The Seer (99 page)

Fabian caught
her up at the gates, his concerned expression turning to one of understanding
when he saw the paleness of her face, ‘Nearly there,’ he murmured soothingly.

Mistral didn’t
know if he meant the end of the journey of the end of her pregnancy, and she
didn’t care, she felt too sick to even listen to his thoughts. 

By the time
Leo and the twins arrived she was feeling better.  The twins gave her a
sympathetic look but didn’t comment on her sudden dash from the market
street.  When the warlocks opened the gates to allow them to pass through,
Leo took the lead once again to ride at a sedate walk along the wide avenue of
houses.  It was blissfully tranquil after the noise of the market. 
Mistral glanced down the long avenue of impressive houses, her eyes
irresistibly drawn to the crumbling relic near the end of the row; the De
Winter mansion.  Riding alongside her, Fabian noticed her suddenly hollow-eyed
stare and frowned.

‘Maybe I
should have said something sooner.’

She tore her
gaze away from the derelict building and looked at him. 

‘It’s been
sold.  I hope you have no objections.’

‘Objections?’ 
She lifted an eyebrow.  ‘Of course I don’t!  But who in their right
mind would want to buy it?’

‘Eximius.’

‘But he’s got
a huge house already!  Why does he need two?’

Fabian gazed
broodingly at the grey shell, ‘He has his reasons.’

Mistral looked
at the house that had once been home to Mage Grapple’s lover, and the place
where she had died giving birth to his son; a decaying monument to his pain and
loss that he saw daily and now owned.

‘And here we
are,’ announced Leo in a satisfied voice.  He dismounted at the end of the
avenue and passed his reins wordlessly to Phantom.

‘Which is the
house the Council use for hospitality?’  Mistral asked, easing herself
slowly from the saddle and rubbing her aching back.

‘That one.’
 Phantasm said quietly, pointing to a non-descript, typically tall and
narrow house on their right.  ‘But you’re not going there.’

‘No?’ 
She groaned.  ‘It’s not Mage Grapple’s is it?’

‘Worse.’

Mistral
frowned at him for a moment then her face dropped, ‘Please tell me you
haven’t!’

‘She would
never forgive us if we didn’t, sorry.’  Phantom shrugged apologetically
and was saved from the blistering anger he could see on Mistral’s face by
Fabian. 

He pulled her
gently towards the familiar courtyard containing two bored looking lions,
issuing instructions over his shoulder for Prospero to be kept out of
trouble. 

‘Don’t
worry!  We’ll look after Prospero!  Give our mother our love!’ 
Phantom called brightly, grinning at the savage murder Mistral was promising
him with her eyes. 

‘Melsina is
expecting us.’  Fabian murmured while he dragged her up the flag stone
path.

‘Of course she
is!  Damn the twins!  Damn their gift!  And damn mine for not
warning me!  I should’ve known they’d pull a stunt like this!’  She
fumed, still casting death stares over her shoulder at the waving twins. 
‘I can’t believe they’re not coming too!  Where are they staying then?’

‘The Council’s
hospitality house.’

‘That’s not
fair!  Oh Fabian, I’m exhausted!  I just want a bath and a rest
before tonight, please don’t put me through this!’  She begged desperately
while he knocked on the door.

‘The meeting
isn’t until later on tonight.  You have plenty of time for a bath and a
rest,’ he said softly, not quite meeting her eyes.

‘I don’t
believe it!  You’re afraid of her aren’t you?’  She hissed furiously.

‘No, Mistral,
I am not afraid of Melsina De’ath.  But, I do admit to having an ulterior
motive for bringing you here.’

‘Which is
something you’re deliberately not thinking about!  Tell me what it is
Fabian!’

‘It is going
to make itself apparent very soon,’ he smiled enigmatically just as the door
opened to reveal the flawless features of the twins’ mother.

‘Mistral,
darling
you are positively blooming!  But where are my manners!  Come
in!  Mage De Winter!  It is so wonderful to see you again!’ 
Melsina gushed, stepping back to invite them into her pristine home. 

