‘He was the Ri’s Training Captain when Leo was a child.’ Fabian replied. ‘Gleacher was like a father to him.’
‘I never knew that!’ Phantasm exclaimed softly. ‘That certainly helps to explain their close relationship.’
Fabian nodded, ‘Leo was an orphan. The nursemaid who brought him to the Valley died not long after arriving here. Aside from Gleacher, Leo knew very little real affection when he was growing up.’
‘That also explains a lot.’ Phantom muttered.
‘I take it this was before Serenity’s time then.’ Phantasm mused. ‘Because I’m sure she would have jumped at the opportunity to vent all those frustrated maternal instincts she has on a poor unsuspecting orphan.’
‘Long before,’ confirmed Fabian with a smile.
‘Who was the Ri’s Healer then Fabian?’ Mistral asked idly while she slowly dried the plates.
‘Healer would be a misleading description. She was an amazon called Bria. I’ve seen warriors crawl out of the Infirmary rather than have some of the treatments she tried to force on them. If I remember rightly she was fond of prescribing enemas.’
The twins shared a grimace.
‘I don’t think I’ll complain about being mothered by Serenity again.’ Phantom muttered, shifting uncomfortably on his chair.
Mistral laughed and folded up the tea towel. Walking over to slide onto Fabian’s lap, she laid her head against his shoulder with a tired sigh.
‘What’s required of us tomorrow?’ Phantasm asked.
‘The funeral begins at midday. Leo has requested that you join the Magnate for the service – appropriately attired,’ he added, smiling as Mistral sighed resignedly against his neck. ‘Then, I am sure there will be the usual gathering in The Cloak which you will have to forego and join the Magnate and select delegates in the Main Hall for the banquet.’
‘So what do we do while everyone is getting suitably merry in The Cloak?’ Mistral asked sleepily.
‘We prepare for the Tribute Banquet Mistral.’ Phantasm gave her a reproachful look. ‘I’m sure Master Sphinx doesn’t want us there just to eat and make polite conversation.’
Fabian nodded, ‘He wants Mistral to read each of the delegates; with particular attention to Malachi and Bellicose. It will be interesting to see if you can actually get a clear reading on Bellicose yet Mistral … Mistral?’
She was fast asleep against his shoulder.
The bright sunlight steaming in through the window woke her. Mistral blinked and opened her eyes.
‘Good morning.’
Mistral smiled sleepily up into Fabian’s dark eyes, ‘What time is it?’ She yawned.
‘About fourteen hours later than when you fell asleep on me last night.’
‘I didn’t!’
‘Yes. You did.’ Fabian smiled. ‘Phantasm is beside himself with impatience, but I refused to let him come and wake you up,’ he paused and lifted an eyebrow. ‘I wonder, Lady De Winter, just what has brought on this bout of complete exhaustion?’
‘Why don’t you come back to bed and I’ll show you.’
‘Mistral! Are you awake yet? We’ve barely got two hours to get ready!’ Phantasm’s voice barked through the closed door.
‘I hate him.’ Mistral groaned and pulled the blanket over her head.
Fabian laughed softly and stood up.
Mistral peeped out, ‘You’re already dressed!’ She cried.
‘We’ve been up for hours Mistral.’ Fabian said in a bemused voice. ‘Even Prospero has been defeated by your ability to sleep. He’s gone into the village.’
‘You shouldn’t let him Fabian!’ Mistral sat up quickly and looked out of the window for her huge half-wolf. ‘I’m sure that litter of puppies down by the farm look just like him!
‘Mistral!’ Phantasm bellowed through the door.
‘Oh tell him I’ve died or something.’ Mistral muttered, slumping back down onto the bed. ‘I can’t face being bossed by him this early in the morning.’
‘I can hear you!’ Phantasm shouted.
‘Well don’t listen then!’
‘Right that’s it! I’m coming in!’
‘I’ll be back before the funeral begins.’ Fabian said quietly, bending to kiss her.
‘Where are you going? Oh, forget I even asked that, force of habit … I already know … Leo,’ she sighed and gazed longingly into his velvet eyes.
He smiled, stroking a finger slowly down her cheek before turning to leave. Mistral closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the door closing softly before she opened them again to meet a pair of green eyes, blazing with anger.
