“Perhaps the appalling girl is finally learning some sense. She might even become an asset to the royal household. That would be a great surprise, but one supposes stranger things have occurred.”
Vex hurried off to meet her new friend the Honorable Gloria in the Garden of Small Blue Flames. Gloria was some years older than Vex, though still very young by the standards of the Hiyasta. As the daughter of Lord Stratov, she was a well-known figure. She was not especially popular, but was very eligible. Vex didn’t really like her, but had purposely made her acquaintance after introducing herself politely.
“It must get lonely in that castle,” said Vex. “With your father being a duke and not having a wife any more.”
“The castle is always busy,” Gloria told her. “We have a lot of functions.”
“Of course. But still, not having a wife must get him down a bit?”
“I suppose so,” said Gloria dubiously. She couldn’t ever remember her father saying he was lonely.
“What he needs to do is marry again.”
The Honorable Gloria frowned genteelly. She didn’t much care for Agrivex, with her odd clothes and bleached, spiky hair. Had Agrivex remained in her proper station, the Honorable Gloria would have been content never to exchange a word with her. But the Fire Queen, for whatever reason, had adopted her as her niece, and that made Vex an important figure. Gloria was not the only young aristocrat who now found herself obliged to be polite to her.
“I’m sure my father has never expressed any desire to marry again.”
“Probably just keeps it to himself,” said Vex. “You can see it would be difficult. There aren’t that many high-class women available. Although they do say the Queen is on the lookout for a husband.”
The Honorable Gloria came to an abrupt halt, crushing a small blue flame flower in the process. She was quite a large young woman, and the flame shriveled beneath her feet.
“The Fire Queen? Are you suggesting my father . . .”
Vex feigned surprise. “I never thought of that. But now you mention it, why not? Didn’t they used to uh . . . know each other quite closely?”
“I’d no idea,” said Gloria.
“Well, that’s what’s rumored in court,” said Agrivex. “Probably wouldn’t take much to stir up the old fires again.”
The Honorable Gloria’s eyes shone. She liked the idea of her father marrying the Fire Queen. She would be a princess.
“I take it you’re both coming to the reception tonight?” asked Agrivex.
“We’ll be there,” said Gloria emphatically. “Excuse me, I must go and talk to my father.”
The Honorable Gloria hurried off, leaving Vex looking pleased with herself.
Easy, she thought. Now if Lord Stratov can just get together with Aunt Malvie, there’d be no more talk about me being Queen.
She looked down at the flower that Gloria had crushed. “Sorry about that,” said Vex, who liked the small blue flaming plants. She wished it wasn’t damaged, and leaned over it, wishing she could do something to help. To her surprise, a flickering yellow flame flowed from the tip of her finger into the flower. The flower immediately revived, reigniting as it came back to life.
“Hey!” said Vex. “I never knew I could do that.” She grinned at the small flower, now engulfed in a healthy blue flame.
“I wonder if I could be a singer in a band like Yum Yum Sugary Snacks?” she said, speaking to the flower. “That would be good. And Nagasaki Night Fight Boom Boom Girl starts next week! I can hardly wait!”
Vex wandered back toward her chambers, still carrying her dress. She loathed the garment and could hardly believe she was about to wear it. As she entered the Imperial Palace through the Discretely Flaming Portico, she was surprised to run into the Duchess Gargamond. The Duchess had once been a familiar figure at court but had been absent for several months.
“Duchess Gargamond!” cried Vex. “You’re back.”
The Duchess greeted her politely, doing her utmost not to react to Vex’s shock of bleached hair. She’d forgotten just how bright it was.
“So you’ve made up your argument with Aunt Malvie?”
“Yes indeed, Agrivex. It was but a trifling disagreement.”
“I heard you were cursing each other after Aunt Malvie accused you of being the worst card player in the Hiyasta nation.”
The Duchess pursed her lips and didn’t comment.
