The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) (72 page)

‘I will not
leave your side for one single second of this night.’

A spark flared
within her, giving her the strength she needed to face what was coming.
 She smiled gratefully back into his dark eyes, feeling suddenly calmer.

By the time
they had ridden along the path to the village square a group had gathered, all
bearing torches to shed light in the growing darkness.

‘Warriors,
dismount.’

Leo Sphinx’s
cold tones were easily recognisable but his words sounded strange.  With a
dull flash Mistral realised that they had completed Qualification.  Her
brothers were now warriors.

Gleacher
Shacklock moved swiftly to untie Konrad’s body from the back of Xerxes’
saddle.  Mistral looked around for the hulking figures of the three
Lieutenants and was surprised to see they were absent.

‘We will pay
our respects to a warrior tonight.  Join me in The Cloak and Dagger before
we bid our brother farewell.’

Leo swept past
them and paused briefly by Fabian’s side to mutter a few quietly spoken
words.  Fabian nodded once and Leo strode on towards the tavern, motioning
to the Equus as he passed.  Clovis immediately hurried forward to gather
up all of the horses’ reins and lead them away. 

Fabian took
Mistral’s hand and led her gently towards the brightly lit tavern, his face
expressionless in the orange flare of torchlight.

‘Why doesn’t
he want to speak with us?’  Mistral whispered in confusion, watching Leo
enter the tavern ahead of them.

‘Golden has
already told him everything,’ Fabian murmured back.  ‘He’s asked for me to
meet with him in the morning to verify her story.’

‘Do you think
she told the truth?’  Mistral asked dubiously.

Fabian nodded,
‘The truth is far more deplorable than any lie she could fabricate, but I doubt
that playing the distressed victim will further her efforts to resume their
affair.  Leo has overcome his obsession with her.’    

Mistral
glanced at him.  They were brothers and obviously talked about such things
… she suddenly was struck by an uncomfortable thought.

‘Do you discuss
me like that too?’ 

Fabian turned
to regard her with his fathomless black gaze.

‘We spoke
about you once when I returned to the Valley.  I told him in no uncertain
terms that I would not give you up.  You are my absolution.’

Mistral stared
back at him.  The intensity of his gaze was almost frightening.  He
had described her as his absolution … but, what did that mean?

‘That doesn’t
sound very passionate,’ she muttered, feeling slightly disappointed that Fabian
hadn’t confessed to proclaiming his undying love for her and ranting on about
her good points for hours on end.

‘Mistral, you
are my chance do something right with my life.  We are about to attend a
funeral; what more could make your realise that the end is inevitable and it is
only what we do between being born and dying that marks us for the people we
are?’

Mistral
listened to the depth of emotion in his voice and understood that more than the
words coming from his mouth.  She gazed at him, a slight furrow creasing
the skin between her eyebrows while she fought down the question threatening to
burst from her lips. 

Fabian’s eyes
searched her face and he smiled, reading her expression as easily as though she
had uttered the question out loud.

‘Of course, I
also told him that I loved you.’

A grin broke
out on her face, which she instantly quelled since they were about to enter the
hushed confines of The Cloak and Dagger.

As before the
entire population of the village were crammed into the low-ceilinged tavern,
filling every table and standing three deep around the walls. 

Floris was
stood by a large barrel of wine, waiting expectantly.  The silence seemed
to deepen as the apprentices filed through the door.  Mistral glanced at
them, taking in their blood-stained and pale appearances.  Saul and Cain
both bore bites on their arms that could clearly be seen through the ripped
holes in their shirts.  They gathered together at the bar where a space
had been left for them.

Leo Sphinx was
standing near to Floris and nodded briefly at him to break open the cask of
wine.  Floris immediately wrenched the top from the barrel and raised it
above his head, pausing for the briefest of moments before he smashed it down
over his knee.  Leo dipped a tankard into the full cask and raised it up
like a trophy.  Blood-red wine dripped from the gleaming wet metal,
splashing down onto the stained wooden floor.

‘Fill your
tankards and drink!  We do not mourn the passing of a warrior tonight but
honour his life.’ 

Leo’s voice
was strong and sincere, but the words rang hollow to Mistral.  Forcing her
face not to betray her she glanced at her brothers and saw them all wearing
similar wooden looks.

