‘And neither do I,’ he murmured, running a finger across the inside of her wrist to trace the white line of a scar. ‘But we should.’
‘Want to know the plan?’ Phantom’s bright voice sliced through their private world with the brutality of a sword stroke.
‘What?’ Mistral stared at him dazedly.
‘For the hunt?’
‘I really don’t give a –’
‘Please have a seat and tell us what we missed,’ Fabian said smoothly, kicking a stool out from under the table for Phantom to sit on.
Mistral drew in another deep breath and looked beseechingly at Fabian. He smiled at her and kissed her hands gently before he released them and turned his attention to Phantom, who was almost bouncing up and down on his stool with excitement.
Mistral glanced at him irritably, ‘Have you been drinking cider Phantom?’ she asked sharply.
‘One or two,’ he replied carelessly. ‘But just listen to this plan Mistral! It’s going to be a riot! We’re all going to head out together to scout for the wolverines, wearing full armour of course – just in case the elves decide to get in early ... Konrad, Golden and Columbine will follow for certain ... then, once we’ve located the pack, Xerxes wants to position us so that we can pick them off with poisoned bolts and arrows then use Elven Song to drive them to us. The other elves will hear it of course, and come straight to us – but then they’ll see Konrad and be preoccupied with trying to kill him and ignore us so we can clear up the pack and make our exit! Brilliant isn’t it?’
There was a short silence while Fabian looked steadily at Phantom.
‘And what if the elves decide that you make better targets than Konrad?’
‘Well they won’t though, will they? It’s Konrad they want for taking the Contract on one of their tribe! They won’t care about us hunting a few Blackheart Wolverines!’
There was a brief pause while Mistral stared at Phantom in disbelief.
He seemed oblivious to her lack of enthusiasm and resumed his seat-bouncing, ‘Sounds like a good plan doesn’t it?’
There was another protracted silence then Fabian finally said, ‘Well, it sounds like the start of a plan.’
‘Great! Let’s get going then!’ Phantasm cried, leaping to his feet and grinning excitedly.
Mistral watched him walk across the tavern before rounding on Fabian.
‘It’s a terrible plan and you know it! What did you agree to it for? They’re going to draw the elves right to us!’
‘I know,’ said Fabian quietly. ‘But to be perfectly honest, the elves already know where we are. As soon as we leave this settlement we’re marked. It wouldn’t matter what plan was made, it’s going to end up being a fight on two fronts; wolverines and elves.’
Mistral exhaled slowly and looked at Fabian again, her gaze imploring.
‘So we hunt … and we fight … and then?’
Fabian laughed and rose to his feet, ‘You Qualify and we get on with the longest damned year of our lives.’
‘The things I do for you,’ Mistral sighed, accepting his outstretched hand.
Fabian smiled, ‘You must love me.’
‘You have no idea how much,’ she replied airily. ‘Now, will you just check the strap on my armour at the back please, it feels a bit loose –’
The apprentices were more than happy for Fabian to join them on the hunt and were all in characteristically high-spirits while they checked their armour and weapons.
‘This is the most upside down hunt I’ve ever been on,’ Brutus said to Cain as they rode out of the small settlement. ‘The hunters, that’s us – are really the twice-hunted and we’re setting up one of our own to be prey and turn one set of hunters on the other!’
‘Say that again … but more slowly and without the hiccup in the middle,’ said Cain with a puzzled look on his face.
‘I don’t think I could if I wanted to! That cider was probably a bad move – but at least it won’t hurt if I get shot today.’
‘Good plan,’ murmured Cain.
The Hunt
Fabian quickly picked up the wolverines’ trail when they entered the treeline. The realisation that the pack had followed them right to the settlement quickly sobered the mood of the apprentices. They followed the indistinct paw prints deeper into the silent forests until Fabian suddenly called a halt and dismounted to examine the tracks more closely.
‘They change direction here. North,’ he muttered with a frown. ‘This doesn’t follow the pattern of the previous times you have encountered them.’
‘Do you think they’re circling round on us?’ Mistral asked, automatically looking over her shoulder.
