The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) (71 page)

The snarling
wolverines pounded towards the helpless horse.  Leaping the section of
snow where the poisoned caltrops lay they slammed into the terrified animal,
knocking it down again.  The horse’s squeal of fear ended abruptly in a
gurgling sound that made Mistral grimace.  Whines sounded again and again
as the twins fired into the frenzy of black fur and snapping jaws, but their
bolts had little effect.  Crazed by the scent of blood the wolverines were
immune to pain.

Saul swore
quietly and Mistral jerked her gaze away from the feeding pack to follow his
pointing finger.  Columbine had staggered to her feet and was swaying
drunkenly on the spot, obviously dazed from her fall.  They heard her gasp
of horror when she saw the wolverines and watched as she began to back away,
but it was too late.  They had seen her.  With hungry growls the pack
moved in.

‘Sing!’ 
Cain shouted to Xerxes and Brutus.  ‘Or she’ll be killed!’

The brothers
said nothing and watched impassively as Columbine raised her sword and tried to
fend off the wolverines.  It was hopeless.  She slowly sank to her
knees, vanishing from sight beneath a mass of black fur. 

Saul looked at
Brutus, ‘Do you want that on your conscience brother?’ he asked quietly. 

Just as
Mistral began to think that her brothers truly wouldn’t act, Brutus opened his
mouth and began to move his lips as though he was singing, but no sound that
Mistral could hear came out of his mouth.  Looking curiously at Xerxes she
saw that his mouth was also moving silently, singing music only they and the
wolverines could hear.  The effect on the wolverines was
instantaneous.  With whimpers of pain they cringed away from Columbine and
ran for the trees.  Their dark forms melting from sight into the gloom of
the forests. 

Columbine lay
unmoving in a scarlet circle of snow, too far away to see if her chest rose and
fell with life.  Cain was the first to begin to move towards her. 

‘Wait!’ 
Saul’s abrupt hiss stopped Cain in his tracks.

Mistral felt
rather than saw Fabian move, angling his body so that he was once more stood in
front of her, shielding her from the danger hidden in the treeline.

‘Elves.’ 
Saul called in a low voice.  ‘Six.  To the right of Columbine.’

Mistral
snapped her gaze to where he described.  She could just make out shadows
moving subtly amongst the trunks.  Ghostlike and silent, the elves stepped
out into the open and formed a line facing them.  Mistral was perplexed to
see that their bows were not drawn ready as she had expected but slung across
their backs, as though in preparation for travel.

The
apprentices tensed, ready to fight.  Mistral stole a glance at Xerxes and
Brutus to see both brothers had their longbows drawn.  The twins were
knelt in the snow, still as statues with their crossbows levelled at the line
of elves.  Saul and Cain had sheathed their swords and also reached for their
crossbows, following the twins’ lead to drop quickly onto one knee and take
aim.  Mistral couldn’t copy them since Fabian was now stood almost
completely in front of her, blocking her vision and line of fire.  She
began to edge out from behind him just as an elf stepped forwards, making her
instantly freeze.  She was marked.  If she moved she would draw his
fire and Fabian would undoubtedly move to protect her.  And that was
unthinkable.   

Mistral peered
cautiously around Fabian to look at the elf and recognised him as the same one
who had spoken to them in the meadow during the summer, the one that Phantasm
had lied to. 

‘Hail Warrior!’ 
he called to Fabian, the bell-like tones of his voice carrying easily across
the deathly still meadow. 

‘Hail Brother.’

‘We have no
quarrel,’ the elf’s voice sang out again.  ‘Why do you prepare to attack
us?’

‘I protect
what is mine.’  Fabian replied and shifted slightly to further shield
Mistral from sight.

There was a long
pause while the elf stood motionless at the treeline, looking intently at
Fabian.  Mistral began to reach for her own crossbow, feeling the tension
in the air suddenly intensify.  The sound of bowstrings being strained
back to their furthest point was like a thunderclap in the taut silence. 

‘The marked
ones are released.  We have our tithe.  Go in peace.’ 

The elf
delivered his statement and stepped back into line with his kinsmen. 
Turning as one they moved swiftly back into the protective cover of the trees,
fading noiselessly from sight.

The
apprentices remained tensed and ready to fire, none of them daring to believe
that the elves had actually gone until Saul called out.

‘I can’t see
them anymore.’

