The Seer (59 page)

‘No, but I did
ask the twins if you had ever read Golden.’

‘Did you
really.’  Mistral sighed and picked unhappily at the cuff of her
shirtsleeve.  ‘Well it was only once, right at the start of the first year
of my apprenticeship.  In fact,’ she looked suddenly hopeful.  ‘It
was so long ago I probably won’t be able to recall her aura at all!’

‘You said it
was revolting.’  Phantom reminded her helpfully.  ‘Something about it
spinning in different directions –’

‘Thanks for
reminding me brother.’ 

‘So you do
remember it then!’  Phantom didn’t bother to disguise the note of triumph
in his voice.

‘Unfortunately.’
 Mistral sighed and for the third time that evening prepared to read
someone she despised.  Sinking quickly into a deep trance, Mistral’s face
instantly became devoid of all expression, her eyes fixed and unseeing while
she Saw into the mind of another. 

Golden’s
thoughts reached her in a sibilant whisper, too insubstantial at first to make
out separate words but the tone was clear.  She was filled with
relief.  Mistral concentrated on feeling Golden’s emotions while she
listened to the jumble of incoherent thoughts, strengthening the connection
between them until her thoughts became words, one word to be precise, and
Golden was repeating it continually in a soft crooning voice.

‘Christophe
…’

A repulsed
look crossed Mistral’s face and her eyes flew wide open, abruptly breaking the
vision, ‘Yuk!’

‘What?’

‘I think you
can guess.’  Fabian murmured and passed Mistral a cup of water.  ‘Someone
as self-serving as Golden would do anything to maintain the status she has
achieved in the Rochforte tribe.  She was Etienne’s lover and he is dying
a shameful death in the oubliette, leaving her with no choice but to align
herself to the next most powerful person in line to be the head of the tribe.’

‘Oh!’ 
Phantom made a disgusted face.  ‘Golden was working her charm on
Christophe was she?’

‘Please, don’t
make me think about that again.’  Mistral closed her eyes and rubbed a
hand across her forehead, trying to massage the memory out of her head. 
‘Next time I read her can it be a nice, safe time of day, like lunchtime,
please?’ 

‘Hmm, talking
of time, we should go.’  Fabian glanced out of the rain splattered window
at the darkness beyond.

 ‘Absolutely
not!’  Phantasm was on his feet in an instant and Mistral groaned
wearily. 

‘I’m not
reading anyone else tonight brother.’

‘No, you are
going upstairs to bed!  I’m not sending my godson out in the rain to stay
in a cold house!’

‘Your
godson?  What about me?’

‘Just the
vessel.’  Phantasm said dismissively.  ‘Now go on, we have business
to discuss with Mage De Winter about the Council meeting this week.’

‘Great, if I
can’t sleep, can I listen in?’

‘Of
course!’  Phantasm looked pleased at her unusual display of
interest.  ‘It’s a fascinating policy, proposed by the Head of Internal
Liaisons actually –’

Mistral smiled
happily, ‘That’ll do it.  I’ll be asleep in seconds.’

The arrival of
Mage Grapple and his Council delegation in the Valley coincided exactly with
the appearance of notices announcing the forthcoming tournament, neatly drawing
attention away from his unwelcome presence in the Valley.

‘Bit of
cunning timing by Lord Leo I see.’  Xerxes casually ripped down one of the
notices and carried it over to their table to read at his leisure.  Taking
a long drink from his tankard he looked over at the two Council officials stood
waiting to be served at the bar.  ‘I hope Floris refuses to serve them,’
he remarked without any real rancour.

‘Business is
business brother.’  Cain said mildly and glanced over at the two
Councillors.  ‘I might tap them up for my patented baldness cure too; the
one on the right is looking distinctly shiny on top –’

‘How is
business going?’  Mistral asked while she adjusted the neckline of the
dress Phantasm had insisted she wore for the Council meeting.  It was one
Eudora had made to fit during her pregnancy, but she was sure it was far too
low for her new curves.  Catching Xerxes eyeing her she raised an eyebrow
and kicked Brutus under the table for some assistance.

‘That’s the
mother of our nephew you’re ogling.’  Brutus reproached his younger
brother sharply.

Xerxes’ face
instantly fell, ‘Sorry, won’t happen again,’ he muttered and hid his face in
his tankard.  

‘Business is
slow Mistral.’  Cain said in answer to her question.  ‘Mainly because
Boaz hasn’t fully completed the renovations on the shop yet and my storeroom
still leaks.’

‘The lazy
cheating toad of a goblin!’  Mistral exclaimed.  ‘I’ll go sort him
out for you right now, the meeting isn’t for ages –’ she was halfway out of her
chair before Cain’s hand was on her arm, pulling her down again.

‘No loss of
temper Mistral, remember?’

‘I won’t lose
my temper!  But Boaz might lose a few fingers!’

‘Sit down and
listen to me.’  Cain pulled her back onto her chair. ‘You ripped him off when
you forced him into that deal Mistral.  He sold you the shop and the flat
for half what it’s worth, and agreed to do all the renovations. 
 He’s done up the flat and most of the shop already, I think I’ve done
quite well out of that lazy cheating toad of a goblin already, don’t you? 
If I have to find the money to finish the repairs to the store room then it’s
only fair, I was given the whole lot after all.’