‘Maybe, or they could be being driven. Xerxes! Brutus! Can you hear Singing?’
Xerxes and Brutus turned in their saddles to look at Fabian, immediately their faces tensed while they listened intently for a sound only they could hear.
‘Do you hear it brother?’ Brutus murmured, his eyes narrowing with concentration.
Xerxes nodded silently and stared off into the distance, ‘It’s high, almost beyond what we can hear ... but definitely Song.’
Fabian frowned again, ‘The elves are driving the wolverines to draw us deeper into the forests where they can pick us off one by one. We need to get back out to open space.’
‘I’m sure that the trees actually saved me last time,’ Saul argued. ‘They couldn’t get a clear shot at me.’
‘Did it not strike you as unusual that they managed to get a clear shot into Konrad but not you?’ Fabian asked quietly.
Saul looked at him in surprise, ‘No, I just assumed they got a lucky shot on him but couldn’t get me because of the trees.’
‘Luck!’ Fabian exclaimed disparagingly. ‘It really does not exist. The elves didn’t shoot you because they were more interested in their marked targets.’
‘Targets?’ Phantasm asked sharply, noting the use of the plural.
‘Yes.’ Fabian regarded him coldly. ‘I am sure you have realised that the elves saw through your lies once they met Konrad, and that by lying to them you have marked yourself, your brother and Mistral.’
‘Marked?’ Phantasm stared at Fabian, his already pale face draining of colour to leave it ghostly white. His eyes flicked first to his brother and then to Mistral, standing silently beside Fabian. ‘No! I tried to protect us by concealing the truth! I thought I was saving our lives! How could I know they would –’
‘Find out the truth?’ Fabian finished harshly. ‘You were raised at the Council weren’t you?’
Phantasm’s face worked with shock and denial before he finally managed a nod.
‘Then you know that lies are always revealed and the outcome is never good. And elves? Merciless doesn’t even come close! They will not rest until all four of you are dead!’ Fabian’s voice hardened to steel while he glared into Phantasm’s stricken face. ‘I swear this to you now Phantasm. If Mistral is hurt by those elves today I will see you pay in kind.’
‘Mage De Winter! I –’
‘Wait Fabian! The elves will rest if we make them!’ Mistral whispered quickly.
Fabian turned to look at her, his dark eyes unreadable. He had shut down again, the unfeeling assassin once more.
‘You mean kill them before they kill us?’ Phantom asked with a frown. ‘Won’t that just antagonise the rest of their tribe?’
‘Not if they get what they want,’ Mistral said quietly, holding Fabian’s cold gaze.
Phantom’s frown deepened, ‘What do you mean?’
‘Revenge for their dead kinsman.’ Fabian said shortly and turned away.
‘You want to give them Konrad?’ Phantom’s eyes widened. ‘But that’s –’
‘I don’t like the idea of heading into a trap,’ Xerxes declared loudly, his voice cutting across their whispered conversation. ‘What would you suggest?’ he looked at Fabian expectantly.
‘It’s your hunt,’ Fabian muttered and swung himself back into the saddle.
Fabian stared dispassionately at Xerxes while he pulled Spirit around to face south, towards the meadows that bordered the Valley.
‘Double-back and get positioned in the meadow before they realise what we’ve done. Tether the horses. We fight on foot. Set the poisoned caltrops, position the best archers facing the treeline, and prepare for a fight.’
‘Good plan, but what about Konrad?’ Xerxes asked with a frown. ‘He knows his life is in danger from the elves and will want to be near us for protection. He’s following us now; surely he’ll only lure the elves to us more quickly –’
Fabian’s face was expressionless while he listened to Xerxes but Mistral could see a muscle jumping in his jaw. It took a split-second for her to call up the illusion of his aura, swirling in a haze of deepest royal blue around his dark hair. Streaks of amethyst flickered like flashes of lightning in a storm then a wash of bright orange flooded her vision before it was burned away by bright flames of scarlet. Blinking to return her sight to normal, Mistral gazed at Fabian with a frightened expression on her face. She had seen pure, unadulterated rage in his aura.
