The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) (18 page)

 ‘For
what?  You just ruined the best chance I’ve had in ages of having a go at
something with some actual fight in it!’ 

‘If it’s any consolation,
you made very good bait.’  Xerxes commented cheerfully while he bent over
the manticore’s body to retrieve his arrow. 

‘What?’ 

‘You tell her
Bali, she’ll shout less at you,’ Saul said and joined Xerxes to pull out his
crossbow bolt.

‘Konrad told
me that manticores prefer female flesh to male,’ said Bali mildly.  ‘He
said that your scent would prove irresistible to it.’

Mistral glared
furiously at them all for several seconds, ‘I’m so angry I don’t know what to
say,’ she finally burst. 

‘Well that’s a
first,’ muttered Saul under his breath. 

‘Next time you
want me to be a platter of meat, I want to know!’

‘Why, what
would have done differently?  Put a dress on?’  Xerxes smirked.

Mistral
scowled at him and roughly wiped her sword clean on the dead manticore.

‘Phantom won’t
be pleased with you for doing that!’  Xerxes laughed.

‘Don’t wind
her up any more,’ Saul warned, seeing the look on Mistral’s face.  ‘Or
it’ll be a long climb down carrying your body as well as this hulking beast.’

Bali climbed
swiftly down to the next plateau while Xerxes and Saul tied rope around the
manticore’s body and began to lower it to him.  Mistral left them to it
and stalked angrily to the far side of the plateau and stared out across the
mountainside.  The last faint rays of sun were catching the clouds,
staining them to glorious reds and pinks.  Mistral glared unseeingly at
the view, too incensed to appreciate the wild beauty of the mountains or feel
the cool breeze that had sprung up, lifting her hair and blowing it out behind
her.  She was livid with the other three for not telling her that the
manticore would be drawn to her scent.  Mistral didn’t care about being
used as bait; it was the fact that they had kept it from her … were they
worried that she would be afraid and ruin their plan by refusing to take part?
 Mistral snorted out aloud at the thought and shook her head
angrily. 

‘Are you
coming?’  Saul called hesitantly from the edge of the plateau.

 Mistral didn’t
even acknowledge him but continued to glare angrily into space.

Xerxes’ voice
drifted up from the plateau below, ‘Leave her to have a sulk Saul.  She’ll
come down when she’s ready.’

There was a
short silence followed by the sound of Saul making his own descent and Mistral
exhaled the angry breath she’d been holding.  Saul spoke of warriors being
able to trust each other … well he should have trusted her with the truth
…   

A soft
thudding sound from behind her made her narrow her eyes angrily – no doubt Saul
had come back to reason with her.  Well she would give him a something to
reason with all right.  Turning sharply the angry words died on her lips
when she found herself staring into the mesmerising golden gaze of a manticore
for the second time that day.

The manticore
was smaller than the one they’d just killed and its features had a feminine
cast to them.  The eyes were almond shaped and the lips more generous and
curved. 

Mistral’s
mouth twitched up at one corner, ‘Oh now you’re talking!’ she breathed and
reached slowly around to the back of her belt for her dagger, not taking her
eyes from the beast in front of her. 

The manticore
sniffed the air cautiously and mewled softly.  Mistral could tell that it
was torn between the strong desire to hunt her and the instinctive urge to
escape the danger that she and the other apprentices represented.  Opening
its mouth wide, the manticore emitted a succession of short musical notes,
almost like it was calling for the other manticore.

‘Looking for
your mate kitty?’  Mistral crooned, leaning forward into a crouch with her
dagger held out in front of her.  ‘Sorry, but he’s dead … which is also
what you’re going to be in a minute –’

The manticore
regarded her with its wide unblinking gaze for a moment then gave another
musical cry and began to stalk towards Mistral.

‘That’s right,
come on,’ Mistral almost purred and beckoned it forwards with one hand, the
other gripping her dagger.

Mistral
watched the manticore slinking closer and smiled.  The manticore abruptly
halted and dropped into a crouch, where it froze.  For a second they
stared intently at each other then, with a single high flute-like cry, the
manticore suddenly sprang. 

