Martin Millar - Lonely Werewolf Girl (79 page)

"Stay where you are. Doctor Angus says you should rest," she
said, in her soft, old voice. "I watched from my window. You did well."

Markus acknowledge this with a nod.

"It might now be that your mother can have you elected Thane,"
continued Dulupina.

She paused, and stared into the distance for a while.

"I prefer your older brother," she said eventually.

Markus wasn't sure what to say, and remained silent.

"I might not object to you as Thane," continued Dulupina.
"You've shown you can fight. But I'll never support you if you let
Kalix go free."

Dulupina looked at him sharply.

"Will you let her off? If you're Thane will you pardon her?"

Markus shook his head.

"I won't."

"Then I might support you," said Dulupina.

220

In the alley behind the bar in Camden, Princess Kabachetka
worked her sorcery while the snow fell around her. It was sorcery not
just to break down the Enchantress's spells of protection, and not just
to mask Sarapen's approach. It was a spell to remove all sorcery. As
the Princess spoke the final words, all magic in the area was
nullified. The Enchantress was powerless, and so was the Fire Queen.
There was nothing standing between Sarapen and his enemies.

Upstairs, Thrix was shocked at Sarapen's sudden appearance.
She didn't understand how he could have arrived without her receiving a
warning. It was impossible. But there he stood, in his full wolf form,
huge and menacing. Vex was nearest to him. She giggled.

"A big wolf! He's so cute," she said, and started to pat his
head.

Malveria spoke sharply to her niece.

"Agrivex. Please do not pat the werewolf. He is a deadly
enemy."

"But he's so cute."

"Step away this instant!"

Vex withdrew, grumbling that her aunt never let her do
anything.

Sarapen, possibly feeling that his dramatic entrance in wolf
shape had been spoiled by Agrivex patting his head, swiftly assumed his
human form.

"Greetings Thrix," he said.

"You're late," said the Enchantress. "The band's finished."

"I didn't come here to see the band."

"Just a social call then?"

Thrix stepped forward to confront her brother. She was
struggling to remain calm. She tried scanning the area outside but she
could detect nothing. Something was interfering with her spells.

"Yes," rumbled Sarapen. "You could say it was a social call."

At that moment Beauty and Delicious emerged from their
dressing room. At the sight of Sarapen they froze, petrified. Sarapen
looked at them, then swept his gaze over every other werewolf in the
room.

"You will all surrender to me."

"Not very likely," responded Thrix, instantly.

Dominil advanced to stand at her side.

"You're surrounded and outnumbered," said Sarapen. "You can
surrender or you can die."

"You dare to threaten members of the Great Council?" demanded
Thrix.

"As you dared oppose me as Thane," responded Sarapen. "Don't
strain yourself trying to eject me. Your sorcery will no longer work."

"Kabachetka!" cried the Fire Queen. "The stink of her cheap
perfume is everywhere. She is behind this."

Sarapen nodded, then spoke severely to the Fire Queen. "This
is none of your affair. I'll allow you to leave in peace." Sarapen
looked towards Moonglow and Daniel. "You also may leave. As for the
rest of you, you have a minute to decide your fate. Surrender or die,
the choice is yours."

Sarapen changed back into a wolf and padded from the room. The
Enchantress whirled towards the Fire Queen.

"Have you any sorcery?"

"Very little."

Malveria waved her hand. A weak beam of green light flickered
towards the ceiling.

"And what I have is fading fast. It disturbs me greatly to
admit it, but Kabachetka has outmanoeuvred us. She has brought sorcery
here which in this realm I cannot defeat. There is nothing to do but
leave immediately."

"What do you mean? We can't leave."

"We can," declared Malveria. "I retain just enough power
to take me back to the palace. I believe I can carry you
with me."

"I'm not leaving!" said Thrix.

"It's foolish to stay," said Malveria. "I sense many
werewolves outside. They will kill all who oppose them. I must go
quickly to Livia's, but I'll carry you to safety."

"We can't just run away and leave everyone!"

Malveria was unmoved.

"The true warrior knows when to retreat. There's no point in
dying needlessly. Come with me now, Enchantress, before my power fades
entirely."

