Quarter Square (14 page)

“I understand why you love these people. They’re great.”

“They are. They’ve changed quite a lot since last time we were here, though. They’ve stopped using sign language in social situations, for a start, and they’re very healthy.”

“Why wouldn’t they be healthy?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen them so strong. They’re shining and bursting with health and vitality, aren’t they? I mean, have you seen the women’s tits?”

“Well, yes.” I smirked. “Can’t help it really.”

“They’re like glamour models. Every one of them full-breasted and…well…pert.”

“And that’s wrong?”

“Not wrong. Just different. Think about it. When was the last time you saw a TV programme about the third world that had full-breasted women everywhere?”

She waited.

I shrugged.

“Doesn’t happen, does it? They’re usually quite flat, and by the time they hit middle age, they’re decidedly saggy.”

I glanced behind me to make sure Du wasn’t watching, and stroked one of Min’s nipples, which puckered and hardened.

“Never mind their tits,” I growled. “I have yours.”

From the far side of the compound, Songa called for Du. There was no sign of alarm, and the lad didn’t seem to have heard his mother. He continued drawing his picture and crooning.

“Pynta will tell Songa that he’s safe with us,” Min said.

I was about to suggest that we might want to be alone for a while, when Du made a gurgling noise and toppled over sideways.

“Du?” Min sat up. “Are you okay, love?”

The boy twitched but didn’t reply. He made another gurgling noise, then went still and quiet.

“Du? What’s wrong?”

Du moved. As if he were in a dream, he got to his hands and knees. His eyes were shut tight, and he trembled.

I scrambled to the bottom of the bed, and Min walked around to the boy. We reached for him at the same time.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. His skin was clammy and covered in a light sheen of sweat.

“Du?” Min said. “Shall we take you to your mummy?”

I stooped to pick him up.

He snarled and snapped at me.

I whipped my hand away and jumped back. What the…?

The boy crouched on all fours. Coarse hair had sprouted thickly on his naked back, and more sprouted everywhere else on his body.

He glared at me, and his eyes changed. His innocent-little-boy gaze became darker, bloodshot, colder and somehow inhuman.

Something cracked, like bones breaking inside his back.

Min and I stared as his body emitted more cracks and wet squelches and, underneath it all, a panting growl of pain.

He changed rapidly. His face lengthened into a snout, and his pointed ears twitched. Black claws burst from paws, where his hands and feet had been. His back writhed with a final loud crack, and he shook vigorously, then raised his head to stand proud and whole.

Du had become a grey wolf cub, as tall as a German shepherd.

Min backed away cautiously, and I scrambled across the bed, desperate to put space between me and the animal. We met up at the head of the bed and huddled together.

Du padded out of the hut.

We followed him to the curtain and peered out, squeezing each other’s hands as if that would protect us from the nightmare we’d just witnessed.

The open space was lit by a full yellow moon rising through the trees. Dozens of wolves occupied the settlement, with not a single human being in sight.

We huddled together and trembled, while trying to plan an escape and watch the wolves at the same time. It was difficult to count how many there were in the compound, but we estimated fifty.

“I think it’s the whole village,” Min whispered.

“The tribe is a werewolf pack. Didn’t you know?”

“Of course I didn’t bloody know. Think I’d have brought you here if I knew?”

A gang of young wolves tumbled into view from behind Shad’s hut, biting and snapping and rolling over one another.

“They are the kids, aren’t they?”

Min sighed. “Certainly looks like it.”

An older wolf snarled at the youngsters, and they skittered out of his way in a rush. Most of them moved to a safe distance before resuming their play, but one strayed too close again and got pinned to the ground and growled at for his trouble. He offered his belly and froze for several seconds, then ran back to his playmates as soon as he was released.

The adult wolf was massive, standing four feet high, seven feet plus from his nose to the tip of his tail, and with a broad chest. His coat was a mix of greys. He must have weighed two hundred and fifty pounds, and I had no doubt that he was Shad.

A smaller adult wolf nuzzled into the shaggy ruff of his neck, and he licked her ears.

“That’s Anya, isn’t it?” Min whispered.

“Yes.” No mistaking the silver highlights in her pale coat. “What are we going to do? There’s no way they’ll let us sneak out of here.”

