The Seer (90 page)

‘Malachi has
sought out Christophe Rochforte for his tribe’s assistance … in return for –
for –’

‘I know. 
I heard it all.  You do not have to go through that again.’  His dark
eyes held hers with a deep and commanding power.  ‘Rest now Mistral,
sleep.  I am here –’

Mistral’s eyes
were already closing as he pulled her against his body, wrapping his arms
around her to rest his hands protectively over the taught skin of her belly and
the child that stirred restlessly beneath his touch.  She drifted back
into a deep dreamless sleep, lulled by the soft sound of his voice.

‘– no-one will
hurt either of you, I swear it … I will protect you –’

By morning the
storm had abated to a steady fine rain.  A low mist hung over the Valley,
shrouding the mountains from view and giving the wet cobbled streets a closed
in feel that muffled the booted steps of the cloaked figure hurrying through
them.  He ran lightly up a set rain-washed stone steps to knock quietly on
the polished wooden door at the top.

‘Mage De
Winter!  Come in!’  Phantasm stepped back to allow Fabian to enter
and closed the door behind him with a frown.  ‘Where is Mistral?’

‘Asleep.’ 
Fabian pulled off his damp cloak and dropped it over the arm of the chair
beside the fire.

‘Asleep? 
But we need to know what Malachi has planned before our meeting!’

‘Already
done.’  Fabian said shortly.

 Phantasm
sank down onto the sofa and looked at Fabian expectantly.

‘Mistral read
Malachi last night … in her sleep –’

‘What? 
You mean she fell asleep whilst trying to read him?’  Phantom asked with a
laugh.

‘No.’ Fabian’s
face was expressionless.  ‘She was asleep when her mind connected with
his.’

Phantom’s lips
formed a silent ‘oh’ and Phantasm raised his eyebrows.

‘The Sight is
protecting her; forewarning her of events that threaten her.’  Fabian
continued.

Phantom gave
Fabian an awed look, ‘Her gift has increased in power so much in the last few
months!  I don’t understand how either, it’s not like she even bothers to
work at it!’

‘It’s because
of her pregnancy.  Her whole body is focussed on growing the life within
her.  The Sight is a part of Mistral too; it’s not possible for it not to
respond to the changes in her.’

Phantasm
nodded thoughtfully, ‘When she returned from the Desert Lands and fell ill, her
gift suffered.  It makes sense that now her body’s sole purpose is growth,
then her gift will grow too.’

Phantom gave a
shudder, ‘It’s a bit parasitical isn’t it?’

‘No.  It
reminds me of how the Craft behaves.’  Phantasm responded. 

Fabian gave a
tense nod, ‘The similarities had not escaped my notice either.  They are
two powers that are inextricably linked to the vessels they exist within.’

‘What did she
See?’  Phantom asked. 

Fabian’s face
abruptly suffused with anger, ‘Malachi has aligned himself with the
Rochfortes.  He has offered Mistral in return for their support in his
efforts to be the next Divinus.  Rochforte supporters at the Council will
refute Leo’s claim to be the next Divinus and put forward Malachi’s name in his
stead.  Unfortunately, in view of the closeness of the vote, Eximius will
have no choice but to take them seriously.’

‘Will there be
another vote in the Valley?’  Phantom asked.

Fabian shook
his head, ‘Leo will be summoned to the Council to present his case alongside
Malachi.  There will be a debate, followed by a vote.’

‘A
corrupt
vote.’  Phantasm’s face hardened with anger.  ‘Malachi is rich! 
He can probably afford to bribe every single Councillor if he needs to!’

‘What vote at
the Council isn’t corrupt brother?’  Phantom argued.  ‘But what I
don’t get is how Malachi expects to be able to offer Mistral up like some kind
of gift wrapped parcel!  He’s no longer in the Magnate, and if he ever
showed his face around here again he’d be shot on sight by half the warriors in
the Valley!’

Fabian smiled
coldly, ‘That information is Malachi’s trump card, and also ours.’

The twins
looked at him blankly. 

‘Christophe
Rochforte is unaware that Mistral is pregnant.  Pierre must have died from
his wounds before Christophe reached the farmhouse.  Mercifully, the
knowledge that Mistral is carrying a child died with him.  Malachi does
not intend to abduct Mistral; he intends to abduct my son and use his life to
force her into doing what he wishes.’

A brief
silence fell while the twins absorbed the information.  Phantasm abruptly
leapt to his feet and began to pace the floor agitatedly.  ‘I fail to see
how the knowledge that Malachi plans to kidnap your son can be our trump
card!’ 

