The Seer

by Kirsten Jones

  ‘Er, is there any chance of the door being left open? Only I can’t stand enclosed spaces –’

  ‘Oh! Of course!’ Alyssa’s dark eyes filled with compassion. ‘I am afraid that is a trait you have inherited though your centaur blood. None of us can bear to be constrained; it is another reason why we live so far out in the forests.’

  ‘You knew this yet you locked me in a hut with no windows and a closed door?’ Mistral gave her a look of surprised hurt.

  ‘No! I would never have permitted the door to be closed and locked if I had known you suffered with our affliction! I will ask Storm to keep guard with the door open.’

  Mistral cursed inwardly, so she had a guard to deal with as well …

  ‘If it’s my home and not a prison, then why am I being kept here against my will?’ Mistral demanded quickly as Alyssa turned to leave again.

  Alyssa turned back to look at her once more, regarding her carefully with dark eyes that were unsettlingly familiar, ‘Imperato knows the depths of your wilful nature, my daughter. He fears you would try to follow your Mage.’

  ‘He’s right.’ Mistral gazed wistfully out of the open door at the star-filled sky. ‘I would follow him anywhere.’

  A silence fell between them while Alyssa continued to gaze at her, ‘I wanted to be like you once,’ she said softly.

  ‘Like me? How like me?’ Mistral frowned.

  ‘Free.’

  Mistral looked at her mother to see her wearing an expression of ineffable sadness. It suddenly struck her that Alyssa was a prisoner too, forbidden from ever leaving the confines of the tribal home without being escorted by her Bonded partner. For the first time since meeting her, Mistral felt a pang of compassion for the creature that had borne her.

  ‘You could leave Alyssa,’ she found herself whispering impulsively. ‘Come with me –’

  Alyssa looked profoundly shocked then an expression of guilt stole over her face, making her look eerily like the face that Mistral sometimes saw in the mirror and she suddenly realised how everyone always seemed to know when she was lying.

  ‘I did, once.’ Alyssa admitted in a shameful voice.

  Mistral was intrigued by the idea of her shy and dutiful mother once being a rebellious run-away, it just didn’t seem to fit ... then she remembered something Imperato had said to her at the Tournament about Alyssa having mellowed with the passing of time.

  ‘What happened?’ Mistral asked with real curiosity.

  Alyssa sighed, ‘Oh it was a long time ago, when the tribe still inhabited the Persian lands. I was young and single, headstrong. I wanted more than tribal life,’ she paused and gazed out of the open door. ‘So I left.’

  Mistral stared at her, fascinated. She denied the ability of her gift and waited instead for her mother to tell her own story.

  ‘I could hunt, and I knew the area I had been raised in well.’ Alyssa continued in a quiet voice. ‘And the solitude was all I had ever dreamed of –’

  Mistral smiled. She may well have more in common than her mother than she had imagined.

  ‘But our shape is not easy to conceal, I was seen by humans and forced to flee. I escaped them but I knew that I would be hunted mercilessly from then on.’

  Alyssa stopped and seemed to be lost in a memory, forcing Mistral to prompt her impatiently, ‘Did you go back?’

  ‘Oh no, I was too proud to return!’ Alyssa gave a small smile. ‘I kept running, hiding, living the life I thought I wanted. Until Imperato found me … and then, well, everything changed.’

  Mistral sighed in understanding; the immutable power of Bonding. The dull ache within her awoke and began to throb like a half-healed wound. Fabian had left her, again.

  ‘Then I finally understood that freedom is a state of mind, not a place. When I returned with Imperato, only then was my soul truly free. The shackles of tribal life became the bonds of my love for him. I was no more trapped than the moon!’

  Mistral knew that this was going to be her only chance. She quickly stood up and grasped Alyssa’s hands, holding them tightly while she gazed imploringly into her eyes. ‘Then you know how I’m feeling right now! I need to be with Fabian! Every second we’re apart cuts me like a knife! Help me Alyssa! Please help me to go to him –’

  Alyssa looked at her fearfully, as a reformed addict might regard another still in the grip of their vice.

  ‘Please Alyssa!’ Mistral pleaded, her voice breaking with tears that were only half-forced. ‘Please don’t make me suffer until he comes back … if he comes back –’

  ‘But where he is … there will be bloodshed.’ Alyssa whispered in frightened voice.

