‘Oh please tell me this was Brutus’ bed,’ she groaned. ‘I don’t think I could cope with Xerxes boasting that I’ve been in his bed!’
‘That should be the least of your worries, considering what you’ve just been through. Right, I need to check to see if any bruising has come out. There wasn’t any when I examined you last night, but it could have been deep –’
‘What bruising? Hang on a minute! You examined me when I was asleep? What the hell did you do that for?’
‘Unconscious, not asleep. You make me sound like a pervert or something. And your Mage was here the whole time. Come on, sit up … and you’ll need to take your shirt off –’
‘No I damned well won’t take my shirt off Cain!’ Mistral grabbed the blanket and pulled it higher up. ‘And I hope you didn’t last night either!’
Cain sighed in exasperation, ‘Mistral, my mother was the tribal midwife, I’ve seen more women undressed than Xerxes has, and I want to see your back anyway. I need to check there’s no bruising to the spine. Now please, just sit up and shut up.’
‘No way!’
‘For crying out loud! Will you just let me do my job?’
‘No!’
The sound of the door opening made them both turn. Mistral cried out with relief when Fabian strode quickly into the room. ‘Why are you shouting Mistral? Are you hurt?’
‘Fabian! Please get rid of Cain before I kill him! Why do I need examining? I’m fine!’
Fabian contemplated her for a moment, ‘Well, you’re arguing so I suppose that means you must be feeling better.’
‘I’m absolutely fine!’ Mistral insisted through clenched teeth. ‘Now why am I in what I sincerely hope is Brutus’ bed? Aren’t we meant to be hunting dragons today?’
Fabian stared at her expressionlessly while Cain stood up and quietly left the room, ‘Tell me what you remember,’ he finally said and sat down on the bed beside her.
Mistral groaned and sank back onto her pillow, ‘Oh no. I hate it when you ask me that! Now I know something’s happened … what’ve I done now? Stuffed the hunt up by getting drunk or something? I think you’re going to have to tell me for a change because I really can’t remember a thing!’
Fabian reached for her hand, taking it between both of his own and gazing down at it thoughtfully while he spoke, ‘The dragon hunt has been completed Mistral. We were successful. Two juvenile females were slain. Their carcasses were hauled back by the bestra we took for bait.’
Mistral listened to him carefully. Everything he was telling her seemed vaguely familiar. She felt an inexplicable burst of relief at the news of the bestra surviving, but was confused as to why she would feel like that. She frowned in concentration, watching his lips move while he retold the story of the hunt.
‘The remaining three juveniles were sedated and should have awoken by now,’ he paused and looked at her, his expression in his dark eyes inscrutable. ‘As was the queen.’
The queen.
Mistral’s heart suddenly began to race, jolting her memory into recalling a vision of burning bronze eyes and ... love … oh, such much love! ‘She … she’s going to be alright though isn’t she?’ Mistral asked in a choked whisper, her eyes suddenly full of tears.
Fabian’s brow creased in anger, ‘You’re concerned for the health of that creature? She tried to eat you Mistral!’
‘No!’ Mistral’s shout of denial reverberated loudly around the small bedroom. ‘I … I Saw her Fabian! She wouldn’t have hurt me! I know it!’
Fabian stared at her in stunned silence, ‘You heard the dragon’s thoughts?’ He finally asked in an incredulous voice.
Mistral closed her eyes to recall the events more clearly, ‘Not thoughts exactly … more emotions. It was like reading an aura, only I knew the emotions instead of just seeing the colours and having to interpret them.’ She opened her eyes and looked down at her hand held between his, slipping her fingers between his and curling them around tightly. ‘She loved me Fabian. I’ve never known anything like it. She just wanted to look after me.’ Mistral looked beseechingly into Fabian’s confused gaze, willing him to understand.
Fabian frowned, struggling to comprehend what she was telling him, ‘You felt ... love? From a dragon?’
‘I know how it sounds, and I can’t explain it either. But there’s no other way to describe what I felt. I’ve never known a mother.’ Mistral shook her head slowly. ‘But I can only imagine that’s how it would feel to be loved by one.’