‘Because it
means that the Rochfortes are ignorant of her condition, and for now, she is
safe from them.’  Fabian replied quietly.

‘But not from
Malachi!’  Phantasm reminded him sharply.

‘Ah, but there
we have the upper hand again.’  Fabian’s smile was cold.  ‘Malachi
believes that Mistral cannot read him when she is asleep.’

‘But she
can!’  Phantasm abruptly stopped pacing and spun round to stare at
Fabian.  ‘Sight is behaving just like the Craft and protecting the vessel
it lives within!  Malachi can’t even think threateningly thoughts about
Mistral without Sight making her aware of it, whether she’s awake or asleep!’

Phantom
grimaced, ‘I wouldn’t thank you for her dreams for the next few months.’

Fabian’s face
darkened, ‘Which is precisely why I saw fit to leave her asleep this
morning.  Last night was draining for her.  And that brings me to the
second reason I have disturbed you at such an early hour.  I must go and
appraise Leo of events now; could I ask that you wake Mistral and ensure she is
escorted safely to the meeting?’

‘Of course
Mage De Winter.’  Phantasm glided over to the door and held it open for
Fabian while he pulled on his cloak.  

‘She’s going
to love that!’  Phantom muttered once the door had closed behind
Fabian.  ‘A night spent reading the charming Malachi then you waking her
up armed with a hairbrush!’

‘If it stops her
from turning up to this meeting looking like a scarecrow then I can cope with
the tantrum she’ll throw.’

Phantom
laughed ruefully.  ‘Do you remember a nice quiet time in our lives before
Mistral exploded into it like some kind of natural disaster?’

Phantasm
smiled and bent to pick up his saddlebag, ‘You can’t fight destiny brother.’

‘Oh please
don’t tell me that you believe it’s our destiny to spend our lives rescuing
her!’  

‘Not
rescuing.’  Phantasm corrected.  ‘Protecting.’

‘That’s
worse!  That means we have to get involved right at the dangerous bit!’

Phantasm
placed his saddlebag down onto the kitchen table and opened it, pulling out a
folded shirt he looked at his brother thoughtfully, ‘Have you ever wondered how
much of a coincidence it is that we arrived at the Ri the same year as
Mistral?’

‘Not really.’
 Phantom frowned.  ‘And I’d call it bad luck, not coincidence.’

Phantasm
pulled out another shirt then reached over to a pile of freshly laundered
dresses.  Running a finger down to select a pale blue one, he packed it
carefully into his saddlebag.  ‘I’ve thought about it a lot,’ he mused
quietly.  ‘We could have come to the Valley the year before; or even the
one before that … heaven knows we were bored of tribal life by then!  But
we didn’t, we waited.’

‘So we took
our time, what of it?’  Phantom shrugged.

‘I think it’s
destiny that we’re all here at the same time as Mistral.’

‘I know you’ve
got a theory about us three, but now you’re actually saying that
all
of
us are here at the same time because of Mistral?’ 

Phantasm
looked up to meet his brother’s disbelieving gaze, ‘Yes I do.  Haven’t you
ever stopped to wonder why it is that our year of apprentices remains so
tightly knit?’

‘I’d always
put it down to my winning personality –’

‘Don’t be flippant
brother!  I’m being serious!’

‘Alright
then!’  Phantom flung his arms out wide in an exasperated gesture. 
‘It’s probably because we went through a lot together in our first year! 
Mistral was a nightmare to cope with from the start, she kept fighting with
Columbine … we lost Bali, then there was that ridiculous Contract Master Sphinx
sent us on where she ended up going to the Desert Lands in Mage Grapple’s
warship and came back a complete mess because she’d gone and fallen in love
with Mage De Winter ... then we all had to stop Columbine from slaughtering her
at every opportunity … and don’t even get me started on that complete
catastrophe that was our Qualification Hunt!’

‘That’s all in
the past brother, yet we’re all still close!  I truly believe we’re fated
to have come together at the same time for a purpose.’

‘I refuse to
accept that we are all here just to protect Mistral!’

‘No, not
Mistral.  The Isle’s Seer.’

‘It’s the same
thing!’

‘But it might
not have been.  It could have been anyone else, but we would still be
here, fulfilling our roles.’

‘No!  I’m
not buying it!’  Phantom argued.  ‘If what you’re saying is true then
Mage De Winter was simply passing the time by being the Ri’s most feared
assassin for decades until Mistral showed up was he?’

‘No, Mage De
Winter was acquiring the skills he would need in order to be the most suitable
partner for Mistral.  An assassin, yes, but also an experienced and
formidable warrior, plus he’s a rich and powerful Mage; in short, he possesses
all of the attributes required to offer her complete and utter protection.’