  Mistral shook her head, keeping her tearful gaze fixed on Alyssa’s, ‘I’m not going to fight,’ she lied unashamedly. ‘I just want to be with him and to help – I’m a good healer, they’ll need me.’

  Pride flared in Alyssa’s face, ‘My mother was a healer.’ She looked at Mistral with sudden determination. ‘Quickly then! I asked Storm to leave for a while to allow us to speak privately. There is little time left!’

  ‘Oh! Thank you!’ Mistral gasped and impulsively flung her arms around her mother.

  Taking Mistral’s hands in hers, Alyssa gazed down at her expressively, ‘Come back to me soon.’

  ‘You have my word.’ Mistral held her gaze sincerely. ‘My son will know all of his family.’

  Alyssa nodded silently, the soft candlelight catching the tears glistening in her dark eyes. She blinked them away, her expression suddenly tightening. ‘Quickly now! We must go –’

  Keeping close by Alyssa’s side Mistral crept out of the hut and gave Prospero a whispered instruction to stalk; he immediately dropped to his belly and crawled silently by her side. They halted at the edge of the hut to look out across the open expanse in the centre of the huts. The moonlight was too bright for them to risk crossing it. Alyssa pulled Mistral back into the deep shadows at the side of the hut and signalled wordlessly for her to follow. Moving quietly around to the rear of the hut Alyssa led Mistral along the back of dwellings, pausing frequently to listen for any indications that their progress had been observed. As they crept silently past the huts and Mistral was impressed at the stealth with which Alyssa moved, her unshod hooves making as little noise as her own careful footfalls.

  She followed her mother closely. The only audible sound was the hammering of her heart, a persistent drumroll echoing in her ears. Every time Alyssa paused to look around and listen, Mistral tensed, expecting to hear Storm raise the alarm when he returned to find the hut empty. Despite her fears they reached the edge of the circle of huts unchallenged and hovered in the shadows, looking over at the corral where Cirrus was grazing. Casting a quick glance around to make sure they wouldn’t be seen crossing the final piece of exposed ground, Mistral hurried over to the fence and called softly to her horse.

  ‘I will buy you some more time.’ Alyssa breathed to her while Mistral lifted Cirrus’ saddle and bridle from the fence.

  ‘How?’ Mistral whispered, looking over her shoulder at Alyssa while she slipped Cirrus’ bridle over his head.

  Alyssa smiled and nodded towards Mistral’s thickened waist, ‘Call of nature my daughter, another affliction of being pregnant.’

  ‘Oh! Er, right.’ Mistral quickly turned away to concentrate on tightening the straps on his bridle to halt the suddenly embarrassing turn in the conversation.

  Prospero whined gently. Mistral glanced down at her dog. He was sat looking pointedly at the circle of huts. ‘Someone must be moving around!’ Mistral hissed, hastily doing up the last strap to secure her saddlebag and hauling herself into the saddle. ‘I’ve got to go! Goodbye Alyssa … and thank you!’

  ‘Goodbye my daughter.’ Alyssa murmured, watching Mistral riding away through the trees.

  Mistral pushed Cirrus into a canter. Knotting her reins tightly so they wouldn’t hang down and trip him, she wound her hands through the leather then clung onto his mane for support. Glancing down to ensure that
Prospero was keeping pace, Mistral finally let Sight reach out for Fabian, sinking into his mind so deeply that she no longer saw through her own eyes but his. Giving herself over completely to the power of her gift, she let it fill her and guide her hands, drawing her to Fabian. She rode without thinking or feeling, her mind immersed in another place entirely; her body a vessel left waiting for her return, asleep in the saddle. She did not fear for the health of her body or the life that grew within her; the Divinus had remained in death trances for days at a time with no ill effects so she knew her long absence would cause no harm.

  The sun rose, arced overhead, set and rose again utterly unnoticed by Mistral. The only time she stirred was to halt Cirrus and allow the horse to eat and rest. She neither drank nor ate; she had no need of any sustenance. Her body existed in a fugue state while the mysterious force of Sight took control. At midday on the second day she left the forests and rode out onto the High Moors beneath a wide sky of unblemished blue. She felt neither the warming rays of sun on her skin or the light breeze that lifted her hair. The eyes that stared unwaveringly ahead at an unseen destination were misted and vague, seeing not the windblown grass of the Moors but the start of a narrow path winding up into a distant peak of grey rock; the beginnings of the Northern Range.