Min took a deep breath. “I’ll sing to them.”

I grabbed her wrist. “I don’t think so. You don’t know how they’ll react.”

“I’ve calmed wild animals before.”

“Ever calmed a whole pack of werewolves?”

She smiled bravely and stood. “No, but there’s a first time for everything.”

I held on to her. I did
not
want her to go out there. “They’re not coming near the hut. We’re safe here, I think. For now anyway. Let’s not antagonise them.”

She kneeled again. “Okay. But if things get bad, I’ll go out there to sing, and you stay in here.”

“You said you’re immortal, but if you were injured badly enough, could you die?”

“No. I have been injured badly before, and it can take a long time—months sometimes—but everything heals in the end.”

“So if you got mauled by wolves, for example—” I nodded towards the moonlit scene outside, “—you’d be hurting, but you wouldn’t die.”

“Yes.”

“If you go out there to sing, I’ll stand right beside you. If we’re going to get mauled, two might stand a better chance than one.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

The werewolves ignored our hut completely, but that didn’t ease our fears, and we both twitched every time one of them so much as glanced in our direction.

A group of them trotted quietly out of the village and returned dragging a red deer and a boar. The pack fell upon the kill in a savage frenzy, ripping the dead animals apart and eating the meat raw, with lots of snarling, snapping and fighting, but this was probably normal for them.

“These aren’t monsters like Tyac,” I mused.

“No. They’re real wolves.”

“Still fucking terrifying, though.”

She hugged me close.

Two werewolves returned from the forest and nuzzled up to Shad and Anya, who accepted their subservient behaviour with a sort of benign dominance.

The newcomers yipped, pawed the ground and curled their backs repeatedly, as if communicating an important message, and all four werewolves kept staring out to the surrounding forest, then glancing towards our hut, which increased our anxiety to the limit. Shad howled a long, pure note, which the entire pack took up.

As dawn broke, the wolves settled into groups of hairy lumps, all ears and limbs. Their breathing slowed, and twitches and subdued dream yelps indicated they were sleeping.

This was what I’d been waiting for. “Ready to do a runner?”

“Let’s go.”

We both made a move at the same time, but before I could get to my feet, she grabbed my arm. “Look.”

The bodies of several wolves stretched into unnatural positions. Within seconds the whole pack was a writhing, twisting, bone-grinding, skin-stretching, moaning mass, and all that was visible was a hideous mix of fur and twisted flesh. The change happened quickly, and none of them even woke up. By the time the first sunbeams shone through the canopy above, the Axe had returned to their human forms. They slept peacefully, cuddled together in pockets of innocent nakedness.

“Maybe we don’t need to run after all,” Min said.

“Are you serious? Do you think it’s safe to hang around?”

“I do. I don’t know how they became werewolves or how long ago it happened, but I’m certain they will never harm us while they’re in human form, no matter what else they’ve become.”

Shad stood tall, stretching his arms high and wide as he gave a mighty yawn. I wasn’t in the least surprised to see he was hung like a fire hose. He disappeared inside his hut and reappeared, tying his loincloth, then strode directly across the compound in our direction.

Min and I shrank back as a shadow fell across the gap at the edge of our door curtain and Shad’s voice came through.

“Did you sleep well?”

Min thrust the curtain open. “How were we supposed to sleep? You know it’s a werewolf that hunts us. You must know this from your history.”

Shad narrowed his eyes.

The sounds of the waking village roared in comparison to our silent face-off.

“We thought you knew.”

We ducked through the doorway into the open air. Min raised an eyebrow at him, and he cast his eyes down.

“If we knew you were unaware of what we have become, we would have prepared you.”

“I know you would.” She touched his shoulder and smiled. “So prepare us now.”

His relief at her forgiveness was evident. “The story tells of a youth coming home from a journey. He left as a boy and returned as a wolf.”

“Does the story say how he got bitten?”

He shook his head. “Only that it was of his choosing.”

I doubted that, for sure.

“When the people saw how the change made him strong and improved his hunting skills, they all wanted the same. They held council and decided to take the bite.”

Min and I shared a dubious glance but held our peace.

“We became strong warriors.”

