‘Welcome apprentices of the Ri,’ the Divinus began in a high, sighing voice that reminded Mistral of a light breeze moving through leaves. ‘Now begins the first year of your new life. The Ri will equip you with skills to be hunters and fighters, able to survive almost anywhere – but you must learn for yourselves the true meaning of what it is to be a Ri warrior.’ he paused and his milky eyes roved over the gathered apprentices, as though looking at each one in turn. ‘Remember that respect can only ever be earned, never bought.’
He finished speaking and drifted slowly towards them, moving along the line of apprentices with a benign expression on his face, nodding to himself as he passed each one in turn.
‘I think they may all go, Master Sphinx,’ he turned towards Leo and said in his high voice. ‘Except for these three.’ he indicated towards Mistral and the twins with a wave of his skeletal hand.
Leo nodded curtly and opened the door, signalling for the other apprentices to file past him and out into the corridor.
The Training Lieutenants were last to leave, closing the door with an echoing bang behind them, leaving Mistral and the twins alone in the huge, empty room with the Divinus.
He turned to face them and Mistral was struck again by the peculiar notion that he was actually seeing her with his blind eyes.
‘You know, of course, that you are all gifted?’ he asked softly.
‘Yes Divinus,’ Phantasm replied promptly. ‘Since we were young my twin brother and I knew that if we worked together we could combine our thoughts to influence others to our will.’
The Divinus nodded, ‘I See you ... you are Gemini … your skills are already well established and will only grow stronger with training.’ he turned his strange gaze to Mistral. ‘Your brothers are perceptive, they see more than they say, but they do not know everything about you apprentice. And I do not think that you do either ... tell me what I cannot See. Do you know the true depth of the skill you possess?’
‘I – I can see auras –’ Mistral stammered slightly, over-awed by the intensity of his blind gaze.
There was a short pause and Mistral glanced anxiously at the twins – she hoped that the Divinus was not about to ask for a demonstration.
The Divinus closed his eyes and frowned, the thin skin of his brow creasing into brittle furrows. ‘There is more, I think –’ his eyes flew open suddenly, startling Mistral. ‘What blood do you have?’
‘I – I don’t know,’ she muttered, grimacing as she felt the twins stiffen slightly with interest.
The Divinus clasped his hands together and moved lightly away from them. He walked slowly around the Training Room with his head bowed in thought then returned to stand before them with an oddly resigned expression on his face.
‘And so, finally … it is time,’ he murmured softly to himself. ‘Are you aware that true Seers are incredibly rare?’
Mistral almost jumped when the Divinus spoke directly to her, ‘Er, no,’ she replied, looking confused.
The Divinus nodded slowly and turned his unseeing gaze up towards the vaulted ceiling, ‘Many so-called Seers are in reality only capable feeling others emotions; much as you can already with your ability to read auras. But to be able to See beyond that … to hear the very thoughts in another’s mind ... that is true Sight.’
Flicking his blank gaze back to meet hers, the Divinus tilted his head to one side and regarded her intently, ‘There is something in you ... it could be the Sight ... but only time will tell. Go now apprentices, your Training Captain awaits you in the Main Hall.’
The Divinus drifted away from them and the three apprentices quickly left room. Once they were in the relative privacy of the corridor the twins looked at Mistral with frank curiosity.
‘Some time, Mistral, you really are going to have to tell us just where you were raised,’ said Phantom in a soft voice.
‘Hmm,’ said Mistral evasively. ‘Not now though. I don’t think Leo’s the type to appreciate being kept waiting.’
They reached the Main Hall and entered to meet the intrigued gazes of the gathered apprentices. One of the Training Lieutenants was speaking in a loud, harsh voice and Mistral quickly slid into the nearest seat to avoid further stares.
‘Breakfast is available in the Refectory from six, lunch at twelve and dinner is served at six. Training is from eight till noon each day with an hour for lunch. Afternoon sessions finish with the sun in winter and at five in the lighter seasons. Training ends for the weekend at noon every Saturday. We begin tomorrow with unarmed combat … now, follow me and I will show you to your allocated rooms.’