“But I wouldn’t worry about it,” continued Vex, “Aunt Malvie is often cranky for no reason. You wouldn’t believe how she talks to me sometimes. It’s scandalous. Did you hear I was officially adopted?”
The Duchess intimated that the happy news had indeed reached her during her self-imposed exile.
“That’s a nice-looking dress you have, Agrivex.”
Agrivex scowled at the garment. “It’s for the reception tonight, for the minor dragon keeper or something like that.” A cunning look came into her eyes. “Is your brother Duke Garfire going to the reception?”
“He will be,” said the Duchess.
“Didn’t he once try and cozy up to the Queen? When he was younger? I’m sure I heard some handmaidens talking about it some time.”
The Duchess looked rather embarrassed, as if it were an episode of which she’d rather not be reminded.
“There may have been a fleeting moment when he . . . Why do you ask?”
“No reason,” said Vex airily. “No reason at all. Except I did hear Aunt Malvie mention just the other day how much she missed good old Duke Garfire and wished he was around. It was right after First Minister Xakthan was telling her she should get married.”
“The Queen really said that?”
“She did. Well, I must get myself into this dress.”
Agrivex departed, satisfied with a job well done. Behind her the Duchess looked thoughtful, then abandoned her stroll to hurry off and talk to her brother the Duke.
CHAPTER 29
Dominil noticed an air of unease as she entered the dark stone edifice of Castle MacRinnalch. The werewolves who opened the gate were watchful and alert, more so than normal. Here, at the castle, the very center of the MacRinnalch’s world, there had been little need for tight security in recent years. It was more than two hundred years since the castle had been attacked by outsiders. The Avenaris Guild had never dared trouble them here. Yet it was only a few months ago that the hunters made their presence felt in Scotland. They’d attacked an event in Edinburgh that had been hosted by the Mistress of the Werewolves. Edinburgh was far to the south, but close enough to make the werewolves mindful of danger. Now Minerva had been killed in the Highlands. It was a shocking occurrence, and one that suggested that the hunters were becoming bolder.
Thane Markus was waiting for Dominil. He greeted her in the courtyard.
“Is Thrix here?” asked Dominil. “How is she?”
“Barely sane,” replied Markus.
Dominil nodded. She hadn’t expected the Enchantress to have calmed down. They walked through the central courtyard together.
“Thrix thinks we should go to war,” said Markus. “She might be right.”
“I doubt the Mistress of the Werewolves will agree,” said Dominil.
“You might be surprised. She was furious after her charity event was attacked.”
As they left the courtyard the moon came up. Everyone in the castle took on their werewolf shape. Dominil and Markus continued their conversation without a break.
“I called an emergency council meeting,” said Markus.
“Are there enough of us?”
“Just about. Marwanis isn’t here, of course. She’s still not forgiven us for the death of Sarapen. Beauty and Delicious aren’t here, but they wouldn’t come anyway. And Kalix . . .”
“The makeup of the council really isn’t suitable any more,” said Dominil. “It’s a hangover from the old days when every relative of the Thane was automatically appointed. But in those days young werewolves didn’t disappear off to London to be
rock stars.”
Markus nodded. He knew that the council hadn’t been functioning properly. There were meant to be seventeen members, but Dulupina was becoming too old to attend, and the twins never did. Decembrius had shown no interest in appearing since his elevation. Marwanis refused all attempts at reconciliation. As for Kalix, it seemed almost comical that she’d ever been appointed to the council. She’d gained her place automatically as a child of the old Thane, but had been banished before attending a meeting.
“So six of the seventeen won’t be there,” said Dominil. “The others?”
“I got word to the barons,” said Markus. “And the others are here. Eleven is enough for a meeting.”
“A meeting containing all our most conservative members,” Dominil pointed out. “The barons always want a quiet life. So does my father.”
Dominil’s father Tupan was brother to the old Thane. He was a respectable werewolf, and not the sort to encourage the clan to make war on the Guild. They carried on through the dark stone corridors of the castle.
“Do you need long to get ready?”
