The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams)

by Kirsten Jones

  ‘Long day, huh?’ Phantom remarked, leaning casually against the bar next to her and gazing out at the chaotic sea of people.

  Mistral sighed, ‘I was just thinking about it. I can’t help wondering if there was anything we could have done differently … you know, to avoid Konrad’s death.’

  Phantom turned to look at her, his green gaze piercing, ‘Nothing could have changed what happened to Konrad today. He made his choice when he took that Contract back in the spring.’

  Mistral frowned, ‘Do you think we’ll have to take Assassination Contracts next year?’

  Phantom looked down at his half-empty tankard, ‘I hope not. The more I learn how to take a life, the more I value its continuation.’

  Mistral nodded but said nothing. She was thinking about Columbine lying dying in the snow and how she and Cain had worked to save her. Could she have left her to die? It was different to kill in the heat of a fight, but to just walk away and leave someone to die was not something she was sure she could do. It was too cold,

  ‘Have you noticed how much more handsome I’ve become since I Qualified?’

  Brutus’ cheerful voice broke into Mistral’s thoughts. She looked up at his grinning face and frowned.

  ‘Not really. You look just as ugly as you did yesterday.’

  ‘Sorry sister, but I think you’re mistaken. I’ve been beating those village girls off with a stick all evening! Even the blonde one that works in the saddlery! Mind you, I think my wayward brother has got his eye on her; he was glued to her throughout the funeral!’

  ‘Where has Xerxes got to anyway? He’s been ages.’ Phantom asked, looking around lazily.

  Brutus smirked, ‘He’s taken his new lady to the stables to see his horse.’

  Phantom frowned, ‘Is that a euphemism for something else?’

  ‘Knowing my brother you can bet on it!’

  ‘Oh damn it!’ Mistral swore suddenly making Fabian abruptly break off from his conversation.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked anxiously.

  ‘I’ve just realised that I didn’t get a chance to try out that dagger I borrowed from you!’

  ‘Oh, I think you’ll get the chance,’ said Brutus with a smug smile. ‘Grendel went to fetch the wolverines from the meadow during the funeral. He said something about you promising to skin him a couple of pelts. They’re all piled up in the Training Arena waiting for you!’

  The Divinus

  Morning found Fabian and Mistral sat in the empty Training Arena on low stools borrowed from The Cloak and Dagger surrounded by a pile of dead wolverines.

  Mistral was using the dagger she had borrowed from Fabian to skin one of the wolverines. It cut through the pelts like a hot knife through butter, making her regret not trying it out during the fight the day before. Consoling herself with thoughts of future hunts giving her opportunities to test the blade in her hand, Mistral smiled and returned to her task with renewed vigour. The day was bright and although the brittle winter sun had little warmth, it was pleasant to be outside performing a simple task together.

  They worked steadily in companionable silence. There were enough wolverines for each of the apprentices to have a pelt apiece, which pleased Mistral. She felt that it was somehow fitting for them to have a permanent reminder of their year spent in the Valley. Fabian began humming softly to himself while he worked. Mistral listened to him and smiled. She had never heard him hum before and the sound was pleasantly soothing. Glancing over at him she was gratified to see that he looked completely at ease while he concentrated on the wolverine he was skinning. He had kept his word and not left the night before, staying with her in the dorm room to share her narrow single bed. She sighed, reflecting that sleeping on her own again was going to be a miserable experience. Maybe she would have to get a dog as Fabian had suggested.

  The sound of the twins’ voices made them both look up. Mistral watched them saunter across the Training Arena towards them, both looking very pleased with themselves. Fabian nodded a greeting and continued stripping the pelt from his wolverine.

  ‘How did your interview with the Divinus go?’ Mistral asked, returning to her task.

  ‘Good! Really good, in fact. He said that we were exceptionally gifted.’

  Mistral snorted, ‘Exceptionally vain more like!’

  ‘He’s waiting for you now,’ added Phantom cheerfully and grinned at her pained expression.

