Martin Millar - Lonely Werewolf Girl (69 page)

186

Malveria was uneasy. Today was the day she planned to be nice
to Agrivex. She knew it was going to be difficult. No matter what
Malveria did, her niece would inevitably say something stupid, or do
some-thing foolish, and aggravate her beyond endurance. 'Why,' Malveria
wondered, 'am I even making the attempt? It is doomed to failure.' She
suddenly felt annoyed at the Enchantress. It was all very well for
Thrix to lecture her about being nice to her family. The werewolf was
in a perpetual state of warfare with her own.

Malveria swept through her palace, halting outside Vex's room.
She forced a smile onto her face, and knocked lightly on the door.
There was no reply. She opened the door and walked in, finding herself
in the midst of an astonishing mess. Malveria blanched. It was some
time since she had dared venture into Agrivex's bedroom and she'd
managed to blot out the memory of quite how bad it was. There was no
inch of floor space not cluttered with clothes, toys or magazines. The
dressing table sagged with make-up. The walls were covered by an
incredible collection of pictures stuck on top of each other so that
small pieces of Vex's favourites stared out crazily from behind each
other. The only free space was the ceiling, and Malveria was startled
to see that it had recently been painted silver by a very inexpert hand.

Vex was slumbering peacefully in bed, partially covered by a
huge pink quilt, her fluffy dragon beside her on the pillow. Malveria
coughed loudly. Vex opened her eyes.

"Go away," she said. "I'm not waking up yet."

Malveria was prepared for this. No matter how annoying Agrivex
was today, Malveria intended to remain calm. It was an almost
impossible task for a fire elemental but the Queen had decided to look
on it as a test of character. Surely she could force herself not to
yell at her niece for one day?

Malveria sat on the bed.

"Wake up. Today is a special day."

"No it's not," replied Vex. "It's another boring day in this
boring palace and I'm going back to sleep."

"I really want you to wake up," urged the Fire Queen.

Agrivex scowled, then pulled her quilt over her head. Malveria
was surprised. She yanked the quilt down.

"You dare ignore me you - " She halted herself. What was it
the Enchantress had advised her to do?
Take a deep breath
before sacrificing your niece
. She took a deep breath.

"Young niece. Today I'm going to take you shopping."

Agrivex opened her eyes. She was interested, but suspicious.

"What do you mean shopping?"

"Buying things."

"What things? Boring things? Like things for lessons?"

"No. Pleasant things. For you to wear."

Vex sat up. Malveria was displeased to see she was wearing
Hello Kitty pyjamas. The cute little pussy cat motif was quite
unsuitable for any inhabitant of the Hiyasta palace. She let it pass
without comment.

"Things for me to wear? Why? Am I being sacrificed?"

Malveria frowned.

"Why do you always say that?"

"Because you're always threatening to sacrifice me."

"Well today I am not. Today I'm taking you shopping."

"For new boots?"

"Possibly…" replied Malveria.

"What do you
mean possibly
?"

"I thought it might be time for you to purchase some more
presentable garments than those which you currently wear," explained
Malveria. "Some garments suitable for a young lady who has the status
of almost-adopted niece to the Queen."

Vex scowled.

"I see. You drag me out of bed in the middle of the night to
tell me I have to wear some hideous dress with a matching handbag?"

"That is not what I mean at all," replied Malveria. "I am
intending to treat you. I thought that you would enjoy being taken to
some of the more elegant costumiers in the human realm. Surely you
would like to see yourself elegantly attired for once?"

Vex turned to her fluffy dragon.

"She wants to stuff me into some hideous dress with a matching
handbag."

Malveria took another deep breath. Already this was going
wrong.

"Are you incapable of responding positively to this kind
overture?"

"What kind overture? I refuse to be shovelled into a lot of
boring dresses from haute-couture-for-the-aged. If we're going shopping
I want to go to Camden Market."

"To buy foolish boots and ragged T-shirts?" demanded Malveria.

"Yes," replied Vex, and looked her aunt in the eye. "I want
foolish boots and ragged T-shirts."

"I will not waste my money on such things."