‘Why are you still in bed?’ Phantasm demanded icily.
‘Why are you in my bedroom?’ She retorted, pulling the blanket up higher.
‘Get up now!’
‘Not with you in here!’
‘Oh, for crying out loud!’ Phantasm spun around and called out to his brother. ‘Is that bath run for her yet?’
‘Yes.’ Phantom’s muffled response came from the bathroom.
‘Right you! In that bath and out as quickly as you can. And please wash your hair,’ he added in disdainful tone, walking out and slamming the door behind him.
‘Bossy pants.’ Mistral muttered and rolled over.
‘I heard that too!’
A short while later Mistral was sat on a stool in Phantasm’s bedroom, eating warm bread and honey whilst submitting to have her hair cut again, ‘I really can’t see what all the fuss is about,’ she said through a mouthful of bread. ‘And I really am not enjoying a repeat of you attacking me with a comb and scissors! It’s not my wedding again you know!’
‘No Mistral, for once, it’s an event that’s not all about you,’ said Phantasm, tugging a comb through a knot in her hair.
‘What do you mean by that?’ she demanded angrily.
‘My brother and I have waited two years for you to master your gift Mistral. Two years! Now we can finally embrace all of the potential we share between us. The Divinus has passed. It’s our time now. We are going to be under the scrutiny of every single Arcane, warrior and Council member present today and you owe it to us to look the part for once!’
‘You want me to be some kind of ornament?’ She spluttered furiously. ‘Please tell me we’re not going to be wearing matching outfits!’
‘You could hardly be described as an ornament.’ Phantasm said crisply, yanking the comb more savagely at the knot. ‘And don’t be facetious!’
‘Ow! You did that on purpose!’ Mistral leapt off the stool.
‘Sit down!’ Phantasm ordered, giving her a look so reminiscent of Melsina that Mistral instantly sank back down onto the stool and continued with her breakfast in silence.
Phantom appeared at the doorway and Mistral mouthed desperate pleas at him, he regarded her silently, his green eyes sympathetic but he shook his head at her requests. Mistral widened her eyes and mouthed something a lot less pleasant but Phantom simply grinned and strolled into the room, opening the wardrobe doors and casting an appraising eye across the row of dresses.
‘You do realise brother that any ladies you bring back here are going to think you already have a woman in your life.’
‘Why would they be looking in his wardrobe?’ Mistral frowned.
‘Don’t women do that? Check in the wardrobe for evidence of any other females … or room for their own clothes?’
‘Er?’ Mistral looked blank. She and Fabian didn’t even own a wardrobe. Her few shirts and trousers were either scattered around their bedroom or draped on the back of the chair.
‘Don’t ask Mistral questions like that.’ Phantasm said scathingly. ‘She would only look in a wardrobe if it presented a suitable place to surprise an enemy from.’
Mistral laughed and looked down at her empty plate, ‘Is there any more bread? I’m starving!’
Phantom gave her an odd look and collected her plate, slipping quietly out of the room and returning a few minutes later with more warm bread, dr
ipping with butter and honey.
‘Thanks!’
‘Easy though, or you won’t be able to fit into those dresses.’ Phantom chided as she bit hungrily into one of the pieces of bread.
‘Good reason to stuff my face then.’ Mistral promptly rammed more breath into her mouth.
‘Please don’t eat like that tonight.’ Phantasm gave her a disgusted look when she wiped her hands on Fabian’s shirt.
‘What are we meant to be doing again?’ she asked with a sigh, running a finger around her empty plate to catch the last of the warm honey and putting it in her mouth.
‘I’m sure you know that better than either of us,’ murmured Phantasm, now tugging her hair into a plait.
Mistral sighed, ‘I know, but it’s more normal to talk about things instead of just knowing them. Otherwise conversation becomes a fairly pointless exercise.’
‘Well, you put this on and then we’ll have a pointless conversation,’ said Phantasm, passing her a dress.
Mistral took it from him with a resigned sigh, ‘See you in a minute.’