Mistral threw
herself to the ground and rolled away.  Leaping quickly to her feet she
spun around to see the manticore stumble slightly as it landed.  Seizing
her chance, Mistral darted forwards with her dagger raised but the manticore
was too quick for her.  In one fluid movement it turned and reared up onto
its hind legs, lashing out with its sharp claws.  Mistral felt the
stinging pain of its claws ripping into her arm and retaliated instinctively,
stabbing her dagger into the manticore’s paw with a shout of rage.

The manticore
squealed; a high jumble of discordant notes that grated against Mistral’s
eardrums and made her want to drop her dagger to cover her ears.  She
struck out with her dagger again and the Manticore leapt away, whipping Mistral
across the legs with its spined tail as it turned. 

‘Oh, you are
going to pay for that,’ Mistral growled.

Feeling the
burn of poison seeping into the wound on her leg, Mistral narrowed her eyes and
began to move with deliberate slowness towards the manticore.  Sensing her
intent the injured manticore backed away with something close to fear in its
yellow eyes.  Mistral continued to advance on the manticore until it was
backed up against the base of the cliff.  With nowhere to go the manticore
stared at Mistral, lashing its tail furiously.  Mistral inched closer and
saw something suddenly change in the golden depths of its eyes.  The smell
of her blood was driving it crazy with longing. 

Grinning
savagely, Mistral crouched forward ready for the manticore’s attack.  She
knew the beast would not be able to resist for long.

The beast
opened its mouth and cried again, a high keening sound.  Other noises
broke through the manticore’s cry; shouts and cries coming from below. 
Bali, Saul and Xerxes were calling up to her.

‘Come on
kitty, or they’ll ruin my fun again,’ muttered Mistral, holding her bleeding
arm up in front of the manticore’s face and waving it tantalisingly.

With a
desperate cry the manticore sprang at her.  Mistral dropped onto her back,
gripping the hilt of her dagger with both hands she thrust it up as the
manticore leapt over her.  Hot blood flowed down over her hands and
sprayed into her face, blinding her.  She rolled swiftly and clambered to
her feet, hastily wiping her eyes to clear the blood.  The manticore was
on its feet facing her again, but its tawny eyes now had a glazed look to
them.  Blood poured from a long gash in its underbelly, pooling on the
hard ground between its paws.  Giving a mournful cry the manticore
collapsed and rolled onto its side.  Mistral watched the flanks continue
to rise and fall, gradually weakening until they finally fell still.  She
strode forward and quickly plunged her dagger into the manticore’s neck. 
Blood seeped out but without the urgency of a beating heart; the manticore was
dead. 

A muted
smattering of applause broke out from behind her.  Mistral spun around to
see Saul and Bali standing at the edge of the plateau armed with their
crossbows and Xerxes with his bow.

‘Nice
work!’  Xerxes grinned and swung his bow onto his back.  ‘We thought
we’d let you have a go at this one on your own.  I wasn’t sure about you
trying to talk it to death though.’

Mistral tried
to scowl at him but ended up grinning.

‘I can’t
believe there was a mate up there as well!’  Saul exclaimed then eyed her
bleeding arm and leg worriedly.  ‘I think we need to clean those wounds
quickly, especially where she got you with her tail, they carry a poison.’ he
walked quickly towards her, swinging his saddlebag from his shoulder and
reaching into it for his medical kit as he spoke.

While Saul
began to clean the wounds on her arm with a strong-smelling ointment Mistral
remembered how angry she’d been with him earlier and laughed.

‘What’s so
funny?’  he asked with a frown.

‘You lot for
not telling me that the manticore would be drawn to my scent!  Did you
really think I would be afraid?’  Mistral asked, still laughing.

Saul continued
to look strangely at her, ‘No,’ he said slowly.  ‘We thought the opposite
actually.  Bali wanted to tell you but Xerxes and I told him that if you
knew it was drawn to you, you’d want to go and flaunt yourself outside the den
mouth or something equally as suicidal.’

‘You’re
right!’  Mistral grinned.  ‘I would’ve gone straight up to the den
and sat in the entrance!  In fact, I think I ought to just go up and check
that the manticore didn’t have another lady in residence.’

‘Mistral, do
you feel alright?’  Saul asked, looking at her carefully.

‘I feel
great!’  Mistral said brightly. 

Saul frowned
and made an unhappy humphing sound in the back of his throat.  He turned
to call out to Bali, ‘I think we need to get Mistral down right now.  The
poison has already got into her system.’