The Enchantress refused to go.

"Very well," said the Fire Queen. "I thank you again for the
clothes, and I say farewell."

Malveria ascended the thin ray of light, and vanished through
the ceiling. There was a brief silence.

"Can we surrender?" suggested Beauty.

"No," said Dominil. "We fight." With that, Dominil transformed
into her werewolf shape.

"But we can't transform," said Delicious, and looked scared.

Thrix hurried towards them.

"Get people at both exits," she said to Dominil. "Beauty and
Delicious, sit down."

"Why?"

"Do as I say."

The twins sat. They both looked frightened. Kalix told
Moonglow and Daniel that they must go.

"We're not leaving you here," said Moonglow.

"You don't know what's about to happen. Get out of here now."

"Kalix is right," said Gawain. "You should go."

"We should," agreed Daniel. He looked appealingly towards
Moonglow. Seeing that her expression was set quite stubbornly, he
sighed.

"But I guess we're staying."

The Enchantress placed one hand on each of the sisters' heads.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm reminding you how to become werewolf."

"We can't. Not till the wolf nights."

"You can. You used to know how."

The Enchantress's powers of sorcery were gone but Minerva had
taught her more than sorcery. Before she'd ever shown Thrix a spell
she'd taught her ways of controlling her mind.

"Look into my eyes," said Thrix, to Beauty. "And remember when
you first ran through the forest."

Dominil was busy organising the defence. There were two doors,
the front entrance and the fire exit at the back. She sent the four
MacRinnalch guards to the fire exit and took up position with Kalix and
Gawain at the front door. Gawain transformed, and snarled defiantly,
ready to fight. Kalix remained as human, and seemed almost oblivious to
their peril. She put her hand on Gawain's shaggy werewolf shoulder, and
kept it there.

Dominil waited impassively. The Begravar knife was concealed
in her bag. She transformed into her werewolf shape and discreetly
slipped the knife into a harness on her thigh, where it was hidden by
her fur. Beauty moaned, and wilted under the Enchantress's gaze.
Suddenly she sat bolt upright. Then she laughed, and fell off her
chair. As she hit the floor she transformed into a werewolf.

"Wow," she said, and shook her head. She looked up at her
sister. "Get werewolfy. It's good."

From somewhere outside howling could be heard. Not the sound
of werewolves, but the howling of dogs, terrified as they picked up the
werewolves' scent.

"They're coming," said Dominil, softly.

Daniel and Moonglow backed away from the doors. Vex reappeared
from the bathroom where she'd been giving her hair some attention. She
seemed to have little idea of the danger they faced.

"Where's the big wolf? I want to pat him again."

Moonglow leaned towards Daniel, and whispered.

"So what's it like going out with her?"

"It has its good points," whispered Daniel. "Maybe a few bad
points as well. Quite a lot of bad points, actually. You can't talk to
Vex about much." His face fell. "It wasn't much of a date, really."

"You Should've stuck with Alicia," said Moonglow.

"We don't really get on that well either," admitted Daniel. "I
think she thinks it was a mistake when she dreamed about me."

"Thanks for letting me come here on my own tonight," said
Moonglow, and managed to sound quite cutting, though they were still
whis-penng.

"You didn't want to come out with us!"

"You didn't ask me. Just waltzed off with Vex before I was
ready."

"I'd have waited if you'd said," protested Daniel.

Delicious fell off her chair, changed into a werewolf, and
screamed with laughter. The Enchantress changed into her own werewolf
shape, tossed some strands of long golden hair from her face, and
snarled. It was some time since she'd fought with her talons and jaws
but she didn't think she'd forgotten how. If she was about to die she'd
take some of her foes with her.

A tiny beam of green light, weak and flickering, trickled down
through the ceiling. It was the Fire Queen. She landed heavily on the
floor, an expression of utter disgust on her face.

"Really Thrix, I believe you have infected me with this
work
ethic
or something equally harmful. It is very bad of you. I
should at this moment be riding in my carriage wearing my splendid new
clothes and now I've returned to fight at your side. It is the utmost
foolishness. We will all certainly die and I am quite powerless to help
in any case."