Fabian gazed at her wordlessly then tilted his head slightly to catch her downcast eyes, the faintest suggestion of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, ‘Are you trying to tell me that you’re leaving me for a dragon?’
Mistral smiled and reached up her hand to touch his face, brushing the skin with her fingertips, ‘I could never leave you Fabian. It would kill me.’
He sighed and closed his eyes, taking hold of her and pulling her tightly against him, ‘You made a fairly convincing attempt at both. I have never experienced such complete and utter disbelief as I did when I watched you leap from the ledge into the open jaws of a dragon!’
Mistral grimaced and muttered an apology into his shirt, adding more clearly, ‘I think it must have been the effect of the dragon breath. I remember getting blasted with it when she knocked you over with her tail.’
‘Castor thought the same. It’s a powerful narcotic and may go some way to explaining why you believed you felt the way you did.’
Mistral nodded against his chest but said nothing. She knew it wasn’t the intoxicating effects of the dragon breath that had caused her to feel such depth of emotion. The connection had been there before the queen had breathed on her.
‘I feared that she had crushed every bone in your body.’ Fabian stroked a hand slowly her hair, letting it trail wonderingly down her back. ‘But there’s not a mark on you.’
‘No, Cain said.’ Mistral pulled her head away from his chest and looked up at him accusingly. ‘And that reminds me. I don’t appreciate you letting him examine me while I was asleep! It’s creepy!’
The door suddenly opened and the twins' blonde heads appeared around the edge to gaze inquiringly at her.
‘Did we hear your dulcet tones Mistral?’ Phantom enquired politely.
Mistral grinned at them, ‘Yes.’
‘We thought we’d see if you were ready for breakfast in bed, since you seem set on not getting up this week.’
‘What! Have I been asleep that long?’
‘Best part of two days now, you’ve excelled yourself this time!’
‘Really? No wonder I’m so hungry! Oh no! I bet we’re snowed in now,’ she cried, leaping out of Fabian’s arms and running over to the window to peer out at a world of whiteness.
‘Good and proper.’ Phantom sighed. ‘We won’t be going anywhere for at least a couple of weeks. Xerxes is thrilled.’
‘I’ll bet he is!’ Mistral laughed and spun around to look at Fabian with shining eyes. ‘Remember that honeymoon you owe me?’
He smiled slowly, immediately softening the hard lines anxiety had etched into his face, ‘I’ll go see Castor and enquire if he has a house we can rent.’
‘Make it one with only one bedroom won’t you,’ she whispered in his ear when he bent to kiss her goodbye. ‘We don’t want any extra guests.’
‘I heard that!’ Phantom gave her a wounded look once the door had closed behind Fabian. ‘And what makes you think we’d want to be in on your honeymoon anyway?’
‘You were only too happy to interrupt my first one,’ she argued back, throwing herself back onto the bed and looking at them with a suddenly eager expression on her face. ‘So where’s this breakfast you promised me then? I’m famished! But it better not have honey in it!’
‘No honey, just a plate of cold meat. I’ll go fetch it ... Oh, and there’s someone here that’s been desperate to see you.’ Phantasm opened the door and sprang quickly out of the way to avoid being knocked flat by the huge
form of Prospero bounding in. He leapt from the doorway onto the bed and promptly collapsed next to his mistress with a groan of contentment. Mistral patted him affectionately and then shoved him along the bed to make room for Phantom.
‘Come on brother; tell me all about the hunt! Who shot what?’
‘Well,’ Phantom began as he sat down beside her, ‘despite your reputation of being able to shoot spriggans blindfold, you shot nothing!’
‘Don’t remind me.’ Mistral pulled a face.
‘Although we were all fairly impressed with your decision to abandon the more traditional approach of using weapons and just leap in there and have a go with your bare hands. What were you planning to do? Get stuck in her throat and choke her to death?’
Mistral gave a short laugh, ‘I don’t really know what I was planning. I think the dragon breath knocked what little sense I’ve got right out of my head!’
‘Hmm, I’ve never seen your Mage work so fast. He’d shot her three times before I’d even fired once! I’ll be amazed if she wakes up by spring!’