  Night fell, the stars forgave the blackness to shed their diamond bright light down on Mistral, cantering a weary Cirrus over the rolling downs of the Moors towards a small group of figures, their sleeping forms huddled around the glowing remnants of a fire at the base of a high grey peak of rock. As she slowed Cirrus to a walk, one figure stood upright and walked towards her. Giving a deep, lingering sigh, Mistral blinked and gazed through her own eyes at the tall figure striding towards her through the darkness.

  He gave a low chuckle and reached out to take Cirrus’ reins, patting Prospero on the head with his other hand. ‘I wondered when you’d appear.’

  ‘Good to see you to Brutus.’ Mistral yawned and dismounted stiffly.

  ‘I’ll tether Cirrus, you sleep.’

  ‘Thanks,’ she yawned again and pulled her Wolverine skin off the back of the saddle. ‘Wake me when the shouting starts.’

  Mistral was woken what felt like only seconds later by the sound of Phantom’s voice muttering nearby.

  ‘I vote for leaving her asleep. She’ll probably still be here when we get back.’

  Cautiously opening one eye Mistral met Fabian’s granite hard stare. Phantasm was stood beside him wearing a thunderous look, but it was no worse than she’d been expecting. At least they weren’t shouting at her … yet.

  ‘Morning!’ Mistral opted for the breezy approach. ‘Er … Surprised?’

  ‘Not really.’ Phantasm snapped coldly. ‘Only you could be so utterly irresponsible as to ride for two days solid in your condition!’

  Fabian inhaled sharply and nodded to someone behind Mistral. She turned to see Cain with his dreaded saddlebag held in his hands.

  ‘If you could give us a moment please.’

  Cain’s voice had a sharp edge to it and Mistral immediately spun around to look beseechingly at Fabian but he was already striding away across the makeshift camp, the rigid set of his shoulders telling her just how furious he was.

  Cain didn’t speak to her until he had finished checking her blood pressure and listening to the baby’s heartbeat. Finally he sat back on his heels and shook his head disgustedly at her. ‘You and your baby are both fine. Which is more than you deserve! Just what the hell were you thinking?’

  Oh here we go ... Mistral shrugged indifferently rather than be drawn into an argument.

  He continued to glare at her, waiting for her response. She stared sullenly back, refusing to speak.

  ‘Have you forgotten your promise?’ He finally exploded. ‘You swore on Saul’s life to listen to me! He died for you Mistral! Or have you forgotten that as well?’

  ‘I’ve forgotten nothing!’ Mistral instantly flared. ‘And I’ll listen to you when you stop trying to control me with guilt over Saul’s death! You know damned well that I would’ve traded places with him in a heartbeat! But I can’t! And I won’t hide from this fight! You need me! I’m coming with you and that’s final!’

  ‘Don’t be so stupid! You’re pregnant!’

  ‘Am I really? Gosh! I hadn’t noticed! But let me tell you this Cain, I may be pregnant but I’m still me! Saul would never have tried to change me the way you all have!’

  Cain snorted angrily, ‘Saul’s better off dead than wasting his life loving a selfish –’

  Mistral flinched as though Cain had physically struck her.

  He immediately stopped and drew in a sharp breath, ‘Oh, forget I said that Mistral.’

  ‘No Cain.’ Mistral said after a long pause. ‘It was completely true. I am selfish, I know. And you know what? I’ve every right to be! If wanting to fight beside my husband and my brothers to protect our future makes me selfish than I embrace that title! And next time just finish your sentence and call me a bitch, because I know that’s what you were going to say… but don’t call me a whore because Fabian tends to kill people who do that and, despite how much you annoy me, I would miss you.’

  He gave a short laugh and turned his head to look at her again, ‘But why, why can’t you ever be sensible? Why do you have to be so damned reckless all the time? It’s going to be a bloody enough fight as it is without worrying about you too!’

  ‘Worrying about me? I’ll be the one winning the damned fight!’ Mistral grinned. ‘Come on Cain, you need me in this fight!’