  ‘I’d better take a shower,’ said Mistral getting to her feet with a sigh. ‘The Divinus may be blind but I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with his sense of smell, and I stink of dog.’

  She laid the kukri down beside her stool and wiped her hands on her trousers.

  Fabian looked over at her and smiled easily, ‘I’ll see you soon,’ he murmured and watched her walk across the Arena.

  Phantom sat on the stool Mistral had vacated and picked up the dagger to carry on skinning the wolverine she’d started.

  ‘Good knife!’ he commented appreciatively.

  ‘We’ve got a week’s break before the new apprentices are registered and training begins again,’ began Phantasm in a conversational tone while he leaned against the Training Arena fence. ‘Do you have any plans?’

  Fabian continued to gaze at the empty path Mistral had just walked along, ‘Yes I have. I thought I’d take Mistral on an extended hunting trip. I was talking to a warrior I know in The Cloak last night, he told me that he saw some chimera tracks in the Southern Range. They make good hunting and she needs a break.’

  ‘You call that a break? Another hunting trip … in December … for a chimera.’ Phantom shook his head. ‘You really know how to show the girl a good time.’

  ‘She’ll love it,’ Phantasm sighed. ‘Mistral’s a bit strange that way.’

  ‘I know,’ Fabian smiled and resumed skinning the wolverine at his feet.

  Showered and changed, Mistral ran lightly up the stairs leading to the third floor with a growing sense of apprehension. The Divinus’ tower room was situated at the far end of the long corridor and Mistral had never been into that part of the Ri’s headquarters before. It was eerily silent. The end of training meant the building was virtually empty and only the sound of her boots kept her company on the long walk.

  Climbing up the spiral staircase, Mistral wondered what the interview would consist of. Would he ask her to read his aura? Unsettled by that disturbing thought, Mistral paused outside the heavy wooden door without knocking and seriously considered turning back when the distinctive high reedy voice of the Divinus called out from within.

  ‘You may enter, apprentice.’

  Feeling her palms inexplicably slicken with sweat, Mistral grasped the heavy iron ring and turned it. Pushing open the door she stepped into the Divinus’ tower room.

  The first thing that struck her was the starkness of the room. It was completely devoid of any form of decoration or furnishing. The windows were unadorned by drapes, the floor was bare as were the rough stone walls. There were no brackets mounted on the walls to hold torches and the room was lit only by the weak rays of winter sun coming through the grimy windows. She stared around the desolate room until her gaze finally rested on the Divinus. He was seated in the shadows at the far side of the circular room. His shrunken frame appeared diminutive in the almost throne-like wooden chair on which he sat. Mistral suddenly realised that there wasn’t even a bed in the room. That one chair was the only piece of furniture in the bleak tower room.

  Mistral walked hesitantly towards the Divinus, slowing to a halt a short distance before him. There was no chair for her to sit on so she remained standing, feeling uncomfortable under his unblinking blind stare.

  ‘You have Bonded since we last met.’

  Mistral blinked in surprise then nodded, realising a moment later that the Divinus wouldn’t be able to see her reaction.

  ‘Yes Divinus.’ her voice echoed loudly in the barren room.

  ‘It will cause you great pain until you master the Sight,’ he sighed in
his high reedy voice.

  She rolled her eyes, safe in the knowledge that he couldn’t see her, ‘I know.’

  A silence fell and Mistral could hear every breath she took, even the beating of her own heart sounded unnaturally loud in the tomblike stillness of the tower room.

  ‘I See your Bonded partner. His soul is pure despite the tasks he has undertaken in his life.’

  Mistral stared into the ancient face before her, hardly daring to think of the question she wanted to ask.

  ‘Can – can you See me?’ she whispered.

  The Divinus looked at her with his sightless eyes for a long moment.

  ‘Yes,’ he said simply.

  ‘What am I?’ she breathed fearfully.

  A ghost of a smile passed over the Divinus’ face, ‘I cannot See your blood-line apprentice. Only your soul.’

  ‘Oh,’ Mistral tried to keep the disappointment from showing in her voice before realising that the Divinus would know what she was thinking anyway.