“You already were strong warriors,” Min protested. “I’ve always been proud of the Axe.”

Shad basked in her approval and beat his chest once with his fist. “Stronger than before, even.”

“So you thrived.”

“We did. Since long before the days of my grandfather, we have been the fiercest warriors of the forest. This makes us prosperous and safe.” He spread his arms wide to take in the whole village.

“I’m…glad for you,” Min said, avoiding my eye.

“Come. Today we feast in your honour.” He took us to the long hut.

I squeezed Min’s hand and murmured, “Village hall.”

“Yep.”

When we walked through the entrance, about half the tribe were assembled inside, singing a tribute to Min, worshipping her in song. An appropriate form of worship for a goddess with music magic.

Shad linked arms with us as we walked down the central aisle between tables and benches filled with people. “I understand your fear last night, but we would never hurt you.”

Min and I shared a glance.

“Believe me, the Axe will always protect you, with our lives if necessary.”

He escorted us to a pair of matching thrones. I took my seat beside Min as if I’d been doing it all my life, and grinned when it occurred to me that I had, in fact, been doing this all my
lives.

Shad returned to the doorway to talk with a group of people, and I took advantage of the lull to study the hall. It was oval-shaped and of similar construction to the domestic huts, but with two upright supporting poles instead of a single central pole.

Beside the nearest upright pole stood two life-sized wooden statues of godlike figures. The female bore such a resemblance to Min that it took my breath away.

She smiled. “The other one is a pretty good likeness too.”

The other carving was male with a full beard, naked but for a loincloth.

“Me?”

“You’ve always loved your face fur.” She studied the statue. “That was you the last time we visited the Axe. They think the world of you, you know. They respect your wood magic.”

Her eyes widened. “D’you know what? I think they’ve settled here permanently now they’re, you know…”

“Werewolves.”

“Yes. And I suppose that’s why they’ve stopped using sign language. Wolves can’t sign when they hunt.”

The hall filled with people who joined the hymn to Min, except for two newly arrived women who conducted an animated conversation with Shad and Anya.

When the entire tribe had assembled, Shad brought his urgent conversation to a close, and the group took their places on a raised platform opposite our thrones. Everyone except Min and me was singing their hymn. The rhythm, melody and harmonies were pleasant.

The hymn came to an end, and Anya sang on alone. Hers wasn’t the most tuneful voice present, but it was powerful and the song was striking.

Min nudged me. “That’s the protective ward.”

Anya finished with a single shouted word, and the people repeated it.

Min looked over her people with love and affection in her eyes. Then she started to sing.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her, and I shared the adoration the Axe tribe felt. I’d never heard anything like this in my life. Not in this life anyhow. I didn’t understand her words, but their rhythm sounded familiar, and they stirred memories inside me like smoke stirred in the air.

Her voice soared. The emotional journey I’d experienced when listening to her in the garden the previous week was nothing compared with this. She took me to new places inside, lifted me and showed me visions of such splendour that they removed conscious thought from the process of seeing them. I felt the visions but knew no words to describe them and didn’t try to find any.

Min sang for a long time. I had no idea if the Axe people could understand the words any more than I could, but one thing was sure: everyone was entranced by her voice. I wanted to hug them all. Her song filled me with love. My heart swelled, and my mind soared. It was a holy experience.

Eventually she lowered her voice and nodded discreetly to Shad, who raised his arms for attention. At the same time Min returned to the hymn the people had been singing when we entered. Shad circled his hands once, then lowered his arms, and the people followed his signal and joined in the song.

Smiling, Min sat down, and after one more round of the melody Shad brought the song to an end.

Min linked fingers with me, and I felt fit to burst with love.

“Eat!” Shad roared.

Everyone burst out laughing, and Min hugged me.

When breakfast arrived on wide platters, the people dug in as if they were famished. Their metabolisms must be amazing.

Shad invited us to step down from our thrones, and we sat with his family at the top table, where Anya introduced us to their daughters, Vua and Tae, the powerful warriors who’d spoken to Shad and Anya before the ceremony. They continued their hushed conversation with their mother while everyone else shoveled food, and during a lull in the clamour, one of them said something that sounded like
Tyac.

