The Seer (97 page)

Leaving The
Velvet Forests behind, they crossed the High Moors and spent a final night
camping in the lee of a steep tor.  Leaning contentedly against Fabian’s
side after a meal of roast grouse, Mistral laid her head against his shoulder
and closed her eyes sleepily while she listened to the talk around the
fire.  They would enter the city tomorrow and Leo was reiterating their
plans for what felt like the thousandth time to Mistral, until she realised
that she’d heard it in his head more than he’d actually spoken it.

‘We will
arrive by the middle of the afternoon; the meeting will take place after dinner
–’

Mistral smiled
to herself at the prospect of a good meal, until she realised it would probably
be held in the austere surroundings of the Council and her smile quickly
wilted. 

‘I will
request that we are all in attendance for the meeting, I wish it to be apparent
that I have the support of the Isle’s Seer, the Gemini and one of the most
prominent names in Mage history –’

Mistral denied
the icy whisper of his thoughts threatening to invade her mind.  Listening
to the naked ambition in his voice was bad enough. 

‘We can be certain
Mage Grapple will not allow Mistral or the Gemini to be present during the
voting, however that will not matter.  Mage Grapple is obviously fully
aware of Mistral’s ability to See remotely, but he will discount that
particular facet of her gift as immaterial.  It will permit her to listen
in on the vote, but that will be all she will be able to do.  Her gift is
to listen rather than influence.  It is exceptionally fortunate that Mage
Grapple remains unaware that the Gemini have developed their gift enough to be
able to influence minds remotely.’

‘A fact that
he must always remain ignorant of.’  Fabian said.  ‘Or it will
provide the Rochfortes with a case to contest your right to rule the Ri once
again.’

Oh
great.  So we can never just stay put in the Valley and work from
home.  More travel up and down the Isle for us then …

Mistral opened
her eyes to give Phantom a sympathetic look, knowing how he hated the long ride
to the Council.  Although the twins had been raised at the Council and
were bitter about being forced to return to their tribe, their initial
intentions to return to the Isle’s capital once their apprenticeships were paid
off had faded.  Mistral knew they no longer craved that lifestyle; it
would be too far away from their godson for a start.  She let her gaze
drift to the fire, watching the bright flames while she reflected on how much
they’d all changed since arriving in the Valley, in more than just the obvious
... she smiled down at the undeniable evidence of her pregnancy; her son. 
Once he was born she could no longer expect Mage Grapple to hold his meetings
in the Valley, no doubt requiring her to make the long trek to the Council
several times a year to fulfil well-paid Council Contracts.  It was not a
prospect that filled her with joy.  The journey was pleasant enough in the
summer, but sleeping out overnight on the Moors during winter was definitely
not an enjoyable experience, even if she would have Fabian with her.  She
frowned suddenly, hadn’t it been Brutus who’d pointed out that a good tavern
somewhere along the route was needed?  She fell to thinking about the
possibilities, paying little attention to Leo’s voice continuing to outline his
plans.

‘Mistral will
read each vote as it is placed.  The twins will be able to influence
enough of those bribed by Malachi to change their vote in favour of me, but not
too many!  A landslide victory would raise too many suspicions.  A
narrow but definite win is all I require.’

‘What if Mage
Grapple refuses to allow Mistral to wait in the same room as us when the voting
is taking place?’  Phantasm asked.

Leo’s eyes
narrowed thoughtfully, ‘That is very real possibility, which we must prepare
for … Mistral must have already read the intentions of the Councillors and have
indicated to you who to influence before the chambers are cleared for the
vote.  I am certain there will be enough time during the meeting; Malachi
is too fond of his own voice to present a short case –’

Mistral
quickly bit the corner of her mouth to stop the smile that threatened to
appear.  Leo was accusing Malachi of being fond of the sound of his own
voice?  She glanced at Phantom to see the same twitch at the side of his
mouth; but Phantasm’s face was completely serious.  Guessing that there
would be no amusing trips to the ballet during this visit to the Council
Mistral yawned, sleep beckoned. 

