The Seer (7 page)

‘Yes, but
where are we going to be seated?’  Mistral asked anxiously.  ‘Will we
be able to see each other clearly enough?’

Phantom rolled
his eyes, ‘Oh get this, Master Sphinx wants us sat beside him.  Show of
power or what?’

‘You had
better be sat between us then Mistral, so we can both watch your hands
clearly.’

Fabian drained
his goblet and placed it onto the mantelpiece beside her untouched drink, ‘If
Leo wants to see you before the banquet begins we must go now.’  He walked
over to collect her velvet cloak from the sofa, holding it out for her to put
on.

Mistral sighed
heavily and slipped the cloak on, nearly tripping over her dress again on the
way to the door.  The twins and Fabian regarded her thoughtfully while she
negotiated the steps down into the street with painful slowness.

‘I think the
banquet may have actually finished by the time we get there.’  Phantom
muttered.  ‘Can’t we just put her on wheels or something?’

Smiling,
Fabian threw his own cloak on and strode swiftly after Mistral, sweeping her
into his arms, ‘I think this would be a safer mode of travel for you tonight.’

‘I hope for
your sake Leo isn’t meeting us in his tower room,’ she murmured, gazing
blissfully up at Fabian while he carried up to the Entrance Hall.

‘Master
Shacklock’s office actually.’  Phantasm replied, running lightly up the
steps behind them.

‘Now, do you
think you can walk there without falling?’  Fabian asked politely.

‘She can
walk.’  Phantasm said firmly.  ‘She needs the practise because I’m
certainly not carrying her into the Main Hall … and she’d better not fall over
and embarrass us all!’

‘Home
tomorrow.’  Mistral whispered when Fabian threw Phantasm a black
look. 

Phantasm
knocked on the door to the Contract Officer’s small office while Fabian kissed
Mistral and strode off towards the Main Hall.  She watched him go, feeling
suddenly nervous again.  The door opened to reveal the cold unemotional
features of Leo Sphinx.  He stepped back to allow them to enter the
office.  Mistral tried not to look at him, she didn’t want to see his aura
or hear his thoughts ... especially not if they were about the way she was
dressed.  However, she needn’t have worried; Leo was typically straight
down to business.

‘Tell me what
you Saw today.’

While Mistral
repeated what she had Seen in the minds of Bellicose La Monte and Malachi Nox
during the funeral, she was forced to look at him.  She flinched as their
eyes met and his thoughts instantly flooded her mind, cold and soulless. 
How could Fabian say they were essentially the same?  They were nothing
alike!  She made a conscious effort to block out his thoughts and was
surprised to find that they immediately faded from her mind, leaving just the
usual patter coming from the twins.  Leo listened carefully while she
spoke.  His blue eyes narrowed at Malachi’s desire to be the next Divinus
but did not interrupt her.  A silence fell when Mistral finished speaking
and Leo turned away, pacing across the room with his head bowed in thought.

‘How easily
can you hear my thoughts,’ he demanded, turning abruptly to face her.

Mistral
hesitated, unsure of how to respond.  She was certain he would be severely
displeased to hear that she could hear him easily … too easily for comfort in
fact.  ‘Er, what do you mean exactly?’

Leo glared
impatiently at her, ‘Let’s start with the basics shall we?  Do you need
eye contact to hear them or not?’

‘No,’ she
admitted reluctantly.

‘Good.’

Mistral felt
the twins echo her surprise.  Leo was
glad
that she could hear his
every unspoken word?

‘But I can
choose not to,’ she added quickly.  ‘Which I have, by the way.’

Leo raised an
eyebrow, ‘Thank you, however, that will not be necessary.  I actually wish
for you to listen to my thoughts for the entire duration of the banquet so that
I can give you any instructions.’

Oh fantastic,
Mistral thought.  Bellicose, Malachi and now Leo … all she needed now for
a really fun evening was for him to ask to her to read –

‘And I want
you to constantly monitor Mycroft’s thoughts.’

Mycroft,
Mistral finished in her mind just as Leo spoke his name.  Great, now she
had the full set of bloodthirsty vampire, his bitter and twisted son, an
over-ambitious brother-in-law and the Isle’s most boring windbag to thrill her
with their thoughts all evening.

