The Assassin's Destiny (Isle of Dreams)

by Jones, Kirsten

  Mistral felt suddenly weary of being a possession, owned by Fabian, by Leo, by her destiny. She stared at her reflection again and longed for freedom, wondering idly how far she would manage to get before the invisible bond between her and Fabian drew tight and snapped her back to his side again.

  Not far. She was already suffering pangs of remorse over letting her temper get the better of her and riding off. Still, she reasoned, it had been either that or sit there and listen to Leo and Fabian squabble over her like some jealously guarded toy.

  Lifting her chin she fixed her reflection with a determined look. She was not a possession. She met her reflection’s proud stare and grimaced. No, she was not a possession but she was in the uncomfortable position of having upset at least three of her brothers. Mistral blew out her cheeks and drummed her fingers against the cold stone sink. This one probably wasn’t going to go away on its own. Swearing under her breath she came to the grim realisation that she had some serious explaining to do and, perish the thought, maybe even some apologising as well. Mistral gave her glum-faced reflection a hard look. It was time to face the music.

  First, the twins. It was a Tuesday and they were not in the Training Arena which left only two other possibilities. She decided to try the least painful one first.

  The polished wooden door was answered on her third knock. The flushed face of Mycroft Casterton spoke clearly of a being roused from a nap so the twins were definitely not there then, unless Mycroft had made the mistake of allowing Phantom to talk about sorcering bloodlines in which case she could only sympathise with the portly master.

  ‘My apologies Master Casterton, I was looking for the twins. They’re not with you I presume?’ she enquired politely.

  ‘No, they are not! And I am rather busy at the moment!’ Mycroft blustered. Clearly annoyed at being woken he shut the door smartly in her face.

  ‘Huh. Busy doing nothing.’ Mistral turned from his door and ran back down the stairs. She strode along the corridor to the next flight and ran up them. A black wooden door loomed ominously in front of her as she rounded the last bend in the stairs.

  Here goes my pride.

  Mistral rapped grimly on the door. It was promptly opened by the sharp featured Malachi Nox. He did not speak but raised an eyebrow in an expression of cold surprise.

  ‘Master Nox, I was looking for the twins –’

  ‘Not here,’ he said crisply and shut the door in her face.

  Mistral exhaled angrily and glared at the wood an inch from her face while she toyed with the idea of kicking it in a childish tantrum. Managing to limit her temper to muttering a few well-chosen words about Malachi Nox she turned and walked back down the stairs, suddenly puzzled as to where else the twins could be. The Infirmary, maybe? Phantom did have a cut that might have needing stitching, but that was over a day ago. Even taking into account his delicate constitution Mistral doubted that it would have warranted an overnight stay. However, this was Phantom and she was getting desperate. What else could she do but try?

  Mistral was rewarded with a lecture from Serenity on leaving the Infirmary before she had been discharged after her episode with the cyclops. Mistral pretended to listen and made the correct noises of apology while she wondered where on earth the twins had got to.

  Disheartened, Mistral found herself walking down to The Cloak and Dagger. It was nearly lunchtime, maybe the twins were in there. She pushed opened the door and quickly started to back out again. All of her brothers were gathered playing cards. Grendel was occupying one whole side of a table and had a huge double-handled tankard in front of him. Mistral could see that he had several deep cuts to his face and arms he not bothered to have treated. Brutus and Xerxes were unscathed, their long hair tied back to reveal looks of intense concentration while they studied their cards. Saul had his arm in a sling and several cuts and grazes to his face and Cain … Cain was staring straight at her with an expression bordering on contempt.

  ‘Still alive then?’

  Mistral took a faltering step back into the tavern, ‘Er, about that –’

  ‘Weren’t you content with being the centre of attention at your wedding Mistral? Did you fancy starring in a funeral as well?’

  ‘Cain. Please can we talk about this?’ Mistral pleaded quietly.

  Cain looked at her coldly. She could feel his disgust reflected in the faces of her brothers. She didn’t dare look at any of them, least of all Saul. He must really hate her now, or at the very least think her utterly weak. He had managed to cope with her rejecting him and had even attended her wedding, whilst at the first sign of a life without her Mage she had been looking to end it all.

