“A human?” asked Verasa with disapproval.
Malveria looked surprised. “Were you not aware of this? But you must know that Thrix has had great trouble in finding a suitable werewolf. One cannot expect her to remain loveless and disappointed forever. She has done that for long enough.”
“Thank you, Malveria,” said Thrix. “Perhaps you could discuss my failures another time.”
“What does this Easterly do?” asked Verasa.
“He’s the fashion editor for a men’s lifestyle magazine,” said Thrix, which didn’t seem to meet with her mother’s approval.
“It’s not like there aren’t plenty of werewolves in Scotland,” Verasa pointed out. “Only last month, I offered to introduce you to that nice George MacRinnalch. He has his own law firm in Edinburgh now.”
“George MacRinnalch is the most boring werewolf in the whole clan!” exclaimed Thrix, now very irritated.
“Well, he doesn’t dye his hair, wear strange piercings, or desert his clan. In that way, he may be boring. But he’s very respectable, and he works hard.”
“But would he suit a werewolf of Thrix’s creative temperament?” said Malveria.
“Could you stop discussing me like I’m not here? I’m doing just fine with Easterly.”
“You certainly are,” agreed Malveria, supportively. “He is a splendid man. And there is no need to concern yourself that he’s late.”
“Why would I concern myself? He was held up at the office.”
“Not by the makeup artist from Cosmopolitan, we hope,” murmured Malveria.
“What?” asked Markus, immediately interested.
“Some magazine floozy who’s been flinging herself all over him. I have been urging Thrix to take action, but of course, she holds back. A great mistake in my opinion. At this very moment, Mr. Easterly may be engaged in lustful encounters with this trollop.”
“There are no lustful encounters going on!” yelled Thrix, mortified to be having this conversation with her mother in the room.
The intercom buzzed.
“That’d be Easterly now,” muttered Thrix, flicking the switch.
“There’s a girl called Moonglow here to see you,” came Ann’s voice.
“Moonglow!” cried Malveria. “Now that is entertaining!” She looked towards Markus. “Have you seen young Moonglow since you broke her heart with great cruelty?”
“What?” demanded Verasa.
“Moonglow, who lives with Kalix, as you know,” explained Malveria, cheerfully. “But perhaps you did not know about the breaking of her heart by Markus? I’m sorry if I have inadvertently raised a delicate subject.”
Malveria didn’t look at all sorry as Markus shifted uncomfortably under his mother’s gaze.
“Send Moonglow up,” said Thrix with some relish, thinking that there was no reason for her to be the only one suffering embarrassment.
“What’s that terrible crashing noise next door?” asked Verasa.
“My designers,” said Thrix. “Energetic meeting.”
She hurried back to Ann’s office where she found Decembrius and Kalix still pushing each other. Ann’s desk had been overturned, and papers were spilled on the floor.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“He keeps stalking me.”
“Your sister is insane,” said Decembrius.
“I’ve had enough of this,” growled Thrix. “Change back to human right this minute.”
Boosting her strength by use of a discreet little spell, the enchantress grabbed hold of the pair of them and hauled them into her office to deposit them in front of her mother. “Perhaps you can control them. Maybe ask Decembrius why he hasn’t attended any council meetings.”
It was Decembrius’s turn to squirm uncomfortably under the stony gaze of the Mistress of the Werewolves.
“I’ve been busy,” he muttered.
“Busy stalking me,” said Kalix.
“Are you stalking my daughter?”
“Of course not! Who’d stalk that scrawny little wretch?”
“Hey!” roared Kalix, and she immediately transformed into a werewolf again, baring her teeth. Decembrius did likewise, and they began pushing each other. Several others changed as well. It was difficult for any werewolf to remain as human while in the presence of other werewolves, particularly ones who were brawling. Making everything worse, there was the smell of blood in the room from the cut on Kalix’s arm. Though concealed from sight by her coat, the smell of blood was obvious to all the werewolves.