  A definite smile touched the furrowed corners of the Divinus’ mouth and Mistral vowed to keep her thoughts strictly on the matter in hand for the rest of the interview.

  ‘Your gift will develop only if you learn to listen to your emotions. You try to hide them too much.’

  Mistral felt herself wanting to snort with disdain. There was no way she hid her emotions; her temper was legendary.

  ‘I am not referring to your temperament, but to the emotions you refuse to let yourself feel. Compassion, love, sorrow and yes, apprentice, even fear, are all emotions you must experience to let your soul grow.’

  ‘I do love,’ Mistral found herself insisting in a slightly petulant tone. ‘And I have felt sorrow –’

  ‘You have no choice but to love; you are Bonded. But who do you love out of freewill?’

  Mistral frowned. She only loved Fabian, how could she love anyone else but him?

  ‘Not all love is of such a nature,’ sighed the Divinus.

  ‘I love my horse,’ she said finally, feeling ridiculous.

  The Divinus nodded and waited patiently, his milky eyes staring unblinkingly into nothingness.

  Mistral realised that he was waiting for her to continue speaking and began to rack her brains for something else that she loved.

  ‘There are several ways to love aren’t there?’ she asked suddenly.

  The Divinus nodded once and resumed his silent waiting.

  ‘Then it’s easy,’ she said. ‘I love the twins, for their vain, annoying behaviour and also for their friendship. I suppose, in a way, I love the other apprentices for the experiences we’ve shared over the last year … but not Golden or Columbine,’ she added quickly. ‘Oh, and I love to hunt,’ she finished with a shrug.

  The Divinus switched his blind gaze back to her face and smiled, ‘You are learning.’

  Mistral heard a faint rustling from the deep shadows behind the Divinus and felt her skin crawl. She didn’t want to look at whatever was making the noise and fixed her gaze instead on the blank white stare of the Divinus.

  ‘Do not fear the dead apprentice, they cannot hurt you,’ the Divinus murmured. ‘They are merely echoes of lives that have passed.’

  ‘Do they converse with you?’ Mistral asked, looking curiously into his opaque eyes.

  ‘Sadly no, they are not free-thinking. I can only listen to the memories they repeat over and over until they eventually fade to nothing.’ the Divinus moved slightly and tilted his head, as though listening. ‘Sometimes they have something interesting to say,’ he added softly.

  ‘Your second year will be dedicated to learning how to master Sight,’ he continued in a stronger voice. ‘Serenity will guide you as much as she can but I will also be overseeing your development. Now, is there anything else you wish to ask before you leave?’

  Mistral only had one question that had been eating away at her since the moment she had stepped foot into the Divinus’ tower room.

  ‘How long will it take?’ she blurted and held her breath while the Divinus gazed sightlessly into her eyes.

  ‘I cannot tell,’ he said finally. ‘You are too stubborn, that may be your undoing. Try not to fight your destiny. You will find life more enjoyable if you are willing to accept your gift.’

  Mistral stared blankly at the Divinus, waiting for him to explain. After several long seconds she realised that their interview was over and she had been dismissed.

  ‘Thank you Divinus,’ she murmured politely, turning to walk to the door with heavy, echoing footsteps.

  She returned to the Training Arena to find all of the apprentices sat around the mound of wolverines. The mood was light. They were all laughing and talking while they carried on with the task of skinning the wolverines. Someone had been to fetch more stools from The Cloak and Dagger and a tray of full tankards rested on one of them.

  Saul was regaling Fabian with the tale of the band of goblins they had hunted in The Emerald Forests. Mistral smiled and listened to him laughing and telling Fabian about her brawling on the forest floor with two of them and how Cain had drugged the Lieutenants every night so that they could play cards and gamble. Fabian laughed softly and looked up to smile at her, his dark eyes shining. Mistral grinned back at him and privately hoped that Saul didn’t go on to mention the manticore hunt. She still cringed whenever she thought of the language she’d used whilst under the influence of the manticore’s strange poison.