Phantom
frowned, but he couldn’t argue with his brother’s logic, then he suddenly
clicked his fingers together, ‘Saul!  He doesn’t fit in with your neat
plan does he?  He loved Mistral!  If he’d asked her before she’d met
Mage De Winter, who knows what would have happened?’

Phantasm shook
his head sadly, ‘Nothing would have happened brother.  She was destined to
be Mage De Winter’s from the first breath she drew.  And Saul?  Saul
was of yarthkin descent and blood-bound to protect all centaurs, which is of
course, where Mistral’s bloodline comes from.  It was his destiny to die
for her.’

‘Oh, now come
on!  That’s just too tragic for words!’

‘I’m not
saying that following your destiny equates to living happily ever after. 
Sometimes destiny is cruel.’

‘You’re not
joking!’

‘No, I rarely
do.’  Phantasm gave his brother a bleak smile and slung his saddlebag over
his shoulder.  ‘Coming?’

‘Fated to,
apparently.’  Phantom muttered and followed his brother out into the wet
street.

‘Has Xerxes
narrowed his type down to something more specific than “female and breathing”,
or is that really the same girl he was with last week?’  Mistral asked
glancing over at the blonde Xerxes was saying a fond goodbye to at the door.

‘Marietta? 
Yes, the very same,’ confirmed Cain, following her gaze.  ‘He’s thinking
about settling down actually.’

‘No!’ 
Mistral exclaimed and dropped a pile of coins on the bar before she and Cain
filled their hands with tankards and began to walk towards the table where the
rest of the warriors were gathered.

‘Hmm, and I
believe it’s because of you.’

‘Me? 
What’ve I done?  I would certainly never suggest he settles down! 
He’ll make someone a terrible husband, for the … what is it now?  Fourth
time?’

‘Third I
think.’  Cain corrected her with a laugh.  ‘But it’s you being with
child that’s made him, well all of us actually, think that there might be more
to life other than gambling and Contracts.’

Mistral
stopped and stared at her brother, ‘I’ve made you all ...
broody
?’

‘Something
like that.’

‘What do you
think you’re doing?’  Brutus exclaimed, leaping off his chair and hurrying
over to relieve Mistral of the tankards.

‘Oh come on
Brutus!  I don’t think that carrying some tankards will send me into early
labour!’  Mistral scorned before lowering herself carefully onto a chair
with a grateful sigh.

‘Just looking
after my nephew.’  Brutus said, giving her swollen belly an affectionate
pat.

‘Brutus!’ 
Mistral glared at him in outrage.  ‘Do that again and I’ll cut your hand
off!’

‘Now, now
Mistral, everyone knows that pregnant women have their bumps patted!  It’s
one of those unwritten rules of life!’

‘Well, it’ll
be a short life if you do it again,’ she snapped and reached for her drink to
find it had suddenly been replaced by a much smaller tankard.

‘What’s
this?’  Mistral demanded.  ‘I bought myself a full tankard!’ 
she glared accusingly at the twins.

‘Just looking
after our godson,’ murmured Phantasm, raising his drink in a toast to her.

‘Cheers,’ she
muttered sarcastically and took a swallow from her diminutive tankard,
grimacing at the thin taste of the diluted ale.

‘So, when are
we going to meet our nephew then?’  Xerxes demanded over the brim of his
tankard.

‘Why, got a
bet on it have you?’  Mistral asked grumpily.

‘Would
I?’  Xerxes exclaimed in an offended tone. 

‘Of course he
has,’ Brutus laughed.  ‘But some inside knowledge would be good as I’ve
got rather a large bet on the traditional nine months.’

Mistral sighed
and drummed her fingers moodily on the table top, ‘Well, no-one can say for
sure, but centaurs carry for eleven months so I suppose I’ll be somewhere in
between the two.’

There was a
brief flurry of activity while Xerxes fished a tatty piece of parchment out of
his pocket and scoured the figures written on it, ‘Damn it all!  Cain got
ten months!’

Mistral
scowled over at Cain to see his sharp hob features lit by a smug grin, ‘So
that’s why you’ve been insisting on measuring me every five minutes!’ 

‘Just taking
good care of you and my nephew.’  Cain said innocently.

‘And a
sizeable bet that would probably buy this damned tavern if it comes off!’ 
Xerxes muttered angrily and folded up the parchment before stowing it away in
his jerkin pocket once more.

Mistral began
to laugh and abruptly stopped with a loud gasp, her face contorting in
pain.  

‘What is
it?’ 

‘It’s not time
yet!’

The twins were
instantly on either side of her, their faces identical masks of anxiety.