‘He has been
drinking heavily all day.’  Leo continued, oblivious to her dismayed
expression.  ‘I think his temporary elevated status has gone to his
head.  I need to make sure that he doesn’t speak out of turn and cause any
offense.  Should you hear anything of such a nature in his thoughts,
direct the Gemini to use their gift on him.  Have you worked out a code to
use yet?’

‘Yes Master
Sphinx.’  Phantasm responded promptly.  ‘We will reverse the Ri’s
code.’

Leo nodded his
approval, ‘I wish you to follow me into the banquet tonight and assume seats
beside me.  It is important that Mage Grapple sees that I, and not
Malachi; have your allegiance.’

Oh, he is
so up his own –

Mistral
coughed loudly to hide a laugh at Phantom’s thought.

Leo eyed her coldly,
‘You may have put on a dress Mistral, and I suppose I should be relieved that
you’re not looking like a scarecrow for once.  But I would also like you
to behave with a little more dignity that you normally do.’

Mistral nodded
and tried to look sincere but Phantom’s thoughts were making her want to smile
again.  He was imitating Leo’s voice in his head, knowing it would make
her laugh.

Leo glanced
distractedly at the clock on the wall, ‘Mage Grapple has presented me with a
schedule of Council meetings he wishes to Contract you to attend … however,
there’s not enough time to go through them right now.  We must go. 
Leave your cloaks here, you can retrieve them later.’

Mistral took
the opportunity to give Phantom a furious look while she laid her cloak over
Gleacher’s desk, ‘Stop trying to get me in trouble!’  she hissed. 

‘No you don’t
need any help in that department do you?’  He whispered back with a grin.

‘I think we’re
meant to be following now.’  Phantasm interrupted crisply, stepping up
beside Mistral. 

‘Now, do you
think you can walk in that dress yet or would you like to be dragged?’ 
Phantom enquired with a smirk.

Mistral swore
at him and Leo turned sharply, fixing her with a glacial look, ‘That is
completely inappropriate!  Do not embarrass me during this banquet
Mistral!’

‘Sorry. 
Won’t happen again.’

Leo continued
to glare icily at her then abruptly turned and strode away down the
corridor. 

Mistral
immediately rounded on Phantasm, ‘If you don’t stop your wretched brother from
annoying me I’m going to start calling you both by your real names!’ 

Phantasm
rolled his eyes and gave his twin a warning look, ‘Please don’t wind her up
tonight!  For once, can you two please behave with some decorum and not
bicker like schoolchildren?’

A mutinous
look crossed Phantom’s face but Mistral could hear his thoughts and knew that
this, their long awaited for moment of victory, was as important to him as it
was to his brother.  They walked on in silence behind Leo.  Mistral
was concentrating so hard on successfully putting one foot in front of other
that at first she didn’t recognise the gentle humming sound for what it was; a
multitude of voices all talking at once.  Leo paused in the arched doorway
of the Main Hall, his blue eyes raking the room with deliberate
importance.  Mistral and the twins waited silently behind him all sharing
the same thought.

Drama queen
…

Mistral caught
a glimpse of the room when Leo strode forwards and felt a wave of panic crash
over her.  A fire was blazing in the huge fireplace at the far end of the
Main Hall, casting warmth and light over a crowd of at least a hundred
people.  Mage Councillors wearing garish flowing robes, bearded Arcane
chieftains, wary-eyed Ri ... and every single one of them fell silent and
looked over as she and the twins stepped into the room.

Keep your
head up!

Phantasm’s
snapped instruction pierced the fog of fear surrounding her brain.  She
jerked her chin up and stared blindly at the sea of curious faces, desperately
seeking the one, the only one, that would enable her to keep moving ...
Fabian’s dark gaze drew her own with mesmerising force, his thoughts bursting
into her mind in a profusion of pride and joy.  She kept her gaze locked
on his, seeing nothing but the wild exultation on his face.  Filled by the
love that flowed from him in an irrepressible wave, her feet seemed to glide
across the floor of their own volition, keeping pace perfectly with the
twins.  Their triumphant thoughts filtered into hers; background music to
the glorious song of Fabian’s joy. 

‘Ah-ha!’ 
Mycroft’s ponderous laugh boomed out in the sudden hush that had fallen. 
‘Mage, Arcane and fellow Ri!  Allow me to formally introduce you to the
Gemini and the new Seer to the Ri!’