‘No it
hasn’t!’  Mistral snapped and yanked her arm away.  ‘I’ve never felt
better!  Actually, while we’re here I might do a little bit more
hunting.  There’s got to be some harpies or gargoyles nesting in these
mountains.’

‘Definitely
poisoned,’ said Bali while he watched Mistral pick up her saddlebag and walk
towards the cliff face, whistling a jaunty tune.  ‘Konrad said it has a
strange effect on the victim.  It deludes them into a sense of
invincibility so that they become dangerously reckless.’

‘Oh great,
like she needed any help in that area,’ muttered Saul.  ‘I wish the twins
were here, they always seem to be able to control her.’

‘No
problem!  Where’s that rope?’  Xerxes strode after Mistral, grabbing
the rope from Bali’s outstretched hand as he passed him.

‘Mistral?’ 
he called and lengthened his strides to catch up with her.  ‘Do you think
I could come hunting with you?’

‘No thanks!’ 
Mistral called out happily without turning around.  ‘No offense, but I
think I’d prefer to go on my own tonight.  I’m just going to check the den
out then I think I fancy hunting some gargoyles.’  she looked up at the
rockface below the manticore den and immediately started to climb.

Running the
last few steps to reach her before she climbed out of his range, Xerxes grabbed
her around the waist and hauled her back down.  Her initial surprise
swiftly turned to anger and it took both Saul and Xerxes to hold her down while
Bali tied the rope around her in a harness. 

‘What the hell
do you think you’re doing?’  Mistral shouted.  ‘I’m going hunting!’

‘Oh no you’re
not!’  Xerxes said firmly.  ‘Let’s lower her down like we did the
manticore –’

While Mistral
began her graceless descent from the plateau, cursing and making detailed
threats about what she was going to do to them all once she was free, the
manticore bodies were unceremoniously rolled off the top of each plateau to
crash down to the next one.

‘The twins
won’t be too happy, but we either get them down like that, or Mistral,’ Xerxes
grunted while he rolled the huge male across to the edge of the last plateau.

‘If she calls
me that word again I think I will roll her off the next plateau,’ muttered Saul
when Mistral began swearing at them all again.    

Darkness had
fallen by the time they reached the pastures.  The other apprentices had
watched their descent anxiously, believing that Mistral had been injured and
were all gathered at the base of the last plateau as they lowered her down.

‘Untie
me!’  Mistral howled when the twins bent over her with worried expressions
on their faces.

‘Where are you
hurt?’  Phantasm asked, beginning to unknot the ropes from around her.

‘It’s not me
that’s hurt!  It’s those three that are going to be!’  she fumed.

‘I see.’ 
Phantasm paused from untying the ropes and backed away from her slightly, ‘Care
to tell me what’s been going on?’  he asked Saul in a low voice.

Saul sighed
and gazed unhappily down at Mistral, still lying trussed up on the floor,
‘There were a pair of manticores.  We got the male but Mistral took down
the female and got caught by her spined tail.  What you are seeing now is
the effects of the poison.  Apparently it makes the victim think they’re
invincible.  We had to tie her up to stop her going off on a lone gargoyle
hunt.’

Phantom raised
his eyebrows, ‘Mistral with a poison in her that makes her think that she’s
even more indestructible than she already does?’  he asked in a slightly
awed voice.

‘Not good, I
know.’  Saul confirmed grimly. 

‘How long will
it last?’  Phantasm asked, wincing as Mistral released a fresh torrent of
abuse.

‘Don’t
know.  Bali’s gone to ask Konrad.’  Saul replied, calmly ignoring
Mistral when she switched from abusing Phantasm to resume her diatribe against
him.

There was a
short pause filled with some foul language from Mistral. 

‘Never mind!’
said Phantom brightly.  ‘Let’s go have a look at our manticore
pelts!’ 

Grendel
carried the two manticore bodies and placed them near the camp fire.  The
other apprentices quickly gathered around to examine them.

‘I’ve never
seen one up close before,’ murmured Phantasm and peered at the female’s
face.  ‘They’re quite intriguing.’

‘They could be
in better condition,’ grumbled Phantom, inspecting the hides critically. 

‘Well, I was
tempted to chuck Mistral off the plateaus and lower them instead, but then
she’d be really mad with me,’ Saul shrugged apologetically and looked over at
where Mistral was laying.