heading straight for them and made no effort to check Cirrus’ wild pace as she
drew nearer.  The twins could see quite clearly that she was utterly
furious and took a small step away from Fabian, instinctively trying to
distance themselves from the object of her wrath. 

At the very
last minute Cirrus seemed to slow with no visible command from Mistral and
cantered around them in a circle, finally slowing to a trot and then a
walk.  Leaving Cirrus blowing heavily and looking very pleased with
himself Mistral strode angrily over to Fabian, not stopping until she was stood
directly in front of him, too close for comfort.  He was taller than her,
making her look up, but the fury resonating from every inch of her body made
her look much more intimidating. 

‘Just what do
you think you are doing?’ she demanded.

Anger abruptly
suffused Fabian’s pale face, his black eyes flashed as he snapped back, ‘Saving
your lives!  For which you should be grateful, not angry, so just grow up
and stop behaving like a child.’

Phantasm and
Phantom cringed and took another tiny step backwards as Mistral seemed to swell
with rage.

‘Child?’ 
Mistral repeated.  ‘A child that you are quite happy to have sent on this
farce of a Contract,’ her voice rose, shaking with anger; she pressed her face
closer to his, ‘just so that you can chase after another man’s wife!’

Fabian
blanched.  What little colour the anger had brought to his face drained
away.  He stared at her speechlessly.

‘I read your
aura,’ Mistral snapped contemptuously.  ‘It
reeks
of love! 
What do you think will happen?  Do you think she will clap eyes on you
again, renounce her husband, and fall into your arms swooning with relief at being
rescued?’ 

Phantasm and
Phantom winced.  Fabian looked as though Mistral had slapped him and
Mistral looked as though she wanted to slap him.  Suddenly his face sagged
and he dropped his head into his hands.

‘What have I
done?’ he moaned.

Mistral gave
him a disgusted look and spat on the ground at his feet before storming off to
start making a fire. 

There was a
thunderstruck few seconds in which Phantasm and Phantom realised that, once
again, Mistral had thrown a strop and left them to clear up the aftermath. 
They sighed simultaneously.

‘Would you
care for something to drink, Mage De Winter?’ asked Phantom politely.

‘I’ll get the
horses,’ muttered Phantasm and hurried off to catch Fabian’s forgotten
palomino, now frolicking excitedly around a supremely disinterested
Cirrus.  

They camped in
virtual silence that night.  Mistral maintained a furious, stony
expression that discouraged the twins from trying to coax her into a better
frame of mind.  Fabian De Winter sat on his own, a short distance away from
the others.  He had not spoken all evening and sat with his shoulders
hunched and his face turned away from them.  Occasionally he would turn to
them with an expression on his face as though he was about to speak, but no
words ever came out.  Eventually he rolled himself up in his heavy
travelling cloak and appeared to go to sleep. 

The twins
played knucklebones, but even they were subdued.  They couldn’t hide their
relief when Mistral muttered that she was going to bed and left them
alone. 

Phantasm waited
until she was safely bundled in her cloak then raised his eyebrows meaningfully
at his brother.

‘Hmm,’
responded Phantom, ‘I think so too.’

‘Oh dear,’
sighed Phantasm.

‘Quite,’
agreed Phantom with a knowing nod of his head.

They rose
at dawn the next morning, the cool blue light filtering down through the trees
reminded Mistral of the times she had slept in The Velvet Forests.  The
villagers

never went near the forests
after nightfall, believing them to be haunted, but Mistral had never felt
afraid when she was there.  The sounds and smells always filled her with a
sense of belonging she never felt when she was surrounded by people in the
village.  As she grew older Mistral had craved the peace and solitude of
the forests more frequently and would sneak out after dark, taking an old
blanket with her to spend the night curled up under the branches of one of the
forest’s vast oak trees.  Soothed by this peaceful memory, Mistral rose in
a much better mood.

Phantasm and
Phantom looked hopefully at her calm expression while they rolled up their
travelling cloaks.

‘I still want
to kill him,’ she said matter-of-factly.

‘Not a good
joke to make in our profession,’ remarked Phantasm.

‘But we’re
glad you’ve moved past the shouting phase,’ added Phantom.

Mistral smiled
and hoisted Cirrus’ heavy saddle up on to her shoulder.  The horses were
tethered a little further away where there was more grass for them to graze
on. 

‘I know I went
over the top a bit,’ she admitted grudgingly, ‘but he really, really irritates
me.  He’s just so ... arrogant!’  she scowled, warming to her
theme.  ‘Huh!  Thinking we need his help!  Mage Grapple will
take one look at him with us and realise exactly who the information came from
and we’ll have failed before we’ve even had the chance to try!  In fact,
he’s not just arrogant, he’s completely deluded –’

Phantasm and
Phantom shared a knowing look and wisely said nothing while Mistral continued
to list the many failings of Fabian De Winter.

Of Fabian
there was no sign.  Neither of the twins had heard him leave during the
night and Mistral was all for saddling up and leaving before he reappeared.