The dress was a soft grey that she supposed Eudora would have described as “dove grey” or something equally simpering, but it reminded Mistral of the colour of the harpies they had hunted at The Festival of the Arcane. It was made of a fine wool and had long sleeves and a high neck; quite unlike her wedding dress, for which she was grateful. She undid the long row of pearl buttons that ran the entire length of the back and stepped in. It fitted perfectly; of course. She smiled to herself. Phantasm probably even knew her precise measurements whereas she didn’t even know her own height.
‘Ready!’
The door opened to reveal the twins looking breathtakingly handsome in dark grey shirts and black trousers, the austere colours only serving to emphasise their bright green eyes and white blonde hair. Phantom immediately walked around to button up the back of her dress. She met her own gaze in the huge mirror and tried to hide a smile as images of the gold satin ribbons on her wedding dress filled her mind. Her reflection grinned back and she was suddenly very grateful the twins were not the ones with the ability to hear thoughts.
‘Boots.’ Phantasm said shortly, passing her a pair of long leather boots. ‘Like them?’ he enquired when she sat down to pull them on. ‘I had something extra added to the sides.’
Mistral held one up and looked more closely at the soft black leather, her eyes widening with delight when she saw that each boot had a perfectly disguised holder stitched into the side, just the right size for a dagger. ‘They’re the best present you’ve ever given me!’ Mistral cried, grabbing her dagger from her abandoned trousers and slipping it into the holder. ‘Now I just need to buy another dagger,’ she smiled happily.
‘Hmm, well I think it would be best if we all went into this banquet armed, after all, you are going to be there.’
‘Yes, yes, we all know that I’m some kind of a natural disaster.’ Mistral muttered while she finished lacing up her boots. Standing up she walked over to the window to look out and stumbled slightly, unused to the long skirt. She peered out of the frost-coated window at the view down over the valley. The snow that had been falling all week lay thickly across the village square. It would be cold stood out there all day in just a dress. She turned around with a frown to rebuke the twins for overlooking this fact to see them smiling smugly at her.
‘We know.’ Phantasm said, holding a folded cloak out to her.
‘Sometimes I swear you have the Sight.’ Mistral scowled, reaching out to take the long black cloak from him and shaking it out. It was made of heavy velvet and lined with soft grey fur. ‘It’s gorgeous!’ She exclaimed in surprise.
‘And I don’t want to see you hunting in it either.’ Phantom warned. ‘It cost a fortune.’
‘Brother!’ Mistral cried looking at him aghast. ‘I’ll pay for all of this! I’m so ungrateful! I’ll speak to Fabian as soon as he gets here, I promise!’
‘Relax Mistral.’ Phantom sighed. ‘What my brother meant to say was that it would have cost a fortune if he had paid for any of it,’ he flicked a hand dismissively at the row of dresses.
Phantasm immediately turned and walked out of the room, ‘I would be grateful if you could refrain from listening to my thoughts for the next few minutes,’ he called back in a strained voice.
Mistral groaned, ‘Not Eudora again.’
Phantom shrugged and wandered over to the mirror, examining his immaculate reflection with a critical eye, ‘Hmm, perfect. Right, let’s practise!’ He dragged her over to stand beside him. ‘You will be between us, of course, but on my left and my brother’s right, understand?’
Mistral gazed at the pair in the mirror while he began to talk about the day and couldn’t help but smile. He was so utterly flawless that no woman with an ounce of vanity would want to be stood next to him, much less stuck between him and his equally perfect twin. Forcing herself reluctantly to inspect her own reflection she noted with dismay that Phantasm had pulled her hair back into a neat plait, leaving her face feeling uncomfortably exposed without its usual mass of dark hair. Her dress was more fitted than she would have liked, but at least it actually covered her up this time.
‘Do you remember that scruffy girl we met at the North Gate two years ago?’ Phantasm enquired with a smile, ghosting silently up silently beside her to slip an arm around her shoulders.
Mistral scowled at his reflection in the mirror, ‘Yes, it’ll be the same one you’ll see back again tomorrow morning.’
‘Ah maybe, but today you actually look like you possess one of the most rare and powerful gifts of all our kind.’
‘What? The ability to attract trouble whilst wearing a dress?’
‘Yes, you do possess that one too, which reminds me,’ he knelt down and slipped a knife into the side of each of his boots.