A shadow crossed Mistral’s face. She didn’t want to think of the queen lying unconscious in the winter snows. ‘So who got the kills?’ She asked quickly to change the subject.
‘Cain collected in the arrows, and it was a good job Brutus took the time to initial them all because Xerxes was trying to claim every one as his!’ Phantom laughed. ‘Mage De Winter and Brutus were successful with the two culled dragons … they’re out the back of the stables if you want to see them. Then myself and my brother can lay claim to one of the sedated dragons, Cain and Grendel definitely took one down on their own, and the other two had arrows from Mage De Winter, Xerxes and Brutus in them.’
Mistral smiled proudly, pleased for her brothers – then she remembered the fallen queen and her smile faltered, ‘And the queen? Who shot her down?’ She asked hesitantly.
‘Hard to say for certain who’s was the one that finally knocked her out. She had an arrow from each of us stuck in her by the time she hit the deck, well, three of your Mage’s actually – so it’s probably safe to assume his were the ones that finally made her give up her dinner.’
Mistral nodded and looked down at her dog, rubbing his ears to avoid Phantom’s eyes. She didn’t want to get into a conversation about her bizarre experience with the queen. ‘And the journey back?’
‘Well, your Mage outdid himself in the brooding and protective stakes. We practically ran back … it was horrendous! I think he would’ve actually killed anyone who so much as suggested stopping for a rest! Mage De Winter carried you for most of the way, then Grendel carried you down the climbs. Luckily the bestra had survived, so we used them to drag the two culled dragons back.’
Mistral looked up, remembering the two corrupt Mages, ‘Did you pick up Mage Powers on the way back?’
Phantom shook his head, ‘No time. We had to make it out of the high mountains before nightfall, and it was starting to snow pretty heavily by then too. Mage De Winter refused to let Cain check you over until we were back here. He reckoned you’d freeze to death or something.’
Mistral looked at Prospero again to hide the guilt in her eyes. She hated to think of the torment she must have caused Fabian through her insane actions; even worse that he’d believed her injured for the entire during of the return journey when in reality she had been completely unhurt.
‘So just what did happen with you and the queen then?’ Phantom demanded, fixing her with a piercing look. ‘Cain says you don’t have any injuries at all, not even a scratch!’
‘Er, well –’ Mistral looked up with relief as the door opened to admit Diannah carrying a tray laden with food.
‘Good morning Mistral. I hope you found Brutus’ old bed comfortable?’
Mistral smiled, ‘Even more so now I know that.’
‘Bored … bored … bored!’ Phantom stared moodily at the inside of his empty cider tankard.
‘Another?’ Brutus offered automatically.
Phantom grimaced, ‘No, sorry, but after four days straight of cider it’s finally beginning to lose its appeal. Is this really how you spent every winter? Playing cards and drinking in the tavern?’
Brutus nodded wearily but Xerxes smiled happily, ‘Some of the time, but I managed to keep myself fairly well amused by –’
‘Oh yes, I think I’m beginning to understand exactly how you managed to turn out quite like you have.’ Phantasm cut in quickly.
A heavy silence fell. Cain picked up the pack of cards from the table and started to build a tower with them, watched by the twins.
‘Care to make a wager on how high he gets it before it falls?’ Xerxes promptly asked.
‘No,’ they chorused dully.
Phantom yawned and looked disinterestedly around the tavern. The tribal elves kept to their own company. Apart from Diannah, the warriors hadn’t spoken to anyone else since returning from the hunt.
‘It’s no good, I am completely bored. I’m off to see Mistral!’ Phantom announced and stood up, grabbing his cloak from the back of his chair.
Cain looked up from the tower of cards he was building and frowned, ‘I’m not too sure that she and Mage De Winter will appreciate you barging in on them.’
‘I won’t be.’ Phantasm replied smugly and pulled his cloak on. ‘Because Mage De Winter is sat over there talking to Chieftain Greenoak.’
They all looked over to see Fabian, looking unusually at ease, sat at a table with Castor. He caught their curious gazes and nodded a greeting, leaning back against the stone wall of the tavern and stretching his legs out in front of him before returning to his conversation.