“Will you all change back to human!” yelled Thrix. “My boyfriend is due here any moment!” She spun around in alarm as the door opened again and was relieved when Moonglow appeared. Not that Moonglow was a welcome visitor, but at least she already knew about werewolves.
“Moonglow!” cried Malveria, enthusiastically. “How splendid to see you.”
Moonglow rocked in surprise at the sight that greeted her. “Eh…hello, Kalix, Decembrius, Dominil, Mistress of the Werewolves, Queen Malveria, Thrix…and Markus. Is this some sort of meeting?”
“Kalix wouldn’t be here if it was,” said Decembrius, smugly. “She’s still banished.”
“You never attend anyway,” said the Mistress of the Werewolves.
“I’m too busy,” said Decembrius.
“Too busy to support the new Thane?” Verasa looked to Markus for support, but on Moonglow’s arrival Markus had edged away, and he now seemed to be concentrating on the carpet.
Malveria regarded him with great interest and was entertained by his discomfort, which he surely deserved for breaking Moonglow’s heart. But she also noticed how perfect his complexion was and felt slightly jealous.
“What do you want?” demanded Thrix.
“I need to speak to you about something,” said Moonglow.
“Obviously. What is it?”
“It’s private,” said Moonglow, and refused to look cowed, even in the face of so many werewolves. Meeting Markus was a blow, but she tried not to show it.
“Then it will have to wait,” said Thrix, “as will everyone else. What’s the matter with you all? Have I failed to make it clear I’m trying to get on with my own life? Did someone mistake that for ‘Thrix would like to see as many werewolves as possible, all the time’? I want you all out of here before Easterly gets here.”
“Who’s Easterly?” asked Moonglow.
“Her new boyfriend,” answered Decembrius.
“He doesn’t seem to be making her very happy,” said Markus.
“You’d do well not to be offensive to me,” roared Thrix. She took a deep breath. “Now. Am I expecting any more unwanted visitors?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Just then something crashed against the outside door.
“Apart from Agrivex, possibly,” said the Fire Queen, apologetically. “I asked her to meet me here.”
Thrix sighed, opened the door, and hauled Vex inside. The young Fire Elemental’s teleportation had gone wrong, as it often did.
“Hi, everyone,” she said brightly. “Is this a party? Can I come?” She looked ruefully at her arm. “I bumped my elbow.” She waved her arm in the direction of Malveria, who turned her nose up, then towards Moonglow, who stepped forward to rub it better.
Vex beamed at everyone. “I got another gold star at college.”
“Stop making things up!” yelled Kalix.
“It’s my fourth gold star this week.”
“She just makes it up,” muttered Kalix to Decembrius.
“Maybe if you studied harder, you’d get a gold star too,” said the Mistress of the Werewolves.
“We have an exam soon!” cried Vex.
Kalix’s heart sank. She felt her mother’s gaze on her.
“An exam? Kalix, I was not informed you had an exam. Shouldn’t you be home studying?”
“I’ve been studying,” mumbled the young werewolf, and she stared at her feet, appalled at this turn of events. Her academic life was stressfu
l enough without it becoming a subject for discussion among her family.
The Mistress of the Werewolves, showing no tact whatsoever, rounded on Moonglow. “Has my daughter been studying for her exam?”
Moonglow hesitated.
“Of course Kalix has been studying,” said Decembrius. “All the time. Only yesterday I saw her learning math.”
Kalix was surprised at Decembrius coming to her defense, and grateful. Decembrius’s opinion might not count for much with her mother these days, but it was good to have someone on her side.
Thrix banged her fist on her desk. “Everyone. Change back to human now. Easterly can’t find my office full of werewolves.”
There was a general flickering of transformation. Thrix extended her gaze to Malveria and Vex. “And please don’t burst into flames.”
“We would not dream of it. You can rely on the Hiyasta not to cause social embarrassment.” The Fire Queen fingered her necklace. “I’m very keen for you to succeed with Easterly, I assure you.”