Mistral and the twins followed the other apprentices traipsing after the burly Lieutenant out through the door and back along the corridor.
‘Uncomfortable with attention are we?’ Phantom asked in an amused voice.
Mistral scowled at him. She could tell that the twins revelled in being in the spotlight. They were both smiling broadly and looking extremely pleased with themselves.
Saul hung back from the others and fell in step beside her, ‘You missed the introductions. That’s Barak,’ he nodded towards the thick-set Lieutenant leading them. ‘He’s the most senior of our Training Lieutenants … a bit of a thug if you ask me, mind you, the other two don’t seem much better. Cyrus and Caleb they’re called –’
Mistral nodded mutely. She didn’t care what the Lieutenants were called or how much charm they lacked. She only cared that they could teach her the skills required to become a Ri warrior.
‘So – what gift to you possess?’ he blurted, abandoning all pretence of hanging back to fill her in on what she’d missed.
‘I can read auras,’ she muttered uncomfortably then sighed. People always felt differently towards her once they knew that she could see their feelings. It made them feel too exposed and vulnerable around her.
Saul’s eyes widened, ‘Remind me not to play you at cards!’
Mistral smiled, ‘It’s funny you should say. Phantom wants me to become his secret weapon!’
‘I bet he does!’ Saul laughed.
Mistral laughed and relaxed slightly; Saul didn’t seem at all disturbed by her strange gift.
The rooms were just as Phantasm had described them; stone walled square cells. Each was sparsely furnished with two iron beds and a deep wooden box pushed up beneath the small window. Mistral stepped inside the room Barak pointed her to and threw her saddlebag onto the bed. She looked around at the tiny room that was her own private space and smiled, grateful not to be sharing with Golden or Columbine, her two new best friends.
‘Bathrooms. Males on the right, females on the left. There’s enough hot water for one shower a day, so get used to being cold,’ Barak said, laughing nastily.
Phantom and Phantasm shared a glum look but Mistral didn’t care. The showers couldn’t possibly be colder than the so-called bathroom at the cottage; a barrel of water outside that she’d had to break the ice on during winter.
The apprentices unpacked quickly then traipsed down to the Refectory for lunch, which turned out to be a far cry from the food they had been used to in The Cloak and Dagger.
‘But what is it?’ Phantom asked for the third time, allowing the unidentifiable gruel to slide off his spoon and splash into the bowl.
‘I’m sure I don’t know,’ replied Phantasm patiently before gagging slightly and picking a small bone from between his teeth. ‘Something that once lived by the look of it,’ he said, examining the bone interestedly. ‘Spriggan maybe.’
Phantom pulled a face and pushed his bowl away, ‘Well I’m not eating it. I think we’ll have to start doing work on the side as soon as we can and buy ourselves decent meals in The Cloak.’
‘Can we do that?’ Mistral asked, giving up on cautiously prodding her own bowl of gruel and shoving it aside.
Phantasm nodded and gazed speculatively out of the window, ‘Once we’ve gained a few skills we can undertake low-grade work on the side. It’s not exactly approved of, more just an accepted
way for apprentices to earn enough money to put behind the bar at The Cloak and Dagger on a Saturday night.’
‘Or every night if this meal is an example of things to come!’ Phantom muttered with feeling.
‘What does low-grade work entail?’ Mistral asked with interest. She was already adept at hunting and not too bad at tracking either – she might be able to get paid work sooner than she expected.
Phantasm grimaced, ‘The low-lying farm lands round here get infested with knuckers. Heard of them in the mysterious void you were raised in?’ he asked, looking at Mistral questioningly.
Mistral scowled at him, ‘Swamp dragons, yes, I’ve had the pleasure of dispatching a few of the slimy worms,’ she confirmed testily.
‘Ah, so you were actually raised on the Isle, that’s good to know,’ Phantasm murmured loftily and pushed his own half-eaten bowl of gruel away with a shudder. ‘Well, the farmers are always willing to pay to have their lands cleared. Knuckers are fairly harmless but they will attack if they feel threatened and have quite a nasty bite.’
