Werewolf Parallel (15 page)

A thick-set guard pushed forward, trying to grab for Cameron’s arms. Without even thinking he reacted…

…and shifted.

A claw swiped at the guard. Cameron’s loose cloak fell away as he dropped to all fours in wolf-form. A terrible growl reverberated round the hall, challenging anyone that dared approach him.

“Is that meant to impress? The yelpings of a cub?” The Wolf King laughed. “You may scare humans, but here in Daemonic, we shift at will.” His lip curled. “If I showed my
wolf face to you, then you would know terror. You would quiver like the cur you are.” He snapped his fingers. “Take him away and teach him some respect. I grow weary.”

“It’s not like that!” Morgan shouted, wrestling with the guard who was trying to pin him down. “Cameron’s different! He’s not like any of us! He can shift whenever he wants – wherever he is – in the Parallel and up in the Human World!
He’s the strongest werewolf I’ve ever seen!
”

A hush fell upon the crowd. The guards froze. All eyes turned to the Alphas.

“Lies.” The King waved a dismissive hand. “Desperate half-truths, snatched from the stories pups are told in the litter.”

“No.” The Queen shook her head. “I don’t believe so. There is honesty in my son’s words. I scent it.”

“What is this? You dare defy me?” The Wolf King’s face reddened, his teeth bared.

“No, my dear,” the Queen replied calmly. “To defy you, I would need first to be subject to your will… And that I have never been.”

The King’s mouth dropped open. He and the Queen stared at each other, the air tense with an unspoken battle for control. Then, abruptly, he sat down upon his throne.

The Queen turned back to Cameron and Morgan, her expression unreadable. “There is one way to seek the truth of this – I would see it for myself.”

Cameron shivered in his robes, pulling them close to his human body. They were on top of Blackford Hill, back in the Human World, the night clinging cold and dark around them. Cameron had recognised his surroundings at once, spotting the familiar turret of the Observatory. His gran’s house was tantalisingly near – Eve was most likely there now. He looked wistfully towards the road that led down to it. He felt like he was so nearly home, yet so far away…

The Queen sniffed the air. She and the King, practised at shifts between the worlds, had brought Morgan and Cameron back, transporting through the Parallel with ease. She walked across the grass, the frost apparently not affecting her bare feet, and spoke quietly to her son. “It’s been years since I was last here. Do you remember how your father and I would bring you, when you were just a pup? And we would run and run across the hills, without a care?”

He nodded.

“I had to teach you about this world too if you were to live in it, at least for a time. I do not think it is such a bad place.”

The Wolf King made a derisive sound.

“
He
doesn’t agree,” said Morgan.

“If we were only meant to live as wolves, then why do we have a human face at all?” She looked up at the cloud-covered sky. “On some nights, human is all I can be. All I want to be, even.”

“Let us see the boy do different,” the King said. “If he can.”

Cameron looked desperately to Morgan. “I’ve never shifted like this before. It’s always happened by instinct, because I was in desperate need of it. I can’t just call it up. I don’t know what to do!”

“Believe me, mate, you need it now,” said Morgan. “If you want to save the Parallel you’ve gotta prove him wrong. So try your best. Show him who’s boss.”

Cameron closed his eyes, turning the focus of his mind inward.
I hope you know what’s at stake here, Parallel Champion, because I don’t reckon we’re going to get a second chance…
He tried to think wolfish thoughts, remembering the rush of sensation that had accompanied his run through the Daemonic woods: the quickened pulse of blood in his veins, the forest mapped out in scent trails stretching back into the past, the excitement of being simultaneously hunter and hunted.

He opened his eyes.

His perspective had changed. He was lower, more firmly anchored to the ground, his vision sharper. Stranger still, the Wolf King was bowed on one knee before him, a look of barely contained fury on his face.

It had worked. Cameron was wolf.

And the Wolf King smelled of fear
…

“So you can shift outside the Fat Moon, even in the
Human World. Your power,” the King said through gritted teeth, “exceeds my own. I am forced, reluctantly, to recognise you as Alpha.”

“So you’re giving in without a fight?” Morgan crossed his arms over his chest and crowed. “Look who’s the big wolf now…”

“Not to you,” the King spat. “You’ll never lead. To him.”

“It is the challenger’s right to name the place of battle,” the Queen said simply. “If Cameron elected to fight in this world as wolf, my husband would be mere human, so the boy’s strength would be greater.” She moved to stand beside the King. “See, my husband? Sometimes our human side has its advantages. Diplomacy saves blood-spill.”

Cameron shook, his fur rippling. He raised himself onto his hind legs and felt the wolf lift from him, as lightly as if a veil of silk had been drawn from over his face. It didn’t seem entirely right for the shift to be so easy, so effortless. The simplicity of it scared him. It was as if the wolf was already disconnecting, and starting to slip away from his grasp…

He stretched and re-fastened the woven robe he’d been given in the hall.