“Five minutes,” said Dominil, who carried her small bag of belongings over her shoulder.
“How was Kalix?”
“Healthy enough, last time I saw her. She’ll be back in London by now.”
Markus paused. “Thrix wasn’t very clear about things, but I gather she blames Kalix for Minerva’s death.”
Dominil made no reply.
“Was it her fault?” urged Markus.
“Let’s talk about it at the meeting.”
CHAPTER 30
“How can you possibly have lost Kalix?” demanded Moonglow.
Daniel was both shamefaced and exasperated, having already answered this question three times.
“I had to stop for gas. I went to pay for it, and when I got back to the car she wasn’t there.”
“Didn’t you see where she went?”
“No. I drove around looking but she’d vanished.”
Moonglow could hardly believe that Daniel, having successfully picked up Kalix at the airport, had lost her on the way home. She stared out the window. “It’s getting dark. This is the third wolf night. Kalix will change.”
“She’s changed hundreds of times. She’ll be all right.”
“Was she wearing her pendant?” asked Moonglow.
Kalix’s pendant, a mystic item given to her by the Fire Queen, kept her safe from prying eyes, hiding her werewolf nature from the hunters.
“I never notice jewelry. She was probably wearing it.”
Moonglow was not reassured. “It won’t hide her if she runs around the streets as a werewolf. Why did she get out of the car? What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything,” protested Daniel. “I went and picked her up at the airport. At short notice, which was helpful of me. I can’t help it if she did a runner on the way home.”
“Did you insult her? You know how sensitive Kalix is.”
Daniel insisted that he hadn’t insulted Kalix, but Moonglow was no longer listening. She was putting on her shoes and picking up her keys. “I’m going to look for her.”
“How?” asked Daniel. “When she’s a werewolf, she can climb over buildings and hide in parks. We’ll never find her.”
“I’m going to try.” Moonglow frowned quite deeply. “I knew something bad would happen. Every time Kalix goes away on werewolf business, something bad happens.”
“She had a bruise on her face,” said Daniel.
“What?” Moonglow paused while buttoning her coat. “A bruise? Why didn’t you say that before?”
“I just remembered.”
“How big was it?”
“Quite big.”
“I have a very bad feeing about all this,” said Moonglow.
Daniel sighed. He had a bad feeling about it too. They’d known Kalix long enough to know that she tended to attract trouble.
“Dominil probably bullied her for no reason then sent her home,” said Moonglow. “Now Kalix is upset. She always takes everything so badly. She might have had a big panic attack in the car and run away; she’s done that before.”
Daniel followed Moonglow to the door. “You know we have no chance of finding her?”
“She can’t have gone that far. Kalix won’t run around the streets as a werewolf; she must be hiding somewhere.”
Daniel remembered a previous occasion when they’d hunted the streets for Kalix. They’d only found her thanks to Malveria’s supernatural powers of perception. Kalix had been very badly injured, and had it not been for the Fire Queen’s exceptional healing powers she would have died. Malveria wasn’t around to help them now.
“She sometimes hides in the park,” said Moonglow. “She has a favorite clump of bushes. We can start looking there. Wait while I make tea.”
Daniel looked puzzled. “Do we have time for tea?”
“It’s not for us, it’s for Kalix. I’ll take it in a flask.”
“Why?”
“Kalix likes tea. It’s soothing. I have a feeling we’re going to find her in a very agitated state.”
Daniel waited in the kitchen as Moonglow boiled the kettle. “I wonder what everyone else is doing tonight?” he mused out loud. “Going to gigs, or clubs, I suppose. Not like us. We get to hunt in dangerous parks for a crazy werewolf. With a flask of tea for protection.”
Moonglow smiled. It was the first moment of good humor they’d managed between them since the disastrous events at the cinema. By the time she’d made tea and poured it into a thermos flask, Daniel was ready with his coat and shoes on. They trooped downstairs together, groping their way in the darkness.
“We really should get a light bulb for the hallway sometime,” said Daniel.
