The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams)

by Kirsten Jones

  ‘What do you think? Should we break her out?’

  Phantom grinned mischievously back, ‘One diversion coming up!’

  He leapt lightly off his chair and ghosted across the Infirmary to where Serenity was sat at a table reading a book.

  ‘Mistress Lightwater?’ Mistral heard him begin in a silky voice. ‘I wonder if you would have two minutes to take a look at this. It’s been troubling me a lot recently –’ Phantom began to roll the sleeve up on his shirt.

  ‘What is it?’ Mistral whispered to Phantasm, not taking her eyes off Phantom and Serenity.

  ‘A knucker bite ... it has gone a bit green so she’ll have to take it seriously,’ Phantasm muttered back.

  ‘Oh dear, that is rather nasty, stay here a moment and I’ll fetch some ointment from the apothecary stores.’ Serenity stood up from her table and vanished into the storeroom behind her.

  ‘Go!’ hissed Phantasm in an urgent whisper.

  Mistral didn’t need telling twice, she swung her legs out of the bed and was relieved to see that she had trousers on. The horrifying thought of running half-dressed out of the Infirmary was more than she could have coped with.

  The moment she stood upright her legs buckled beneath her but Phantasm instantly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and half-dragged, half-supported her across the Infirmary. Once they were through the doors Mistral couldn’t go a step further and slid to the floor in a heap.

  ‘I’ll be fine in a minute,’ she murmured faintly, resting her spinning head gratefully against the cool stone floor.

  ‘Oh I can’t believe it! You can face Mage Grapple, warlocks and battle but you can’t escape from an unlocked room! The things I do for you!’ Phantasm grumbled. Picking her up from the floor he swung her over his shoulder, running lightly down the corridor as though she were weightless.

  ‘You’re making me feel sick,’ she groaned into the back of his shoulder.

  Phantasm muttered a few words she couldn’t quite catch but the word ‘ungrateful’ was clear.

  She spent the rest of the afternoon in their room, drifting in and out of sleep until they returned after training had ended, armed with a platter of food from the Refectory. Mistral murmured her thanks and sat up on the bed, leaning her back against the wall behind her to pick disinterestedly at the plate of cold meats Phantom placed in front of her.

  ‘How was training?’ Mistral asked, more to put off the inevitable ordeal of having to relive the events of the last few days than out of any real interest.

  ‘Oh great, you know,’ said Phantom breezily. ‘Grendel threw me around like a toy for most of the morning then we spent the afternoon crawling through wet grass looking for mandragora roots for some potion or other Mistress Lightwater wants to concoct.’

  ‘I hope it’s not for me,’ said Mistral with a grimace. ‘She’s forced some pretty revolting stuff down my throat over the last couple of days ... talking of which, er, what day is it?’

  ‘Friday,’ confirmed Phantom. ‘And Master Sphinx says he doesn’t want to see you in training until Monday – however he does want to see you in his tower room as soon as you can walk that far.’

  ‘Thanks,’ muttered Mistral glumly and a sudden thought struck her, making her sit up straight.

  ‘What did he say to you when you came back injured?’ she asked.

  ‘Oh yes, that was a happy reunion,’ Phantom replied sourly. ‘He was not pleased with us for coming back and leaving you alone on the Contract – something about you being too unpredictable and hot-headed –’

  ‘By which he meant likely to get the job done,’ interrupted Phantasm in an acidic voice.

  ‘Anyway,’ continued Phantom, ‘we are not in his good books. All in all our invitation for a second year’s apprenticeship is looking decidedly shaky.’

  Mistral gave him a sympathetic look, ‘Sorry brother. It’s my fault. I just robbed the chance for him to show off and save the day.’

  ‘Ah yes, back to the matter in hand … so, if you’re feeling up to it,’ began Phantasm in a voice filled with anticipation. ‘Can we please hear the real story?’

  Mistral immediately shoved a small piece of the chicken she had been shredding between her fingers into her mouth.

  ‘Eating,’ she said in a muffled voice, avoiding their impatient glares.