Chapter 103
Distikka left her lover, Commander Agripath, in the early morning and made her way in silence over the red fields that served as a military training ground for the commander’s regiment. She wore a dark cloak with a hood that shielded her face, though the two soldiers who escorted her were aware of her identity. They were part of Agripath’s personal staff and could be trusted not to talk. Distikka and Agripath were keen to keep their affair a secret for now.
“Not that it would be a disaster if the queen were to learn of it,” reflected the small Fire Elemental, treading lightly past the burning trenches that formed part of the training ground. “The queen’s advisor having an affair with the head of the army is not taboo. She’d be relieved I wasn’t making eyes at any of the aristocracy.”
Distikka tightened her lips in a tiny sneer. She had a very low opinion of the Hiyasta aristocracy. Interested only in gossip, clothes, and scandal, as far as she could see. Some of them were even worse than the queen. Distikka glanced up briefly, peering through the small slit in her hood at the Great Volcano that rose up majestically behind the queen’s imperial palace.
“When I take control of the volcano, I’ll get rid of them all.”
Only a person of royal blood could control the Great Volcano. No one else could tap into its power.
“But she is not aware one family member survives,” mused Distikka, as she passed from the military area into the walled gardens around the palace. Her black chain-mail clinked slightly as she walked, muffled by her enveloping cloak. “If Princess Kabachetka can just manage to strand the queen on Earth for even the briefest of times, I’ll seize the volcano while Agripath secures the realm with the army.”
If it all went smoothly, Distikka would be ruler of the Hiyasta in the space of a few hours. She didn’t anticipate too much opposition. Malveria’s popularity was on the wane. Her council actively disliked her because she ignored them. The population didn’t like the way the queen no longer turned up for sacrifices. The rumor that she hadn’t even bothered to calculate the time of the Vulcanalia had been extremely damaging.
Distikka watched a faint curl of smoke rise from the volcano. She glanced back towards the now distant military camp. Commander Agripath was a fine soldier. He came from the famous line of dragon warriors, and his reputation was deservedly high. It was necessary to have him on her side while she mounted a coup. But she didn’t much like him as a person and didn’t enjoy his rather burning touch. She’d get rid of him too, when things had quieted down and she’d secured the throne.
As she arrived in the privacy of her own rooms in the official buildings close to the palace, Distikka felt a faint pulse of heat in her hand. It was a signal that Princess Kabachetka needed to speak to her. The signal was rarely used, for though the princess’s sorcerous message was well disguised, there was always the risk of discovery.
Distikka spent most of the day dealing with official business. In the evening, she traveled in secret to the princess’s caverns. There she found Princess Kabachetka downcast.
“Our plans won’t work. No spell can replicate an eclipse of the moon. I can’t attack Thrix. Nor can I prevent Malveria from returning to her realm.”
Distikka considered the princess’s words. In a way, she regretted that she had to be involved with Kabachetka. She was prone to giving up too easily. Thrix meant nothing to Distikka, whose only real aim was to topple Malveria. But Distikka knew that without the princess’s sorcery, she’d never succeed in stranding the queen on Earth for the time necessary to take control of the volcano.
“If your Hainusta sorcery won’t work, how about some other sort?”
“What would you suggest? It’s not so easy to just find new pieces of sorcery. If it was, everyone would do it.”
“How about the Werewolf Enchantress? Perhaps, being a werewolf, she may know something about controlling the moon that we don’t?”
“She might. But I can hardly ask her for a spell, can I?”
“Where did the Werewolf Enchantress learn her sorcery?”
“From some dreadful old hag named Minerva MacRinnalch, I believe. But she has retired to seclusion.”
“Perhaps, before she retired, she left some records,” suggested Distikka. “Few people like to pass from the world without leaving some testament to their achievements.”
The princess pondered this. Finding any record of Minerva’s sorcery seemed like a difficult endeavor. She resented that, in her relationship with Distikka, she seemed to be doing most of the work. However, she knew she’d never defeat Malveria without Distikka’s help. As a pair, they appeared to need each other.