‘No, this is
not good,’ said Phantasm with a serious look on his face.  ‘What if he’s
decided to try and speak to Mage Grapple on his own?’

‘He could
seriously endanger our Contract, not to mention Master Sphinx’s position in the
Ri,’ said Phantom looking worried.  ‘If Putreo gets proof of the Ri’s
knowledge of this then he’ll order a full scale enquiry and Mage De Winter will
be tried as a spy,’

‘Good,’ said
Mistral savagely.

‘No, not
good.  Master Sphinx will be implicated too, which will make our whole
Magnate look rotten and give the Mage Council a reason to bring the Ri under
their control!’

‘We’ve got to
stop him.’  Phantasm was already throwing a saddle cloth over
Jupiter. 

Before the sun
had broken over the top of the green canopy of trees they were riding fast,
heading south east towards the Amber River.  The air was fresh and cool;
it was difficult not to feel pleasure, galloping across the open countryside on
such a glorious morning.  Mistral leaned forward in the saddle, urging
Cirrus to go faster, more for the joy of feeling the powerful horse respond
than out of any great desire to catch up with Fabian.  The wind whipped
through her hair, making her eyes water and turning the passing landscape into
a green blur.  Mistral felt all her anger at Fabian slip away as the
familiar exulting sensation of freedom filled her.  Cirrus responded
instinctively to the lift in her mood and tossed his head.  She felt the
muscles in his haunches bunch and release, pushing him on into a faster
gallop. 

The twins soon
fell behind.  Their slighter built horses couldn’t keep up with
Cirrus.  As the distance between them grew the noise of Cirrus’ thudding
hooves became quieter, allowing a different sound to reach the twins that sent
a chill of fear down their spines. 

A single howl
rose and fell off to a ringing silence. 

Phantom shot
an anxious glance over his shoulder and swore.  They were being followed.

Seven
Blackheart Wolverines were easing out from between the trees on their right,
their huge forms slinking quietly as shadows to fan out across the
clearing.  Phantom stared in horror as more broke cover, loping over to
join the rest of their pack until at least fifteen were spread out in a jagged
arc.  A massive shaggy coated Wolverine lifted his head and eagerly
sniffed the breeze carrying the twins’ warm scent straight into his twitching
black nostrils.  With a low growl he crouched down, ready to spring.

‘They’re
hunting us!’  Phantom gasped. 

‘Let’s get out
of here!’ 

The twins
urged their horses on, leaning low over their necks and letting their reins
loosen.  Fear spurred the two horses on; their galloping hooves thundered
over the dry ground and the air whipped around their riders, making them all
but deaf and blind. 

The huge
Wolverine howled loudly, the others joining him in a bloodcurdling chorus that
echoed off the trees and rebounded across the clearing.  Then, as suddenly
as it had started, the howling stopped and all the twins could hear was the
pounding of hoof beats and the sobbing breath of their horses, fleeing for
their lives. 

Phantasm shot
a look over his shoulder and nearly lost his seat with shock.  The wolverines
had fanned out into a V-shape, coming at the twins from both sides.

‘They’re
trapping us in!’

‘We can’t
outrun them,’ Phantom shouted, his face taut with fear.

They both knew
that the wolverines would pull their horses down from behind – their only
chance was to turn and fight. 

‘We need
Mistral!’  Phantom yelled desperately and hauled on the reins to bring his
horse around and face the oncoming pack.

Phantasm
wheeled Jupiter around and brought the panting horse to a halt beside his
brother.  They looked at each other for a moment, a mirror image reflected
in each other’s eyes; two halves of the same whole.  One soul in two
bodies.  Simultaneously closing their eyes they focused, beyond the pack
of ravenous wolverines pounding towards them, reaching out with their conjoined
minds to find the one they knew almost as well as their own.

Mistral…

Suddenly the
wolverines were upon them, snapping and tearing at the terrified horses with
razor sharp fangs.  The horses reared and plunged, eyes rolling in terror;
their flailing hooves keeping the wolverines at bay long enough for Phantom and
Phantasm to draw their swords and began to fight.  Yelps of pain sounded
out as their swords found their marks.  Phantom pulled Mars around to face
the left flank of attacking wolverines and heard the sound of ripping
cloth.  Shock and surprise enveloped him when he looked down to see a
Wolverine burying its teeth into his leg.  Screaming with the sudden pain
that burned up his leg, Phantom stabbed his sword down into the Wolverine,
forcing it to let go.  The Wolverine backed off and began to move around
him in a slow circle, licking its blood-stained muzzle and eyeing him
hungrily.  Blood flowed from the gaping wound in Phantom’s leg.  He
glanced down at it and swore, knowing that he would soon be unable to fight;
already his leg was growing numb.  He switched his sword to his left hand
to follow the Wolverine’s circling progress and forced his mind to cling to
consciousness.  