At once
everyone began to move, lowering weapons and looking around to make sure they
were all still standing.  Xerxes slung his bow over his shoulder and
walked briskly over to his brother.

‘Is anyone
injured?’

‘Why, got a
wager on who gets the most bites have you?’  Brutus grinned and greeted
his brother with a one-armed hug. 

The other
apprentices laughed and moved to join them.  Mistral stayed, waiting for
Fabian to turn around but he hadn’t moved from his protective stance in front
of her.  She quietly stepped forward and pressed a hand to his side.

‘They’ve gone
Fabian.  It’s over.’

‘Xerxes! 
Brutus!  Can you hear singing?’  Fabian demanded, ignoring her touch.

‘None, there
is only the sound of an apprentice dying in the snow,’ said Xerxes, glancing
disinterestedly over to where Columbine lay.

‘Saul! 
What do you see?’ 

Saul wiped the
blood from his face and frowned, ‘I see nothing to worry us, only a lot of dead
wolverines.  It’s over Mage De Winter.’

Drawing in a
sharp breath Fabian dropped his sword and spun round, pulling Mistral into his
arms.  He held her tightly, almost too tightly then released her with a
profound sigh of relief.

‘You are
safe.  Now it is over.’ 

Murmured
conversations broke out amongst the apprentices, comparing injuries and arguing
over wagers.  Despite the savagery of the attack only Saul and Cain had
sustained bites, leaving everyone else unhurt.

‘I think we’ve
lost Konrad though.’

Brutus’ softly
spoken words drew everyone’s attention back to dark treeline.  Nobody
responded while they contemplated the grisly task of going in to retrieve him,
or what was left of him.

‘We also need
to get Columbine,’ Xerxes said without attempting to try and conceal the
reluctance in his voice.  ‘Cain?  Mistral?  You’re the best
healers.  I have to ask this because I would say no, but are you willing
to treat her?’

Mistral
snorted, ‘No chance.  Let her die.’ 

‘I
will.’  Cain said quietly then looked at Mistral.  ‘If I’m willing to
do it you should be too.’

‘You’ve got me
wrong then brother, because I look forward to dancing round her pyre!’

‘Don’t we all,
but is this how you want your victory to taste?  Bitter?  She’s
wounded Mistral, helpless and dying.  Where’s the satisfaction in that?’

Mistral held
his gaze.  The impish blue eyes that she’d faced over a card table
hundreds of times were serious.

‘What do you
want me to do?’

‘Sew. 
I’m not bad with a needle but you’re better.  It’s going to be a two
person job stopping her from bleeding to death,’ Cain said, reaching for his
saddlebag and slinging it over his shoulder.

‘Stitch her pretty
Mistral.  She needs improving,’ Phantom murmured, sidling up to beside her
like a ghost.

Mistral looked
him over and sighed.  Both he and his brother were completely unscathed,
their appearances immaculate as ever.

‘Did you two
actually do anything?’ 

‘I think we
may have saved your worthless neck a couple of times,’ retorted Phantom. 
‘Which is more than can be said for Columbine or Konrad,’ he added with a
meaningful nod in Columbine’s direction.

Gazing over at
Columbine’s motionless body, Mistral sighed, ‘I suppose we’d better treat her
before she dies.  I don’t think it would be a plus point on my
Qualification score do you?’

‘We need to
find out what’s happened to Konrad as well,’ Xerxes said, gazing at the forests
worriedly.  ‘Let’s split up into two parties.  My brother and I will
go into the forests again.  We’ll be able to deter the wolverines with
Song if they decide to try and have another go at us.  Saul?  Would
you come with us?  Your eyesight would be a great help and, Grendel? 
We could use your strength if there’s any trouble.’ 

The others
murmured their agreement and gathered together.  Saul grabbed his medical
kit from his saddlebag and tucked it inside his jerkin. 

‘We shouldn’t
be long,’ he called to Mistral and the twins then hurried after the others
across the meadow.  ‘He can’t be too far away.’

‘Unless
they’ve taken his body,’ murmured Cain, watching the group depart.

‘I doubt
it.  Tithes are usually a token, some kind of trophy to take back to the
tribe,’ Fabian said while he finished cleaning blood from his sword.

Mistral and
Cain shared a look, both wondering just what Xerxes’ group were going to
find. 