"Fine," said Vex. "I'm going back to sleep."

Agrivex wrenched the quilt from Malveria's hand
and dragged it over her head. The Fire Queen had a strong urge to call her
executioner and have her niece dragged immediately to the volcano. No
one else in her realm would have dared to pull a quilt over their head
while the Queen was talking.

"Go ahead, get the executioner," said Vex from beneath the
quilt, as if reading her thoughts. "My life sucks so badly I'd be
pleased to be thrown into the volcano. If you wait till I'm ready to
get up I'll walk there myself."

The Fire Queen stood up and strode round the room several
times. Given the mess on the floor, this wasn't easy. After a few more
deep breaths, she again sat on the bed, but found herself distracted by
the silver ceiling. Malveria's palace was beautifully decorated
throughout but this ceiling looked as it had been painted by a blind
elemental in a great hurry.

"What happened to your ceiling?" she demanded.

"I spray-painted it," replied Vex, from beneath the quilt.

"What does
spray-painted
mean? No, do
not tell me, it will no doubt distress me further."

There was a silence which quickly became oppressive. Malveria
pursed her lips.

"Very well, dismal niece. We will go to this Camden market you
talk of. And we will buy whatever you wish."

Vex exploded from under the quilt, an eager look on her face.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"And you'll buy me whatever I want?"

"I will."

"Fantastic!" cried Vex, and bounded from the bed.

"So if you will meet me after dressing - "

Vex stuffed her feet into her boots and pulled a
ragged denim jacket over her Hello Kitty
pyjamas.

"I'm ready!" she yelled. "Let's go!"

187

With Castle MacRinnalch now under
siege, the twins' gig only ten days away, and the Sorceress Livia's celebration fast
approaching, there were now many plots and stratagems among the
MacRinnalchs, their associates and their enemies. The Mistress of the
Werewolves hadn't given up on securing enough votes for Markus, and was
hopeful of persuading Kurian to change sides. Sarapen offered Kurian's
son Kertal a rich reward if he would help his werewolves enter the
castle, and he promised to transform Madrigal into a werewolf once he'd
carried out his part in attacking the gig. Meanwhile Marwanis was at
the MacGregor's keep, working on Wallace and Lachlan. Wallace was
already won over, and Lachlan found it very hard to resist.

Thrix MacRinnalch was in the midst of a crisis. Her shoe
designs were delayed in Italy due to a problem obtaining the special
dyes for the leather. Every day saw an agonised correspondence between
London and Italy, and the Enchantress dreaded to think what Malveria
would say if her shoes were not ready in time.

The ball gown was another problem. Normally the great ladies
of Malveria's realm would not wear clothes which had been either
sorcerously made or repaired. As Malveria said, fine tailoring was
everything. One could not walk around in clothes which had been botched
together by a spell. To do so would be very common. However, the ball
gown was different. By ancient tradition, these fabulous dresses could
have a touch of magic about them. Thrix was constructing a new spell to
enhance the gown but it was a difficult piece of magic, and she
struggled to bring the spell, and the garment, to fruition.

The Fire Queen herself was plotting furiously. Malveria told
Thrix, quite untruthfully, that Sarapen had offered her perpetual
access to the water of Colburn Wood if she would agree to end her
assistance to the Enchantress. The Enchantress was obliged to report
this to her mother, and Verasa in turn was forced to consider making a
counter offer to Malveria, allowing her access to the water in return
for her continued support. Malveria was pleased. It hadn't been too
difficult a problem to sort out, to a Queen of her astuteness.

In the affair of Moonglow and Daniel, Malveria felt that the
tide was turning in her favour. Moonglow was unhappy and vulnerable,
and Daniel was becoming more attractive. To help this along, Malveria
asked the Sorceress Livia, who had power over dreams, to send a dream
to Alicia, showing her great happiness if she went out with Daniel.
That wasn't breaking the rules of the bargain, or if it was, it was
only a minor infringement.

