The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams)

by Kirsten Jones

  Fabian sighed. When he spoke again his voice was controlled once more.

  ‘When Leo sent you away to consider the Contract we argued. I was adamant that I should travel alone to head off Eximius. It didn’t matter to me that he would realise that I had been spying on a Council member and was passing information to the Ri. What do I care if he throws me off the Council?’

  Anger reverberated in his voice. He paused and drew in a deep breath to regain control again.

  ‘However, he eventually convinced me that you three were more than capable of being simple messengers. So, I reluctantly agreed to his plan but made him swear that should you fail to convince Eximius to stay on the Isle under no circumstances were you to travel to The Desert Lands to fight. Looking back, I can see that Leo agreed to this too readily just to silence me. He had already made up his mind to order you to The Desert Lands “by any means necessary” if it came to it ... although I’m certain he never envisaged that you would hitch a ride on Mage Grapple’s warship full of his elite warlocks,’ he smiled and lifted a hand to brush a strand of hair from her face.

  ‘So you didn’t know about the proviso in the Contract to send us to The Desert Lands?’ Mistral asked, remembering how stricken Fabian had looked when Leo had outlined the second part of the Contract.

  Fabian shook his head bitterly, ‘I was astounded when he immediately went back on his word. I realised that I had severely underestimated how ruthless my brother truly is. And in doing so I endangered all of your lives. We argued for most of the night. Terrible words were said on both our parts.’ Fabian paused, his face strained. ‘But however driven Leo is by his own ambitions I cannot place the blame solely with him. I was blinded by my own selfish wants too. My desire to keep Leo and Eximius apart and yes, you were sadly right, the chance to see Emiror again.’

  Mistral felt a spike of pain at the mention of his feelings for her. Past or not, it still hurt to know he had thought of someone else like that. Fabian held her more tightly, wordlessly reassuring her.

  ‘I had been such a fool! Leo delayed me longer than I wished with our argument and when I finally left the Valley you were far ahead of me. I rode hard, determined to catch you up and convince you to turn back. I was prepared to lie, tell you that Leo had sent me with news that the mission was cancelled, anything to stop you going on the cursed suicide mission I had unwittingly sent you all on. I missed you at Nevelte and it took me another day to catch up with you and when I did – well, you weren’t in the mood to be persuaded,’ he paused, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

  Mistral cringed, recalling vividly how she had screamed at him in the meadow.

  ‘I’m sorry I lost my temper at you,’ she muttered, embarrassed.

  Fabian ran a finger along the underside of her jaw, his eyes serious.

  ‘You have nothing to apologise for. Actually, you did me a favour. Your words rang true, in the most part anyway. You made me face some truths that I had been hiding from for a long time. I am the one who has the apology to make for placing you in such unnecessary danger.

  ‘I spent the whole night thinking about what you had made me face up to and by dawn I knew I had to tell you everything. Because of me Leo had trapped you into an unpaid, unachievable Contract. You had been lied to and used. I felt that you deserved to know the truth – about Leo, Emiror, Mage Grapple – everything to do with the whole sorry mess.’

  ‘When we woke, we thought you’d left us,’ she whispered, abashed at how easily she had believed that he would do something like that.

  ‘I went hunting. I wanted to cook breakfast before I explained myself. Experience has taught me that moods are often improved by a full stomach,’ he paused, a small teasing smile playing across his lips.

  Mistral pulled a face at the thinly disguised jibe about her temper but said nothing.

  ‘When I caught up with you, it was too late. The wolverines had already made short work of the twins and were about to do the same to you. I couldn’t believe that I had, once again, inadvertently placed your lives in jeopardy through my actions. If only I had spoken with you the night before instead of waiting until the morning it would all have been different! You three would have been safely heading back to the Valley and I would have gone on alone to meet Eximius.’

  Fabian gazed at her, regret etched on his pale face.

  ‘Even if you had told us the truth, I don’t think it would have changed anything,’ she said softly.

