‘Again, where were you raised?’ Phantasm asked with an incredulous shake of his head.
‘Another time … maybe,’ she said evasively. ‘Back to goblins?’ she prompted.
Phantasm took a thoughtful swallow from his tankard before replying, ‘Well, they’re good with the swords they make, obviously. Not so hot with crossbows and bows though, they’re quite short-sighted you see … so it’ll be all hand-to-hand fighting. They’re not very brave and tend to band together and attack as a group, so we can rule out them coming at us one at a time. Their natural habitat is mountainous areas so they won’t have too much woodcraft and I’m assuming they’ll be quite easy to track –’
Mistral listened impatiently before interrupting with the questions she really wanted answering. ‘Yes, but are they poisonous and is their skin easy to pierce or is it thick like a troll’s?’
Phantasm laughed quietly and placed his tankard back on the table, ‘Details, Mistral, it’s all in the details. But in answer to your questions; no, goblins are not poisonous, either if they bite you or to eat, which is apparently a delicacy in some tribes ... and no, their skin is just as susceptible to sharp implements as ours, although they do tend to have a rather leathery appearance.’
Mistral sighed, ‘They seem almost too easy to kill.’
Phantom looked at her strangely, ‘They have strong hands, so if you had one of them trying to strangle you it’s definitely not a good thing … and don’t forget that we’re going to be dealing with a whole load of them that have gone renegade, not just a couple of frightened goblins wandering around lost in the forest!’
‘What would make them go renegade and started robbing anyone that passes through The Emerald Forests in the first place?’ Mistral asked curiously. ‘It’s obvious that the Council would deal with a crime like that harshly!’
‘The Council deals with everything harshly,’ said Phantasm. ‘The Isle is a sanctuary for all the Arcane races as well as sorcerers, it’s vital that there are very strong laws in place to govern us all or it would simply descend into chaos. But as to why the goblins have turned to a life of theft and murder? Avarice; pure and simple.’
‘Goblins are notorious for being sly and grasping,’ added Phantom joining in their hushed conversation. ‘This charming bunch have obviously taken it one step further and decided to start killing as well as stealing.’
‘So we just hang around in The Emerald Forests and wave a coin or two around to tempt the little beggars in … then its swords out! No problem,’ said Mistral happily and took a long drink from her tankard.
The twins laughed and turned their attention to the card game that was underway. The apprentices grew louder and more disorderly as evening wore by with too much ale being drunk and too much money being lost to Cain at cards. At midnight Cyrus stormed in and loudly ordered them all straight to bed. Under his furious gaze the apprentices slunk guiltily out into the cold night air and began to weave a little unsteadily up the path to the Main Building, resuming their excited whispered conversations about the Contract. Phantom and Phantasm were singing a ballad that Mistral didn’t recognise but she smiled and listened to their lilting voices, thinking happily of saddling up Cirrus and riding out the Valley in the morning.
‘What was that last bit that Cyrus yelled at us again?’ Phantom turned suddenly to Mistral and asked with a serious expression on his face. ‘It had some really good swear words in it that I want to remember.’
‘Something about a “flagrant disregard for orders” wasn’t it?’ Mistral replied with a frown.
‘No, not that bit! Something about this year of apprentices all having morals lower than a pair of knucker’s –’
‘BED!’ Cyrus roared from directly behind them.
The twins instinctively ducked and Mistral burst out laughing, running lightly up the stairs to her room before they could catch her up.
Skipping breakfast the next morning, Mistral rushed straight down to the stables to get Cirrus ready. He was restless from not being ridden the day before and it took all her willpower not to lose her patience as he circled in his stall, refusing to let her slide the bridle over his head. She had only just managed to persuade him to dip his head and take the bit into his mouth by the time the others began to arrive. Their late night of drinking and card playing had done little to dispel the general good mood and only Columbine was sour-faced as she tacked up her horse. Xerxes was singing a crude song about how to stuff a goblin when Cyrus appeared in the doorway, scowling heavily.
‘Hurry up! It’s time we were leaving!’
