The Seer (40 page)

Mistral
laughed despite herself, remembering the low crooning growl, ‘Yes, if you could
call it singing.’

‘Dragon song
is rare and deeply magical.  Your child will have been blessed with that
song.’

Mistral laid a
protective hand across her belly and was shocked at her reaction.  She
suddenly felt exhausted, emotionally and physically, and wanted nothing more
than to curl up with Prospero and slip into the grateful oblivion of
sleep. 

Seeing her
suddenly weary expression, Alyssa smiled and took her hand, leading her wordlessly
back to the hut where they had first met.  ‘Stay for as long as you need
to … my daughter –’

Mistral
watched the graceful centaur walk away, her mother.

The days
passed by seamlessly.  The centaur tribe led a simple life; the males
would hunt or spend hours conversing on subjects Mistral could barely
grasp.  The females spent their days tending their homes, preparing meals
and caring for their young.  Alyssa did not force her company on Mistral,
but she could hear the yearning for them to become close in her thoughts. 
Mistral withdrew from her, not out of anger or dislike, but because she had no
desire to have a mother figure in her life after eighteen years.  Imperato
would spend time with her each day.  He would speak and she would listen,
but often they simply walked together in silent companionship.  Mistral
spoke little but thought much; about the revelation of her blood-line, about
the child within her and about Fabian, endlessly about Fabian.  The anger
she felt towards him had faded to a dull resentment.  She missed him, but
she wasn’t ready to return to him yet.  Every moment she spent cocooned in
the suspended reality of the centaur tribe’s way of life was another spent
hiding from the frightening prospect of going back and facing the truth.

She could hear
the twins, invading her thoughts with their gift, demanding her return, but she
ignored them.  She refused to listen for her Mage but she was powerless to
block him out when she slept.  Her dreams were full of his despair while he
relentlessly searched the forests, drawing ever closer to her hiding place.

Mistral awoke
from her sleep with a gasp, her eyes staring wide, full of the knowledge that
Fabian had finally found her.  Without a second’s hesitation she leapt
from her bed fully dressed and grabbed Cirrus’ tack, running out of the hut and
across the open expanse of the tribe’s settlement towards the makeshift enclose
where her horse was being kept.  The grey light of dawn revealed his
familiar dark outline, grazing quietly on his own.  Hastily throwing the
saddle across his back, Mistral fastened the straps with shaking hands. 
He accepted his bridle without argument, and suddenly Mistral was mounted
again.  She whistled for Prospero and dug her heels in, galloping away
into the forests, fleeing from her Mage and her destiny with as much speed as
Cirrus would give her. 

The heavy snow
falls had been defeated by February’s relentless downpour.  Mistral rode
through the sheeting rain, oblivious to the direction Cirrus chose. 
Fabian had been so close!  Somewhere deep inside a niggling sense of guilt
told her that she was running away from him again, but she ignored it and urged
Cirrus to gallop faster.  Running away from him was easier than facing the
truth. 

When Cirrus
staggered to a halt, his head drooping from exhaustion Mistral slid from his
back unthinkingly and turned around to find herself back in the Ri’s
stableyard.  With a burst of horror she realised that Cirrus had taken her
to the last place she wanted to be.  Before she could haul herself back
into the saddle she felt calloused hands roughly grabbing her and spun round to
meet the baleful glare of the Equus.

‘Back then are
you?’  He growled and pulled the reins from her hands. 

She watched
him leading Cirrus away, leaving her shivering in the pouring rain, not knowing
where to go.   

‘Don’t think
you’re taking another out either!’  Clovis shouted over his
shoulder.  ‘You’re grounded!’ 

Mistral
snorted angrily.  Grounded?  Who did Clovis think he was?  Her
father?  She immediately decided that was exactly what she’d do; take
another horse and ride out again ... maybe return to the tribe … she had a
feeling that her abrupt early morning departure had probably offended Imperato
and Alyssa anyway.  Prospero nudged the small of her back and
whined.  She looked down at her loyal dog.  His thick coat was dirty
and matted, he was dripping wet and shivering.  He whined again, making
Mistral feel suddenly guilty for making her dog suffer because of her selfish
behaviour.

‘Looks like there’s
only one place left to go boy,’ she said, adding miserably.  ‘If I’m still
welcome that is.’