‘Now, we really do need to talk about today.’ Phantom reminded them impatiently.
But Mistral didn’t hear him. She was gazing out of the window with a blank look on her face. ‘He’s here,’ she sighed a split-second before a single knock sounded on the front door. Turning to run out of the room she immediately tripped over her dress and fell flat on her face.
Phantom laughed and bent to pick her up, ‘I think that running should be off the agenda today.’
‘For once, I agree with you brother.’
By the time she had negotiated the stairs Fabian was already waiting for her at the bottom, reaching out to swing her into his arms.
‘You look beautifully appropriate,’ he murmured, holding her in his arms.
Mistral gazed into his eyes and smiled, wondering how anything could ever be described as beautiful compared to the way he was looking at her, ‘Please tell me we’re going home tonight.’
Fabian sighed and set her down, ‘I’m afraid the Tribute Banquet will probably go on too long. If the twins have no objections, we may have to impose on their hospitality again.’
‘You are both always welcome in our home.’ Phantasm replied solicitously. ‘Anyway, I think the opportunity to discuss what we hear … and See during the banquet would be most welcome.’
Fabian nodded and looked intently at Mistral, ‘We need to prepare.’ He led her over to the sofa, waiting politely until she was seated before sitting down beside her. ‘The funeral procession will begin from the Main Hall. Leo, Malachi, Mycroft and Nereus will be the pall bearers –’
‘That’ll be Mycroft’s exercise for the year then.’ Mistral remarked sourly.
‘The pyre will be lit at noon. Mycroft will speak first.’ Fabian continued.
‘And put us all to sleep.’
Phantasm gave her an icy look and Mistral stuck her tongue out at him.
‘Followed by Malachi, Leo and finally Eximius.’ Fabian concluded then turned to look at Mistral. ‘Focus on reading Malachi and, if you can, Bellicose La Monte. We need to know what Malachi’s plans are and how Bellicose fits into them.’
‘Huh, I think we can guess! Mala
chi is going to bribe the Council officials with a big bag of gold and any that don’t take his coin will probably get a visit from his daddy the vampire!’
‘You may not be too far from the mark there Mistral, but it would still be useful to have some indication of what his scheme to become the next Divinus entails.’
‘Does he know that Mistral has mastered Sight yet?’ Phantasm asked.
Fabian shook his head, ‘Not officially. However, the fact that Xerxes rather loudly forbade Mistral from joining any card games in The Cloak may have run one or two alarm bells with him.’
‘How do you know about that?’ Mistral asked with a surprised look.
Fabian smiled ruefully at her, ‘Malachi is not the only one with his spies in The Cloak keeping an eye on you.’
Mistral looked appalled, ‘I’m being watched?’
‘Relax Mistral, it’s only by us.’ Phantom threw himself down into one of the armchairs by the fire.
‘You’ve been spying on me?’
‘Oh, come on, not in a creepy way! Master Sphinx just wanted to prevent any trouble from coming your way.’
‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this! I thought we were done with the baby-sitting routine now! Putreo and Columbine are dead and I’ve finally mastered the Sight! Everything is fine now!’
‘No Mistral, everything is not fine and it’s not going to be until a new Divinus is elected!’ Phantasm leapt to his feet and began pacing the room. ‘And until that time we are a key factor in any plans! The Rochfortes are still seeking a position at the Council and I’m sure they would still love to have a pet Seer with a couple of mind control experts to assist them!’
Mistral flinched, remembering the torture she had endured in the Rochfortes’ last efforts to make her submit to their will.
‘And I think we can be fairly certain that having Malachi as a Divinus would feature quite highly in their plans.’ Fabian added darkly.
‘Why doesn’t Leo just do away with Malachi and have you two influence the Council into electing him as the new Divinus?’ Mistral demanded petulantly.
‘Because Mistral!’ Phantasm snapped angrily. ‘The Isle was created to be a sanctuary from bigotry and persecution, not a haven! Despite the self-serving actions of some of the members, the Council actually exists to enforce that ideal and to use our gift to achieve our desired outcome would only make us as corrupt as the Rochfortes!’
The Seer Page 3