The Fire Queen was carrying a club which a strong man would
have struggled to lift. She tossed it casually over her shoulder and
looked around her with immense displeasure. The Enchantress put her
golden arm around the Fire Queen.

"Thanks for coming back."

Malveria pouted.

"I did not even have time to select a suitable weapon. The
ceremonial mace from my carriage was all that was to hand."

Malveria's power was now completely dissipated. The Queen
could not work magic and she couldn't leave. Thrix suddenly noticed
that Moonglow and Daniel were still hanging around. She put her mouth
to Moonglow's ear, and whispered. Moonglow looked surprised. She turned
to Daniel.

"We have to go," she said.

"That's what I've been saying all along," replied Daniel, and
dragged Moonglow from the room. The Fire Queen slipped off her high
heels. She noticed that Vex had re-appeared, and barked at her.

"Agrivex. Find some place to hide and endeavour not to get
killed."

"Right," said Vex.

Vex skipped past Malveria and Thrix, heading for the dressing
room. As she passed them she halted, and her face broke into a broad
grin.

"Wooaahh!" she cried, looking at Thrix. "You've
been sleeping with
Gawain
?"

There was a shocked silence in the room.

"Agrivex!" yelled Malveria. "Stop talking nonsense and hide
immediately."

"It's not nonsense," protested Vex. "I've been studying auras
like you told me. Look, can't you see?"

Princes Kabachetka's sorcery had not only removed the
Enchantress's spells of protection, it had also removed the spells she
used to cover her association with Gawain. Though Gawain's aura was
very faint on her, Vex had recognised it. It was just Thrix's
misfortune that Malveria had made Agrivex attend to her studies.

"You most dismal of dismal girls," snarled the Fire Queen.
"Can you do nothing right?"

"Hey," said Vex. "You told me to - "

There was a growl from the front of the room. A growl that
should only have come from a werewolf's throat, but had come from that
of a girl. Kalix's mouth was hanging open and her eyes were wild. She
took a step away from Gawain, staring first at him and then at Thrix.

"FU kill you," she said. "I'll - "

The rest of her sentence was lost as the fire exit burst open
and a howling band of werewolves flooded into the room, led by the
Douglas-MacPhees. Simultaneously, Sarapen, Andris and a host of others
crashed through the front entrance, and leapt towards their prey.

221

The Merchant put down the phone. The telephone, along with
everything else in his shop, was very old, a black bakelite receiver
such as could hardly be found in the world anymore. The MacDoig
preferred it that way.

"It's a strange business," he said to his son. "When a man -
or a werewolf- can phone you up from a battlefield and report on
affairs so quickly. I remember the days when the womenfolk would wait
for weeks for news of the battle, never knowing if their men were alive
or dead till a messenger arrived on horseback."

"What was the news?" asked the Young MacDoig.

"Markus MacRinnalch defeated Wallace MacGregor." The Merchant
scratched his chin. "All fair and above board, so they say."

MacDoig took up the brass poker and prodded the fire. His
ancient shop was draughty in winter, and the fire burned constantly.

"So they say," he repeated.

"You don't think so?"

MacDoig smiled.

"I'd say the chances of the Mistress of the Werewolves
allowing Markus to fight Wallace MacGregor fair and square are quite
slim, my boy. I've no doubt she worked some sleight of hand to help
things along. She's a canny wolf, Verasa MacRinnalch."

MacDoig mused on the news. Verasa had won another round.

"The castle is still hers. That's all right for us. She's a
fine customer."

"But Sarapen's a good customer too, father."

"True, very true. He's not a werewolf to scrimp and save when
there's work needing done."

The Merchant chuckled.

"He'll be Thane yet, son. Mark my words."

The Merchant sipped his tumbler of whisky.

"Reduce the order for silver bullets. From what I
hear, the Guild has a lot fewer hunters who'll be
needing supplies."

222

Kalix's battle-madness gripped her as never before. She'd been
mad before the battle even started. The revelation that Gawain had been
sleeping with Thrix had devastated her. When a werewolf leapt on her,
Kalix bit its neck so savagely she almost took its head off. She roared
at the taste of blood and threw herself at her next opponent.