‘Ah of course.’ Phantom sighed with satisfaction and then immediately looked shocked. ‘But don’t you want to go? The De Winter vaults are reputed to be full of fabulous jewellery and antiques, and it’s half yours now!’
‘Definitely not. I married him, not some damned cellar full of dusty relics!’
‘You really were dropped on your head as a baby weren’t you?’ Phantom tutted then turned to his brother with a sigh. ‘I suppose we ought to drag our brothers away from whatever salubrious company they’ve managed to find and get this license sorted.’
Whilst the twins used their gift Mistral wandered across the atrium and made a conscious effort to block Fabian’s thoughts from her mind. She didn’t want to know what was in the De Winter vaults, even less how he felt about seeing objects that could only remind him of an unhappy childhood.
She gazed broodingly at the only item of decoration in the atrium; a life-size portrait of Mage Grapple, unflatteringly complete with scars and habitually unsmiling expression.
‘Doesn’t look a bit like Master Sphinx does he?’ Phantom whispered in her ear.
She tilted her head slightly and studied the portrait’s glassy-eyed stare, ‘Oh I don’t know … Leo’s about as animated as an oil canvas.’
‘Please don’t be facetious about either of our esteemed leaders Mistral!’ Phantasm chided, gliding up beside her to examine the portrait.
‘Mage Hibbert! Well I never knew he dabbled,’ he exclaimed, bending to read the flamboyant signature at the bottom of the painting.
‘Hmm, did he do the ones of you two I saw in your mother’s house?’ Mistral asked, pretending to be interested in the finer details of the gilt frame. She felt the twins horrified stares boring into the side of her head and turned to look at them with a grin. ‘So much capacity for future negotiation has just opened up before me,’ she sighed happily.
‘Oh look here come Xerxes and the others.’ Phantom said quickly and abruptly walked off to meet a flushed looking Xerxes.
‘Good time?’ Mistral asked, pulling a face at the blast of alcoholic fumes that met her when Xerxes replied.
‘Fantastic! Mages can’t gamble to save their lives!’
‘Good job they can weave spells then isn’t it?’ Phantasm replied, looking pointedly at Xerxes’ empty money purse hanging from his belt.
Xerxes followed his gaze and let out a cry of dismay, ‘Of all the damnable, cheating low-life scum!’
‘Who’s Council we are stood in!’ Phantasm reminded him sharply.
Xerxes hiccoughed and nodded absently, gazing sorrowfully at his depleted money bag.
‘Ready to hunt some dragons then?’ Mistral demanded impatiently.
‘Oh, lead on sister! I was born ready!’
‘Yes Xerxes, I am sure you were. And I’m also sure that few dragons have crossed your path before today as well.’
‘Now, that’s no way to talk about my rather fine repertoire of lady friends.’ Xerxes reprimanded her with a lopsided smile.
‘Really? Oh well, we can argue about that later … here we go!’ Mistral shoved open the black door Fabian had shown her. She stepped into the Council’s administrative office and was immediately greeted by the coldly enquiring gaze of two officious looking Mages sat behind a long ebony desk.
‘Hired dragon hunting party is it?’
Xerxes raised his eyebrows at the Mage who had snapped out the question and said nothing.
‘That’s us!’ Cain confirmed cheerfully. ‘Shut the door behind you Grendel won’t you … there’s a terribly fresh draught running through,’ he said with a dramatic shiver, smiling at the Mages joint expressions of distaste when the half-troll lumbered into their small office.
‘We need your names for the license. Please step forward one at a time and speak clearly.’
Xerxes and Brutus shared a brief look before Xerxes swaggered up to the desk first.
‘Name?’
‘Xerxes.’
The Mage bent his head and scratched Xerxes’ name onto the parchment then looked up at him expectantly, his quill poised to write again, ‘And?’
‘And what?’ Xerxes looked briefly puzzled before his face cleared and he grinned. ‘Oh, yes, how could I forget? I’m an exceptional –’
Brutus laughed, ‘No brother, I think the Mage is referring to the fact that he expected our mother to come up with two equally splendid names.’
‘Not possible I’m afraid.’ Xerxes sighed apologetically. ‘A name as unsurpassable as mine simply cannot be added to or improved upon.’