Mistral nodded in agreement, she’d been bitten by a couple in her time, and they always seemed to get infected no matter how quickly they were treated.
‘What’s on the agenda for this afternoon?’ Phantom asked restlessly. He was gazing around the Refectory with barely disguised boredom.
‘Inventory,’ said Phantasm. ‘The Training Lieutenants will tell us if we need any more equipment. We’ve got time this afternoon to go down to the village and purchase anything we need.’
‘What happens if you’ve run out of money?’ Mistral asked in a worried voice, thinking of her depleted purse.
‘It all gets added to your training bill,’ Phantasm said in a bitter voice. ‘Something I hope to pay off quite quickly.’
‘You’ll be hunting a lot of knuckers then,’ said Mistral with a smile.
Phantasm’s expression grew pained, ‘Please don’t ... as if having Golden trying to romance my ear this morning wasn’t enough to make me feel nauseated.’
‘What is she like?’ Phantom asked, shaking his head incredulously. ‘She looked like she wanted to eat Master Sphinx this morning!’
‘I don’t think he’d mind,’ said Mistral, thinking of the way his gaze had lingered on her in The Cloak and Dagger.
‘Rather him than me,’ said Phantasm with a shudder. ‘Are we all full then?’ he asked pointedly.
‘Oh yes, I couldn’t manage another mouthful,’ said Phantom seriously, getting to his feet and shooting his untouched bowl of gruel a disgusted look.
Mistral laughed and rose after them, joining Xerxes and Brutus as they left the Refectory to roundly abuse the standard of food they were going to be expected to live on.
The three Training Lieutenants were waiting for them when they entered the Main Hall again. The chairs had been removed and a long row of tables were set down the centre of the room. Leo Sphinx was not there. Mistral smiled as she caught Golden pouting sulkily when she also registered the Training Captain’s absence.
‘Lay all your kit and weapons on the table!’ Barak barked in a loud voice.
Mistral walked up to a table and began unfastening her knife belt. Laying it carefully on the table she removed her dagger from the back of her trouser belt and set it down too. Next she unbuckled her swords and laid them down on the table. After a moment’s pause she reached down and pulled Brothertoft’s old hunting knife from inside her boot, laying that down with less care. It looked decidedly tarnished next to her gleaming new weapons. She slid a finger experimentally along the blade, it was pitted and blunt in comparison to her new dagger.
‘You can throw that away for starters,’ growled Barak. He cast an eye over her weapons and sneered. ‘Double-swords?’
Mistral regarded him coolly and said nothing, determined not about to be intimidated.
He lifted his gaze from her sword and looked at her, his expression still jeering. ‘A bit over-ambitious aren’t you girlie?’
‘About as over-ambitious as you are by trying to talk and walk at the same time,’ Mistral retorted.
A few sniggers erupted from the other apprentices, making Barak’s face darken with anger.
‘We’ll see what you’re really made of tomorrow,’ he growled threateningly and slammed her sword back onto the table.
‘You really know how to make friends don’t you!’ Phantom muttered to her under his breath once Barak had passed by his weapons without comment.
Mistral shrugged dismissively but she had to admit that Phantom had a point. Already today she had made a lasting enemy in Columbine and had managed to get on the wrong side of one of her Training Lieutenants. All things considered it wasn’t a brilliant start to her year.
Barak finished his inspection and strode to the front of the row of apprentices, his face set in a heavy scowl.
‘What is it with first years?’ he said in a loud aside to the other Lieutenants. ‘They think they’re invincible! Armour!’ he bellowed, turning to face them directly. ‘Not a single one of you has got any armour! Do you think that you’ll be so skilful with the sword that you won’t need protection? Get down to the village now and buy some! And I advise you to spend as much money on it as you can, whatever you choose will one day save your life.
‘And you two,’ he added in scathing tone, turning to look directly at the twins. ‘I don’t know what sunny climate you’ve come from but you’re going to need jerkins. We train outside most of the year round.’