‘We’ll go with
you while you treat Columbine and keep a lookout, just in case the elves come
back,’ said Phantasm, looking to Fabian for his agreement.

Fabian nodded
and indicated to Phantasm’s crossbow, ‘How many bolts do you have left?’

‘Not many, we
shot all of the wolverines with at least one poisoned bolt each.  The pack
is as good as dead once the poison takes hold.’

‘Good,’ Fabian
said then turned to look enquiringly at Mistral.  ‘Ready?’ 

She nodded and
slid her freshly cleaned swords into the holder across her back, ‘Let’s get on
with it,’ she said shortly. 

Following
Fabian, they walked carefully around the section of snow where the caltrops had
been laid before being able to move more quickly towards Columbine. 
Fabian and the twins drew back slightly when they approached where she lay,
holding their crossbows ready and keeping a watchful eye on the treeline.

Trying to
ignore the mauled carcass of the horse half-buried in a bank of scarlet snow
nearby, Mistral knelt beside Columbine’s body and studied her blood spattered
features.  She was unconscious but her chest rose and fell in a faint
motion. 

‘She’s still
alive,’ she murmured and reached out to take the canvas pouch that Cain passed
to her.

‘Then let’s
work.’  Cain muttered and uncorked a bottle of ointment with his teeth.
 ‘All the bites need cleaning and dressing.  We’d better stitch those
two on her face, oh and that larger one on her shoulder.  Then we’ll turn
her over and check the rear view.’

‘You do the
face.’  Mistral said grimly and began to splash ointment into the wounds,
hoping that even in her comatose state, Columbine could feel it stinging

Cain and
Mistral worked silently, thoroughly cleaning and neatly stitching the wounds
until they were satisfied they had done as much as they could.

‘She’s lost a
lot of blood,’ said Cain, feeling her pulse.  ‘We need to take her to the
Infirmary straight away.’

‘I can’t
believe I’m doing this,’ said Mistral disgustedly and took hold of Columbine’s
legs to help Cain carry her body across the meadow.

‘We have the
more preferable task,’ said Fabian grimly and took Columbine’s body from their
shared grip to throw her lightly over his shoulder. 

‘Thanks. 
It was too tempting to drop her,’ muttered Mistral. 

‘Hush
Mistral.  They’re back.’  Phantasm said quietly. 

Mistral looked
up to see her brothers approaching from the forests carrying something wrapped
in a cloak.

Phantom
frowned, ‘I think that’s Konrad.’

‘Or what’s
left of him,’ added Phantasm grimly.

They waited
while the apprentices slowly approached, grim-faced and silent.

‘Why are they
all carrying him?’  Mistral whispered to Phantasm.  ‘Grendel could carry
him with one hand.’

‘They’re
sharing the burden as a mark of respect for a fallen brother.’

‘Ah, so he’s
dead then –’

‘I hope so,’
said Fabian coldly.  ‘Elves usually skin their victims.’

Mistral stared
with horror at the blood soaked cloak wrapping Konrad’s body.

‘I don’t think
I want you to see this,’ Fabian muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her
roughly away.  ‘Grendel can you carry Columbine?  Mistral is going to
help me gather up the caltrops.’

Locating and
cautiously picking the caltrops out of the snow took twice as long as laying
them and by the time they had finished the others were mounted ready to
leave.  At Cain’s insistence Grendel had already started to make his way
back to the Valley with Columbine slung over his shoulder, but the others were
waiting for Fabian and Mistral. 

She retrieved
Cirrus from Brutus and quickly pulled herself into the saddle, trying not to
look at the bloody object tied over the back of Xerxes’ saddle. 

Nobody spoke
while they rode slowly across the meadow and headed back towards the
Valley.  The sun was already setting by the time they reached the North
Gate, unnoticed in a riot of pink and red that stained the snow on the Western
Range and the sky behind them.  They rode silently through the towering
gates; not reacting when the guard began to ring the warning bell at the sight
of a fallen warrior. 

The strident
tolling of the bell reminded Mistral of bringing Bali’s body back to the
Valley.  She felt a wave of dread wash over her at the thought of a prolonged
interview with Leo Sphinx and another warrior’s funeral. 

She drew in a
sharp breath, feeling the panic of claustrophobia clawing at her and saw Fabian
gazing steadily at her.  He leaned closer so that only she could hear his
words, his eyes not leaving hers.