  Fabian sighed resignedly, ‘No, perhaps not,’ he agreed and hesitated, as if undecided how to phrase what he wanted to say. ‘I am ashamed that a part of me was glad not to tell you the truth. I didn’t want you to hate me any more than you already did. I didn’t know why I should even care what you thought of me – but I wanted, needed, you to think well of me,’ he shook his head, frowning at his own weakness.

  Mistral touched his face, stroking her fingers slowly along his cheekbone, tracing the hollows of his cheeks, marvelling at the feel of his skin giving way to the roughness of his unshaven jaw. Fabian reached up and took hold of her hand, caressing her palm with his lips. Mistral closed her eyes with the shiver of pleasure that ran down her spine.

  ‘I never hated you,’ she breathed.

  He raised his eyebrows sardonically, ‘Really?’ he murmured. ‘You never found me – annoying?’

  Mistral smiled, ‘Well, maybe just a little at first,’ she admitted. ‘But I don’t think I was ready to accept what I really felt for you, so it was easier to be angry with you.’

  Fabian sighed, ‘We have wasted so much time already, and believe me, I am an expert at squandering time on lost causes and lies.

  ‘Mistral,’ his voice was suddenly serious. ‘I refuse to waste this chance. There is, I think, but one life and I am unwilling to let another moment of mine pass without the person I love in it. So, if you can find it in you to forgive my abrupt announcement tonight after such a long absence, I wonder … would you consider spending your life with me?’

  Mistral’s heart gave a huge boom and stalled. The silence lengthened and she realised that she had no words to express the emotions she was feeling.

  ‘I’m terrible at this,’ she finally muttered, dipping her face down to avoid his eye contact.

  ‘Please don’t be embarrassed,’ he spoke softly, lifting her chin gently with his hand and forcing her to meet his velvet gaze. ‘I want us to be completely honest with each other.’

  Mistral took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm herself. How did anyone do this? Blithely announce their innermost feelings and expose their soul to another? What exactly was she afraid of? Being vulnerable, of course, and … rejection. But Fabian had been brutally honest with her tonight, did he not deserve the same from her?

  Noises outside brought her whirling thoughts back to reality. Footsteps, laughter, and the odd snatch of song drifted up to them. People were leaving The Cloak and Dagger and heading back to the dorms for the night. Mistral hadn’t realised it was so late.

  Fabian sighed and began to sit up, dusting hay from his shirt. Released from the warmth of his embrace Mistral shivered at the sudden cold.

  ‘I think I will stay in The Cloak and Dagger tonight,’ his voice was even as he stood up, but he did not look at her. ‘It’s too late to ride out to my house.’

  Mistral realised that she had no idea where he lived, this virtual stranger that she was prepared to pledge her lifetime to. She was suddenly struck by a thousand questions she wanted to ask him. She watched him walk over to the ladder and a panicky feeling that she would never see him again swept over her. Her heart beat double-time with a rush of adrenalin, making her body shake with more than cold. Making a sudden decision, Mistral leapt to her feet and ran across the loft, catching his hand as he reached out to take hold of the ladder.

  ‘Of course I love you,’ her voice was imploring, her eyes holding his, filled with urgent emotion. ‘I think I always have.’

  Fabian looked at her wordlessly
for several long seconds and she gazed back, lost in the fathomless depths of his ebony eyes, astonished that she had actually spoken those words out loud. Then, slowly, he smiled and his face blazed with the same glorious look of triumph that she had seen earlier. Drawing her into his body he held her so close so that she felt the long sigh of satisfaction leave his body. Mistral felt a powerful burst of happiness and smiled into the cotton of his shirt.

  ‘Let me walk you to the dorms,’ he whispered huskily.

  Fabian climbed quickly down the ladder and waited for her at the base, pulling her into his arms before she reached the bottom and swinging her lightly to her feet. This time she didn’t mind.

  They stepped out into the dark December night together. It had started snowing and already a soft white blanket had formed on the steep paths and rooftops. Fabian looked up at the sky, laughing happily. Huge white flakes floated silently down, settling gently on their heads and shoulders. Mistral watched his upturned face, the snow catching in his black tangled hair and long eyelashes. When he turned to look at her his raven eyes were glowing with an inner fire, his whole face so beautifully alive that it made the breath catch in her throat.