‘Forget Konrad. Focus on the fight and be prepared for some of you not to be going back to the Valley tonight.’
Xerxes regarded Fabian for a moment then nodded his head slowly, ‘So be it.’
Turning his horse around to face south too, he called out to the other apprentices and began to ride back through the trees.
‘Back to the meadow, we prepare to fight!’
Fabian held Spirit tightly while the other horses surged past them and waited until Mistral had pulled Cirrus around to ride up alongside him.
‘I think I would prefer it if you didn’t move from my sight until this wretched day is over,’ he muttered tersely, his eyes raking the trees around them.
‘Of course,’ Mistral murmured, unusually meek. ‘But only if you tell me what you were thinking when you spoke to Xerxes,’ she added in a sharper whisper.
Fabian snapped his gaze to meet hers; his eyes tightening as he guessed that she had read his aura.
‘Konrad,’ he stated flatly. ‘I am going to kill him.’
Mistral stared at him. She had said the same words many times about all the apprentices but the chilling tone of Fabian’s voice told her this was no empty threat. It was a promise.
Mistral sighed and shrugged wearily, ‘Oh, if you must. But make sure you don’t get hurt in the process. I’m a terrible nurse.’
Fabian’s eyes widened at her flippancy then, abruptly and to her untold relief, he laughed.
‘I will not die today Mistral, and neither shall you. I swear that much. But I meant what I said to Xerxes. The chances of everyone else riding back into the Valley tonight are slim.’
‘How much time have we got?’ Mistral asked unable to resist casting an anxious look over her shoulder.
‘Enough to get back to the meadow, but not much more. We are fortunate that the elves will not be aware of Brutus and Xerxes being able to hear their Song. It is not a gift that usually passes on to half-breeds.’
Mistral nodded and bent to check the buckles on Cirrus’ girth strap. Talk of gifts and breeds still made her feel uncomfortable.
Xerxes gave Saul an instruction to ride at the back and keep watch for Konrad, Golden and Columbine. Apart from Saul’s occasional softly spoken updates they rode in silence, cantering where they could to cover the distance to the meadow as quickly as possible. Mistral felt her back prickling with the knowledge that they were being so closely followed. She could feel tension growing, gnawing at her insides and saw it echoed in the faces of the twins and the other apprentices. They all felt the same need for urgency but were held back by the snow-clogged undergrowth.
‘This is the most frustrating flee for my life I’ve ever made!’ Cain exclaimed to Saul when they found their path blocked by another heavy snow drift. ‘If the elves don’t get us I swear I’m just going to spontaneously combust from the damned tension!’
Grendel helped as much as he could, striding in front to force a path through the drifts, hacking through heavy tangles of brambles with his battle axe.
It was with a mixture of relief and apprehension that they finally saw light glimmering through the treeline ahead of them. Mistral felt her skin crawling when they left the cover of the trees and rode out into the open meadow. She caught the twins glancing over their shoulders more than once and was glad she wasn’t the only one feeling nervous.
Fabian reined Spirit to a halt and scanned the meadow. Mistral could see he was working out a strategy for the fight and before long Xerxes rode up alongside him to begin a low conversation. The heavy snows of the previous night covered the ground in a thick b8lanket, masking what lay beneath and making it difficult to make a decisive plan. Fabian shook his head at something Xerxes said then replied, his brow furrowed in concentration. Taking advantage of him being preoccupied Mistral turned her attention to Phantasm. He had been uncharacteristically silent since Fabian had blamed him for marking them.
‘Brother,’ she murmured, looking into his deathly pale face. ‘We can get through this. Focus on the fight, not the guilt.’
Phantasm gazed back, his green eyes filled with remorse, ‘Guilt? You have no idea how guilty I feel right now. I have always been so sure of myself Mistral. That Phantom was the wayward twin and I the sensible one with all the answers. I swear to you that I never thought the elves would mark us for my deception –’
‘I know, brother, I know.’ Mistral murmured soothingly. ‘You would never place Phantom and me in danger, and we don’t blame you. If you hadn’t lied to the elves that day in the meadow then none of us would be here now. Fabian’s just angry by the mess that this hunt’s turned into and you happened to be on the receiving end.’