  Cain blew his cheeks out and gave her an assessing look, ‘That’s really a decision to be made between you and Mage De Winter, not by me. But if… if he were to agree to you going then you can only shoot crossbow not longbow, and definitely no swords.’

  ‘Haven’t even got them with me.’ Mistral lifted her hands palm uppermost in a gesture of innocence. The fact that her holster no longer fitted was beside the point.

  Mistral watched Cain pack away his saddlebag, savouring the brief moment of relief at having made up with one brother; now there was just the small matter of the twins … and Fabian. She leaned back against Prospero and rummaged through her saddlebag for the parcel of food she’d packed, unwrapping it she tore a chunk of bread in half to share with her dog while she mused on the best way to go about the unpleasant task that lay before her. Apologising was out of the question. She wasn’t the one who had contrived to have her abducted and imprisoned with the centaurs. If anything, Fabian and the twins should be apologising to her! Sighing and pulling off another piece of bread, Mistral abandoned the idea of that particular approach; a heated confrontation with the twins would only waste time and send her temper into the stratosphere, something she wanted to avoid if it meant Cain checking her blood pressure again. The twins ... Mistral narrowed her eyes while she tried to remember something Phantasm had said to her the night she’d returned from the centaur tribe … he’d asked why she had to make every stage of her life such a battle … Mistral smiled grimly and wiped the bread crumbs from her hands. It was time to take a leaf out of the twins’ book and become a little devious.

  Closing her eyes, Mistral let her body go limp and her mind empty, allowing the vision of Bellicose La Monte’s hooded face to manifest in the grey void. Having seen a vampire in its unadorned form through Malachi’s subconscious, Mistral now knew why Bellicose kept the hood of his cloak fully drawn at all times. Foregoing the image of the abhorrent creatures Malachi’s mind had afforded her, Mistral focussed instead on Bellicose’s eyes; twin orbs of red staring at her with malign hatred. She sunk down into their crimson depths, submersing herself in his mind.

  Disjointed thoughts jarred her mind. Fragments of sentences, more noises uttered with intense feeling rather than coherent words. A manic excitement overwhelmed her as she shared in the uncontrollable bloodlust that gripped him.

  ‘So good –’

  The long drawn out sigh of pleasure held no satisfaction. Unquenched by
the warm liquid flooding her mouth, the raw thirst that clawed at her throat burned on relentlessly, demanding more. She leapt up with frightening speed, bounding away on all fours after one of the many stumbling figures trying desperately to flee from the nightmare creatures hunting them. Mistral felt the thrill of her sharp teeth sinking into warm flesh. The hot, salty blood that flooded her mouth was richer than any wine she’d ever drunk and far more intoxicating. With a savage growl, Bellicose began to rip frenziedly at his victim’s body, tearing the skin, drinking the life giving liquid that he craved.

  A spasm of revulsion gave Mistral back the control she needed. Detaching herself from the overpowering hold of Bellicose’s bloodlust, she looked out through his eyes. Seeing the dying body in his hands Mistral felt a shock of recognition but quickly pushed it aside and forced her mind to focus on the details at the edge of Bellicose’s peripheral vision, trying to see something significant that would help identify where the tribe were hunting. She could just make out a large spike of rock rising up at the head of the gorge where the tribe had trapped their prey. The rock had a distinctive abnormality that would make it easily recognisable to anyone who knew the area. Dragging her unwilling gaze away from the rock, Mistral forced herself not to hear the sickening gurgling sounds or see the flecks of blood flying up in front of her eyes, but looked at the other creatures feeding, seeing not their gruesome actions but their numbers. She counted the white crouched figures twice over before allowing her mind to fly back to the safety of her body. She had Seen enough. Immediately wrapping her arms around Prospero she buried her face into his fur and inhaled deeply of his honest, earthy scent.

  ‘Where were you?’ a voice asked tersely.

  ‘Bellicose La Monte,’ she replied, not lifting her head out of Prospero’s fur.

  A silence fell.

  ‘Oh, very clever.’

  ‘You wouldn’t say that if you’d just Seen what I have.’

  Relinquishing her hold on Prospero, Mistral turned to meet Phantasm’s green eyes. Noting the conflicting anger and curiosity in them she permitted herself a moment of satisfaction. Her plan would work.