  ‘Please stay with me,’ she begged, the words tumbling out before she could stop them, then, catching the expression that flickered across his face, quickly added. ‘I didn’t mean! Oh, what I meant was – there’s just so much I want to ask you –’ her voice faded and she felt herself blushing again.

  Fabian placed both his hands onto her shoulders and gazed sincerely into her eyes, ‘We have all the time in the world – for everything, and I have no wish to damage your reputation.’

  Mistral blinked once and then laughed, ‘I’m training to be an assassin, and you’re worried about my reputation?’

  Fabian paused and his face relaxed into an easier expression then he laughed too, ‘I realise that I may sound a little old fashioned, but,’ he fixed her with his black intense stare, instantly knocking all rational thoughts from her mind. ‘I want everything to be perfect. I will not ruin this. You are too important to me.’

  He kissed her lightly on her forehead, his warm breath caressing her cool skin. Mistral closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation until a sudden thought struck her and her eyes flew open, meeting his dark gaze.

  ‘In the interests of openness and honesty,’ she said and arched an eyebrow. ‘What exactly were you talking to Golden about in the tavern tonight?’

  Fabian groaned quietly. He had obviously been hoping that she wouldn’t ask that question.

  ‘If you must know I was trying to subtly enquire about you, but I didn’t get very far. Golden is only interested in talking about herself.’

  ‘About me? What about me?’ she demanded, suddenly suspicious.

  ‘Only the usual,’ Fabian was suddenly evasive. ‘How you were ... what you had been doing.’

  Mistral sensed a lie, ‘Honestly?’

  Fabian sighed exasperatedly and studied the sky for a long second, ‘Alright, I admit it. I was trying to find out if you were with anyone or not.’

  ‘Oh!’ Mistral was so surprised at such an unimaginable notion that it took her a moment to realise that he was waiting for a response, his face composed into a mask of polite indifference.

  ‘No!’ she exclaimed. Dropping her head with embarrassment she added in a quieter voice. ‘There’s never been anyone ... until I met you.’

  Mistral felt rather than heard his sigh, as though something he had suspected had been confirmed. She raised her head to look into his face. He was gazing up at the snow-filled sky again and she could only see the underside of his jaw. It was rigid with tension.

  ‘What?’ she was alarmed by the anger in his expression. Was Fabian dismayed at her? Would he rather she had been with half the Valley?

  ‘Perhaps you would prefer me to be more like Golden?’ she snapped when he didn’t respond.

  Abruptly his expression softened and his lips brushed her top of her head with a kiss.

  ‘No,’ he murmured into her hair. ‘I wouldn’t change a thing about you. It’s me I’m dismayed at, for selfishly tying you to a worthless rogue like me.’

  Mistral laughed and tilted her head to look at him, ‘Worthless? Hardly! I’m a half-breed assassin while you are the eldest son of one of the most influential sorcering families on the Isle!’

  ‘When you put it like that, we’re perfectly suited,’ Fabian smiled, his eyes glowing again.

  Mistral shivered, despite the heat of his gaze. The snow was falling faster now, the air thick with flakes. Fabian drew her back into the warmth of his body and they resumed their walk towards the dorms, not rushing despite the cold.

  ‘If you don’t mind me asking,’ he began conversationally.

  ‘I don’t,’ she smiled.

  ‘When did I begin to irk you less? I seem to recall only ever causing angry outbursts. I feared that my feelings might be unrequited.’

  ‘But still you came,’ she gazed at his face wonderingly.

  Fabian frowned slightly, ‘The opportunity to love is a rare one and not to be wasted. I had a lot of time to think as I was travelling and resolved to try to win you. I concluded that it would hurt less to try and fail than not to try at all.’

  Mistral stared at him mutely, astounded again by the depth of emotion he felt for her. It was both overwhelming and utterly sublime.