“The pack is yours,” the King said in a monotone. He was still kneeling, his eyes lowered. “Do with it as you please.”

“Get up.”

The King’s brow furrowed, and for a moment he looked fearful. “But I’ve given it to you. I’ve handed it over –”

“I said, get up. You don’t have to bow to me. What
would I want a pack for anyway?” Cameron looked over at Morgan and shrugged. “I mean – what would I do with them? Imagine that lot hanging about the house all the time, mooching and growling. Eve’d be furious. She thinks two of us is bad enough.”

Morgan’s face was a picture of mock outrage. “Oh
come on
. At least order him to run about barking first, or make him stand on one leg for a bit… just for laughs?”

Cameron shook his head. “Nah. You were right. I don’t want to belong to anything that’s about ordering people about, keeping them in line. I don’t hold with that in any world.” He remembered the ordeal of the Augur, that Odyssey warehouse Grey had made him work in: all those long straight lines, boxes and boxes pressing down on him… then one brilliant moment of music, of rebellion, that set him free…

“The Parallel’s the thing.” He turned back to the King. “You’re going to help me save it. That’s my condition. The Augur said you could stop Grey, and I need to hold you to that.”

The King nodded his agreement, his expression still a little grudging. “We will come at your call. At your time of greatest need, the pack will be there. I swear it.”

He turned and strode away, fading from the hillside as he shifted back to Daemonic. The Queen lingered, glancing from Morgan to Cameron. “Our legends say the Moon-free are rare, and their time is very short.” She reached out and placed both hands on Cameron’s shoulders, almost as if she was giving him some kind of blessing. “I think the Wolf will leave you soon. Embrace it while you can,” she said; then she too was gone.

“Wins a pack – then just gives it away.” Morgan let out
a long low whistle. “That was quite something. Either utterly brilliant or totally daft, I’m not sure which. What do you reckon?”

“I reckon we should be getting back to Eve,” said Cameron, starting to head down the hill. “Let’s see what she’s found out.”

Lights were blazing in the windows of the house on Observatory Row, and in the garden smoked the remains of a bonfire. They found Eve in the kitchen, surrounded by a laptop, a fire poker and a dozen dirty coffee cups. Rather incongruously, she was wearing a sleek black evening dress, and had her hair piled up elegantly on top of her head.

“Eve,” said Cameron, “you look…”

“Ridiculous?”

“Older, I was going to say. Grown-up.”

“I hardly know what age I feel any more… I’ve been raiding your gran’s – our gran’s, I mean – wardrobe again. She must’ve been very glamorous once.”

“Yeah. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.” Cameron foraged wearily in the fridge for food.

“Been doing a bit of decorating?” Morgan pointed a thumb at the window, which, like the others in the house, had been stripped bare of coverings.

“I made a fire and burnt them all, to prevent further attacks by Weavers.”

“Drastic,” said Cameron approvingly, between mouthfuls of chicken drumstick.

“You know there’s all kinds of other beasties out there, right?” said Morgan. “Not just Weavers?”

“Oh, yes.” Eve waved the poker. “I’m prepared. I’ve
got advance warning.” She indicated the bone necklace the Selkie woman had given her at the daemon market, which was hanging off a hook by the kitchen towels. “This isn’t as useless as
some people
claimed. Turns out it lets you know if something nasty is about to world-shift into your home.” Her nose wrinkled. “Mainly by giving off a sudden smell of rotting fish.”

Morgan looked bashful. “What do I know about selkie magic? How did you find that out?”

“How do you think? That’s why I annihilated the curtains.”

“Ouch. You
are
pretty fierce when you want to be, aren’t you?”

“Never doubt it. There’s been nothing since then. I think they’re all too busy fleeing from the mayhem Grey’s causing.” She raised an eyebrow. “Good visit home to see the folks?”

“Better than I expected,” said Morgan, checking whether Cameron had left him any chicken. “The pack’re gonna come when they’re called, help us sort out old fungus features. Turns out Cam’s their new Alpha.”

“That’s me.” Cameron gave a modest smile. “Top Dog.”

“My brother the wolf lord. Am I expected to bow?”

“Not all the time.”

“Too kind. My, it’s all happening, isn’t it? Let me show you what I’ve discovered.” She swivelled the laptop round to face the boys. A picture of Dr Black’s thin face was captioned: Our keynote speaker, Dr Alasdair Black, who will present a paper that he claims will rewrite our understanding of the universe.

“He’s appearing at a conference called, ‘Looking
into Dark Matters’. I think that’s supposed to be an astronomer joke.” Eve pulled a face. “They’ve been talking shop at the University all day, then they have a big reception this evening at the Museum of Scotland. Black’s speech is being saved for after dinner, like he’s the star event.” She clicked to another tab. “Look at what he’s called it.”