“What did you say?” I couldn’t hide my alarm, and several people glanced over. “I’m sorry,” I said more quietly. “What was that word you just said?”

Vua checked with Anya, who blinked her approval.

“Last night some of our people found the tracks of an unknown creature around our perimeter. This morning Tae and I went out to check them.”

Tae continued, “We think it is Tyac.”

Min’s ears pricked up, and she turned from her conversation with Karn. “Tyac?”

Vua nodded. “His legend comes down to us alongside yours. We know of no other creature that could have left those tracks.”

“Is he hunting you?” Anya asked.

“Yes.”

“We will protect you.” Anya’s sounded calm and self-assured.

I shared Min’s confidence in these people and their wholehearted commitment. They would do everything within their power to save us from Tyac. But I also understood her concern about involving them in our troubles.

A light draught blew across my back, and Min and I shivered in unison.

Anya spoke to a boy, who brought us short, lightweight woollen cloaks. I tied mine loosely around my neck. It kept the chill off while leaving my arms free to move. Other people in the hall wore similar garments, so I didn’t feel odd, even though they reminded me of bed jackets old women wore in historical dramas on television.

Anya tied one around her neck too, and I couldn’t help noticing again how gorgeous she was. The werewolf gene had made everyone strong and healthy.

Was it a gene? Or was it a virus? Was it permanent, or did they have to pass it on to each new generation by biting their children? And did they change every night or only at full moon? I guessed we would find out if we stuck around long enough.

My old terror of wolves, which occupied the forefront of my mind whenever I thought of Tyac, had mellowed into curiosity around the Axe. They were such loveable people—when they weren’t being wolves. And even when they were, probably.

Min returned to her conversation with Karn, and I listened as she told him about the war party I’d heard a few nights ago. “I guess it’s the usual tension between Tin and Hare, yes?”

Karn grunted through a mouthful of food.

Min turned to me. “There’s this feud between two families which has been going on in the Wild since the Norman invasion. The Hare family of Dartmoor Forest is headed at present by Queen Fiona, while King Owen rules the Tin family from Bodmin Moor. In the beginning it was open warfare, but they reached an uneasy stalemate about five hundred years ago. Not so much a war these days as a power struggle.”

Shad interrupted. “It’s been war these past ten years.”

She sighed. “Has it been bad?”

He roared with laughter. “Bad? No, it has been very good.”

People laughed along with him, and he beat the table with a huge fist.

“Good for the Axe. We are famous warriors in this war. Tin and Hare bid against each other to recruit us for their battles.”

Things had changed even more than Min had thought.

Shad leaned into Min. “This is why the bite is so good for us. We flourish. Nobody can beat us.”

“What caused war to break out again after so long?” Min struggled to sound anything but dismayed.

“It started with a skirmish between people from two fishing villages on opposite sides of the River Tamar. You know the Hare have always controlled the River Plym and the Tin family controlled the Tamar?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Tin still holds the Tamar upstream, but Hare aims to take the wide stretch near where the river meets the sea.”

Min and I mouthed
Plymouth
to each other.

Shad nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, in the outside it is Plymouth. And Hare wants it.”

Min clutched his hand on the table. “They’re not going to invade the outside?”

“They are. There is an in-between place in Plymouth, on the edge of the outside, that Queen Fiona plans to use as a base. If she can take this place, this…” He looked to Anya for help.

“Quarter Square,” she said.

“If Fiona can take this Quarter Square, she will have a broad corridor for her troop movements from the Wild to the outside and gain full control of the harbour. Then she will push upstream. It is a good plan, a bold plan, but it will fail.”

Grinning at us, he enjoyed the anticipation of our next question.

I couldn’t wait any longer. “Why will it fail?”

His chest swelled with pride. “Because we will fight for Tin against Fiona. Any day now. We are waiting for the word to take Quarter Square and stop the Hare advance.”

Min’s voice shook. “Shad, please…this is terrible.”

“What, Min? What is terrible?”

“Quarter Square has been my home for years. The people who live there are my family.”

Shad’s confident grin dissolved, and an attentive hush spread across the hall.

Min’s eyes filled with tears. “Please, Shad, I love those people. Will you help me find a way to save them?”