Martin Millar - Lonely Werewolf Girl (50 page)

Daniel looked at her eagerly, waiting to hear.

"I really need a cup of tea," said Moonglow.

Daniel wrinkled his brow, very slightly. He shrugged.

"I'll make you tea."

No doubt Moonglow would tell him soon enough. Vex's presence
might be putting her off, if it was some personal affair.

"I must get changed," said Moonglow, and hurried up to her
room. Behind her Daniel looked puzzled.

"Things to do? What sort of things?"

"Probably something to do with the werewolf she's been with,"
said Vex. "Look, this Led Zeppelin CD says it came out in 1969. Was
there music then?"

"What werewolf?" asked Daniel.

"I just don't see the point in old music," continued Vex. "I
mean, who was born in 1969?"

"What werewolf?" screamed Daniel.

Vex looked confused.

"What werewolf what?"

"You said Moonglow had been with a werewolf."

"Of course she has," said Vex. "Can't you sense the aura - no
wait don't tell me - my tutor once taught me something - humans can't
really sense auras, right? Can't tell if a person has been with a
werewolf, for instance. Is that right?"

Vex beamed, pleased to have remembered something from her
lessons.

"That's right. So tell me all about it."

"Hey, I'm not psychic. But Moonglow has definitely been with a
werewolf recently. I can see traces of its aura."

"You mean Kalix? Or Thrix?"

"No. Some werewolf I've never met."

Daniel was very perturbed. Moonglow, missing for two days,
returns home, acts mysteriously, and now Vex was claiming she'd been
with a werewolf.

"When you say
been with
," he said,
awkwardly. "Do you mean
been with
as in having a
cup of tea in a cafe, or
been with
in a biblical
sense?"

Vex had no idea what Daniel meant.

"You know - intimate," he explained.

"Oh."

Moonglow appeared in the room, having changed her clothes. Vex
looked at her, then at Daniel.

"The biblical sense," she said, cheerfully.

Daniel glared at Moonglow, open-mouthed.

"What's up?" said Moonglow.

"What's up? Have you been sleeping with a werewolf?"

"Of course not!" replied Moonglow. "What makes you say that?"

"Vex can sense it."

Moonglow rounded on Vex. "Can't you mind your own business?"

"Sorry. Was it a secret?"

Daniel had never felt so irate.

"I've been chasing all over town looking for you! I thought
you were dead! And it turns out you've been sleeping with a werewolf!
What werewolf? How did it happen?"

Moonglow backed away. This had quickly turned worse than she'd
anticipated. She cursed the young elemental.

"Don't blame me," protested Vex. "I didn't ask you to go
around trailing your
I've had sex with a werewolf aura
all over the place."

"Whatever you are being blamed for you are no doubt guilty,"
declared Malveria, materialising in the room. "Have you remained here
all day? Against my express instructions that you were to attend your
classes?"

Vex searched frantically for an excuse.

"We had to rescue Moonglow," she said, cunningly. "She was
being ravished by a werewolf."

"I was not ravished!" protested Moonglow.

"What is going on?" asked Malveria, and looked puzzled, till
she glanced at Moonglow. Malveria could interpret auras far more
accurately than Agrivex, and she laughed.

"Well well! This is unexpected. An intimate encounter with
Markus? How very bold!"

Daniel was appalled.

"You had an intimate encounter with Markus? Markus? The psycho
werewolf? Are you crazy?"

"He's not a psycho," retorted Moonglow heatedly, upset at
hearing her private actions bandied around the room. Moonglow had
realised she might have some explaining to do but she hadn't been
expecting to encounter Hiyastas who could apparently read her every
action.

"What are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Returning from an unsuccessful hunt for Dominil," replied the
Fire Queen. "I teleported ahead while Thrix parked the car. I always
find the process of parking very tedious. Thrix is not skilled in this
area."

"Did you find Dominil?"

"No. We fear for her life."

"Yes it's a worry," said Daniel. "Now getting back to Markus,
what's it all about?"

Moonglow fell silent. The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," said Vex and rushed downstairs.