Mistral
scowled unrepentantly, ‘A deal’s a deal.’

‘You can never
trust a goblin to stand by their word Mistral, even if it is written down in
their own blood, believe me I know.’  Xerxes said while his eyes skimmed
over the tournament details in his hand.

‘Read them out
brother!’  Brutus demanded impatiently. 

Xerxes tipped
his chair back and swung his feet up onto the table, narrowly avoiding kicking
his half-empty tankard over in the process, ‘Usual guff at the start, Master
Sphinx is offering a Contract for the safe delivery of herd of unicorns,
comprising eight mares and one stallion, to their reserve in the Dawn Forests …
blah, blah … aha!  The Contract is for three warriors ... Contract value
three hundred gold coins apiece –’

‘Come on
brother, we knew all this already thanks to Mistral!  What about the
tournament?’  Brutus persisted in an agitated voice.

‘I’m getting
there!  Hold your horses!’  Xerxes chuckled at his own joke and
resumed his recitation of the tournament details.  ‘A tournament will be
held on the first Sunday in April –’

‘Two weeks
yesterday.’  Brutus interjected helpfully.

‘Yes, thank
you, now where was I?  Oh yes … consisting of three horseback
events.  The first is … no way!  A Bending
Race?  We used
to muck about at that as kids on ponies!’

‘Bit different
when you’re firing a crossbow at the same time though.’  Brutus leaned
over his shoulder to read the details.  ‘
Time and Target Trial
I
think you’ll find it’s actually called brother.  Contestants must weave in
and out through the poles, shoot the bulls-eye, and ride back again.  The
twelve fastest times with an accurate shot at the bulls-eye go through to the
next event –’

‘Herding.’
 Xerxes continued, quickly moving the poster out of his brother’s line of
sight.  ‘Contestants must drive four horses from the paddock into an
enclosure –’

‘Easy.’
 Cain snorted dismissively.

‘Not when the
enclosure is guarded by a knucker that has to be dispatched, then the enclosure
opened by shooting the target to release the gate … all without dismounting –’

‘Less easy.’
 Cain admitted.

‘How many go
through?’  Brutus asked.

‘The six
fastest who achieve all the aims of the trial …which brings us to the final
event.  Lasso and separate one horse, to be identified on the day, from
the herd and control it successfully alongside the contestant for two laps of
the paddock.’

Cain frowned,
‘Again, that sounds too easy.’

‘Far too easy
brother, I suspect that his Leoship has a nasty trick up his sleeve when it
comes to the horse that is yet to be identified.’

‘He’s not
asked if he can borrow Cirrus has he?’  Cain asked Mistral.

‘No, and if he
does the answer will be no too!  There’s no way a bunch of
over-enthusiastic warriors are using my horse for lasso practise!’

‘I don’t see
why not, it’ll be good exercise for him since he’s not going to be doing a lot
else for the next few months.’

‘I can still
ride!’

‘Slowly, and
maybe you should consider taking up the side-saddle –’

‘Cain!’

‘Don’t wind
her up please Cain, we’ve got a long meeting ahead of us and having her fuming
away in the corner with a dagger in either boot may not be good for the
survival of all the attendees.’

Mistral spun
around to see the twins looking immaculately presented in dark blue shirts and
black trouser.  Phantasm was pointedly holding her velvet cloak out to
her.  ‘It’s time to go Lady De Winter.’

‘Joy,oh joy.’
 Mistral muttered sarcastically and shoved her chair back with a
satisfying squeal of wood on stone.  ‘Watch Prospero for me can you
Brutus?’  She asked as she swung her cloak on. 

‘No
problem.  I need to go into the village anyway, he can come for a walk
with me.’

‘Fine, but
please keep an eye on him this time.  I’ve already had some woman
complaining to me that he was mauling her ridiculous excuse for a dog last time
you had him!’

‘He wasn’t
mauling her Mistral –’

‘I know! 
And if I get a litter of puppies dumped on my doorstep you’re having
them!’  Mistral spun around and stomped out of the tavern, leaving a burst
of laughter in her wake.

‘So tranquil
and serene.’  Cain sighed, watching her slam the door with a heartfelt
bang.

‘Pregnancy
really suits her.’  Brutus agreed. 

‘In more ways
than one.’  Xerxes smirked and began to shuffle his worn pack of cards.

The twins
hurried from the tavern to catch up with Mistral but they didn’t have far to go;
she was leaning against the paddock fence gazing over at the unicorn
herd.  The unicorns were unrecognisable from the bedraggled, muddy ponies
that arrived in the Valley a week ago.  Clovis had worked tirelessly to
restore them back into the gleaming white creatures of legend.  After much
effort and a lot of assistance from Fabian and the slightly nervous first year
apprentices, the unicorns had been coaxed into being bathed and groomed. 
Now their once tangled manes and tails flowed silkily and their coats
shone.  Mistral had watched enviously while they had worked with the herd,
forbidden from doing anything more exciting than passing Clovis his cutters and
file when he trimmed their brimstone hooves.