“Possibly we could find something of Minerva’s. Where would we need to look?”
Chapter 104
Captain Easterly was taken by surprise by the gathering. He looked around, taking in the expense and elegance of Malveria and Verasa’s outfits, the frozen splendor of Dominil, the scruffy youthful beauty of Kalix and Vex, and the surly bohemian appearance of Decembrius. “Should I have dressed better? I wasn’t expecting a party.”
“Just a few family visitors,” said the enchantress with a note of desperation in her voice. She hurried forward, partly to embrace him and partly to place herself between Easterly and the large group of werewolves who were studying him with interest.
Markus strode forward to greet the newcomer. He cut an elegant figure, one that wouldn’t have been out of place on the cover of Easterly’s magazine. “I’m Markus, Thrix’s brother. Pleased to meet you.”
Thrix looked around, waiting for some sort of greeting from the rest of her family. None was forthcoming. Vex looked bored. Kalix looked angry and bored. Decembrius was slyly studying his reflection in the wall-sized mirror, and Dominil was absorbing the scene without any show of interest or emotion. Verasa looked rather sternly at the human who was dating her eldest daughter.
“My mother. And my cousins,” said Thrix to Easterly, weakly. “It’s been lovely to see you all, really. We must do it again soon. But now I—”
“I have to talk to you,” interrupted Moonglow, firmly.
Easterly looked at the black-clad girl with her dark makeup and her odd feather earrings. She didn’t seem to quite fit in with the rest. “Another cousin?” he asked Thrix.
“Business acquaintance. But really, our business can wait till tomorrow.”
“No, it can’t,” declared Moonglow, who didn’t intend to back down. Daniel was sick, and she wasn’t about to be expelled from the office before she’d even had the chance to talk about it.
“I really could do with a few words too,” said Malveria. “The shoe crisis is far from over.”
“I had hoped to talk more about the charity event,” said Verasa.
“I also—” began Dominil.
Thrix held up her hand. “Fine. Everyone has to talk to me. My personal life is obviously of no importance.” Thrix glared at them all, but if she was hoping she might make them go away, she was di
sappointed.
“Would you like me to wait outside?” asked Easterly, pleasantly. “I can get some coffee from Ann.”
Thrix nodded, unable to think of a better alternative. As Easterly departed, she rounded on her family angrily. “This had all better be important. What’s the idea of ruining my date anyway?”
“Is your date really that important?” asked her mother.
“It is of great importance,” said Malveria, sympathetically. “The enchantress has not had sex for some time.”
“Really?” said Markus. “How long?”
“That’s none of your business!” yelled Thrix.
“Do not despair, dearest Enchantress,” continued Malveria. “It is merely bad luck. Though perhaps you are not as encouraging as you might be. Is that outfit entirely suitable? Given the desperate circumstances, perhaps you should attack more with the breasts?”
“What?”
“A little more cleavage is surely acceptable?”
Decembrius burst out laughing. “You should definitely attack more with the breasts.”
Moonglow squashed all further discussion of Thrix’s cleavage by loudly announcing that Daniel was ill and she wanted something done about it. The enchantress was baffled. “Why are you telling me? I’m not a doctor.”
“Daniel’s ill because he kissed me.”
This gained everyone’s interest, even Kalix and Vex’s.
“Did you give him some disease?”
“No. The kiss activated the curse.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded Thrix, completely mystified. “What curse?”
“Malveria’s curse. I’m sure you know about it. The curse that says we can never be together. The one that saved Kalix’s life. Now it’s taking effect, but Daniel doesn’t deserve to die just because he kissed me.”
The enchantress, apparently bewildered, looked towards the Fire Queen, who for her part, now seemed intent on studying her reflection in the mirror. “Malveria. Is this true?”
“It may be.”
“So Daniel’s going to die if he gets together with Miss Black Eyeliner here?”