Malveria was hardly less curious than Daniel about Moonglow's
dalliance with Markus. She looked pointedly at the girl. So did Daniel.

"I refuse to discuss it," said Moonglow.

Vex bounded back into the room, followed by Thrix. The instant
Thrix entered she halted, looked at Moonglow, and sniffed the air.

"You slept with Markus? How did that happen?"

"Will you all stop smelling me?" protested Moonglow, who was
now feeling quite frantic. "I have washed, you know."

"I did not smell you," said Malveria, rather offended. "The
Hiyasta Queen does not smell people. Rather, I studied your aura."

"Well I smelled you," said Thrix. "It would take more than a
shower to hide the mating scent of Markus from me."

Unlike Malveria, Thrix was not at all jovial.

"This is not good. How did it happen?"

"It's none of your business."

The Enchantress's deep blue eyes bored into Moonglow.

"None of my business? You sleep with my brother while my
family is in the middle of a murderous feud? I'd say it is my business."

"Just leave me alone!" yelled Moonglow, and stormed out the
room.

Malveria turned her coldest stare on Vex.

"You are in substantial amounts of trouble for missing your
lessons, foul niece."

Vex was outraged.

"Weren't you listening? We had to save Moonglow from being
ravished."

"Pah!" replied Malveria. "Begone!"

She snapped her fingers and sent Vex back to her own dimension.

"I despair of the girl. I have been too soft with her. Really
I should throw her into the volcano."

"No, don't do that," protested Daniel.

Malveria smiled, and crossed over to Daniel, placing her face
close to his which immediately made him uncomfortable.

"You are being kind," said Malveria, and stroked Daniel's
cheek. "You are always very kind."

Daniel blushed a brilliant shade of red. He was spared further
embarrassment by Thrix's angry interruption.

"Malveria, please stop tormenting him. We're still meant to be
looking for Dominil."

Moonglow strode back into the room.

"Kalix has gone," she announced. "She's taken her stuff and
left."

"Again?"

"The MacRinnalchs," sighed Malveria. "They are such trouble."

Really, she didn't sound too displeased. Troublesome
werewolves were very entertaining, in their way.

135

There was more trouble among the MacRinnalchs than Malveria
realised. The MacAllisters had encroached on their lands and refused to
withdraw. The Mistress of the Werewolves sent a message to the new
Baron MacAllister instructing him to remove himself from MacRinnalch
territory. The Baron had sent back a message which, in the politest of
terms, pointed out that the MacAllisters were engaged in hunting on
their own territory and had every right to be there.

Verasa was furious. It was true, as clan secretary Rainal
pointed out, that there was a strip of land between Baron MacAllister's
lands and the MacRinnalch estates the ownership of which had long been
disputed. The dispute belonged to a bygone age, but as the land in
question contained the eastern fringes of Colburn Wood it was still a
matter which could raise strong emotions.

"We own all of Colburn Wood," declared the Mistress of the
Werewolves.

Rainal felt obliged to disagree.

"The matter has never been satisfactorily settled. Thane
Pictus MacRinnalch granted the land beyond the wood to the MacAllisters
more than twelve hundred years ago but the original deeds have been
lost. The new Baron MacAllister is not the first to claim that the
original grant included the eastern side of Colburn Wood. In recent
times the matter has never been seen as important, but now…"

Rainal let the sentence hang unfinished. Now, obviously, the
MacAllisters wanted to show some defiance towards the Mistress of the
Werewolves.

"Which they would not be doing without encouragement from
Sara-pen. Damn that wolf. Does my son intend to plunge us into civil
war?"

Verasa poured herself a glass of wine and lit a cigarette.

"I will not be threatened. If the Baron refuses to withdraw
I'll make him. Instruct Eskandor to assemble my MacRinnalch Guard."

Rainal was hesitant. He could see events running quickly out
of control.

"Would further negotiation not be preferable? If we send a
force to encounter the MacAllisters, things may get out of hand.
Werewolves are not good at restraint while facing an enemy."

"We are not," agreed Verasa. "But I refuse to be intimidated
by some upstart Baron who's hardly finished burying the father he
helped to assassinate. Call Eskandor."