‘Bless him, bet he needed to escape for a bit.’ Xerxes sighed sympathetically. ‘Honeymoons can be very wearing.’
‘And how many have you had now brother?’ Brutus asked with a grin.
Xerxes frowned, ‘Three, that I can recall … but not with the brides though ... two were with the bridesmaids ... and I can’t remember who the last one was with –’
Leaving Xerxes reminiscing happily about his past exploits, the twins left the tavern. Pulling their hoods up against the snow they hurried down the street towards the small log cabin Fabian and Mistral were staying in.
‘I’ve never seen snow like it!’ Phantom grumbled, brushing small drifts off his shoulders and stamping his feet while his brother knocked softly on the cabin door. Prospero barked in response but the door didn’t open. They glanced at each other from beneath their hoods.
‘Do you think she’s in there?’
‘Where else would she be? There’s only the tavern and she’s not there. I can’t imagine she’s gone to Diannah’s for tea.’
‘The stables?’
Phantasm shook his head, ‘I doubt it. Unless she’s had snow shoes made for Cirrus she won’t be able to get him out the door! She’s in there, probably asleep –’ he banged more loudly on the door while Phantom wandered over to the window and wiped away the snow to peer in. A fire was lit inside the tiny log cabin. Phantom could see Prospero basking in the warm glow. Set back against the wall was a large brass bed and sat in the middle was Mistral, cross-legged and completely motionless, staring vacantly into space.
‘I knew it! She’s off into someone’s mind! Damn it! We’ve spent four days listening to Xerxes spout rubbish and she’s probably spent every day getting information from the Valley!’
Phantasm gave him a withering look, ‘I doubt very much that’s what she’s been doing brother.’
Phantom ignored him and tried the handle of the door, it was unlocked. They slipped quietly in and stole over to the bed, sitting down on opposite sides to wait for Mistral to come out of her trance.
After several long minutes of listening to Prospero’s snores, Phantom began to grow impatient. ‘Shall we try and snap her out of it?’ He whispered to his brother.
Phantasm shook his head, ‘No, it could be very confusing for her. She was like this when we were trapped in the cave and I couldn’t brea
k her out of it. It’s best just to leave her. She’ll come out when she’s ready.’
Phantom made an irritated noise and continued to stare silently at Mistral, willing her to hurry up. Prospero growled when a log shifted in the grate and woke, opening one eye to regard the twins lazily before rolling over onto his back and immediately start snoring again. Phantom began to drum his fingers against the patchwork quilt, ignoring the annoyed looks his brother was giving him.
Mistral eventually heaved a deep sigh and began to withdraw her mind from the thoughts she had been listening to; the blood red eyes she’d seen with her mind’s eye slowly fading to green.
Green not black.
The wrong colour.
And completely the wrong person.
‘What the hell are you two doing here?’ She yelped in surprise and grabbed at the quilt to cover herself before realising with relief that she was actually dressed for the first time in days.
‘Where’ve you been?’ Phantom demanded without preamble.
‘Here!’ Mistral snapped. ‘Not that it’s any of your business!’
‘No, I mean just now! Who’s mind were you in?’
‘Oh!’ Mistral pulled a face. ‘Bellicose La Monte.’
The twins’ eyes glittered with excitement. ‘Tell all,’ Phantasm breathed, staring at her avidly.
Mistral dropped her gaze to look down at the patchwork quilt, tracing the outline of one of the coloured squares with her fingers, ‘It was vile,’ she said quietly. ‘I was inside Bellicose’s mind when the tribe went out to hunt. They’ve reverted to their preferred diet –’
‘The two-legged variety?’
Mistral nodded, ‘There’s a small mountain settlement … sorry, let me start that again. There was a small mountain settlement of elves in the Northern Range. They were a nomadic tribe that travelled with their herd of bestra all summer then holed up for the winter. Bellicose and his tribe just spent the last two days clearing the whole settlement. There’s not a single one left alive, not even the bestra,’ she added with a shudder. ‘The elves couldn’t escape, they were completely snowed in ... and they won’t be missed by anyone until the spring. But by then there’ll be no evidence of what happened. The wolves will come in and clear up after the vampires.’
The Seer Page 26