Leo stepped
aside, leaving Mistral and the twins facing the appraising stares of the
gathered crowd.

Keep your
head up and look back at them!

But Mistral
didn’t need Phantasm’s encouragement.  She met every stare coolly, her
mind full of Fabian’s unwavering belief. 

‘We salute the
Gemini and the new Seer!’

Imperato’s
deep voice rang from the heavy shadows by the side of the fire.  Mistral
lifted her eyes to meet his profound gaze and his thoughts instantly surged
into her mind … he was fiercely proud at her achievement.  She was
momentarily perplexed by both his reaction and how easily she had heard his
thoughts, but there was no time to consider the puzzle.  A sea of people
converged on them, all applauding loudly and heralding the Gemini and the new
Seer ... the dawn of a new era. 

Assured by the
presence of the twins on either side of her and Fabian’s silent love, Mistral
remained calm while an endless procession of tribal chieftains, foreign
delegates and high-ranking Councillors appeared before her.  All were
eager to greet the Gemini and the new Seer, their congratulations followed by
furtively whispered requests for them to agree to accept the work they offered
above other Contracts.  Mistral felt her eyes glaze over.  She smiled
and nodded to each face, not even bothering to listen any more.  Suddenly
a shard of ice slipped into her mind, piercing through the warm haze of
Fabian’s thoughts.

Have
Mycroft stop drinking … now!

Mistral
blinked, the yarthkin chieftain before her gazed at her expectantly with brown
eyes so reminiscent of Saul that her heart gave a painful lurch.  She
realised that it hadn’t been his voice but Leo’s thought, recalling her to her
duties.

‘Of course,’
she murmured politely to the chieftain with absolutely no idea of what he’d
been asking her.

He nodded and
smiled gratefully, moving away.  She immediately nudged the twins. 
Drawing their attention to her hands, she quickly signalled left and gave the
signal for fire.  She could hear in their thoughts that they both
instantly knew to make Mycroft, stood on their right, wish to drink water.
 Their gazes locked and Mycroft’s voice boomed across the room again,
calling for water.  The twins smiled and returned their attention to the
Councillor before them. 

‘Of course
Mage Fawcette480

.’ 
Phantasm murmured quietly.  ‘We would be honoured.’   

After that
brief interlude the endless flow of petitions, empty platitudes and obsequious
requests continued.  Mistral could hear the twins’ sense of triumph
fading, reflecting her own growing boredom. 

If I hear
another request to make their wives leave them I’m going to scream!

Mistral hid a
smile at Phantom’s anguished thought.  She didn’t even bother to listen to
the requests made of her, but had merely nodded and smiled politely, focussing
instead on the thoughts of her Mage.

‘Ah!  At
last!  Arcanes, Mages, Ri … friends!  It is time for the banquet!’

Mycroft’s
enthusiastic announcement of the start of the banquet was met with a deep sigh
of relief from Mistral and the twins.

‘Oh my
life!’  Phantom muttered.  ‘I think my ears are actually
bleeding!  I’ve never heard such pathetic drivel in all my life!’

‘Brother!’ 
Phantasm warned sharply. 

Mistral smiled
and fell in step between them to walk across to take their seats at the
table.  As they passed the long mullioned windows overlooking the Western
Range she paused.  Night had fallen.  Cold light from the stars
illuminated the snow-filled Valley in a soft glow.  A thin stream of smoke
spiralled up from the dying embers of the Divinus’ funeral pyre.  Mistral
watched the slender curl slowly evaporate; the Divinus, leaving the Valley for
the last time.  She started slightly at the cool touch of Phantasm’s hand,
drawing her attention back to the banquet.  Giving one last glance out of
the window, Mistral turned away to begin her night’s work.

The first year
apprentices had been given the roles of waiters for the evening, they flitted
up and down the long table, pouring wine and serving the food.  Released
from scrutiny Mistral relaxed slightly and reached out for the goblet of wine in
front of her, taking a deep swallow she nearly gagged.

‘What?’ 
Phantasm hissed.

‘It’s off!’

Phantom took a
long drink from his own goblet, ‘No it’s not,’ he frowned at her.  ‘Maybe
Sight has changed your tastes.’

‘Oh great,’
she muttered and reached instead for the tumbler of water.  ‘I have to
listen to all the rubbish in their minds and not even have a drink to numb the
tedium!’