It took only a few minutes to drive to Kennington Park, but as Daniel pulled up at the curb he felt nervous. “I don’t like parks at night. They lock the gates and you’re not meant to be there. What if it’s full of criminals?”
Moonglow looked at the dark expanse of grass and shrubs and the locked iron gate in front of them. It was quite intimidating. “I brought a torch,” she said.
“Won’t that just warn the muggers we’re coming?”
There were a few pedestrians on the pavement opposite, but no one paid them any attention as they scrambled over the fence.
“Kalix’s favorite bushes are this way,” said Moonglow, leading the way.
The light from the street didn’t extend very far into the park and they soon found themselves enveloped in gloom, following the narrow beam of Moonglow’s torch. When they reached the bushes, Moonglow shined her torch into them and called out softly. “Kalix?”
There was no reply.
Daniel called louder. There was no reply.
“Well, I’m not standing here calling out for a werewolf all night,” said Daniel. “Let’s get it over with.”
He plunged into the bushes, struggling toward the center of the large patch of vegetation, which was just as sharp, thorny and uncomfortable as he imagined it would be.
CHAPTER 31
Thrix had never before found herself unable to brush her hair, but as she sat in front of her dressing table she was overwhelmed by a wave of grief and anger so intense that she flung her brush at her reflection and leaped to her feet, crying out with rage. “I’ll kill them all!”
The Enchantress slammed two clenched fists on the dresser and then raised her hand to blast it with a spell, just for the satisfaction of destroying something. She halted herself just in time.
“Breaking things won’t make things better.” She leaned on the dressing table and felt pain and stiffness in her arms. Her muscles ached from climbing the mountain, and each aching muscle was being pulled tighter by stress and anger.
“They’re all going to die,” she said, though there was no one there to hear her. “Everyone in the Avenaris Guild is going to die.”
In her werewolf shape, Thrix’s golden hair hung long around her head, shoulder
and arms. Normally, she’d brush her coat before making any sort of appearance. Now it was almost time for the council meeting, but she didn’t care that she was unkempt.
The clan can agree to go to war with the Guild or not, she thought. I don’t care. I’m going to war, on my own if necessary.
Since arriving at the castle she’d been gripped with bursts of extreme emotion that she was finding difficult to control. One had been so powerful that a little magic had inadvertently leaked from her hand, destroying her bedside chair. The grief was so powerful it felt as if it might overwhelm her and cause her to become irrational. Minerva wouldn’t have approved. The thought of what Minerva might have approved of brought on another wave of rage. Thrix shuddered, clenched her fists to control herself, then hurried from the room. She headed toward the council chamber with the thought that she’d be doing well if she made it through the meeting without screaming at everyone. Not every member of the clan had held Minerva in the same regard as the Enchantress.
As always, for their nighttime meetings the council chamber was warmed by a great log fire and torches burned on the walls. The room was hung with tapestries and banners in the dark green MacRinnalch tartan. There were pitchers of water on the circular oak table and a large decanter of the clan whisky. Already at the table were Clan Secretary Rainal, Dominil and her father Tupan. They rose as the Thane and the Mistress of the Werewolves entered. The three barons, talking together in a corner, bowed their heads slightly in greeting and waited for them to be seated before taking their own places. Moments later, Kurian and his son Kertal entered the chamber.
As Rainal was about to start the meeting, Lucia, Verasa’s sister, hurried in, looking apologetic. She took her seat swiftly.
“I believe that’s everyone,” began the secretary. “Thane Markus, the Mistress of the Werewolves, Baron MacAllister, Baron MacGregor, Baron MacPhee, Thrix MacRinnalch, Lucia MacRinnalch, Tupan MacRinnalch, Dominil MacRinnalch, Kurian MacRinnalch and Kertal MacRinnalch. Council members not present are Marwanis, Butix, Delix, Dulupina, Decembrius and Kalix. Clan statutes allow for a meeting of the Great Council comprising eleven members.”