Martin Millar - Lonely Werewolf Girl (38 page)

"You shouldn't be embarrassed about not reading well," said
Moonglow. "It doesn't mean you're not clever. I already know you're
intelligent. It's just because you didn't get to school much. Look at
this."

Moonglow had logged on to a remedial
learning to mad
website. It was very cheerful and involved a lot of colourful pictures
of animals and flowers. It was like a simple infants reading book, but
brightly animated. When you got things right the animals danced around
the screen, and congratulated the user on their performance. When you
got things wrong, the colourful animals encouraged you to try again.

"Start using this site and you'll be reading and writing in no
time and won't that be better than just getting angry about it?"

"I don't need any help," said Kalix.

"Well you should take a look anyway," said Moonglow. "I have
to go and start cooking for Jay now. If I leave my computer here will
you promise not to damage it?"

"All right."

Fervently hoping that this would not be the last time she saw
her MacBook in good working order, Moonglow went off to the kitchen.

103

Maddened with rage, Markus ran through the streets of London.
Anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way was flung roughly aside as
the crazed werewolf sprinted north towards Hyde Park. Sarapen's town
house overlooked the park, and Markus had only one thought in his mind:
to kill Sarapen. Sarapen had stolen the Begravar knife and killed
Talixia. Now Markus would kill him. Markus had no thought of the
Thaneship, no thoughts of the effect his action might have on the clan.
He did not even think of what Verasa would say. His older brother had
to die. That was all that mattered.

Markus arrived at Hyde Park just as the moon rose. He
transformed into his werewolf shape and leapt the tall fence with a
bound that would have been beyond the power of any man. A few people
outside the park rubbed their eyes, shook their heads and hurried off,
not wanting to believe that they'd seen a wolf-beast hurdle the fence.

The park had closed at dusk and no one else saw Markus as he
raced over the grass. Now he could see the block in which Sarapen
lived. Markus raised his snout and howled, the howl of a MacRinnalch
werewolf going to war. He sprang over the fence which separated the
grass from the houses beyond then raced through the bushes towards
Sara-pen's door. Already he could scent the werewolves inside. Alarms
went off in the house as the intruder approached. Seconds later the
back door was torn from its hinges and Markus stormed in, roaring for
Sarapen to come and face him.

Two werewolves hurried to confront Markus. They tried to
grapple with him but Markus was too strong. He sunk his teeth into the
neck of one opponent, killing him instantly, then smashed the other
werewolf him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"Where is Sarapen!" screamed Markus, and ran forward through
the hallway.

"Markus!"

Markus turned to find himself confronted by Decembrius and
Mirasen.

"What is the meaning of this!" demanded Mirasen.

"I'm going to kill Sarapen!" yelled Markus.

Mirasen tried to reply but Markus was too maddened to listen.
He threw himself at Sarapen's advisor. Decembrius leapt on Markus's
back and the three werewolves fell in a struggling, growling heap onto
the floor. The struggle was fierce but brief. When it was over Markus
jumped to his feet. Mirasen lay dead and Decembrius was barely alive. A
huge pool of werewolf blood spread out over the tiled hallway.

Markus ran through the house, screaming for Sarapen to come
and face him. Unable to find his brother he began to wreck everything
he came across, throwing furniture across the room and hauling down
shelves and bookcases, smashing everything with his claws and his
mighty jaws. Everywhere he went he caused destruction, but he couldn't
find Sarapen. Finally realising that his brother was not here, he ran
back to the hallway. Decembrius was struggling to rise. Markus grabbed
him by the throat and dragged him to his feet.

"Tell Sarapen I'll kill him next!" snarled Markus, then threw
Decembrius from him. Decembrius crashed into a marble statue and
slumped to the floor. Markus stormed out of the house, disappearing
over the fence into the darkness, still enraged, and still howling.

104

Thrix arrived home very late. She'd cleaned up the mess at
Talixia's house, sending the body home to Scotland for burial. The
process had involved various pieces of sorcery and several long phone
calls to her mother. Thrix was unable to get on with any of her own
work and was in consequence extremely disgruntled when she arrived
home. She hoped she could work through the night and make up for some
of the lost time.