Phantasm shook his head, ‘I appreciate you trying to offer me comfort Mistral, but I deserve to feel like this. It was my arrogance that led to us all being marked. I was stupid. I believed that my lies would have no comeback. Mage De Winter was right, I should know from my time at the Council that lies are always uncovered, and never with a favourable outcome. This is all my fault!’
‘Look Phantasm,’ Mistral muttered, impatience stealing into her voice. ‘We really don’t have time for you to indulge in a marathon guilt-trip right now. What I need is for you to snap out of your self-obsessed wallowing and get ready to fight! Because I promise you this brother – if I do end up back in the damned Infirmary today because of you then Fabian’s anger will be absolutely nothing compared to mine!’
Phantasm’s eyes hardened, ‘Self-obsessed wallowing?’ he repeated furiously. ‘Oh really? I think you take the honours on that one don’t you? Well, don’t expect me to break you out of the Infirmary next time you pull some reckless stunt and end up there again!’
‘That’s more like it,’ Mistral gave a satisfied smile. ‘Now, if I can just do the same to your brother, who seems to be feeling the effects of too much cider, we might stand a chance of surviving this wretched fight!’
‘I won’t be requiring one of your pep-talks, thank you very much,’ said Phantom quickly, leaning across his brother to give Mistral a cool look. ‘Cain gave me a hip-flask of something that seems to be doing the trick just fine.’
‘Oh that’s just great!’ Mistral exclaimed. ‘One of you wants to wander around wailing his woes to the sky and the other is a drunk! We’re doomed!’
‘Is this really the time for one of your squabbles?’ Brutus interrupted in an amused voice. ‘Only I think that Mage De Winter and Xerxes would appreciate your attention right now.’
Mistral spun around to glare at Brutus and immediately reddened. The other apprentices were quietly watching her argue with the twins like it was a theatre performance. Steeling herself for his anger, Mistral glanced hesitantl
y at Fabian and was surprised to see that his expression was also amused.
‘Sorry ... sorry,’ she muttered. ‘All sorted out now –’
Xerxes grinned at her, ‘Are you sure? Only you haven’t got to the swearing stage yet.’
Mistral bit back the angry retort that sprang to her lips. Xerxes probably had money on her losing her temper and doing something reckless today. She suddenly swore to herself that he would lose his wager. She would do nothing to make Fabian risk his life defending her. And if that meant not falling out with her brothers then she would do it, no matter how much she wanted to wipe the smug look off Xerxes’ face with her fist.
‘So. To the plan,’ Xerxes looked around, ensuring he had everyone’s attention. ‘We tether the horses out of arrow range. We’ll keep them saddled but cloak them for warmth – we might need to leave fast if things go wrong –’
Mistral privately thought that things had already gone pretty badly wrong but decided it probably wasn’t a constructive comment and kept her mouth closed.
‘Brutus and myself will be positioned on opposite sides of the meadow armed with longbows. Our primary targets will be the elves. The twins will take flanking positions armed with crossbows to target the wolverines. As well as having poisoned bolts, we’re going to scatter poisoned caltrops at the treeline where we expect the wolverines to appear. Unfortunately the effects of the poison won’t be immediate, but it is fatal. Any that tread on a caltrop or are nicked with a bolt and manage to flee will die, just not today.
‘Grendel, Cain, Saul, Mistral, and Mage De Winter will be positioned in an arcing formation in the meadow. They need to easily visible to draw the wolverines out – but it also means they’ll be the immediate targets if the elves appear. Brutus, myself and the twins will provide cover from either flank should that happen.
‘And finally, if the wolverines prove too much for us, Brutus and I will sing to them – er, Elven Song, of course.’ Xerxes paused to let the few laughs fade then looked around intently. ‘Questions?’
There was a short paused then Cain asked, ‘What about Konrad, Golden, and Columbine?’
The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) Page 62