136

Andris MacAndris wondered if he might be executed. It had been
foolish to approach Dominil in the cell, laying himself open to her
attack,

"MacAndris. You have let me down. Have you anything to say?"

The MacAndris wolf held his head up high, not wishing to leave
this life in a shameful manner.

"No, Lord Sarapen. I have no excuse."

Sarapen was furious with Andris for allowing Dominil to
escape. However he was pleased that he didn't offer an excuse, or plead
for his life.

"I'm disappointed in your conduct," said Sarapen.

He dealt the MacAndris a tremendous blow. The werewolf fell to
the floor.

"Get up," said Sarapen.

Andris hauled himself to his feet.

"Will you ever let me down again?"

"No, Lord Sarapen."

"Very well," said Sarapen. "Now go, and find out how the hunt
for Dominil progresses."

MacAndris bowed, then hurried out of Sarapen's presence. From
force of habit Sarapen stood in front of the fireplace, as he would do
at his own keep. Here in London however, there was no blazing fire.
Bylaws prevented it and the mansion was centrally heated. It was
comfortable enough but not suitable for a werewolf. Not in Sarapen's
opinion anyway.

Dominil had escaped. Worse, his mansion had again been
invaded, this time by Thrix and the cursed Hiyasta Queen. Sarapen
bridled to think that these creatures could simply appear in his own
house by use of their unclean sorcery. Had they not teleported out
again, Sarapen would have torn them apart.

"But that," he muttered, "is just the point. They did teleport
out again. While Thrix and the Fire Queen are ranged against me I'm at
the mercy of their sorcerous powers. I need some protection."

Sarapen was averse to sorcery. However, he was also pragmatic.
It was no use ignoring the problem. He instructed his secretary to
contact Decembrius, who was now making a good recovery at his mother
Lucia's lodge on the castle Grounds. When the call was connected
Sarapen inquired briefly as to his advisor's health and was satisfied
to learn that Decembrius would be rejoining him soon.

"I need some way of preventing the Enchantress and her ally
from entering my house, or spying on me. For all I know they could be
watching my every move. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Are you considering using sorcery yourself?" asked Decembrius.

"If necessary."

Decembrius thought for a while.

"Thrix has been troubled by a rival designer with sorcerous
powers," he said. "I saw the power of her rival knock her senseless and
throw her across the street."

Sarapen was interested. Anyone who could send the Enchantress
flying across the street should be worth talking to.

Andris returned to report that the three werewolves who had
left Sarapen's house to pursue Dominil had not come back.

"Very well," said Sarapen. "Assemble my bodyguard. We'll hunt
for her ourselves."

137

Kalix was worried that Dominil was going to die. She couldn't
find a taxi to take them to Kennington. There were few cabs around and
those that were refused to go south of the river. Kalix picked up
Dominil and started to walk. She had to put more distance between them
and Sarapen's mansion. She struggled on through the rain, walking down
a dark street she didn't recognise, pausing frequently to rest. She
knew she couldn't make it far with Dominil. The white werewolf was
taller than her; even her human form was too heavy for Kalix to carry
for long.

Kalix felt panic welling up, threatening to overwhelm her. She
made an effort to control it, breathing deeply and sipping from her
laudanum. The situation was new to her. She'd taken on responsibility
for someone else and now she had to save Dominil and she didn't know
how to do it. The panic became stronger, urging Kalix to leave Dominil
where she was and flee. She tried to fight off the fear but only
succeeded in plunging into anxious depression. Depression because she
was too stupid to know what to do. Her brothers would have known what
to do. So would Thrix. But Kalix couldn't think clearly. She hung her
head and stared at the pavement, now running with water from the heavy
rain.

Dominil moaned. Kalix clenched her fists and started to feel
angry. Why had she got involved in this? It was none of her business.
She should just run away and leave Dominil here. She'd done enough
already, saving her from the werewolves in the park. It wasn't as if
Dominil had ever been friendly towards her. On their last encounter
she'd all but ignored her, even though Kalix had helped her fight off
the hunters. Kalix became quite irate thinking about this. Dominil was
not a nice werewolf.