‘Oh dear, not enough beauty sleep obviously,’ sighed Phantom and led Mars from his stall.
‘If he slipped into a coma for a decade he still wouldn’t have enough beauty sleep,’ commented Phantasm drily and led Jupiter out after his brother.
Red-faced and sweaty, Mistral finally managed to drag a bad-tempered Cirrus from his stall and into the stableyard. She hauled herself quickly into the saddle before he could start being awkward again.
‘Was Cirrus drinking with us in The Cloak last night?’ Saul asked eying the fidgeting horse tentatively. ‘Only he looks a bit grumpy this morning.’
Cirrus tossed his head and promptly tried to bite Saul’s horse, ‘He just needs a bit of exercise that’s all. He’ll be better when we’ve ridden for a couple of hours,’ Mistral replied defensively.
‘Right, see you later then!’ Saul quickly kicked his horse into a trot, moving out of Cirrus’ biting range.
They rode out through the Valley’s little used South Gate. Mistral peered curiously up at the unseen guard high up in his lookout as they passed through the open gates.
‘Who does the job of lookouts?’ she asked Phantasm. ‘It must be so boring!’
‘Warriors who come to the Valley to retire, they work in exchange for living here. The farmers, the Equus, Floris, even the villagers are all retired warriors.’
Mistral nodded while she absorbed this piece of information. She was beginning to realise more and more that her sheltered upbringing in Nevelte had left her woefully uninformed about so many things. She was glad to have the twins as friends, they seemed to know everything. Not for the first time, Mistral wondered where they had been raised.
They broke into a canter and headed out through the low meadow, fanning out into a long row behind Cyrus and Caleb. The sky was overcast and the sharp northerly wind made it bitterly cold, but the apprentices were all warmly dressed in their leather jerkins and travelling cloaks and felt only the anticipation of the Contract that lay ahead of them.
Cyrus studied the ground carefully when they left the meadows and approached the southern wetlands that bordered the marshes. After a prolonged inspection he concluded that it was still frozen hard enough for them to risk taking the shorter route through the treacherous marshes. Mistral was disappointed and she could tell from the faces of the other apprentices that she wasn’t the only one that had been secretly looking forward to the longer ride through the mountains and the chance to use some gargoyles for crossbow target practise.
‘Still, we might get to pop off a couple of knuckers,’ she said consolingly to Saul who had risked riding next to her again now that Cirrus appeared to have calmed down.
‘I know, but gargoyles would be a bit more of a challenge,’ he said in a disgruntled tone.
They ate a meagre lunch of dried meat and bread as they rode, keeping up a steady pace throughout the day in order to reach the far side of the marshes before nightfall. Caleb and Cyrus did not want to risk camping for the night in the marshes, they were too wary of the many dangerous nocturnal creatures that lived there.
‘Do you think Columbine will take the opportunity to sneak off tonight and pay some of her family a visit?’ Mistral muttered to Phantom as they rode quietly side by side.
‘I do hope not. Gargillians are loathsome creatures and I don’t particularly fancy waking up in the night to find one sneaking up on me,’ said Phantom quietly, ca
sting a quick look around to see where Columbine was. ‘Have you seen her,’ he said softly, indicating with a nod of his head to where she was riding.
‘No,’ said Mistral disinterestedly, keeping her gaze fixed on the treacherous semi-frozen ground beneath Cirrus’ hooves.
‘Look!’ Phantom urged.
Reluctantly Mistral looked across to where Phantom indicated. Columbine was riding alone at the back of the group. She had the hood of her cloak pulled right over to hide her face and was slumped dejectedly in the saddle.
‘What’s up with her? I thought she’d be revelling in the chance to actually kill something rather than just practising on me all the time!’ Mistral exclaimed under her breath.
‘Why don’t you find out?’ Phantom asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
Mistral shrugged, ‘Why not?’
It was easy to read Columbine’s aura for a second time. Mistral always found that the more she read a person, the quicker their aura appeared to her. A cloud of soft pale green and pearly grey hung in the air around Columbine’s hooded head, flashes of amethyst flickered like streaks of lightning in a thunder storm. Mistral blinked and broke the vision, turning to Phantom with a look of surprise; it was totally the opposite of the colours she had seen in her aura before.