  ‘I’m not asking you to forgive me, but can you please try to understand?’

  ‘Oh don’t look at me like that!’ Cain snapped. ‘I’m not your Mage! He might forgive you your temper tantrums and drama queen routines easily but I won’t! You’re not the person I thought you were Mistral.’

  Mistral felt her anger flare in response to his harsh words, ‘Come on Cain! You told me he was going to die! What the hell do I have to live for without him?’

  ‘Us!’ Xerxes burst furiously. ‘Or now you’re married doesn’t the brotherhood of the Ri mean anything to you, sister?’

  ‘Don’t you dare pull that one on me Xerxes! You could never understand how I feel!’

  ‘Oh? And why is that?’

  ‘Because you could never love anyone but yourself!’

  Xerxes shook his head angrily, ‘Do you think you have the sole rights to being in love? That no-one else has ever felt the way you do? When Cain told us what you were going to do I couldn’t believe it. I know you’re hot-headed, but not stupid! But you know what Mistral? I’ve seen another side to you now. You’re not only stupid but selfish too.’

  ‘And you are no brother of mine!’ Mistral snarled and stormed from the tavern.

  Leaving the door to slam behind her she strode across the square, breathing heavily, not really noticing where her feet were taking her as she seethed with anger at Xerxes’ words. Before she realised it she was in the stables reaching for Cirrus’ bridle and saddle.

  ‘I don’t think so!’

  Mistral spun round to meet the baleful stare of the Equus.

  ‘I need to go out on my horse!’ Mistral snapped.

  ‘That horse is going nowhere. He’s been ridden into the ground and needs rest.’ Clovis growled then eyed her furious face. ‘Hmph. If you really need to get out you can take one of the herd – only don’t ride it like you do your horse and I want it back in one piece!’ he yelled after her but she was already running over to the paddock.

  Throwing her saddle over the first horse that didn’t shy away from her Mistral tightened the girth and looked it over disinterestedly. It was a bright chestnut gelding, slightly built and not a horse she would normally have looked at twice but she needed to get out of the Valley and he was her only option. Easily persuading the horse to dip his head and submit to having the bridle slipped over his head, Mistral quickly adjusted the straps and threw herself into the saddle. Pulling the horse around she kicked it into a gallop up the path towards the North Gate.

  She left the Valley and burst out into the meadows, digging her heels into the horse and asking for more, needing the oblivion of reckless speed to erase the anger and hurt of Xerxes’ words. The gelding was quick and responded easily to her touch but he was not the powerfully built, wilful creature that Cirrus was and offered her no challenge. Mistral quickly found there was little thrill in mastering a horse that would readily submit to her every whim and headed him towards the treeline in the hope of finding a suitable prey to hunt.

  She rode deeper into the forests, ignorant to the beauty of the spring buds and the sunlight filtering through the branches. She neither cared nor noticed the direction she was taking, her mind too full of angry words she wished she’d said to Xerxes. Selfish? Her? Hadn’t she treated his back when Cain had refused? Hadn’t she, a woman, been unoffended b
y his mistreatment of the village girls? He had been married at least twice and freely admitted that it meant nothing to him. He no more understood how she felt about Fabian than he did the concept of monogamy!

  Mistral wished that she’d met with the twins before running into the others and found herself directing her anger at them instead. If they hadn’t been so damned elusive she would’ve been able to explain herself to them. They would have taken her side, eventually – and then she wouldn’t have been so completely outnumbered by her brothers.

  Brothers!

  She spat angrily on the ground.

  They were no brothers of hers.

  A heavy rustling on her right made her rein the horse in tightly. She held her breath, eyes wide and ears straining as she slowly reached round to grab her dagger from the back of her belt. Hopefully it would be something that would put up a bit of a fight. A sabre-tusked boar maybe …

  The rustling increased and something heavy moved through the undergrowth towards her. Mistral tensed expectantly, ready to leap from the horse and throw herself at whatever appeared but was totally unprepared for what came into view. Her mouth dropped open in amazement as Count Putreo Darke rode through the thick shrubs and reined to a halt. Dusting leaf debris from his robes he gazed disdainfully at her and called out to someone behind him.