  The twins fidgeted and drummed their fingers against their knees while she forced down a few mouthfuls of food, but she couldn’t manage much and before too long she was pushing the platter away; the smell was making her feel ill again.

  ‘Ready now?’ Phantom prompted with barely concealed irritation.

  Heaving a deep sigh, Mistral leaned her head back against the wall and related to the twins everything that had happened since she left them in the meadow; bar a few minor details about Fabian.

  ‘So just to clarify,’ said Phantasm for the fifth time, ‘Master Shacklock said that nothing you could have said would have deterred Mage Grapple?’

  Mistral nodded weakly with her eyes closed. She was started to feel exhausted again.

  ‘So even he thought that Master Sphinx had sent us on a wild goose chase,’ he mused broodingly.

  Mistral closed her eyes and nodded, sliding gently down the wall behind the bed to slump into unconsciousness on Phantom’s bed.

  The twins regarded her sleeping form silently for a moment.

  ‘Glad she fell asleep on your bed and not mine,’ said Phantasm in a smug voice.

  ‘Play a game of knucklebones for yours,’ offered Phantom hopefully.

  ‘No chance,’

  Phantom eyed the hard wooden floor unhappily before getting to his feet and reaching for his heavy travelling cloak with a resigned sigh.

  ‘Goodnight brother,’ yawned Phantasm, stretching out on his narrow bed.

  Phantom regaled him with a few choice swear words then wrapped himself up in his cloak and curled up on the floor between the two beds.

  Mistral awoke to the faint light of breaking dawn and lay watching the window turn from black to pale grey. She lay curled up on the bed, wondering idly why the window seemed to be in the wrong place when a gentle snore made her realise that she wasn’t alone. Rolling over she looked across at the sleeping figure of Phantasm and then down at a dark shape on the floor that could only be Phantom. She felt a pang of guilt for stealing his bed for the night but had been so exhausted that she couldn’t actually remember falling asleep on it. As quietly as she could, Mistral got off the bed and trod carefully around the lightly snoring Phantom to open the door and slip silently from the room. Heading straight for the bathrooms, Mistral thought she would get her interview with Leo Sphinx out of the way once she was clean again. Phantasm was right. She had a definite aroma of troll about her.

  Revived by a surprisingly hot shower Mistral reflected that it must be too early for Golden to have been in for her shower yet. Mistral smiled to herself and hoped that she’d taken all the hot water and Golden would have to suffer a cold shower for a change.

  As she opened the door to the bathroom Mistral was faced with the sleepy looking half-nymph herself. She scowled and flicker her artfully dishevelled mane of hair impatiently over her shoulder when she saw Mistral in the doorway.

  ‘I heard you were back. I see travel doesn’t agree with you,’ she said waspishly, pushing past Mistral into the bathroom. ‘But then, not a lot does agree with you, does it Mistral?’

  Golden let the door slam in Mistral’s face, leaving her seething in the corridor. She was about to burst back through the door and begin an argument when a high-pitched scream from Golden made her smile and carry on walking down the corridor. The water in Golden’s shower was obviously cold.

  It was still early but Mistral wanted to get her meeting with Leo out of the way. Climbing the winding stone staircase to his tower room, Mistral was reminded of making the same journey just a few days ago. How much had changed since then?

  A lot and not a lot.

  She no longer trusted her
Training Captain that was for certain. As she slowly climbed the stairs, her weakened legs shaking from the effort, Mistral decided to try to read Leo’s aura if the opportunity arose during their meeting.

  Mistral paused outside the heavy wooden door to Leo’s tower room and drew a deep breath before knocking loudly. Footsteps immediately sounded from within; Leo was up. He opened the door a fraction and looked out cautiously. Mistral was surprised by his behaviour, in the few occasions she had been to Leo’s room he had flung the door open wide without any reserve. She suddenly wondered if there was someone in there with him.

  ‘Mistral,’ he said in an unsurprised voice, as though it were normal for her to turn up on his doorstep at the crack of dawn. ‘Come in,’ he opened the door wider and stood back to allow her to enter the room.