The Mage stared at him coldly, ‘No second name? Your father’s perhaps?’
The sour-faced Mage next to him leaned over and muttered disdainfully in his colleague’s ear, ‘They’re half-breeds Powers. They won’t know their fathers.’
The warriors stirred. Xerxes’ face became very still. ‘No, no second name. It’s only your breed that are so unsure of their identities they feel compelled to name their children twice.’
The Mage, who they now knew was called Powers, raised his head slowly to meet Xerxes’ insolent look. The air around him shimmered fractionally. ‘Are you the party leader, oh kingly one?’
‘No, that would be me.’ Mistral stepped forward to stand beside Xerxes, meeting the Mage’s disdainful look with a defiant stare.
‘Name?’
‘Mistral De Winter.’
The mage snapped his head up to give her a sceptical look, ‘Mistral De Winter? Are you the wife of Mage De Winter?’
‘Well I’m obviously not his mother!’ Mistral snapped. ‘And that’s Lady De Winter to you!’ She added brusquely. ‘Now, is there a problem with my hunting party?’
‘None at all Lady De Winter. I do apologise for the delay.’ Mage Powers murmured insincerely while he wrote her name down.
The second Mage suddenly spoke up, ‘And will your husband be joining you on the hunt?’
‘Sorry, you are?’ Mistral looked at him like he was something nasty on the toe of her boot.
His chin receded slightly into the wattled skin of his neck, ‘Mage Silver.’
‘Mage Sliver? What an unfortunate name ... yes,’ she continued before Mage Silver could correct her, ‘Fabian will be joining us on the hunt, that’s if he doesn’t find something more suitable to kill nearer to home.’
Brutus and Xerxes laughed quietly.
‘If we could continue?’ Mage Powers snapped.
‘By all means.’ Mistral replied coolly. ‘Brothers? Give your names please, and don’t bother with any jokes. I think humour has been cut from the Council budget.’
The warriors stepped forward one by one and gave their names, spelling them out with painstaking care. Mistral could hear the arrogant and contemptuous thoughts of the two Mages and scowled at them. Her brothers were about to risk their lives on yet another Council Contract that could easily be carried out by any of their members willing to get their over-privileged hands slightly bloody for once. Finally the twins stepped up, the last to give their names.
‘Phantasm … that’s P –’
Mage Silver studied him closely and frowned, ‘I’ve seen you two in the Council a lot this year. You’re the Ri’s Gemini aren’t you? But there’s something familiar about you both,’ he studied Phantasm’s face closely before leaning back in his chair with a puzzled look on his face. ‘Aren’t you Preston Argyle’s boys?’
The twins stared silently at him, their faces expressionless then Phantasm turned back to Mage Powers and continued spelling out his name, ‘Then H … A –’
‘You are! I thought I recognised you! You’re those funny little half-bloods Melsina brought to the school!’
Phantasm’s face was stone, ‘To be bullied by all the nice full-blooded children. Yes, I have such fond memories of our time here. It’s enough to bring a tear to my eye.’
Mage Silver glanced over at the name his colleague was writing down and lifted an eyebrow, ‘That’s not the name I knew you by! It was –’
<
br /> ‘A long time ago!’ Mistral leaned across the desk threateningly. ‘Now, can we please get on with it? Only I’m sure this Contract has a fairly tight deadline that didn’t include wasting time on pointless chit-chat with two incompetent morons!’
‘Subtle as ever.’ Cain sighed as the Mages’ jaws dropped in astonishment.
Mage Silver finished taking the twins’ names in sullen silence, finally signing the license with a practised flourish before passing it wordlessly to Mistral.
‘Payment up front I believe,’ she demanded, holding her hand out over the table.
The two Mages stared at her with scandalised looks on their faces. ‘This is an outrage!’ Mage Silver spluttered.
Mistral rolled her eyes, ‘I’m sure you probably think it is. And yes, I am impertinent, rude, ill-mannered and all of the other insults you’re thinking but daren’t say! Now please pay my brothers for the job you’re too cowardly to do!’
Mage Powers eyed her coldly, ‘It is highly irregular to be paid in advance.’