‘Damn!’ 
Mistral swore through gritted teeth while she gripped the edge of the table,
her eyes screwed tight with pain.  ‘He can
kick
!’  She opened
her eyes to see the twins grinning at her, their green eyes lit with
excitement.

‘May I?’ 
Phantasm asked softly.

Mistral looked
into his emerald bright eyes, shining with anticipation, and didn’t have the
heart to refuse him, ‘Oh, go on then … if you must.’

Phantasm
gently laid his hand across her, his face breaking into a wide grin when he
felt the baby respond to his touch, ‘That’s amazing!’

‘Oh please no,
not you two as well!’  Mistral groaned when Xerxes and Brutus suddenly
crowded around her, eager to feel the first signs of movement from their
nephew. 

‘He’s a lively
one!’  Brutus laughed.

‘Really? 
I hadn’t noticed.’  Mistral muttered, then gave Xerxes a flinty look as he
blew theatrically on his hands to warm them.  ‘That is the first and last
time you ever touch me Xerxes!’ 

‘Don’t worry,
you’re in safe hands!’  Xerxes winked at her, then his eyes widened and he
burst out laughing.  ‘He
can
kick!  I hope for your sake those
are feet, not hooves!’

‘Not even
funny!’  Mistral snapped, pulling his hands off.

‘Or accurate,
I can testify that our nephew has two feet,’ said Cain cheerfully, leaning back
in his chair to grin at her.  Having examined her regularly over the last
few weeks, he had witnessed the baby kicking on numerous occasions. 

‘I can’t wait
to meet him.’  Brutus sat back down with a faraway look on his face. 
‘I’ve got so much to teach him.’

‘Ah, haven’t
we all brother, haven’t we all,’ agreed Xerxes with an indulgent smile.

Mistral shook
her head but couldn’t help smiling at their obvious pleasure at becoming
uncles.  She gazed across the table, her smile dimming when her eye fell
upon the empty chair next to Cain.  Meeting her look he gave her a
poignant smile before dropping his gaze.  Mistral felt a burst of sadness,
knowing that their friendship would always be overshadowed by the ghost of
Saul’s memory. 

‘He’s going to
learn from the masters.’  Xerxes continued with a fanatical gleam in his
eyes that instantly alarmed Mistral.  ‘Gambling –’

‘Hunting!’ 
Brutus interjected enthusiastically. 

‘Fighting.’ 
Grendel growled. 

‘Ah, And –’

‘Xerxes!’ 
Mistral warned sharply.  ‘It’ll be years before he’s ready for all the
degenerate activities you enjoy!’

‘I wouldn’t be
so sure about that if I were you Mistral.’  Phantom sighed. 
‘Centaurs are full grown at one year and fully mature by three years of age!’

‘Well Xerxes
never matured, so he can forget any ideas he might have about being qualified
to teach my son anything, especially not his bad habits with the ladies!’

‘Oh, talking of
bad habits with ladies, Mistral,’ said Brutus, tilting his head meaningfully
down at Prospero asleep beneath the table.  ‘There’s been another litter
of distinctively fluffy grey and white puppies born in the village.’

‘Oh
Prospero!  Really!’  Mistral admonished her dog, who groaned and
opened a pale blue eye to regard her balefully.  ‘Not again!’

‘That’s my
boy.’  Xerxes said proudly, giving the dog a sly wink.  ‘Soon you’ll
have a partner in crime!’

‘You are not
teaching my son to be a womaniser Xerxes!’  Mistral warned him with a
glare. 

‘Your son
needs a name,’ mused Phantasm.  ‘Have you thought of any yet?’

Mistral ran a
finger thoughtfully around the brim of her tankard, ‘Not really … although
Sheldon and Wesley are quite nice names –’

‘What?’ 
Brutus exclaimed.

‘Who the hell
would saddle a child with a foul name like either of those?’  Xerxes
demanded.

‘Who
indeed?’  Phantasm murmured.

 ‘Seriously?’ 
Cain asked with a frown.

‘No of course
not!’  Mistral laughed.  ‘To be honest, I haven’t really thought
about it yet.’

‘Well, what
was Mage De Winter’s father called?  That’s always a traditional choice.’
 Brutus suggested.

Mistral looked
blankly at him; she had absolutely no idea what Fabian’s father had been
called.

‘Leopold.’
 Phantom said quietly.

‘Well that
one’s out for starters,’ said Xerxes firmly.  ‘There’s no way my nephew is
being given the same name as the Good Liege Leo.’

‘I’ve always
thought that a name should befit the character,’ mused Cain.

‘Well yours
certainly does,’ muttered Brutus.  ‘Trouble-making hob.’