Forcing her
stiff legs to move more quickly than they wanted to, Mistral stumbled across
the cobbled village square.  She broke into a run through the winding back
streets of the village, suddenly desperate to see the faces of her brothers ...
to hear their familiar voices, no matter how angry they would sound.  By
the time she reached the narrow alleyway leading to the twins’ house she was
exhausted.  A stitch tore at her side, forcing her to slow her reckless
pace.  Slipping in her haste on the wet cobbles, Mistral fell to her knees
and swore loudly, the sound echoing off the houses on either side.  A door
immediately banged open and light flooded the wet street, illuminating her as
she clambered wearily to her feet.

‘Mistral!’ 

Phantasm’s
voice was filled with angry relief.  Mistral felt hands grabbing her and
pulling her upright. 

‘Where have
you been?’  He demanded frantically, his green eyes taking in her torn and
dirty clothes.  Not waiting for her reply he dragged her inside and
slammed the door, narrowly avoiding Prospero’s long tail as he slunk past and
headed straight for the fire.  ‘Lock that!’  He instructed his
brother sharply.  ‘Just in case she decides to run away again!’

Mistral stood
dripping on the clean doormat and gazed miserably at the twins, ‘Sorry –’

Phantasm
stared at her, ‘Sorry?’

Mistral
flinched under the scorching fury of his green eyes.

‘You’re
sorry?’  Phantasm repeated more quietly, taking two steps towards her with
fists clenched angrily by his sides.  ‘Do you have any idea how worried
we’ve all been?  No, of course you don’t!  Because you only ever
think of yourself, don’t you Mistral?’

A frigid
silence fell.  Mistral dropped her gaze to stare at her muddy boots.

‘Look at
you!’  Phantasm snapped.  ‘You’re filthy!  Where have you been
for the last week?’

‘Forest,’ she
mumbled. 

‘On your
own?’  He almost shouted.

‘No. 
With the centaurs.’

Phantom shared
a look with his twin, ‘We thought that’s where you had gone.  Mage De
Winter has been trying to locate the tribe for the last two days.’

‘I know.’

Another
silence fell.

‘You
knew?  And you decided to run away from him again?’  Phantom seared
her with a furious look.  ‘Oh, now that was really mature Mistral!’ 

She didn’t
reply and continued to stare dejectedly at the mat again while another long
silence fell.

‘I think that
I am not even going to try and continue this conversation until I’ve calmed
down.’  Phantasm finally said.  ‘Brother?  Would you please go
and tell the others there’s no need to go out searching again tonight.’

Phantom
nodded.  Giving Mistral a scathing look, he slipped quietly out into the
rainy night.

‘You!’
 Phantasm snapped, piercing Mistral with a scornful look.  ‘Get
upstairs and into the bath right now!  I’m not even talking to you until
you’re at least clean!’

Mistral took a
faltering step off the mat onto the clean floor.

‘I don’t think
so!’  Phantasm cried.  ‘Boots off!’

Mistral
obediently removed her boots and set them neatly by the door before walking
meekly over to the staircase and climbing slowly up.

‘Get on with
it!’  Phantasm ordered, watching her from the bottom of the staircase
until he heard the bathroom door close.  Inhaling sharply and shaking his
head, Phantasm turned around to see a very wet and muddy Prospero stretched out
in front of the fire on a once cream rug.  ‘Oh, for crying out loud!’

By the time
Phantasm had cleaned up after Mistral’s dog, she had finished her bath, ‘Er, Phantasm?’ 
Her hesitant voice drifted down the stairs.

‘Yes?’ 
He responded tersely.

‘I – I need
some clean clothes –’

‘Get some
then!  You know where they are!’

There was a
short silence.

‘I need some …
others –’

‘Why?’ 

‘I can’t do
the trousers up on mine anymore,’ she replied in a strained voice.

 ‘Oh,’
said Phantasm more softly.  ‘Wait a minute.’

He ran lightly
up the stairs and rummaged in one of the rooms before dropping a neatly folded
pile of clean clothes outside the bathroom door, ‘There you go,’ he said to the
closed door and walked briskly back down the stairs, throwing himself onto the
sofa and tapping his foot impatiently while he waited for her to
reappear.  ‘And just what do you think you’ve been doing?’  He
demanded as soon as her foot left the bottom step.

‘Having a
bath,’ she replied sullenly and walked over to stand next to the fire.