It had not taken long for the murderous feud to reach London.
Thrix still found it hard to believe that Sarapen had really killed
Talixia but what other explanation was there? The Mistress of the
Werewolves seemed quite certain that Sarapen had stolen the Begravar
knife from the castle, and no other weapon could have caused Talixia's
death.

Verasa asked Thrix to find Markus. Verasa did not want her
younger son to confront Sarapen. She feared for his life. Thrix had
agreed to look but she hadn't done so. She'd already been to visit
Kalix, and spent a long time at Talixia's apartment. She couldn't
afford to waste more of her time chasing Markus around the city. As
Thrix put her key in her front door she sensed her flat was not empty.
Malveria was inside, sitting languidly on the couch, surrounded by
magazines, with the TV on and a bottle of wine suspended in mid-air
within easy reach.

"Make yourself at home," said Thrix, dryly.

"Thrix!" said the Fire Queen, welcoming her joyfully. "I have
been eager to see you. But you are so late coming home. Have you been
working all day or is it perhaps another date with the eligible young
men of town?"

"No date. No work."

Thrix slumped on the couch and brought the Fire Queen up to
date with the latest events. Malveria nodded sympathetically. She knew
that Thrix was hating this.

"As you should. You have the far more important business of
clothes designing to be getting on with. Some wine?"

Malveria nodded to the bottle and it travelled steadily
through the air to pour itself into a glass which Malveria floated over
to Thrix. Thrix accepted it gratefully.

"Or something a little stronger?" suggested Malveria, and
raised a bottle of the MacRinnalch whisky a few inches off the nearest
shelf.

Thrix shook her head.

"Not yet, I have to stay up all night and work."

"You are making me fine outfits for the Sorceress Livia's
birthday celebration?" said Malveria, eagerly.

The Enchantress nodded, rather wearily.

"Splendid," said Malveria. "But I am forgetting. I have
encountered the great whore Princess Kabachetka while spying at the
office of Zatek the treacherous."

"You did? What did you learn?"

"Her hair is definitely dyed. I have suspected this for some
time though she resolutely denies it. But it was quite uneven around
the roots, no doubt because the Princess is too mean to pay the best
hairdressers. But that is typical of the Princess, a cheap elemental to
the core."

Malveria frowned.

"I would so much like to kill that Princess. Do you know she
had the effrontery to insinuate that I was generously proportioned? She
accused me of hiding my excess weight! Which is absurd. Of course it
can be done -1 believe her mother the Empress Asaratanti has long
concealed several hundred pounds of ugly fat in another dimension -but
such tactics are not necessary for the extremely slim Queen Malve-na.
Last year my devotees added the title
Slenderest of Queens
to my many existing names, quite unbidden by myself."

"But of course I cannot kill the Princess," sighed Malveria.
"If I did then it would be said that I had done so out of jealousy at
her superior fashion sense. You wouldn't believe, my dearest Thrix, how
cruel they can be in my dimension. Those harpies who flock around the
Sorceress Livia simply live for gossip."

The Enchantress, well used to Malveria's ways, waited
patiently for the Fire Queen to get to the point.

"But I must admit to some slight failure in my spying. When I
saw the harlot Kabachetka I was unable to conceal my rage and we had a
great argument which may have become violent had I not been unwilling
to resort to violence in front of a fashion designer. If my front row
seats for the Vogue fashion awards were to be withdrawn I would simply
not be able to carry on living."

"So you didn't learn anything?"

Malveria swept her arm expansively through the air.

"Please, Enchantress. You disparage me. I did not say that I
didn't learn anything. In Zatek's building I sensed a very particular
form of sorcery, sorcery I would not have expected to find there. It's
called the
Seeing of Asiex
and by its use a
sorcerer can see very far, even through a strong magical barrier."

"You mean there isn't a traitor in my organisation? Zatek is
just using a spell to spy on me?"