While the apprentices began to hastily gather together their belongings, eager to get down to Toothe and Nayle before all the best armour had been sold, the twins exchanged a pained look.
‘Oh wonderful, another trip to Mistress Eudora’s,’ said Phantasm heavily.
‘Golden and Eudora all in one day!’ Mistral laughed and buckled her swords back on. ‘You are in demand! I’d start charging if I were you.’
‘Right, just for that, you’re coming with me … you can hold my hand and make out that we’re a couple or something,’ said Phantasm. ‘That might back her off a bit ... and you can give her that scary look you just gave Barak.’
‘No thanks,’ said Mistral quickly. ‘I don’t know where you’ve been … besides, I can have another look at those butterfly knives while you and Mistress You-Adore-Me or whatever her name is get re-acquainted.’
Mistral finished strapping her knife belt on and glanced up to see Phantasm looking imploringly at her, his emerald eyes almost liquid with pleading.
‘Please.’
‘Don’t try your charm offensive on me, I’m immune! However, if you buy me a meal in The Cloak tonight I will consent to come along and glare savagely at her … but I draw the line at holding hands.’
‘Thanks Mistral! A meal it is!’ Phantasm grinned. ‘But nothing expensive,’ he added with a worried frown, ‘or I really am going to have to start charging for my obviously irresistible charms.’
‘You can see who got all the modesty,’ Phantom muttered scornfully.
They followed the rest of the apprentices out of the Main Hall and along the corridor, listening in to their conversations about everything they knew about different types of armour.
‘Metal is alright but it offers no protection against the Craft,’ Xerxes was saying loudly.
Mistral rolled her eyes. She was starting to realise that Xerxes had an opinion on just about everything and was always keen to express it.
‘What we need is troll skin,’ he continued knowledgably.
‘Is he right?’ Mistral whispered to the twins with a disgusted look on her face. ‘Surely that would stink!’
Phantasm nodded, ‘Sadly, Xerxes is right. Troll skin is incredibly tough. It offers good protection against both bladed weapons and spells – but you’re right, it does smell awful. The tanning process takes a lot of the stench out, but it always lingers a bit.’
They stepped out of the Entrance Hall and began to walk down the path to the village. It was bright but the
frost still lingered in the shade of the buildings. Mistral knew it wouldn’t be long before the heavy winter snows fell and wondered how long the Valley would be cut off for during that time. A sudden panicked thought struck her. Had she just swapped one prison for another by leaving Nevelte and coming to the Valley?
‘It’s only a year,’ she muttered to herself under her breath.
‘Or two in your case,’ said Phantom brightly, catching her quietly spoken words.
Mistral heaved a sigh and walked on a little faster.
They decided to go to Mistress Eudora’s first as all the other apprentices had piled into Toothe and Nayle ahead of them and the tiny shop was heaving.
‘Ready darling?’ Phantasm asked, opening the door for Mistral with a solicitous smile.
‘What about me?’ Phantom demanded looking sulky. ‘I suppose you don’t care that the old tart is going to be slobbering all over me now do you?’
‘No,’ said Phantasm shortly and stepped through the door after Mistral, leaving his brother fuming on the doorstep.
Mistral played her part to the best of abilities, which were based on the fairly limited experience of observing the adolescents in Nevelte flirting awkwardly with one another. She simpered adoringly over different jerkins and even managed to compliment him on his choice when he tried a couple on.
Her act must have been reasonably convincing as Eudora immediately switched all of her affections to Phantom, lavishing him with flattery while she forced him to try on an endless stream of soft leather jerkins.
‘Oh my! But this one does bring out the beautiful lights in your eyes!’ she purred, holding another jerkin up for Phantom to try on. ‘Simply … ravishing –’
‘It’s black, like all the others,’ said Phantom shortly, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
‘No, no, I think it’s more of a very dark inky colour,’ said Mistral, clutching Phantasm’s arm proprietorially. ‘Very … you,’ she added helpfully.
The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) Page 7
