Well, whilst I’ve been waiting for you to regain consciousness,
which has been nearly two days by the way –’
Mistral flinched, two days?
Guilt swamped her as she realised that Fabian had been sat by her bed for two
whole days, probably beside himself with worry … then her heart hardened when
she reasoned that if he had been a little more trusting and allowed her some
freedom to actually take the work she was trained to do then she wouldn’t have
felt the need to behave quite so recklessly in the first place.
‘I have accepted a Council
Contract and, if you so desire to, you are welcome to accompany me.’
‘Yes please!’
‘Wait, I have more I wish to say
to you yet,’ he said, smiling for the first time. ‘Contracts of all types
that you wish to undertake resume with immediate effect –’
‘Uh-huh,’ Mistral narrowed her eyes
at him suspiciously. It wasn’t like Fabian to give in that easily.
‘On the strict understanding that
I accompany you.’
‘Agreed!’ Mistral grinned
at him. ‘Now, is there any chance of you breaking me out of here?
The twins usually do the honours but they’re not here.’
‘My pleasure.’ Fabian
smiled and slid his hands under the bed sheet, pulling her into his arms.
‘You know I probably could walk,’
she murmured, gazing into his velvet eyes while he cradled her in his arms and
carried her towards the door.
He gazed down at her, the epitome
of polite concern, ‘Would you like to?’
‘No.’
The
Mage Council Contract
Fabian carried Mistral out of the
Infirmary to be promptly greeted by Prospero, laid beside the door. He
immediately leapt to his feet, wagging his feathery tail with pleasure at the
sight of his mistress.
‘Hello boy,’ Mistral smiled down
at her dog while Fabian swept her swiftly down the corridor and up the stairs
to the dorms. Kicking open her door he carried her in and laid her gently
on the bed, sitting down beside her as Prospero collapsed heavily on the floor
and instantly went back to sleep.
‘I am sorry,’ she sighed,
wrapping her arms around him. ‘You must have been so worried.’
‘I was slightly anxious.’
Fabian agreed in a tense voice. ‘And I admit it was hardly the
pleasant reception I had fondly imagined when I rode into the Valley earlier
than I had promised. Instead of you jumping for joy at seeing me again
you were lying unconscious in the Infirmary with your so-called brothers
skulking guiltily at the foot of your bed.’
Mistral cringed again, ‘I’m so
sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I remember trying to stab the cyclops to death
with my dagger then it threw me at the rockface, but I’ve no idea what happened
after that.’
‘I heard the full and very
colourful story from Xerxes. I think Cain should be banned from brewing
anything ever again and I will be speaking with the twins as well.’
‘Fabian! You’re not my
Training Lieutenant now.’ Mistral reminded him sharply.
He sighed and looked down at her,
his black eyes sad, ‘No, I’m just the person who loves you more than his own
life and trusted others to try and repress your more reckless urges whilst I
was unable to.’
‘Oh Fabian, please don’t! I
feel guilty enough as it is! I’m sorry! I missed you so much and
then I got angry with you. I resented the fact that you could leave the
Valley when you pleased but I couldn’t. Then my brothers came back, full
of the mercenary Contract they’d just been on, making me feel even more like I
was trapped here, bored and boring. And Cain had this drink –’
‘I know about the illegal
manticore potion and I don’t approve.’ Fabian snapped coldly.
‘No, and looking back, I don’t
think I do either.’
‘So. You agree that hanging
from the back of a cyclops and trying to stab it to death with a short-bladed
dagger is not a good way to try and stay out of trouble?’
Mistral glanced up at him and was
relieved to see a
which has been nearly two days by the way –’
Mistral flinched, two days?
Guilt swamped her as she realised that Fabian had been sat by her bed for two
whole days, probably beside himself with worry … then her heart hardened when
she reasoned that if he had been a little more trusting and allowed her some
freedom to actually take the work she was trained to do then she wouldn’t have
felt the need to behave quite so recklessly in the first place.
‘I have accepted a Council
Contract and, if you so desire to, you are welcome to accompany me.’
‘Yes please!’
‘Wait, I have more I wish to say
to you yet,’ he said, smiling for the first time. ‘Contracts of all types
that you wish to undertake resume with immediate effect –’
‘Uh-huh,’ Mistral narrowed her eyes
at him suspiciously. It wasn’t like Fabian to give in that easily.
‘On the strict understanding that
I accompany you.’
‘Agreed!’ Mistral grinned
at him. ‘Now, is there any chance of you breaking me out of here?
The twins usually do the honours but they’re not here.’
‘My pleasure.’ Fabian
smiled and slid his hands under the bed sheet, pulling her into his arms.
‘You know I probably could walk,’
she murmured, gazing into his velvet eyes while he cradled her in his arms and
carried her towards the door.
He gazed down at her, the epitome
of polite concern, ‘Would you like to?’
‘No.’
The
Mage Council Contract
Fabian carried Mistral out of the
Infirmary to be promptly greeted by Prospero, laid beside the door. He
immediately leapt to his feet, wagging his feathery tail with pleasure at the
sight of his mistress.
‘Hello boy,’ Mistral smiled down
at her dog while Fabian swept her swiftly down the corridor and up the stairs
to the dorms. Kicking open her door he carried her in and laid her gently
on the bed, sitting down beside her as Prospero collapsed heavily on the floor
and instantly went back to sleep.
‘I am sorry,’ she sighed,
wrapping her arms around him. ‘You must have been so worried.’
‘I was slightly anxious.’
Fabian agreed in a tense voice. ‘And I admit it was hardly the
pleasant reception I had fondly imagined when I rode into the Valley earlier
than I had promised. Instead of you jumping for joy at seeing me again
you were lying unconscious in the Infirmary with your so-called brothers
skulking guiltily at the foot of your bed.’
Mistral cringed again, ‘I’m so
sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I remember trying to stab the cyclops to death
with my dagger then it threw me at the rockface, but I’ve no idea what happened
after that.’
‘I heard the full and very
colourful story from Xerxes. I think Cain should be banned from brewing
anything ever again and I will be speaking with the twins as well.’
‘Fabian! You’re not my
Training Lieutenant now.’ Mistral reminded him sharply.
He sighed and looked down at her,
his black eyes sad, ‘No, I’m just the person who loves you more than his own
life and trusted others to try and repress your more reckless urges whilst I
was unable to.’
‘Oh Fabian, please don’t! I
feel guilty enough as it is! I’m sorry! I missed you so much and
then I got angry with you. I resented the fact that you could leave the
Valley when you pleased but I couldn’t. Then my brothers came back, full
of the mercenary Contract they’d just been on, making me feel even more like I
was trapped here, bored and boring. And Cain had this drink –’
‘I know about the illegal
manticore potion and I don’t approve.’ Fabian snapped coldly.
‘No, and looking back, I don’t
think I do either.’
‘So. You agree that hanging
from the back of a cyclops and trying to stab it to death with a short-bladed
dagger is not a good way to try and stay out of trouble?’
Mistral glanced up at him and was
relieved to see a
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