Although
disturbed by her restless son, her sleep had been mercifully dreamless during
the journey.  She had read both Christophe and Malachi each day; both had
already arrived at the Council and were spending their time bribing any
Councillors that proved receptive to the colour of Malachi’s gold.  Aside
from that, there had been little to report.  Mistral had also read Samson
at Leo’s request.  His thoughts revealed that nothing untoward had
occurred in the Valley … aside from the amusing incident of an apprentice
making the error of entering Eudora’s shop on his own and only finally being
rescued when some passers-by heard his cries for help … which Mistral didn’t
feel Leo would be interested in hearing about.

The
discussions about the forthcoming vote wore on, but she was worn out.  She
fell asleep curled in Fabian’s lap, his arms her blanket, his murmured talk her
lullaby.  She slid into sleep and straight into a dream, the clarity of
every detail telling her immediately that this was no nocturnal meandering, but
a visitation from the power that lived within her.  Curls of white mist
rose up around her, obscuring her vision and creating an intimate feel to the
vision.  She could not see, but she could not be seen either.  A
figure began to emerge through the mist, walking towards her with graceful
paces; a woman.  Mistral narrowed her eyes to see more clearly; the figure
was familiar, but not someone from the Valley.  The thick veil of mist
parted to reveal blue eyes set into a pale heart-shaped face and a gentle smile
stolen from the lips of her Mage. 

It was
Fabian’s mother.

Mistral
suddenly realised that she’d been mistaken, it wasn’t the Sight but one of
Fabian’s dreams again.  She studied the figure before her, as vague and
insubstantial as the mist around them and waited patiently for the dream to
unfold.  But the figure continued to regard her silently, the gentle smile
unwavering, the blue eyes warm.

‘Hello
Mistral.’

Mistral couldn’t
help it, she turned and looked over her shoulder, but there was no-one else to
see, only the strange mist that both concealed and contained her. 
Confused, Mistral turned back to the ghostly figure before her.

‘Isn’t this
one of Fabian’s dreams?’ 

Shaking her
head slowly, Fabian’s mother smiled more deeply, one side lifting fractionally
higher than the other in the same way as Fabian’s did.

Mistral’s lips
formed a silent “oh”.  So it was another strange visitation courtesy of
her gift.  But what could Fabian’s mother have to tell her?  That
childbirth is a potentially life-threatening business?  Mistral suddenly
hoped that Sight had not called up a vision of her deceased mother-in-law
purely to impart some advice on birthing procedures.  Serenity was bad
enough, but at least she had the good grace to only bother Mistral whilst she
was awake.

‘My beautiful
sons.’  Fabian’s mother smiled proudly and looked over Mistral’s shoulder.

Mistral turned
automatically but could only see the swirling mist that surrounded her, ‘You
can see Fabian?’

‘And Leopold,’
she said, her smile deepening.  ‘My two sons.  I am so glad they have
found each other.’

Mistral
studied the figment that Sight had manifested before her.  Opening her
mouth to address her, Mistral suddenly realised she had no idea of what
Fabian’s mother had been called.  Apparently oblivious to Mistral’s sudden
embarrassment, Fabian’s mother continued to speak.

‘The time is
nearly upon them.  They will embrace their destiny together.’

Mistral
couldn’t conceal the inner weariness she felt at the “d” word.  She spent
her waking moments listening to talk of destiny; did it really have to invade
her sleep now as well?

‘Honour me
when the time is right,’ the figment whispered and began to fade back into the
mist.

‘Wait!’ 
Mistral called with a frown.  ‘What do you mean?  How can I honour
you?’

‘Delphine –’

Mistral opened
her eyes to see Fabian looking at her with a startled expression.

‘What did you
say?’  he asked quickly.

‘Delphine.’
 Mistral smiled dreamily, her eyes already closing once again.  ‘Our
daughter will be called Delphine.  Delphine Alyssa De Winter.’

Fabian stared
down at her still face, for once completely peaceful in sleep.  He could
not recall ever telling Mistral his mother’s name, and he was sure they were
having a son. 

Mistral did
not stir again that night, but slept a deep and dreamless sleep cradled in
Fabian’s arms.  Waking to the sound of his heart beating and the gentle
intake of each breath, Mistral smiled.  What could be a more perfect way
to wake?  The warm, wet tongue that lavished itself across her face
abruptly snapped her out of her pleasant reverie.