‘I may not
forgive you for this.’  Mistral breathed to Fabian as she stepped onto the
thick white carpet in the entrance hall.

‘Now!  I
think that cook has just served a small tea in the dining room for you Mage De
Winter.’  Melsina smiled and gestured to one of the many pristinely white
rooms leading off from the entrance hall. 

‘That sounds
good.’  Mistral began only to be hauled away by Melsina, her tinkling
laugh completely at odds with the iron strength with which she gripped
Mistral’s hand.  Recognising the direction they were taking Mistral began
to panic.  ‘Er, I think all I really need is a rest actually –’

‘Oh, and you
shall get one!  An hour or two of pampering is equal to a good night’s
sleep anytime, don’t you agree?’

‘Um, no, not
really.’  Mistral argued back, only to be completely ignored. 

‘Ah, here we
are!  The guest suite!’  Melsina flung open the door to the very same
sumptuous white bathroom Mistral had been in the year before and promptly
dragged her inside.  ‘So, I see that you like the clothes I instructed
Eudora to run up for you!’  she commented in a smug tone and immediately
began to pull the soft brushed cotton shirt over Mistral’s head.

‘Er, they
fit.’  Mistral said in what she hoped was a positive voice.

‘Oh I
know!’  Melsina agreed, pausing in her actions to give Mistral an
understanding look.  ‘Imagine how I felt carrying twins!  A tent
would have been appropriate clothing!’ 

She gave
another tinkling laugh and Mistral nodded disbelievingly, somehow not imaging
Melsina to have been anything but immaculately presented throughout the entire
duration of her pregnancy.  In fact, she bet that the twins hadn’t even
dare move, never mind kick her the way her son did.

‘Now, a nice
soak for you while I find something appropriate for tonight’s gala –’

‘Tonight’s
what?’  Mistral said sharply only to hear the soft click of a closing
door.  Sighing and resolving severe violent retribution on both the
scheming twins and her husband, she sank ungratefully into a huge bath filled
with lavender scented water. 

The heat of
the water and the heady aroma of lavender soon made Mistral sleepy.  She slid
in and out of a dreamy doze, enjoying the brief respite before Melsina returned
to boss her around again.  Trailing a hand lazily through the steamy water
she suddenly wished that Fabian was with her and the door was locked –

‘There’s
nothing quite so purifying as a hot bath is there?’

Startled out
of thoughts that had been far from pure, Mistral looked up guiltily to see
Melsina gazing at her with the familiar enquiring green gaze she was used to
receiving in duplicate from the twins.

‘Feeling more
relaxed?’

‘Yes, thanks.’
 Mistral replied obediently.

‘Out you come
then – but slowly!  We don’t want you passing out!’

Mistral
suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and hauled her ungainly body from the
water, closing her eyes and forcing herself to think calm thoughts while she
submitted to Melsina briskly towelling her dry and rubbing perfumed lotion over
her.

‘What’s a
gala?’  Mistral asked when she thought that the worst of the assault was
over.

‘A
gala?’  Melsina met her look with wide-eyed astonishment.  ‘You don’t
know about tonight’s gala?’

‘Er, no
–’ 
Or I would have run a mile …

Melsina let
out a peal of laughter, ‘Oh, I can see why he didn’t tell you!’

Mistral
clenched teeth, ‘Tell me what?’  

‘Well,’ said
Melsina, her eyes glittering with excitement.  ‘Leopold has been invited
to present his case tonight to coincide with the annual gala of Council and
Foreign officials.’

Mistral looked
at her blankly but was reluctant to read her thoughts.  Melsina was scary
enough from the outside. 

‘Oh Mistral!’ 
Melsina exclaimed with another peal of laugher.  ‘You are so delightfully
naive!  Tonight is the biggest event in the Council’s social
calendar!  There will be delegates from across the world there!  You
will be there not just as the Ri’s Seer, but as Lady De Winter!  You must
shine!’