Malveria promised Agrivex a speedy death if her niece ever
dragged her round the whole of Camden market on a busy Saturday
afternoon again. The entire affair had been very trying for Malveria.
Each disreputable item of clothing that Vex purchased was like a dagger
through the Queen's heart, and she despaired as Vex enthusiastically
loaded her shopping bags with endless T-shirts, boots, jeans, military
clothing, psychedelic items and whatever else caught her eager eye. But
though Malveria complained at length, in reality, her day had not been
so bad. At one point Vex had taken her hand to lead her along,
something she had never done before.

It had been raining in Camden, adding to the Fire Queen's
discomfort. It was raining at Castle MacRinnalch too, and it was
raining outside the Merchant's shop when MacDoig opened a small portal
to bring herbs, crystals and the blood of other-worldly animals into
this dimension: tools which the Princess Kabachetka would need for her
sorcery. It wasn't easy to bring these things to earth and the Princess
paid MacDoig well for his expert help. Princess Kabachetka was
satisfied. If the Werewolf Enchantress thought she could protect her
allies from Sarapen's wrath on the night of the gig, she was in for an
unpleasant surprise.

There were other matters about which the Princess was less
satisfied. For one thing, she had become unexpectedly attracted to
Sarapen, yet sensed that the great werewolf would never consider any
sort of dalliance. This mildly frustrated the Princess, and she
wondered what she might do about it. Worse, and more pressing, neither
she nor Zatek had succeeded in locating the Fire Queen's clothes. The
Princess fretted, and tried to think of a plan.

Malveria was exhausted when she arrived back at her palace. It
was raining there too, which was unusual, but despite the weather the
palace had a more cheerful air. Agrivex had completely forgotten her
unhappiness over Daniel and was busy dressing herself in a fantastic
array of outlandish garments. All over the palace, ministers of state,
handmaidens, and the staff of the royal kitchens sighed in relief as
Vex's misery dissipated, allowing them to get back to work without fear
of envelopment in the grim aura of teenage Hiyasta gloom.

188

Dominil was waiting for Kalix in the small concourse at the
top of the elevator at Camden tube station. She leant against the wall,
reading a book, ignoring the many stares from passers by. Sensing
Kalix's arrival, she looked up. Kalix glanced at the book.

"Sulpicia," said Dominil. "A contemporary of Tibullus. I have
a bag of leaflets. Let's get to work."

There were already people handing out fliers outside the tube
and they had to walk some yards up the road to find a vacant position.
It was cold and wet and the leafleters outside the tube station were
having little success. Again however, Dominil and Kalix attracted a lot
of attention. They handed out leaflets for an hour. By this time Kalix
was soaked. Dominil's long leather coat kept her dry, though her white
hair hung limply over her collar. Finally Dominil announced that they'd
done enough for now.

"I am uncertain if this is beneficial or not," she admitted to
Kalix. "So many people hand out leaflets here. Does anyone ever read
them?"

She led Kalix across the road to the same pub they had visited
before. At seventeen, Kalix was technically one year too young to drink
alcohol in a public house, and she didn't look any older than her real
age. Younger perhaps, with her skinny frame and her pure unblemished
skin. But if the barman thought anything about it, he wasn't about to
do anything which might drive away two such spectacularly beautiful
women from his establishment.

They sat in silence. Kalix toyed with her bottle of beer,
scratching off the label. She shifted in her seat to avoid looking at
the woman at the next table, who was very overweight, which upset her a
little.

"I ate lunch," she said, suddenly.

"Good," said Dominil.

They relapsed back into silence. Kalix drummed her fingers on
the table. She wanted to ask Dominil a question, but felt embarrassed
to speak.

"If you have something to say, please say it," said Dominil,
with her customary lack of sympathy.

"Could you speak to Gawain for me?" blurted Kalix, and winced,
waiting for a crushing retort from the white-haired werewolf.

"Speak to him? About what?"

Kalix looked awkward, and didn't say anything.

"You want me to find out about his new
lover? Perhaps discover if he still cares for you?"

Dominil stared at Kalix for a few moments. Kalix felt stupid,
and wished she hadn't mentioned it.

"Very well," said Dominil. "I'll talk to him. Are you
expecting him to come to the gig?"

Kalix didn't know. She didn't really know where she expected
Dominil to meet Gawain.