  Mistral looked around as she walked across to the table and chairs they had sat at to sign the Contract. She had not seen the room in daylight before and it looked shabbier than in the forgiving glow of torchlight. Armour and clothes lay strewn in a ring around the huge unmade bed, a half empty flagon of wine and two goblets sat on top of piles of parchment scattered across the table. Mistral could smell a strangely familiar scent that was totally out of place with the room, but she couldn’t place where she had smelt it before.

  Leo pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her, his golden hair still tousled from sleep. He had obviously not been up long.

  ‘How are you?’ he enquired solicitously.

  Mistral was slightly taken aback. It was totally out of character for Leo to ask after anyone’s health.

  ‘Fine,’ she replied.

  Leo nodded and immediately became more business-like, ‘You completed the Contract I assigned to you?’

  ‘Only in the second part, I failed to convince Mage Grapple to turn back.’

  Leo eyed her speculatively before he spoke again, ‘I understand you travelled on Mage Grapple’s warship?’

  Mistral nodded but kept silent.

  ‘And just how did you manage that?’

  ‘Mage De Winter secured me safe passage,’ she admitted, keeping her gaze even.

  ‘Did he really,’ said Leo, staring at her with narrowed eyes. ‘And just what else did Fabian do?’

  ‘Um, well, Mage Grapple asked him to be involved in the treaty negotiations,’ replied Mistral, frowning. She wasn’t sure exactly what Leo meant.

  Leo continued to stare at her for a moment longer before abruptly leaping to his feet and striding across the room to stare out of the window.

  Yes! Mistral thought and instantly focussed her attention on the air around the Training Captain’s head. Fighting against a sudden wave of exhaustion, Mistral struggled to concentrate. The air shimmered imperceivably, but no colours swam into view. Frustrated, Mistral clenched her teeth and redoubled her efforts until her head began to throb from the strain. Oblivious to her private struggle, Leo continued to stare broodingly out at the pearl grey sky, preoccupied by his own thoughts.

  A sudden stabbing pain brought Mistral’s efforts to an abrupt halt. She groaned and dropped her head into her hands, massaging her temples to try and ease the violent pounding. Hearing her sound of pain Leo turned and saw her clutching her head.

  ‘You are obviously still not fully recovered. Gleacher has appraised me fully of events anyway. If I require a more detailed report from you I will send for you again, in the meantime you may go,’ he said in a colourless voice and turned to face the window again.

  Feeling like her head was going to split in half, Mistral rose shakily to her feet and walked unsteadily to the door. She managed to let herself out and close the door behind her before she gave way to the waves of throbbing pain in her head. Leaning back against the wall she slid down into a sitting position and pressed her head against the cool stone wall, letting the soothing chill seep into her skin and start to ease the searing pain.

  Mistral couldn’t understand what had happened. She had never been unable to read an aura. For as long as she could remember she had been able to see colours around people’s heads. Mistral found herself wondering again about Leo Sphinx and whether he had some gift that allowed him to conceal his thoughts and emotions.

  The worst of the pain had passed and Mistral felt strong enough to make her way back down to the Refectory, in the hope of finding the twins – maybe they’d know why she had been unable to read Leo’s aura.

  As she had hoped the twins were in the Refectory, dubiously prodding bowls of something that looked like a stew.

  ‘Good morning Mistral,’ Phantasm smiled and kicked out the bench opposite him for her. ‘Did you sleep well?’

  ‘Better than Phantom I’m sure,’ she replied with an apologetic look in his direction.

  Phantom shrugged a touch sulkily and lifted a spoonful of the contents of his bowl to his mouth.

  ‘What is that?’ Mistral asked, eying the bowl’s contents suspiciously.

  ‘Tastes like something that once drew breath but don’t quote me,’ said Phantom through a mouthful of food.

  ‘Think I’ll skip it today,’ said Mistral, reaching for a cup of water instead.

  ‘You smell better,’ remarked Phantasm conversationally.

  ‘Thanks, had a shower,’ replied Mistral. ‘Before I met with Leo,’ she added, casually taking a sip of water.

  At once the twins were riveted, their green eyes fixed unblinkingly on her.

  ‘Tell all,’ breathed Phantasm.