  ‘Is that her?’ he enquired in a bored sounding voice. ‘These dirty half-breed warriors all look the same to me.’

  A drawling voice Mistral had sincerely hoped never to hear again spoke after letting out an irritating high-pitched peal of laughter.

  ‘Looking delightfully dishevelled and scowling? Oh yes. That’s her.’ Golden urged a fine grey mare through the undergrowth and halted beside her husband, her eyes gleaming maliciously.

  Putreo abruptly turned in the saddle and called loudly, ‘Columbine. If you could please.’

  Shocked into a statue-like state by the bizarre arrival of a councillor and his wife in the middle of the forests, the sound of Columbine’s name was an abrupt wake-up call to Mistral. She snarled, locking gazes with Columbine’s malevolent black stare then felt a sudden stabbing sensation in her arm. With a gasp of pain Mistral stared down to see a small crossbow bolt sticking out of her forearm.

  ‘What the –?’ she managed to exclaim before a wave of blackness crashed over her and she fell heavily to the ground, already unconscious.

  The twins strolled into The Cloak and Dagger to find the others playing cards in virtual silence. They continued on to the bar and leaned against it casually while they waited to be served.

  ‘Cheerful looking today aren’t they?’ Phantom remarked to his brother.

  ‘Very. Did you hear Prospero whining in Mistral’s room when we went past?’

  ‘Was that what it was? I never like to listen too closely at her door these days.’

  ‘Bad habit brother.’ Phantasm chided in a low voice. ‘But it does mean that she’s back in the Valley, I wonder if they have faces like that because they’ve seen her.’

  ‘Let’s find out.’ Phantom whispered eagerly.

  ‘Let’s. Xerxes?’ Phantasm called across the bar.

  ‘What is it Phantasm? Only I’m busy losing my last Contract to that cheating hob you see before me.’

  ‘I am sorry to hear that, but have you seen Mistral today?’

  ‘Don’t mention her to me.’ Xerxes growled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

  ‘I’ll take that as a yes then. Where is she now?’

  ‘Don’t know, don’t care.’ Xerxes stated flatly.

  ‘Well maybe you should Xerxes, because I am also looking for her.’

  They all turned to see Leo Sphinx stood in the doorway.

  ‘Sorry Master Sphinx but I really can’t help you. She was here, then she went.’

  ‘Where?’ Leo demanded coldly.

  Xerxes shrugged, ‘No idea.’

  ‘You could try the stables.’ Saul suggested quietly. ‘She might have wanted to go out for a ride. She was a bit angry.’

  ‘And why, exactly, would she be angry?’

  Xerxes kept his eyes fixed on his hand of cards, ‘Not my problem.’

  ‘It is now! Answer me Xerxes or face my wrath!’

  Xerxes lifted his gaze to meet Leo’s furious glare, his muttered admittance reluctant, ‘We argued.’

  ‘About?’

  ‘Events that really have no bearing on her training.’

  ‘That is for me to decide!’

  ‘It’s not for me to say.’ Xerxes scowled. ‘Mage De Winter will tell you.’

  Leo glared at Xerxes in furious silence before abruptly turning on his heel and storming from the tavern, slamming the door loudly behind him.

  ‘That’s twice that’s happened today. At this rate Floris is going to need a new door.’ Cain remarked mildly.

  ‘Nice to see that even when she’s not around Mistral can still give Leo palpitations.’ Brutus said with a smile.

  ‘She can steer clear of the Valley as long as I’m in it.’ Xerxes growled.

  The twins retrieved their drinks from Floris and walked over to join them.

  ‘I assume you had words about yesterday?’ Phantasm asked Xerxes in a casual voice.

  ‘Just a few.’ Xerxes shook his head disgustedly, keeping his gaze fixed on his cards.