‘Don’t be
facetious Mistral!  You know what I mean!  A week!  A whole
week!  Your Mage has nearly destroyed himself!  And I don’t think
anyone else has slept more than a couple of hours!’

Mistral looked
at him guiltily.  There were shadows like bruises marring the ivory skin
beneath his eyes.  ‘Sorry.’

‘
Sorry
,
is, quite frankly, just not going to cut it this time Mistral!  I think
you’ve got some explaining to do!  Did you not
hear
my brother and
I asking you to come back?’ 

She nodded
once.

‘What? 
And you just chose to ignore us?’

Mistral
grimaced slightly and nodded again. 

Phantasm
exhaled sharply, ‘Do you have
any
idea of the sheer level of panic you’ve
caused?  Even Master Sphinx has been looking for you!’

A scowl
flickered across her face, ‘Only because he wanted his Seer back.’

Phantasm
stared at her in cold silence, his eyes boring into her until she reluctantly met
his hard look, ‘Are you still carrying your baby?’  He demanded harshly.

She blanched
then nodded.

Phantasm
closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.  Opening his eyes slowly he
looked at her and almost smiled.  She looked so pitiful in her overlarge clothes
that he forgave her immediately.  ‘Oh Mistral, come here,’ he sighed and
pulled her down next to him.  To his surprise she immediately hugged her
knees to her chest and curled up against him.  ‘Why do you have to make
every stage of your life such a battle?’  He murmured, wrapping a
protective arm around her shoulders.

Mistral shook
her head wordlessly against his chest and began to cry.

‘Everything is
going to be fine Mistral, there’s no need for tears.’  Phantasm murmured,
brushing the damp tendrils of hair away from her face. 

She looked up
at him, her expression hesitant, ‘I – I found out what blood I am –’

Phantasm grew
suddenly still.  His arm tightened around her fractionally.  ‘Tell
me,’ he breathed.

‘Centaur.’

There was a
full minute’s silence while Phantasm stared unseeingly into the fire,
 ‘But … how?’  He finally asked in a confused whisper.

Mistral forced
the words out in a cracked whisper, ‘It’s because I was born to be a Seer … not
a centaur.  Imperato … he said that Sight forces the vessel –’

‘To take the
form required in order to fulfil its destiny,’ finished Phantasm.  ‘Yes,
I’ve read books theorising that Seers are more of a race of their own rather
than just a randomly gifted member of one of the Arcane tribes.’  He gazed
thoughtfully into the fire while Mistral dried her eyes on the sleeve of
Phantom’s shirt.  ‘Ah, of course.’  Phantasm let out a long drawn out
sigh.  ‘Saul was a Yarthkin.’

Mistral nodded
and began to cry again, ‘H-he was blood-bound to protect me!’  She
sobbed.  ‘I feel so g-guilty!  He died for me, but he never knew
why!’

‘Oh Mistral.’
 Phantasm sighed and wrapped both arms around her more closely.  ‘I
can understand that this has all been a profound shock to you; the baby, your
blood-line ... and Saul.  But you really can’t feel guilty about
him.  It was his destiny to protect you, and he fulfilled it!  That’s
all any of us can ever really wish for.’  He paused, his voice taking on a
more reproving tone.  ‘But you really should’ve come back sooner.  I
can’t begin to tell you how close to the edge this has taken Mage De Winter.’

Mistral sat up
and wiped her eyes to stare out of the rain-streaked window where night was
falling, ‘I miss him.’

‘Of course you
do!’  Phantasm exclaimed.

‘But I hate
him.’

‘What
precisely do you hate him for Mistral?’  Phantasm asked with a perplexed
frown.

‘For trapping
me into a life I never wanted!’  She sobbed, rubbing angrily at the tears
that began to fall again.

‘No, that’s
not it.  You always wanted a life with your Mage … I think you’re afraid.’

‘No I’m
not!’  She snapped, glaring at him angrily through her tears. 

‘Oh yes, you
are.’  Phantasm smiled.  ‘But, of what exactly?  Pain doesn’t
frighten you ...surely the challenge of being a mother doesn’t daunt
you?’ 

She stared at
him silently before dropping her gaze and picking distractedly at her wet
sleeve, ‘Never being free.’

‘No-one is
ever free Mistral.’  Phantasm said softly.

‘You
are!’ 

‘No.  I
am eternally tied to my brother, and he to me.  Just as you are tied to
your Mage and the both of you tied to the life you have created between you.’