  Mistral shrugged and looked genuinely non-plussed, ‘Nothing and I mean nothing to tell. He made some cryptic comment about Fabian but he didn’t question me at all. He said that he’d already had a full report from Gleacher so I guess I had nothing new to tell him.’ Mistral paused and looked over her shoulder to make sure no-one was close enough to overhear her before leaning across the table and lowering her voice. ‘Oh, and one more thing. I tried to read his aura and ... I couldn’t.’

  ‘That’s odd, to say the least,’ said Phantom frowning.

  Phantasm looked unconcerned, ‘Not really, you have just been really ill. I’m more interested in exactly what Master Sphinx was doing when you turned up on his doorstep at the crack of dawn.’

  Mistral looked blank, ‘Nothing – I mean, he was a bit cautious when he opened the door but it was very early. There wasn’t anyone else in there if that’s what you mean,’

  ‘That you saw,’ Phantom interjected with a knowing look.

  ‘Oh come on! It’s a circular tower room! There aren’t exactly any corners to hide in!’ Mistral scoffed.

  Phantom sighed and pushed away his bowl of unidentifiable mush, ‘You’re right. I’m just getting as paranoid as my brother. Anyway, we’ve dedicated today to your whim. We can even go for a hunt if you want, or drool over those butterfly knives you covet so much in Toothe and Nayle. For today only, the world, or rather the Valley, is your oyster.’

  Mistral managed a small smile. Despite the persisting hollow feeling that she just couldn’t shake, their friendship was a tonic better than anything Serenity could provide.

  Mistral’s health steadily improved over the course of the weekend. She spent her time playing long games of knucklebones with the twins in the Main Hall or idly wandering around the village. Much to Mistral’s relief the other apprentices were mostly out on Contracts or spending the money they had earned in The Desert Lands living it up in The Cloak and Dagger. She was hoping to be old news by the time training began again on Monday morning.

  Despite feeling better physically Mistral found she still couldn’t shake the pervading numb feeling that had started on the journey home. It lingered, making her feel listless and affecting her mood. The twins noticed that she was quieter than usual but didn’t say too much about it although she caught them sharing annoyingly meaningful looks a couple of times. She was dismayed to find that she was still struggling to read auras and practised on the twins repeatedly without success. They had been unable to provide a satisfactory answer to her sudden loss of abilit
y and suggested that it was probably just because she was still weak from her sickness.

  ‘You must be careful Mistral; if you overdo it you might lose your gift completely. Promise me you will give yourself time to recover before you try and read an aura again!’

  Phantasm’s face was so anxious that Mistral had agreed but privately resolved to try and read Leo again as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

  Wolverine Hunt

  September ended in a series of beautiful golden days, filling the Valley with the warm scents of autumn; ripe fruits and late flowering wild roses. Mistral barely noticed. The lethargy that had afflicted her persisted, growing like a malignant canker inside her. She was struggling in training. Her reactions were duller and Columbine took great delight in taking full advantage of her weakened state. Mistral already had a black eye from a previous training session and sighed inwardly when Caleb matched them again for another bout. Mistral stood up and walked dispassionately to take her place in the centre of the Arena. She caught Columbine’s malicious gaze and knew that the half-gargillian was going to fight dirty again. The bouts were meant to be controlled, each calculated move delivered with intention but not with full-force. It was their opportunity to learn from each other, practice techniques and situations. Mistral tried to call up some adrenalin, or even some enthusiasm, anything to help her snap out of her half-dead state, or she was going to be pulverised again.

  Without waiting for Caleb’s signal to begin Columbine rushed straight for Mistral with her head down, reaching to grab both of Mistral’s legs to knock her off her feet.

  Caught off guard by the suddenness of Columbine’s lunge Mistral just managed to stagger back out of her grip and instinctively kicked out, feeling Columbine’s head snap back under the force of her kick. Columbine snarled and stood upright. Mistral just had time to register her sneering face before a handful of sand was flung into her face, blinding her. She cried out and backed off, rubbing furiously at her eyes to try and clear them but Columbine wasn’t going to wait. She instantly lunged forward and grabbed Mistral’s head, yanking her forward and ramming a knee hard into Mistral’s side at the same time.