  ‘Where have you been anyway?’ Cain asked with a frown. ‘I had to report to His Holiness the Leo on my own because I couldn’t find you, which you owe me for by the way since I had to lie as to why Mistral hadn’t come back with us. I’m a very good liar, but our esteemed Captain seems to have some built in lie detector, plus he’s very touchy about her and Mage De Winter isn’t he? He questioned me for ages!’

  ‘So sorry.’ Phantasm apologised lightly. ‘But we really did have to see the Divinus.’

  They all looked at the twins with undisguised surprise.

  ‘What about?’ Brutus asked curiously.

  ‘Mistral.’

  Xerxes snorted and returned his attention to the card game. There was a brief silence while they continued to play until Saul suddenly looked up, his face carefully expressionless.

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘Thank you Saul, for showing the concern due to a sister who has just threatened to take her own life.’

  Cain and Xerxes shared scornful looks and shook their heads.

  ‘She’s just playing up, as usual.’ Xerxes muttered.

  ‘Oh, and that’s so like Mistral isn’t it? To want to die by her own hand, not by trying to kill something twice her size?’

  Xerxes looked slightly uncomfortable, ‘Well, she has just got married. And we all know about the ban on her love life, it’s bound to be having some effect on her.’

  ‘Love life, yes, interesting you should mention that. Did you know that the Mage De Winter and Mistral are actually Bonded?’ Phantasm asked lightly.

  There was a long pause while they all stared at him incredulously.

  ‘Bonded?’ Cain echoed disbelievingly. ‘As in souls joining eternally? Cannot be separated on pain of death, and all that other mad sounding stuff?’

  Phantasm nodded calmly.

  Brutus blew his cheeks out, ‘Well it certainly explains why she behaves like she does around him!’

  ‘And why he lets her get away with such outrageous behaviour.’ Xerxes agreed with a frown.

  ‘And why she nearly died last year from pining for him.’ Saul said quietly, not lifting his eyes from his cards.

  ‘Oh, I’d forgotten she went a bit strange last year!’

  ‘Was that because of him? I thought she’d just picked up a foreign illness on that Desert Lands Contract.’

  ‘Why didn’t she say?’ Cain demanded.

  ‘Why should she have to?’ Phantasm retorted.

  ‘Because we’re her brothers!’

  ‘Are you really?’ Phantasm asked softly, his green gaze boring into Cain’s angry glare. ‘You were a bit quick to judge her yesterday.’

  ‘And yo
u weren’t?’

  ‘I admit I was angry, but I soon realised that she wouldn’t normally behave in that way. Mistral will always fight for what she wants.’

  ‘I can’t tell you how many bets I’ve won on that girl’s temper.’ Xerxes said with a fond smile.

  ‘Thank you for that constructive comment Xerxes, I’ll be sure to pass your gratitude on. But what I was trying to say is that Mistral will always fight and yesterday, well –’

  ‘She wanted to die.’ Cain finished quietly. ‘You’re right, I was so angry with her I didn’t realise that it was completely unlike her. If she’d ranted and torn the house apart or even grabbed her poisoned Mage and shaken him to death for daring to die on her it would have been more like her than to try and steal poison from my bag.’

  The door banged open to reveal the dark, lean figure of Fabian in the doorway.

  ‘Tell me what you said to Mistral.’

  ‘Mage De Winter! We may have, er, upset her a little.’ Cain began quickly. ‘A slight misunderstanding about the true nature of her – well, that is to say, your situation led to a few harsh words and –’

  ‘I am grateful to you for saving my life Cain. However, my patience is fairly thin so please get to the point.’

  ‘Sorry. We fell out – about yesterday – and she stormed off. We really have no idea where she went.’

  Fabian crossed the tavern in four long strides and towered over the warriors, his pale face rigid with barely controlled rage.

  ‘Tell me what was said!’

  A heavy silence fell.

  ‘I may have called her stupid … and selfish.’ Xerxes finally muttered.

  ‘And how did she respond?’

  ‘Er, she said I was no brother of hers and ... and then she left.’

  ‘She normally takes Cirrus out when she’s that angry.’ Saul ventured, not quite meeting Fabian’s eyes.