‘Damn it
Prospero!  How many times do I have to tell you?  Go wake the boys
first!’

‘He already
has and we sent him your way.’  Phantom said grumpily.  ‘Dog saliva
is not my idea of a wash Mistral, please stop teaching him to do that!’ 

The low rumble
of laughter in Fabian’s chest told her that he was awake and listening to their
whispered squabble.

‘Good morning,’
she smiled up at him while he regarded her through half-opened eyes.

His eyes
slowly opened wider and a small frown puckered the pale skin of his forehead.

‘Yes?’ 
She asked, reading the unspoken question in his face, aura and thoughts all at
once.

‘Are we having
a son?’

‘By “we” I
assume you mean the heavy weight that
I’m
carrying around?’ 
Mistral responded archly.  ‘Yes, Fabian, he is definitely a boy.’

‘Then why did
you tell me that our daughter is going to be named after my mother and Alyssa
last night?’

‘Oh, that.’
 Mistral’s expression went suddenly vague as she recalled her bizarre
vision.  She sighed and gave Fabian a slightly puzzled smile.  ‘I
think I met your mother last night, well, I don’t know that it was her,
exactly, but it was a manifestation of her made by Sight to deliver a message
–’

‘Sight sent my
mother to request that we name our daughter after her?’  Fabian frowned.

‘Well I’m not
calling our son Delphine that’s for sure.’  Mistral muttered then added
more clearly.  ‘Oh, and she also said something about you and Leo … that
it was time for you both to embrace your destinies.’

Fabian’s smile
of amusement slid from his face to leave him looking cold.

‘What did she
mean?’  Mistral asked, unsettled by his suddenly distant expression. 
‘I thought you already had embraced your destiny … with me –’ She let her voice
trail off; embarrassed at making the grand-sounding assumption that she was his
destiny.  She gazed into his flat black stare and sighed, hearing the
words in his mind a split-second before they left his lips.

‘It is the
destiny of every Mage to embrace the Craft.’

‘So, what am I
then?’  Mistral felt suddenly petulant, jealous of something other than
her laying claim to Fabian.

He smiled; the
coldness in his eyes softening to sublime velvet once more, ‘The Craft is the
destiny of all Mages, Mistral.  But you … you are my personal destiny, and
one I am more than happy to embrace.’  Laughing softly, Fabian pulled her
towards him and kissed her, the gentle touch of his lips against hers
dispelling any stupid notions of jealousy. 

‘Will you
please stop that?’  Phantom complained.  ‘I’m trying to eat
breakfast!’

After a quick
wash in the nearby stream, Mistral and Fabian joined the twins and Leo to eat
breakfast around the cold ashes of the fire while they went over the final
details for the evening.

‘How will I
signal to you who to influence?’  Mistral was asking Phantasm with a
frown.  ‘You can’t hide a gesture, or even a look in that Council
chamber!’

‘I know.’
 Phantasm agreed.  ‘We won’t be able to use the code anyway; Malachi
will be looking out for it.’

‘Signal with
your eyes.’  Fabian said. 

‘What do you
mean?’  Phantom frowned.  ‘Blink once for yes, and twice for no?’

Fabian shook
his head impatiently and turned to focus his attention on Mistral, ‘You can
read people without looking at them now, and although your expression will
appear slightly vague it will not arouse any suspicion, half the Councillors
look like that at every meeting.  Now, we’ve already agreed a strategy for
reading the Councillors –’

‘Yes, I know.’
 Mistral interrupted impatiently.  ‘Start on the top tier, work from
left to right, and let the twins know who is for and against.  But how
will I let them know if I can’t signal?  I’m never going to be able to remember
every Councillor’s name and whether they were going to vote for Leo or
not!’ 

‘Patience
Mistral.’  Fabian smiled softly.  ‘I’m not suggesting that you have
to memorise their names and intentions until you leave the chamber.  I am suggesting
that that you read an entire tier, surmise the outcome then look left to signal
that the majority intend to vote in favour of Leo, or look right to indicate
that they are in Malachi’s pocket.’

Mistral nodded
thoughtfully, ‘There are four tiers, seating … how many did you say?’

‘Fifty
Councillors, not including Mage Grapple, who will be seated at the front.’