"I believe so."

Thrix gulped her wine down and poured herself some more.

"I've never come across this
Seeing of Asiex
."

"It is very obscure. Indeed, I would not have thought that
Kabachetka could provide this spell for Zatek. Some forms of sorcery
are very difficult to transport to this dimension."

"Perhaps," suggested Thrix. "Merchant MacDoig is involved?
He'd know how to do it."

Thrix pursed her lips. So Zatek could use sorcery, and
Princess Kabachetka was prepared to hire the Merchant to import obscure
spells for him.

"Can you help me block it off?"

"Of course, Enchantress. I know to how to negate its effects."

"Excellent. Malveria, that's the best news I've had all day.
No more spying from Zatek and no more Kabachetka stealing my designs."

"Indeed it is excellent, dearest Enchantress. But I remain
troubled. A person who can use this spell may have other resources to
hand. We must be ready for his next move."

Malveria looked longingly at a yellow cocktail dress in the
pages of Tatler.

"I would like a dress like that. But as you know, yellow has
always refused to suit me. I count it as a great misfortune in my life."

"Yes," agreed Thrix. "It is a burden."

"I so wanted these yellow shoes last year," said Malveria, and
started to look quite unhappy. When she turned the page and found a
picture of the same model now wearing a tiny yet exquisite yellow hat,
a tear formed in her eye.

"Oh look how beautiful she is in her yellow hat. She is so
lucky."

"I know that model Malveria. She's a heroin addict and the
only place she ever goes is to see her psychiatrist."

"But she really suits her yellow hat," stated Malveria. "She
is the most fortunate of women."

It was time for the Japanese fashion show on cable TV. They
settled down to watch. Although Thrix had been determined to spend the
night working, the Fire Queen would not leave before the show was over
and besides, an hour of relaxation would do her good. She nodded
towards the bottle of whisky, bringing it floating towards them.

"The young man Daniel," said Malveria.

"What about him?"

"Do you think he could be… What is the word that describes
those two designers you recommended to redecorate my reception room?"

"Homosexual?"

"That is correct. Could this apply to Daniel?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"For no reason. I just wonder at his aversion to women. I sent
him my niece who is not unattractive. Yet he fled the scene. I admit
myself to be baffled."

Thrix was puzzled.

"Why did you send her to Daniel?"

"I felt that he deserved some reward," explained Malveria,
untruthfully. "You will remember that he called me beautiful. And do
not forget, he is the guardian of young Kalix, in a way."

Thrix sighed.

"I've been trying to forget about Kalix. My mother keeps
asking me to check on her."

Malveria wondered why the Mistress of the Werewolves could not
send someone else. Thrix admitted that she hadn't told her mother
exactly where Kalix was.

"My mother would tell Markus. And I don't trust Markus."
"Perhaps we could visit Kalix together?" suggested Malveria, who had an
urge to see Daniel again, that she might judge for herself why he'd
fled from Agrivex.

105

Kalix played on Moonglow's computer for a long time. She
enjoyed the
learning to read
website. Each page
was a like a game and Kalix, by choosing the right words, led hopping
frogs across a pond, and goats safely over a mountain. The young
werewolf had never played any sort of computer game before and even
though this was all rather simple, she was entranced. Without her
really noticing, Kalix's reading skills began to improve. The next page
involved helping a kitten crawl back into its basket.
Cat
-mat-sat- bat - hat
, typed Kalix, triumphantly leading the
kitten to safety by spelling all the words correctly.

Kalix was vaguely aware that Moonglow's boyfriend was now in
the house. She wondered if she should go down and say hello. Daniel
knocked on the door. Kalix immediately felt self-conscious. While she
had been quite happy using the website alone, Daniel's appearance made
her realise that she was playing a child's game, and learning very
simple words. Daniel was bound to think she was stupid if he found her
typing out
cat, bat
, and
mat
.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," mumbled Kalix.

Daniel walked across the room. Kalix's poor computer skills
meant she was unable to close the website before he saw it.