Resting his
elbows on the fence, Phantom regarded them silently, ‘Look quite cute from over
here don’t they?’  He commented after a while.  ‘Maybe that Contract
wouldn’t be too bad after all.’

‘Don’t be
fooled brother, watch the stallion.’  Phantasm nodded to where the
stallion was eyeing the Ri herd in the paddock next door, snorting and pawing
grandly at the ground.

They weren’t
the only ones admiring the herd.  News of their arrival had quickly spread
through the Ri and drawn warriors back to the Valley to witness the momentous
occasion.  The Cloak had been packed every night that week, and now the
details had been released about the tournament and more specifically, the
prize, the Valley was only going to get busier.  Laughter rippled through
the group of warriors also watching the antics of the stallion.  He was
now prancing alongside the fence that separated the unicorns from the Ri herd,
arching his neck and occasionally tossing his horned head into the air. 
The display should have been impressive, and it was, to a degree, but it lost
some of its grandness when it became apparent the unicorn stallion was fully
two hands shorter than the mares he was trying to flirt with.

Mistral smiled
at the comic reaction of the mares.  They glanced curiously at the
diminutive would-be suitor before returning to the more pressing matter of the
rich spring grass, turning their backs with an indifferent swish of their
tails.

‘He reminds me
a bit of Hermes,’ she remarked.

The twins
laughed. 

‘I can see a
certain resemblance.’  Phantom agreed.  ‘He’s definitely punching
above his weight with that lot though, just look at Cirrus getting all
protective over Spirit!  He’ll miss her if Mage De Winter ends up on the
Contract.’

‘What do you
mean
if
?  You know he’ll win.’  Mistral muttered
broodingly.  ‘And I’ll have two long weeks to fill.’

‘They’re
already full Mistral, or you know Mage De Winter wouldn’t even be considering
entering the tournament, money or no money.’

‘Full? 
How are they full?’  Mistral demanded grumpily.  ‘I can’t hunt, take
Contracts or train!  What’s left to do?’

Phantasm gave
a long, exasperated sigh and turned to look at her, ‘Tell me Mistral, did you
actually read that schedule of Contracts Master Sphinx gave to you?’

‘I
tried.  But I lost the will to live after reading the brief on the first
meeting … which is today’s one isn’t it?’

‘Yes, it
is.  And if you had managed to stay awake long enough to read the second,
third and fourth briefs you would know that the next two weeks of your life are
going to be extremely full –’

‘And boring.’
 Phantom added flatly.

Mistral
sighed, ‘So my days will be taken up, but I can’t drink and Xerxes still won’t
let me play cards ... so what am I going to do every evening?’

‘Well, aside
from enjoy our stimulating company, you, Lady De Winter, are going back to
school.’

Mistral gave
him a blank look, ‘What?’

‘It’s high
time you learned how to speak French, and my brother and I have taken it upon
ourselves to begin your education.  Mage De Winter’s absence will provide
the perfect opportunity for you to focus on your studies.’

‘No
need.  Fabian’s already started teaching me French,’ she replied quickly.

‘I’m sure he
has.  But don’t forget that I’ve heard your Mage speak French, and I’m not
sure that any of the words I heard him use were entirely appropriate.’

Mistral rolled
her eyes.  He was referring to when Fabian lost his temper and swore at
Guillane in the Council chambers, shortly before killing him.  ‘No, not
those sorts of words, other ones.’

Phantasm eyed
her dubiously, ‘These words, would they be something you would care to repeat?’

‘Er –’Mistral
hastily backtracked.  ‘No, not really.’

‘Well then,
that settles it.  Your lessons begin once this meeting is over.’ 
Taking her firmly by either arm, the twins marched her up the path towards the
Main Building to begin her first official role as the Seer to the Ri. 

Mistral had
never been inside the Meeting Room on the third floor.  It was with a
sinking feeling of impending gloom that she entered into the rectangular, high
ceiling room.  They were the first ones to enter, allowing Mistral time to
take in her surroundings.  Gazing around with mild interest, Mistral noted
that the ceiling was plastered in the same ornate style as the Main Hall and
the walls were similarly panelled in a dark oak, matching the floorboards. 
One of the room’s narrow ends was completely taken up by a huge fireplace, now
lit and blazing brightly.  The long wall facing west had four tall
mullioned windows set into the panelling, affording a magnificent view of the
Western Range.  Mistral hoped she would have a seat facing the windows; at
least she could occupy herself by looking out of them for the next few hours.

Most of the
room was taken up by a long table, its surface was so highly polished that at
first Mistral mistakenly thought it was covered with glass.  A quill, pot
of ink and sheaf of important looking documents had been placed in front of
each high-backed chair.  Having suffered several meetings there already
the twins knew where they would be expected to sit and instantly walked over to
assume seats set back against the wall at the opposite end to the
fireplace.  Mistral trailed after them, noting that the chairs they had
been given were far less grand than the throne-like ones set at the table.