  ‘You know we can change our names at the ceremony tonight if we wish to,’ Phantasm said to her as she lifted the tray of tankards from the stool to sit down next to him.

  ‘Really? I do hope Grendel won’t. It’s taken him all of his life to learn the name he’s got!’

  ‘I heard that sister,’ growled Grendel.

  Mistral grinned at him then turned back to Phantasm, ‘Is it usual for warriors to change their name when they Qualify?’

  He shrugged and bent to pick up one of the tankards, taking a sip before he replied, ‘For some its cathartic; symbolising the start of a new life,’ he turned to look at her, his green eyes dancing with mischief. ‘And for others it’s a chance to get rid of a truly appalling name bestowed on them in a moment of madness by a feckless parent!’

  Mistral laughed and dipped her head to avoid Phantom’s suspicious look.

  ‘I know what you two are laughing about,’ he warned. ‘And let me remind you that I can remember everything about our trip to Nevelte quite clearly.’

  Mistral glared at him and risked a glance in Fabian’s direction. He seemed engrossed in whatever Saul was telling him, but she wasn’t fooled. He had hearing better than an elf. As if reading her thoughts, he suddenly looked up and raised an eyebrow.

  Mistral gave him a nonchalant shrug and turned away, making sure that Phantom received a truly evil look in the process.

  ‘You’re going to pay for this!’ she mouthed then picked up Fabian’s kukri and started to skin one of the wolverines with alarming ferocity.

  ‘Xerxes, I didn’t think you were injured yesterday?’ Phantasm called out suddenly.

  ‘I wasn’t!’ Xerxes immediately bent over his wolverine, looked slightly flustered.

  ‘Well, what are those marks on your neck then? It looks like someone’s been trying to strangle you!’ Phantasm persisted.

  Mistral glanced at Phantasm. His face was a perfect mask of concern but she knew him well enough to see beneath the façade. Phantasm turned and dropped the ghost of a wink in her direction and she grinned.

  Brutus frowned and peered closely at his brother before letting out a loud crow of laughter.

  ‘Love bites?’ How old are you? Was she part-vampire or something?’

  Xerxes lifted his head to glare at his brother and revealed a series of muddy brown bruises encircling his neck.

  ‘She was overcome with passion,’ Xerxes said with as much dignity as he could muster.

  ‘Is that hay in your hair brother?’ Cain asked curiously, leaning over and plucking something fro
m his long ponytail.

  Xerxes reddened and bent over his wolverine once again and the apprentices all burst out laughing.

  Fabian caught Mistral’s eye and grinned at her. Xerxes had obviously also found out that the hayloft offered a secluded place to talk, although it didn’t appear that much talking had been done in his case.

  Xerxes bore the brunt of the apprentices’ teasing for the next five minutes until he began to lose his temper.

  ‘You’re all just jealous because none of the girls fancied you!’

  ‘You were with the blonde girl that works in the saddlery weren’t you?’ Cain asked innocently.

  Xerxes glared at him then nodded briefly.

  ‘Ah, yes, I remember her well,’ sighed Cain with a faraway look on his face. ‘She has an unusually shaped birthmark right on her –’

  ‘No!’ Xerxes exclaimed, looking aghast. ‘Please tell me I haven’t been reduced to dating your off casts!’

  ‘Sorry brother,’ Cain gave Xerxes an impish smile. ‘But I agree with you, she is very … enthusiastic.’

  Xerxes made a disgusted noise and shook his head and they all began laughing again.

  ‘Did you hear about the Lieutenants?’ Phantom asked with a scandalous glint in his eye.

  ‘No – what?’ Brutus choked, wiping a tear from his eye.

  ‘Apparently Master Sphinx dismissed them all when he heard Golden’s story. They’d already been escorted from the Valley by the time we came back from the hunt.’

  ‘And good riddance!’ said Brutus cheerfully. ‘Right, that’s my wolverine skinned – come on Grendel, let’s carry them up to the tannery and get Titus to finish them off for us, he owes us a favour for the amount of money we’ve put in his pocket this year!’