  ‘When we rode out together for the River Amber,’ she finally replied to his earlier question.

  ‘Oh?’ his gaze was questioning.

  She smiled, remembering the day. Despite nearly losing her life to a wolverine and having to go on without the twins, she had found herself riding alongside Fabian with a natural ease, as though she had known him for every day of her life. Looking back, she could see clearly what she had felt by the Amber River had been her soul irrevocably Bonding with his … and if she was being completely honest, she would have to admit to being quietly impressed by the way he’d handled the wolverines.

  Unable to find any words that even began to describe the complicated storm of emotions that day had released in her, Mistral shrugged.

  ‘You’re a good rider.’

  Fabian gave her a strange look and laughed, ‘As are you,’ he returned.

  They had reached the Main Building and stepped gratefully into the cover of the Entrance Hall. Fabian turned to face her, pulling her into his arms he gazed deeply into her eyes for a long moment. Mistral realised he was saying goodnight – or was it goodbye? She felt a sudden stab of unexplained alarm.

  ‘Will I see you tomorrow?’ she whispered.

  Fabian smiled sadly down at her, holding her close with one arm encircling her waist, the other gently brushing melting flakes of snow from her hair, ‘Unfortunately for you, I think you are going to see me every day for the rest of your life. But maybe we should start with breakfast in The Cloak and Dagger.’

  Mistral smiled, reassured. He slipped his arms from around her and turned to go, walking swiftly into the night, the heavy snow quickly obliterating him from sight.

  ‘Wait!’ she called out, her voice breaking with sudden reckless emotion.

  Fabian turned back to face her but she couldn’t see his expression through the falling snow. Mistral hesitated for no longer than a split second before running the few steps between them and into his waiting arms. Reaching up to pull his face down to hers she pressed her lips urgently to his, trying to show him what she couldn’t express in words. He returned her kiss more tenderly, gently tempering her passion. His lips lingered on hers until she felt him sigh.

  Mistral drew her face back slightly and gazed deeply into the inky depths of his eyes.

  ‘I love you.’

  Her voice was clear, confident. Mistral was surprised to find that the words were less daunting to say a second time.

  Abruptly she turned and ran back into the Entrance Hall, not stopping until she was at the top of the flight of stairs and onto the wooden corridor that stretched the leng
th of the dorms. She hurried past the rows of closed doors, desperate to reach the sanctuary of her room and make sense of her whirling thoughts. Her booted footsteps echoed loudly in the empty silence. Everyone else was in bed, she was completely alone.

  A door suddenly opened on her left and two pairs of hands shot out; one pair covering her mouth, the other dragging her inside.

  The Sphinx’s Warning

  The bitter temperature did little to diminish the warm feeling of contentment that stole over Fabian De Winter as he watched Mistral run lightly up the stairs. He smiled and gave a small shake of his head before turning away and striding purposefully back down towards The Cloak and Dagger. It was cold. He pulled his cloak hood up against the thick flakes of snow and tucked his head further down, lengthening his strides. He hoped that Floris was still up; he didn’t feel like spending a freezing night trying to sleep in the hayloft.

  A soft rustling sound behind him made him turn, his hand reaching automatically for the short dagger in his belt.

  ‘Good evening brother,’ Leo Sphinx appeared at his side. He was wearing a long winter cloak but his head was bare and snow was already settling in his blonde hair.

  ‘Brother,’ Fabian returned the greeting curtly and carried on walking.

  Leo fell quickly into step with Fabian and they walked in silence for a few moments.

  ‘I heard that you had returned,’ he said. ‘I have taken the liberty of reserving you a room in The Cloak and Dagger.’ Leo’s voice was polite, but the implication was clear.

  Fabian halted mid-step and turned to face his brother, his eyes narrowed with hostility.

  ‘How considerate,’ he muttered through his teeth. ‘I wonder, are you so protective of all your female apprentices?’

  Leo’s gaze was even, his face remained carefully neutral.

  ‘Brother, you are playing a dangerous game with Mistral,’ he murmured.

  Fabian snorted, and stalked off down the snow covered path.