‘Drink
Mistral,’ Fabian murmured, passing her a full tankard.

She looked at
him with a frozen expression still on her face, ‘I can’t stand here and drink
to mourn his passing when I’m not sorry he’s dead!’

‘None of us
are mourning his passing.’  Fabian replied and Mistral could tell the
other apprentices were listening to him too, that they were also struggling
with not feeling any sorrow for Konrad’s death, however gruesome his end had
been.  ‘But let his passing mark a turning point in your own lives. 
How do you want to be remembered?’

Her brothers’
responses were audible only to their closely gathered group.

‘With pride,’
Brutus muttered.

‘With honour,’
Xerxes said fervently.

‘With
reverence,’ chimed the twins.

‘With
respect,’ said Saul.

‘With a
smile,’ finished Cain.

They all
laughed quietly and raised their tankards.  

‘To
Konrad.  For teaching us how not to be remembered,’ said Xerxes solemnly.

The rich wine
was better than any of Serenity’s tonics and by the time she had drained her
tankard Mistral felt the tension begin to slip from her shoulders. 
Comforted by Fabian’s arm around her waist, she leaned in closer to him and listened
to the noise level in the tavern going up a level.  Everyone was talking
about the Qualification Hunt.  Soon her brothers were being bought drinks
and plied with questions about their heroic fight.  They didn’t seem to
mind too much since most of their inquisitors were the daughters of the
villagers.  Mistral gazed across the room and noted Eudora making a
beeline for the twins and nudged Phantom with her elbow.

‘Watch out
brother.  There’s something coming for you that makes the Blackheart
Wolverines look like stuffed toys!’

The twins
followed her gaze and blanched.

‘I don’t
suppose you’d consider reprising your role as my girlfriend?’  Phantasm
asked quickly.

‘No chance, I
told you it was my turn next time,’ Phantom butted in, starting to look panicked
as Eudora smiled and waved at him.

‘Sorry, but
no.’ Mistral leaned her head against Fabian’s shoulder and gazed at them with a
smug expression on her face.  ‘It’s time you learned to fight your own
battles.’

‘Mage De
Winter won’t let you more like,’ said Phantom bitterly and watched Eudora
climbing over a chair that was blocking her path.

‘Mistral can
do as she pleases,’ Fabian smiled.

‘Oh, I am,’
she replied and turned to kiss him.

Gleacher
Shacklock’s iron voice rang out over the tavern, creating an instant lull in
the noise.

‘The pyre will
be lit now, please gather in the village square.’

‘Oh thank you
Master Shacklock!  I could kiss him!’  Phantom exclaimed, exhaling a
huge sigh of relief.

‘That might
work,’ mused Mistral.  ‘I think even Eudora would know that you were
immune to her charms then.’

Phantom shot
her a filthy look and joined the crowd streaming out of the tavern.  They
gathered around the pyre in village square, talking in muted voices.  True
to his word, Fabian did not leave her side for a moment.  Wrapping his arm
protectively around her while they waited for the Divinus to begin the
proceedings.  Looking up at the pyre, Mistral could see that Konrad’s body
was already in place, still wrapped in his cloak. 

A respectful
silence descended with the arrival of the Divinus.  The crowd parted to
allow the frail figure to walk slowly towards the base of the pyre.  As
before, he was flanked by the two figures of Malachi Nox and Mycroft
Casterton. 

‘Discipline,
courage and strength; the qualities of a warrior –’ the Divinus began to recite
the same words she had heard spoken at Bali’s funeral.  Mistral turned her
head to whisper in Fabian’s ear.

‘Where are the
Lieutenants?  Last time they carried the body and built the pyre. 
How come it’s Gleacher this time?’

‘I cannot say
for certain until I have spoken with Leo, but I imagine that they have been
dismissed for failing to split the pack and nearly causing the decimation of an
entire year of apprentices.’

‘Oh!’ 
Mistral exclaimed quietly, trying to hide a smile at the piece of good
news.  ‘Next year just got a bit better then!’

Fabian
chuckled softly and pulled her closer to his side.