Phantasm was
battling three large wolverines, two were snapping and harrying at his left and
right flanks, drawing his sword blows, whilst the third circled around, waiting
for the opportunity to spring and attack.  As Phantasm continuously turned
in the saddle, swinging his sword left and right to hold the two wolves at bay;
the third saw his chance.  The Wolverine crouched down, coiling its
muscular body like a spring to launch itself at Phantasm’s briefly exposed
chest and face.  With a ferocious snarl the Wolverine smashing into Phantasm
slamming both him and his horse to the ground.  Winded and dazed, Phantasm
struggled to free his sword arm from beneath the huge weight pinning him to the
earth.  Panic tore through him when he heard more snarling and high yelps
of pain.  He cried out aloud and redoubled his efforts to free his arm; he
needed to get to his brother.  Another second slipped by and it slowly
began to dawn on Phantasm that the Wolverine holding him to the ground wasn’t
moving.  Straining to lift his head and look down at the huge creature
sprawled across him he realised that it was dead.  A gaping red hole that
reached from under its muzzle to its chest was pouring blood onto the ground
beneath them.  Phantasm raised his head as much as he could and looked
about frantically – how had Phantom saved him?  Then he saw a sight that
made him sag with relief.

Mistral. 
Her blood-spattered face a taut mask of concentration while she hacked her way
through the pack with her double swords.  Unable to shift the dead weight
trapping him, Phantasm could only watch as she span her swords in figure of
eights before driving both points down into the flanks of a snarling
Wolverine.  Shoving the beast away with her boot and yanking both swords
out she turned and stepped swiftly to the right, immediately plunging one sword
behind and to the left, driving it deeply into the chest of the Wolverine
crouched ready to spring.  The second sword she swung high above her head
in a curving arc and brought it down, cutting forcefully into the neck of
another Wolverine.  It yelped once then slumped lifelessly to the
ground.  Mistral barely paused to tug her sword free and turned to face
the next Wolverine.

Not one but
three wolverines were circling her now, deploying the same tactics that had
nearly been the end of Phantasm.  Two lunged forward, snapping and
snarling while the third circled, slinking close to the ground, its unblinking
yellow eyes fixed on Mistral.  As Mistral leaned into a crouch and dropped
her weight onto her front foot, focussing all her attention on holding the two
attacking wolverines at bay, the third Wolverine seized its opportunity.

Phantasm
opened his mouth to shout a warning but his yell was drowned out by an
ear-splitting snarl as the third Wolverine lunged at Mistral’s exposed
back.  With her weight already on her front foot, Mistral was caught off
balance and fell forwards, landing heavily with both swords trapped beneath
her.

Suddenly
helpless against the Wolverine standing over her, Mistral felt no panic, only
certainty.  She could smell its hot breath, panting inches from her
exposed neck and tensed, knowing the bite was coming.  And then it was
gone.  Mistral immediately rolled and leapt to her feet, swiftly raising
her swords she spun in a circle, looking for the Wolverine that had knocked her
down – why hadn’t it killed her?  Panicked that it had gone for the easy
target of the helpless twins, she turned again and her gaze fell on a sight
that made her stop and stare with disbelief.

Fabian De
Winter was calmly cleaning his sword on the coat of a dead Wolverine.  The
bodies of the three wolverines that had attacked her lay sprawled on the ground
near him.  The rest of the pack had retreated, leaving them alone in the
meadow once again.  Mistral stared blankly at him, struggling to comprehend
what had just happened.  A second ago she had been knocked to the ground
by a huge Wolverine intent on ripping her throat out and then suddenly all
three wolverines were lying slain on the ground.  By Fabian. 

Sheathing his
sword, Fabian looked up to see her staring at him with a frozen expression on
her face and both swords hanging limply from her hands.  He immediately
strode over to her. 

‘Where are you
injured?’  Fabian demanded, placing both hands on her shoulders to look
anxiously into her face.

His voice
broke through the blank shock and she frowned sharply, abruptly furious that he
assumed she would be injured.  Preparing to deliver an angry retort she
looked up to meet his intense stare and the words died on her lips.

Unsettled by her
lack of response, Fabian’s voice took on an urgent tone, ‘Please tell me where
you are injured!’  he cried, looking her up and down.

‘If it isn’t
too much trouble, I could use some assistance,’ called Phantasm feebly from
beneath the huge dead Wolverine still pinning him and Jupiter the ground. 
Phantom lay unmoving, a short distance away, his eyes were closed and his skin
ashen. 

‘Oh, don’t
mind me,’ he murmured faintly.  ‘Just bleeding to death here, you carry on
checking the healthy one.’

Wordlessly
Mistral shook her head to indicate that she was uninjured and Fabian dropped
his hands from her shoulders, still frowning at her. 

‘Are you sure
you aren’t injured?’ he persisted in a quieter voice.

‘She’s fine –
but I’m not!’  Phantasm called exasperatedly.  ‘Can someone please
get the big bad wolf off me before I get fleas?’

It was midday
by the time Mistral had finished tending to the twins’ wounds.  Fabian had
helped her move the Wolverine’s heavy body off Phantasm and then retreated,
lingering a short distance away holding both Cirrus and his own horse, his eyes
constantly scanning the treeline for any signs of the wolverines returning.