‘Mine does,’
said Xerxes immodestly.  ‘I am a king.’

‘Of course you
are Xerxes.’  Mistral murmured distractedly while she thought about
names.  She wanted to call her son after Saul, but suspected it would
probably offend Fabian.

‘Well, I guess
you’re just going to have to name him after all of us then.’  Cain
declared with a grin. 

‘Ah, but who’s
would go first?’  Mistral teased.

‘Alphabetical,’
said Brutus quickly. 

‘Reverse
alphabetical!’  Xerxes amended sharply.

Laughing
Mistral raised her tankard and drained it.  Lowering it, she pulled a face
at Phantasm.  ‘Please don’t water my beer again.  It’s revolting.’

‘Sorry, but I
simply can’t abide drunk mothers; it’s so unseemly.’  Phantasm gave her a
pious look.  ‘Anyway, it’s time we were going, and it wouldn’t do to be
smelling of alcohol for this meeting.’

‘Oh
really?  And what exactly have you been drinking then?  Water?’

‘Need a hand
getting up?’  Phantasm quickly asked, leaping to his feet to avoid her
steely glare. 

‘No!’  Mistral
began to rise only to immediately sit down again, wincing in pain when the baby
kicked in response to her moving.  ‘Maybe a hand would be good after all,’
she heaved a sigh of defeat and accepted Phantasm’s wisely silent assistance.

‘What’s the meeting
this afternoon?’  Cain asked, standing up and buttoning his jerkin ready
to leave.

‘Master Sphinx
has invited Bryden Wolfsnare to fill Malachi’s position in the Magnate. 
He wants us in on the meeting to cover all angles.’  Phantom muttered
quietly; Leo’s narrow win in the Valley’s elections was still a contentious
subject with most warriors. 

‘Bryden
Wolfsnare?’  Cain pursed his lips thoughtfully.  ‘That’s a clever
move.  Aligning the Ri with a powerful tribe of elves like Bryden’s would
bring on side a lot of warriors who still feel Leo’s going to be a puppet for
the Council.’

‘That was
Master Sphinx’s thinking too.’  Phantasm conceded while he waited for
Phantom to finished putting on his jerkin.  ‘But I’m not sure that Bryden
will accept since Master Sphinx has been exposed as being a full-blooded
Mage.  Plus, he’s bound to mistrust the already close links that we have
with the Council.’

‘Don’t we
all,’ said Xerxes.  ‘However, I’d rather have Leo as a Divinus than
Malachi; he was a snake!’

‘Still is,
unfortunately.’  Brutus corrected.  ‘And one that’s slithered all the
way to France, by the sounds of it.’

‘It’s high
time we cleared out that nest of Rochforte vipers once and for all.’
 Xerxes growled.  ‘That fight we had at Holdridge was a good start,
but the dregs need sorting out –’

Leaving Xerxes
and Brutus planning a fantasy mission to France with an army of warriors,
Mistral walked to the door with Cain.

‘Who’s
teaching the apprentices today if you and Mage De Winter are both in this
meeting?’  Cain asked, stepping out into rain.

‘Grendel.’
 Mistral replied, adding with a grin.  ‘Unarmed combat.’

Cain laughed,
‘That’s just evil!’

Mistral
shrugged, ‘Not really, they’ll be learning from the master.  Besides, they
were so appalling at longbow yesterday that today just can’t be any worse.’

‘I wouldn’t
speak too soon if I were you.’  Cain nodded over to the Arena.  A
line of trembling apprentices were limping up one at a time to be launched
through the air by Grendel. 

‘I’ll kill
him!’  Mistral quickly swung her cloak on.  Pulling the hood up
against the rain she hurried over to the Arena, already shouting at Grendel.
 ‘What’re you doing?  You big ugly idiot!  Stop throwing my
first years around like confetti!  This isn’t your damned wedding again!’

The twins,
Cain, Xerxes and Brutus strolled over to lean against the fence and watch the
amusing sight of Mistral bawling at a half-troll more than twice her size.

‘Ouch!’
 Brutus winced.  ‘I do hope she tones her language down before Brutus
Junior arrives, or his first words are going to be a bit choice!’

‘Brutus
Junior?’  Xerxes snorted.  ‘I don’t think so!’ 

‘It has a
certain ring to it, don’t you think?’  Brutus mused.  ‘Brutus De
Winter –’

‘I think you
should stop her Cain, her blood pressure must be going through the roof.’ 
Phantasm muttered worriedly.

Cain eyed
Mistral, still screaming furiously at Grendel while an audience of apprentices
looked on in open-mouthed astonishment, ‘You stop her.’