Morgan read the title aloud. “World Split: A Radical New Vision of the Origins of the Earth, and its Potential Parallel.”

Cameron whistled. “He’s not going to get much more radical than telling everyone the truth about the Human and Daemon Worlds –”

“How about running a World Engine that’s gonna knock out the Parallel hidden between them?” said Morgan. “That’d wake them all up.”

“Precisely.” Eve exchanged a serious look with her friends. “I think that’s what he’s planning to do. I’m guessing the World Engine must be hidden there somewhere, so he can set if off at the climax to his big speech.”

The colour drained from Cameron’s face. “Imagine if he succeeds… The last route of magic from Daemonic to Humanian closes, and he’s telling a room full of scientists they’re now living in a world where
everything
can be explained, understood and controlled. He’s starting something big – and it’s starting tonight.”

At the back of his mind, a familiar howl of indignation sounded.
The wolf was restless once more
… It made him feel unsettled, but at the same time he knew it was a positive sign. It meant they were on the right track.

He jumped to his feet. “We’ve got to get down there
and stop him.”

Eve stood up too. “Why do you suppose,” she said, a touch theatrically, “I’m dressed like this?”

“For a laugh? Because you want to look smart for the world ending?” Cameron scratched the back of his head and grimaced. “How should I know?”

Eve sighed. “I went up to the Observatory earlier. That’s where Black studied, so they know all about him and his work. I said I was his sister, in town to see his big night, but I’d lost my invitation, and could they possibly help?”

“And they just believed you?” said Cameron.

“I was standing on top of Blackford Hill in an evening dress in the middle of winter – of course they believed me! What was more likely – a misplaced invite, or I was one of a plucky band of rebels trying to stop Black’s work?”

“Eve, you are spectacular.” Cameron punched the air, then just as swiftly grabbed his sister for a hug.

“Aren’t I? But I only got one invite, so I’m going to have to smuggle you two in.” She pulled away, noticing the woven robes both boys had brought back from Daemonic. “What
do
you think you’re wearing?”

A low barrier separated the outside stairs to the museum’s basement from the thoroughfare of the street. Cameron and Morgan ducked under it and crept down to the gate below. It rattled in Morgan’s hand. “Locked. Will I use the Omniclavis? We’ve got one shot left.”

“Hmm, not sure,” said Cameron. “That stuff Janus said about getting to the heart of the mystery – I somehow don’t reckon he meant a back gate.”

“Does it matter as long as it gets us in? We’re gonna need to hurry up.”

“I know.” Cameron glanced up to the street, but they were well in the shadows and no one appeared to be taking any notice. “Eve’s not going to be able to sneak away forever.”

“Why don’t you wolf it?”

“You what?”

“If you can shift any time, why don’t you call up your superior firepower right now?”

Cameron stared at him. “That’s not entirely a mad idea.”

Morgan snorted. “Can’t always be you two that come up with the clever stuff…”

“Let’s see… maybe I don’t need a full shift. Maybe just a hand.” Cameron rolled his sleeve and waggled his fingers experimentally. “Can I do that?” He shut his eyes, remembering how recently those same fingers had been shaped entirely differently. He saw the paw in his mind, covered in dense black hair, each pad a soft sheath for a strong retractable claw…

A wolf paw swiped the lock, swatting it to the ground as easily as you might bat away a fly
.

He flexed his claws. Fur retreated beneath his skin, his talons shrank and his paw rippled back into being a human hand.

“That. Was. Awesome!” breathed Morgan.

“It was, wasn’t it?” Cameron allowed himself a grin. “Do you think I should’ve tried for a tail as well?”

“Whatever works for you.”

“Maybe not right now. You know, I’m just worried it’s all getting a bit too easy.”

“Smart person problems. Only
you
could worry about that. Try not overthinking, just act.” Morgan pulled the gate open. It swung towards him a little too fast and stotted off his head.

Cameron stifled a yelp. “Good advice. I’ll remember that.”

Morgan gave him a dark look and made a sub-vocal growl. “Whatever…”

They moved along the passageway, past windows showing stones covered in geodesic pictish symbols. A fire exit was being held ever-so-slightly ajar by the presence of a foot in a pointed shoe.

“What’s taken you so long?” Eve hissed. “They think I’m on a bathroom break, but I’ve already been gone half an hour. Someone might notice.” She ushered the boys quickly into the darkened gallery.

“They’re all upstairs sipping drinks in the main hall, wandering around and being catty about each others’ research… Some bald Professor came up to me and asked what I thought about Black’s paper. ‘Young Black’s either going to change our understanding of the world or he’s going to break it, and I don’t approve of either,’ he said, then he stared at me like he expected an answer…”