‘Pale green – which is sadness or loss … loads of grey which signifies that she’s feeling depressed and she’s also worried about something too.’
‘Missing Golden by the looks of it,’ murmured Phantom softly.
‘Oh for crying out loud! There’s going to be no fun trying get even with her in that state! I sincerely hope these goblins are up for a bit of a fight or this is going to be one boring trip,’ Mistral grumbled and yanked the hood of her own cloak up against the bitter wind.
They camped for the night beyond the edge of the wetlands at the base of a rocky outcrop. The flat grassland around them was open to the cruel winds and they were grateful for the shelter that the rocks provided. After the horses had been fed and tethered close by, the apprentices huddled around a fire, roasting rabbits that Brutus and Xerxes had shot during the long ride. Conversation was subdued under the heavy gaze of the two Training Lieutenants. The apprentices instinctively knew that different rules applied now they were outside the Valley and that Caleb and Barak would not have to restrain their aggressive natures if any of the apprentices stepped out of line. While Brutus turned the rabbits on a spit over the fire, Caleb and Barak talked quietly together sharing a large gourd of something that smelt like a strong liquor. By the time the rabbits were finally ready both Training Lieutenants were slumped forward with their heads bowed onto their chests and snoring loudly.
‘That’s a relief,’ said Brutus eyeing the snoring Lieutenants. ‘I thought we were going to have to invite them to play knucklebones with us!’
He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a set of dice and bones. Gourds of wine started to appear from saddlebags on all sides and the mood suddenly lightened. Xerxes broke into a verse of his crude goblin song and before long everyone was joining in with the chorus. Grendel’s low rumbling voice mingled with the Training Lieutenants snores to form an almost pleasant melody and Mistral couldn’t help but laugh.
The wind dropped as night fell and the clouds cleared from the sky, bathing the grasslands in soft moonlight. Under the influence of too much wine the twins were coaxed into singing a haunting ballad about a fallen warrior called Elias who had been left by his kinsmen to die alone on the battlefield. Mistral listened to their mournful song and gazed up at the stars, content to be sleeping outside in the cold surrounded by a group of trainee assassins who were fast becoming her best friends.
‘Ah, that was beautiful,’ murmured Cain, wiping an emotional tear from his eye. ‘Do you know the one about Theodosia and her lost love?’
‘Enough singing!’ Xerxes called, shaking a set of dice impatiently in his hand to gain their attention. ‘I’m willing –’ he paused dramatically and fixed them all with a hard look, ‘to run a sweepstake on how many goblins you all fondly imagine you’re going to kill.’
‘Oh now you’re talking!’ said Mistral enthusiastically. ‘I’m going for no less than five.’
‘Listen to the girl as she takes on half the world!’ Cain laughed. ‘I bet I’ll get a nice even two.’
‘Likewise,’ the twins chimed in unison.
‘Six,’ Grendel grunted creating a slight lull in the enthusiastic betting as everyone realised that he was both serious and quite capable of achieving that number.
‘Fine,’ said Xerxes slowly, reaching into the top pocket of his jerkin to pull out a folded piece of parchment. ‘I’d better start taking these down ... anyone got a quill handy?’
Caleb suddenly gave an almighty snore and keeled over with a massive thud, throwing his arm across Cyrus in the process who didn’t even stir.
‘What were they drinking?’ Mistral asked, staring at the comatose pair in disbelief. She couldn’t believe the amount of noise the Lieutenants were sleeping through.
‘Some nasty liquor Floris brews … with a little something added,’ said Cain with a sly wink.
‘What?’ Mistral asked with a grin.
‘Extract of valeriana and white poppy.’
‘We’ll be lucky if they wake up next year with that mix in them!’ Mistral exclaimed in shocked tones before adding more seriously. ‘Have you got enough to dose them tomorrow night as well?’