‘I must
what
?’

‘Shine. 
And so you will!’

Melsina’s eyes
gleamed with an intent that Mistral immediately associated with the look in a
snake’s eyes the second before it struck, ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a
bit unshineworthy at the moment,’ she muttered caustically and waved a hand
towards her thick waist.

‘My
darling!  Pregnancy becomes you!’  Melsina almost sang.  ‘You
are glowing!  And I have had just the gown made to accentuate your new
curves –’

‘My curves
don’t need accentuating!  They need covering!’

Melsina heaved
a sigh and shook her perfectly coiffed head, ‘Absolutely not, however ... I
think that I will simply show you rather than waste time arguing with you –’
She tilted her head on one side to scrutinise Mistral with an intensity that
made her feel acutely embarrassed.  ‘Hmm, those scars … such a shame –’
 

For the second
time in her life Mistral closed her eyes and blessed every single raised bump
and jagged mark on her body.

‘– but that
wonderful cleavage!’ 

‘What?’ 
Mistral’s frightened squeak was lost on Melsina who abruptly swept from the
room, leaving her staring in terror at a closing door.  ‘Oh no!’ 
Mistral moaned when Melsina reappeared seconds later with her arms full of
white material.  ‘Please … no –’

‘Too many
expectant women wear black!  No need I say!  You’re pregnant, not
fat!  Why hide the beautiful shape of a body filled with a new life? 
This is a dress I had made when I was expecting.  It will celebrate every
curve your pregnancy has blessed you with – now, stand still!’

Mistral
instantly froze, more in an instinctual response to the barely concealed edge
of steel in Melsina’s voice than the actual instruction.  She responded
automatically to Melsina’s muttering instructions as she began to position her
into a long white gown.

 ‘Turn
towards me – good, now back around again – and stand still –’ 

Mistral forced
herself to think of how The Velvet Forests would look in the crisp morning sunlight,
the way the dew would glisten like wet diamonds on gossamer cobwebs; the scent
of the ripe blackberries hanging from reddening brambles and the glimpse of
spiky conkers hiding amongst the fallen leaves … autumn, she loved
autumn.  Mistral sighed deeply and Melsina laughed, mistaking her sigh of
longing for one of happiness.

‘Yes, it is
beautiful isn’t it?  Now, I just want to do your hair before I show you
the finished effect.’

Melsina pulled
Mistral over towards a dressing table laden with a bewildering array of
bottles, jars and brushes of every conceivable length and thickness.  She
dramatically flung a large towel over the mirror before pushing Mistral down
onto the padded stool. 

‘Now sit still
and don’t say anything ... but do keep breathing dear.’

Mistral was
instantly reminded of her wedding day and being bullied by the twins into
having her hair cut then being forced into that ridiculous dress.  Lost in
her reverie of the mercifully brief ceremony and the far more enjoyable battle
that had followed, Mistral was only dimly aware of Melsina’s fingers pulling at
her hair and pinning it into place.

‘There,’ she
finally announced.  ‘I think that will do nicely!  Now, before you
stand up –’ Melsina slipped her feet into a pair of white satin slippers and
stood up with a pleased look on her face.  ‘All done, up you get! 
Now, what do you think?’  She yanked the towel away from the mirror with a
flourish and stepped back to allow Mistral to see her reflection in the full
length mirror.  

‘Oh!’  Mistral
stared with wide eyes at herself in the mirror.  Her first instinct was to
grab the towel in Melsina’s hands and drape it over herself.  She cringed,
barely able to look her own reflection in the eye.  The dress celebrated
every new curve with eye-popping effect.  She stared in horror at the
plunging neckline before eyeing the narrow beaded straps fearfully; they seemed
far too fragile to be the only visible means of support for the rest of the
dress.  