As the Divinus
spoke of respect Mistral heard a definite snort of disgust from Xerxes. 
She glanced over to see him stood with his arm around a pretty blonde girl,
looking very pleased with himself. 

The Divinus
finished speaking and lit the funeral pyre.  Flames leapt hungrily at the
dry wood, quickly enveloping Konrad’s body in a fiery blaze.

‘Come on, let’s
get a drink,’ Saul said, abruptly turning his back on the burning pyre and
walking through the already thinning crowd back to The Cloak and
Dagger.  

‘You owe me
one,’ Mistral reminded him, walking back hand in hand with Fabian.

Saul smiled,
‘Pint for the lady then?’

The tavern
quickly filled with villagers, warriors and the soon to be Qualified
apprentices.  The mood lightened as the barrel gradually emptied with
Floris becoming more red-faced and harassed by people clamouring to be
served.  Saul passed her a tankard and she nodded her thanks, raising it
to take a long swallow.  Feeling emotionally wrung-out by the intensity of
the day, Mistral sighed with relief when the alcohol struck her empty stomach
and spread through her body in a warm glow.  Leaning back contently
against the bar she gazed across the noisy tavern.  In amongst the
familiar faces were one or two unfamiliar ones.  From the wide-eyed stares
they gave everyone around them Mistral guessed that they were new arrivals to
the Valley, here for Registration.  She looked at them curiously; had she
and the others all looked so blatantly new when they had arrived a year
ago?  Taking another drink from her tankard, Mistral began to reflect on
the long year she had spent in the Valley and couldn’t help but envy her
brothers, growing more rowdy with the alcohol and the realisation that their
training had finally finished.  For them tomorrow’s Qualification Ceremony
was merely a brief formality to be suffered before the wild celebrations that
would surely follow.  Mistral sighed to herself and thought about the
promise she’d made to Fabian to commit to another year. 

Preoccupied by
her thoughts, Mistral didn’t notice a heavily scarred warrior approaching them
until he spoke to Fabian, greeting him as an old friend.  Keeping one arm
loosely wrapped around her waist Fabian began a quietly spoken conversation
with the warrior, someone he obviously knew from his past.  Mildly curious
Mistral listened with half and ear to their murmured words but they seemed to
be discussing a recent Contract the warrior had taken in the Southern Range and
she allowed her attention to wander.  Her mind drifted back to the hunt,
running it through her mind over and over, trying to see a way they could have
done things differently.

‘Long day,
huh?’  Phantom remarked, leaning casually against the bar next to her and
gazing out at the chaotic sea of people.

Mistral
sighed, ‘I was just thinking about it.  I can’t help wondering if there
was anything we could have done differently … you know, to avoid Konrad’s
death.’

Phantom turned
to look at her, his green gaze piercing, ‘Nothing could have changed what
happened to Konrad today.  He made his choice when he took that Contract
back in the spring.’

Mistral frowned,
‘Do you think we’ll have to take Assassination Contracts next year?’ 

Phantom looked
down at his half-empty tankard, ‘I hope not.  The more I learn how to take
a life, the more I value its continuation.’

Mistral nodded
but said nothing.  She was thinking about Columbine lying dying in the
snow and how she and Cain had worked to save her.  Could she have left her
to die?  It was different to kill in the heat of a fight, but to just walk
away and leave someone to die was not something she was sure she could
do.  It was too cold,

‘Have you
noticed how much more handsome I’ve become since I Qualified?’ 

Brutus’
cheerful voice broke into Mistral’s thoughts.  She looked up at his
grinning face and frowned.  

‘Not
really.  You look just as ugly as you did yesterday.’

‘Sorry sister,
but I think you’re mistaken.  I’ve been beating those village girls off
with a stick all evening!  Even the blonde one that works in the
saddlery!  Mind you, I think my wayward brother has got his eye on her; he
was glued to her throughout the funeral!’

‘Where has
Xerxes got to anyway?  He’s been ages.’  Phantom asked, looking
around lazily.

Brutus
smirked, ‘He’s taken his new lady to the stables to see his horse.’

Phantom
frowned, ‘Is that a euphemism for something else?’ 

‘Knowing my
brother you can bet on it!’ 

‘Oh damn
it!’  Mistral swore suddenly making Fabian abruptly break off from his
conversation.