‘Oh yes,’ Cain confirmed, tapping the top pocket of his jerkin surreptitiously.
‘Now the night is young … so who’s up for some cards?’ Xerxes demanded.
‘I’ll take watch,’ said Bali quietly and slipped away from the circle to stand a short distance away, looking out across the open grasslands.
Xerxes shrugged and concentrated on dealing out the cards, ‘How about a small wager? Just to make it interesting?’ he suggested with a grin.
By the time the apprentices finally rolled themselves up in their cloaks and went to sleep it was well past midnight and a sharp frost had fallen. They kept the fire fed through the night and had a surprisingly comfortable night’s sleep. By morning the embers were still hot enough to be coaxed back into life and before the two drugged Lieutenants had roused, Cain was roasting another rabbit for breakfast.
‘Hungry?’ Cain asked politely, waving a roasted rabbit haunch under Caleb’s nose.
Caleb made a noise like he was about to be sick and lumbered off behind the rocks.
‘Might have got the mix a bit wrong,’ said Cain thoughtfully when Caleb staggered slightly.
‘Never mind, you can perfect it tonight,’ said Phantom brightly, seizing the rabbit from him and biting into it hungrily.
Columbine had not joined them last night. She’d rolled herself into her cloak before the Training Lieutenants had passed out and was now sat on the outskirts of the group with her hood pulled up, refusing any food or drink. Konrad was lingering a short distance from her, watching her thoughtfully while he chewed on a piece of roasted rabbit.
‘With any luck she’ll just curl up and die from misery,’ muttered Phantom eyeing her coldly.
‘Don’t say that!’ Mistral chided. ‘Where’s the pleasure in her dying like that?’
The journey that day was much more pleasant. They rode through wide flat grasslands with little to worry them except the biting cold. Mistral spread the long back of her cloak across Cirrus’ broad rump as they rode to keep him warm, causing the twins to laugh at her.
‘I can’t believe how much you genuinely care for that bad-tempered beast,’ said Phantasm with a shake of his head.
Mistral pulled a face at him and was about to make a sharp retort when someone called out her name in a low urgent voice.
‘Mistral!’
She spun in the saddle to see Saul shielding his eyes with his hand and staring out across the grassland in front of them.
‘Have you got your crossbow handy?’
‘Yes,’ she replied, rea
ching down to unstrap it from the front of her saddle.
‘Can you see the herd of deer grazing over there?’
Mistral turned and looked at where Saul indicated. She narrowed her eyes she could just make out a series of reddish coloured dots a long way off.
‘Just! You’ve got good eyesight Saul!’ she exclaimed quietly.
‘Comes with the blood-line,’ he grinned. ‘Right, let’s have a change from rabbit tonight. I’ll ride around their left flank with Xerxes and Brutus, you and the twins head around to the right and wait while we drive them towards you!’
‘What about Caleb and Cyrus?’ Phantom asked looking around with a worried frown.
‘Don’t worry about them,’ Saul said dismissively, unstrapping his own crossbow.
Mistral looked around for the Training Lieutenants and quickly spotted them, riding at the back looking half-asleep in the saddle.
‘I think Cain needs to tone it down a touch,’ muttered Phantasm after examining their blank faces for a moment. ‘Or they’re going to be useless when it comes to fighting the goblins.’
Mistral grinned at him, ‘No way! It’ll just mean more for us!’
Xerxes, Brutus, and Saul urged their horses forward into a canter while Mistral and the twins hung back, watching them until they drew near the herd of grazing deer.
‘Here we go!’ Mistral called out, gleefully kicking Cirrus into a fast canter.
The twins followed and they flew across the flat grasslands. Cirrus pulled strongly, trying to have his head but Mistral held him tightly with one hand; the other gripping her crossbow, ready to fire.
Saul, Xerxes and Brutus reached the herd, they immediately panicked and began to scatter, fleeing in all directions. The three apprentices worked swiftly together, pulling their horses around to drive some of the herd back towards the twins and Mistral and were successful in steering a huge buck and a couple of smaller does right into their path.
The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) Page 10