‘Really? I can’t think why.’ Mistral folded her arms. ‘Could it be that the Council might save some money if there are fatalities on the Contract?’
Mage Powers’ eyes hardened, ‘Just what are you insinuating Lady De Winter?’
Mistral heard the soft rasp of a sword being drawn and knew Phantasm was itching for an excuse, ‘I got this,’ she muttered, not taking her eyes from Mage Powers. ‘You are the one to watch. How you hate half-breeds! Why, I wonder?’ she narrowed her eyes, forcing her mind into his, pushing aside his suddenly panicking thoughts to reach the one he was trying desperately to hide from her. ‘Oh my!’ she murmured with a smile. ‘Did you really? Well she certainly gets around! Glad to hear she started as she meant to go on. Well, I hope that you are not too embittered by your double loss.’
‘Wait here while I collect the money from the vault!’ Mage Powers abruptly strode from the room, his cheeks flushed with anger.
Mage Silver watched his colleague’s exit then gave Mistral a speculative look, ‘You are the Ri’s Seer now?’
She shrugged, ‘Amongst other things.’
A tense silence fell until Mage Powers returned with a large bag of money clasped in his hands, ‘Your fee,’ he said shortly and tipped the bag out onto the desk.
Some of the money rolled across the desk and fell onto the floor. No-one made a move to retrieve it but stood in silence until the last chink of falling coins had ended.
Mistral unfolded her arms and leaned against the desk edge, more coins spilling away beneath her gripping fingers, ‘Did you really expect us to fall upon it like desperate thieves?’ Her voice began to rise dangerously. ‘Is this how your kind show respect? You disgust me!’
‘Is everything satisfactory Mage Powers?’
Fabian’s quiet voice silenced Mistral instantly. She glowered at Mage Powers while Fabian strode into the room to stand beside her.
‘Er, not quite, Mage De Winter.’ Mage Powers dropped his gaze. ‘There seems to be an issue with the fee.’
‘Yes, I can see that.’ Fabian glanced at the coins spilled across the desk. ‘However, I’m sure it was simply a mistake that you are about to correct.’
They watched in stony silence while a sullen-faced Mage Powers scraped up the scattered coins and counted them out into eight separate piles. He carefully swept each pile into its own leather purse then pulled the drawstring tight.
‘Thank you.’ Fabian collected two bags from the neat line and passed one to Mistral.
‘So very kind.’ Cain gave a mock bow when he stepped up to collect one of the bags, his brothers following suit with similarly sarcastic displays of gratitude until they had all been paid.
‘Now, we just need to collect our babysitters then we can kill some dragons!’ Xerxes announced loudly, throwing his cloak on and pulling the hood up.
‘No need brother.’ Mistral murmured. ‘They’re already here.’
They all turned to stare in disbelief at the two Mages. ‘Surely not them?’ Brutus looked at her in askance.
‘I’m afraid so brother,’ she sighed, swinging her own cloak on. ‘Mage Powers is the Under Secretary to the Head of Control and Maintenance of Dangerous and Endangered Beasts and Mage Silver is his assistant.’
‘Couldn’t we have at least been given someone with the ability to hold a sword by the right end?’ Cain cried in a dismayed voice. ‘This Contract’s going to be challenging enough without being given a couple of useless Mages to carry!’
Mage Silver stiffened and the air around him seemed to thicken and shift. The warriors instantly drew their swords and levelled them at him.
Fabian held a hand up, stilling them, ‘There will be enough bloodshed on the hunt,’ he said quietly.
‘Maybe … but it’s always good to warm up.’ Xerxes growled.
‘We’ll meet at the stables.’ Fabian informed Mage Powers curtly and strode from the room, pulling Mistral with him.
The rest of the warriors slowly sheathed their swords and followed in silence, deliberately leaving the door open as a final gesture of insolence.
‘So, the Ri have the Gemini and another Seer now.’ Mage Silver whispered once they were alone again.
Mage Powers glowered darkly at the group of warriors visible through the open door, ‘They’re more powerful than they’ve ever been. It doesn’t bode well for our plans.’
‘I disagree.’ Mage Silver watched Fabian place a protective arm around Mistral and turn his head to whisper something to her. ‘De Winter is a touch possessive of his new wife don’t you think?’