‘Empire line
darling, so flattering on the cleavage –’

Flattering? 
Words failed Mistral.  The dress gathered tightly under her bust in a way
that surely couldn’t be healthy for her, then fell in swathes of sheer
material, skimming lightly over her pregnant body right down to the
floor.  Her hair; long and untameable and at best tied back in a ponytail,
had been coaxed into shining waves and swept back into an elegant knot, leaving
her feeling terribly exposed without even the saving grace of a few strands of
unruly hair to hide behind.

‘Oh Melsina, I
–' Mistral began in a frightened whisper, wondering how to beg for something
else to wear without offending the twins’ formidable mother.

‘No need my
darling.’  Melsina replied in a voice that throbbed with emotion. 
‘The way you look is thanks enough for me!  You will be the centre of
attention tonight.’

Mistral
blanched at the thought of actually leaving the bathroom and having other
people witness her horribly half-naked state.

‘Now, it
really is time we were going!  I just need to change into my gown.’

Mistral stared
at her own reflection wondering desperately how she could cover some of herself
up.  Suddenly hearing rustling sounds from behind her, she spun round,
reaching for the dagger she always wore only to realise it was attached to her
discarded trousers.  She was instantly dumbfounded by the sight of Melsina
moving towards her in a fitted sheaf of emerald silk.  The vivid green
against her alabaster skin created an effect that went beyond eye-catching, it
was spectacular.

‘Do you like
it?’  Melsina asked, eyeing herself critically in the mirror.  ‘I
hoped the green would bring out the colour of my eyes.’

‘Er, it does.’
 Mistral managed to mutter, thinking that it was also the same shade as
the twins’ and wondering what the hell they would make of her dress, or rather,
her lack of dress. 

‘Well, it will
have to do,’ she said, giving her reflection a final appraising look. 
‘Quickly now!  Sit down!  You need just a touch of something to bring
out those lovely dark eyes and … ah, yes, here we go –’

Mistral closed
her eyes and fought the reflexive urge to screw her face up as Melsina brushed
something over her eyelashes.  A soft brush flicked briefly over her face,
making her sneeze and causing Melsina to release more musical peals of
laughter.  Then she was suddenly being propelled out of the vast bathroom
and along the plush corridors, through the opulent rooms and back towards the
entrance hall.

Mistral balled
her hands in tight fists while Melsina chatted brightly by her side, her iron
grip never leaving her arm.  She didn’t hear a word Melsina spoke; she was
too preoccupied by thoughts of what Fabian was going to make of her outrageous
appearance … would he be horrified, like she was?  Or would he
laugh?  Or be angry that Melsina had made his wife look so … so … Mistral
lacked the vocabulary to describe how she looked.  Impractical!  Yes,
that was how she looked!  She was meant to be working tonight after all,
Fabian would no doubt be furious that she was dressed so inappropriately. 
She seized on to that one thought like a life ring, convincing herself that he
would throw a fit and refuse to allow her to leave the house looking the way
she did.

‘Ah, Mage De
Winter, may I present your wife to you.’  Melsina tittered and let go of
Mistral’s arm to give her a shove in the small of her back.

Keeping her
eyes firmly closed Mistral staggered a few steps across the thick carpet and
came to a halt, waiting to hear Fabian’s exclamation of shock.

Silence.

Not the
response she had been expecting, Mistral tentatively opened one eye a fraction
then stared in wide-eyed amazement at her husband.  The first thing she
noticed was that he was clean-shaven, something she had only seen rarely, the
most memorable being their wedding day.  In the same split-second she was
struck by how breathtakingly handsome he looked.  He was dressed in
expensive looking black trousers and a tailored white shirt that accentuated
his dark hair and jet black eyes.  Eyes that were gazing at her now with a
familiar burning intensity that made her bite her lip to avoid grinning at
their meaning.

‘You look –’
He paused and gave an astounded shake of his head.

She bit her
lip harder and winced.  Denying his thoughts, his aura and even his face,
she closed her eyes again and waited for the denouncement of her appearance.

‘– absolutely
stunning.’

‘Yes she
does.  Good evening Lady De Winter,’ a voice drawled.