Read The Assassin's Tale (Isle of Dreams) for Free Online Page B

closed
his eyes and shuddered briefly before walking quickly back to the counter, ‘All
done!’ he announced brightly, laying the cloaks on the counter.
    Tearing
Phantasm away from Eudora’s grasping clutches took another fifteen minutes,
during which she forced him to swear that he would return and visit her for tea
the following day.
    ‘Oh don’t
forget!  I run a repair service too!  You’d be surprised what damage
to clothes those swords can do!’  Eudora trilled as they beat a hasty
retreat.
    ‘Not as much
damage as I’d like to do to her,’ muttered Mistral darkly.  Shoving her
new purchases into her leather saddlebag she slung it over her shoulder and
began to walk back down the street.
    ‘She wasn’t so
bad,’ murmured Phantasm.
    Mistral shot
him a black look, realising that she hadn’t actually seen him pay for any of
his purchases in the shop she let out an angry hiss, ‘Did you sweet-talk that
sad old trollop into giving you all those?’
    Phantasm gave
her a look of wide-eyed innocence, ‘It’s terribly rude to refuse a gift
Mistral.’
    Mistral made a
noise in her throat that sounded like a growl. 
    ‘Er, I think
it’s time for lunch now,’ Phantom said quickly.
    ‘Will your
girlfriend be joining us?’  Mistral asked sarcastically.  ‘Only I
think she should be told that you and your brother are not actually on the
menu!’
    Phantom
sniggered and quickly pretended to be studying the window display of Scrimshaw
and Scuttle when his twin shot him a filthy look.
    ‘Lunch it is,’
agreed Phantasm, looking coolly aloof while he tucked his ill-gotten gains
under his arm and walked back towards The Cloak and Dagger.
    ‘After lunch I
want to go see to the stables,’ said Mistral, casting a longing glance over her
shoulder at the collection of low-roofed buildings that made up the Ri’s
stableyard.
    ‘No problem, I
think we ought to look at buying horses too.  The Equus has quite a
reputation for breeding excellent horses,’ said Phantom.
    ‘The Equus?’
 Mistral looked at him blankly.
    ‘He’s the Ri’s
horse-master.  Has been for years.  Apparently there’s nothing on
four legs that he can’t shoe, break or handle.’
    ‘What is
he?  Half-centaur?’  Mistral asked with a distinctly jealous edge to
her voice.
    ‘Don’t be
ridiculous!  Who would mate with a centaur except another centaur?’ 
Phantom laughed.
    They had
reached the heavy door to The Cloak and Dagger and their conversation abruptly
ended as they entered the quiet tavern.  It wasn’t advisable to walk in
joking about strange half-breeds when it was entirely likely that whatever the
butt of the joke was might be sat at a table within earshot.  Phantom and
Mistral settled at a table near the fire whilst Phantasm strolled over to order
drinks and meals from the sour-faced Floris.
    After a
hurried lunch of a thick beef stew, the twins followed Mistral out of the
tavern and across the village square towards the stableyard.
    ‘Impatient
isn’t she?’  Phantom said with a sigh, making no effort to try and keep
up.
    ‘Hmm, but
quite compelling.’  Phantasm smiled.  ‘Let’s just say that I don’t
think there’s going to be a dull moment so long as Mistral is in the Valley.’
    ‘Good, I do
hate to be bored,’ said Phantom with a happy sigh.
    By the time
the twins had strolled leisurely into the stables Mistral was stood in the
middle of a large cobbled yard engaged in deep conversation with a beefy
red-faced man.  From the muscular appearance of his arms and chest, the
twins assumed correctly that he was the Equus.
    ‘Yes please,
I’d like to see him, and bring the other two over as well –’ Mistral was saying
as the twins ambled up to her, smiling pleasantly at the Equus.
    The Equus
nodded and abruptly turned on his heel, heading towards the paddock. 
Mistral turned quickly to face the twins, her eyes shining with
excitement. 
    ‘That was the
Equus,’ she explained unnecessarily.