Mage Powers followed his colleague’s gaze to see Fabian and Mistral embracing in the middle of the atrium, ‘Speak your mind quickly while he commands her attention!’
Mage Silver bent his head close and whispered urgently, ‘What do you think De Winter would do if another man attempted to seduce her?’
Mage Powers frowned, ‘De Winter’s hardly the most balanced individual. He’d probably kill any love rival he had … if she didn’t first,’ he added sourly.
‘Precisely my conclusion.’ Mage Silver smiled coldly. ‘Now, where’s that dragon report Pickering wrote? There was something else in there that I think will assist our cause perfectly.’
Xerxes’ Comeuppance
The ride to the elven settlement took them the rest of the afternoon and was mostly spent in silence due to the unwelcome presence of the two Mages. The twins held a whispered conversation between themselves for some of the way but even that dried up as they finally approached the high wooden fence surrounding the small mountain village. The sky had taken on the glory of a mid-winter sunset, bright pinks and vibrant reds scorched the sky, staining the jagged white peaks of the Northern Range in a dramatic wash of colour. Apart from a few occasional flakes drifting lazily down through the air, the skies remained mainly clear with no sign of the imminent heavy January snow falls.
‘I don’t suppose there’s any chance we could make a start for the mountains tonight is there?’ Xerxes asked quietly.
‘No.’ Fabian replied shortly.
‘I have to say I agree brother.’ Brutus said, grinning at Xerxes’ obvious dismay at having to spend an evening in his home village. ‘I really don’t fancy camping out in the mountains during winter just so you can avoid facing up to some of your past mistakes.’
‘I’m not avoiding anything!’ Xerxes retorted. ‘I was just considering how beneficial it would be to get in position before daybreak – you know, beat the snows and all that –’
‘Yes brother, of course you were.’ Brutus smirked.
Cain glanced thoughtfully up at the sky, ‘I have to say that it does look like it’s going to snow soon.’
Everyone laughed when Xerxes immediately looked hopefully up at the clear sky, now scattered with the first faint stars of evening. Xerxes scowled heavily and pulled his hood closer around his face, muttering something unintelligible about idiots.
A short while later the
y had halted outside a huge set of wooden gates. Fabian dismounted and banged his fist against them three times. He paused then repeated the action. A silence fell. Mistral looked out from beneath the heavy cowl of her cloak, watching Fabian’s breath rise up around him in a cloud of mist. It was apparent there was some sort of code to the knock and she wondered why. The village was so remote they surely didn’t suffer from unwanted callers. She listened to the sound of quiet footsteps walking quickly towards them from the other side and heard a high, musical voice speak; unmistakably elven.
‘When a dragon flies, he seeks it with his eyes. When a dragon roars, he holds it in his claws. When he slumbers deep, he dreams of it in his sleep. But there beneath his head, it forms his stony bed. What Is It?’
‘Gold.’
Fabian’s softly spoken answer was met by the sound of a heavy bar being lifted and the heavy gates swinging open to permit them entrance into the village.
While Fabian greeted the heavily cloaked elf Brutus took the lead and rode into the compound, swiftly followed by Xerxes, keeping his head buried deep within the hood of his cloak. Mistral hung back to let the rest of her brothers go on ahead. Prospero growled when the two Mages rode past and Mistral made no effort to hush him. She waited until they had passed her before she dismounted and led Cirrus over to stand next to Fabian. Prospero was so close to her that she could feel his warm breath through her trousers.
‘Castor, it’s good to see you again.’
‘Ah, Fabian, my old friend. I salute your unrelenting enthusiasm for this Contract.’ Castor shook Fabian’s hand vigorously. ‘This must be the third time you have taken it.’
‘I didn’t realise you were counting.’
‘Only the amount of times you safely return my friend.’ Castor laughed and glanced up at the sky. ‘The skies favour you. The snows do not look set to fall for a least the next week.’
‘This is well. Our hunt should easily be completed within that time.’ Fabian turned to take Cirrus’ reins from Mistral and began to lead both horses through the gates.
Castor threw Mistral a surprised glance, ‘I heard a rumor –’
The Seer Page 16
