“It’s not good though,” said Kurian, a brother of the late Thane who was just starting to turn gray with age. “We never have a full turnout these days.”
“In my day, it was an honor to be on the council,” said Tupan, who was only a few years younger than his brother Kurian. “No one failed to attend.”
“Things are rather different these days,” said Verasa. “Not all werewolves live close to the castle.”
Beside Verasa, her sister Lucia was looking shamefaced. It was a continual embarrassment to her that her son Decembrius didn’t attend meetings. She’d been proud when he’d been elected to the council, but he’d let her down. Thrix clenched her fists under the table. A MacRinnalch as a werewolf, while quite rational, did tend to have a shorter temper than a MacRinnalch as a human. She reached out and poured herself a glass of whisky.
“Perhaps it’s time we looked at the membership?” said Baron MacPhee. The Baron was a huge werewolf. While loyal to the MacRinnalchs, he was senior enough to make such a suggestion. “Some of our absent members seem unlikely ever to attend.”
“You mean Kalix?” said Kertal.
“And Butix and Delix,” added Tupan. Tupan didn’t approve of the twins. The only time in recent memory that the twins had shown up for a council meeting, they’d been bribed to attend by the Mistress of the Werewolves. Verasa had needed their votes to ensure Markus’s election as Thane. Those werewolves who’d supported Sarapen still resented it. Though Verasa had worked assiduously since the end of the feud to bring the clan back into harmony, some annoyance lingered on.
“I’m sure Butix and Delix will take up their positions in due course,” said Verasa smoothly. “Perhaps when they’re a little older.”
“Decembrius will be here next month, I’m certain,” said Lucia.
No one believed her, though no one was rude enough to say it.
“Perhaps Marwanis . . .” began the Mistress of the Werewolves.
Young Baron MacAllister laughed. He’d seen his father and his brother killed in the deadly feud. “Marwanis isn’t coming back. And, incidentally, she tells you all to go to hell.”
Marwanis had been a strong supporter of Sarapen. She’d left the castle in fury after his defeat, and now resided at Baron MacGregor’s keep. Verasa had made several peaceful overtures to her, none of which had brought any response.
“As for Kalix—” began Tupan.
“Enough of this!” roared Thrix, and slammed her palm into the table, causing it to vibrate. “Minerva was murdered and I want to talk about it!”
There was a surprised silence.
“We’ll get to it—” said the Mistress of the Werewolves.
“I want to talk about it now!”
Verasa looked toward Rainal.
“We could alter our agenda—”
“Good!” Thrix rose to her feet and leaned forward so that the long blonde hair around her shoulders hung on the table.
“The Avenaris Guild killed Minerva. I want revenge. We’ve backed off for too long and now this has happened. We should have moved against them long ago.”
Thrix turned to look accusingly at her mother and her brother. “The clan thought it was safe because the Guild was far away in London. So we let them get away with the occasional werewolf killing for the sake of not getting ourselves involved in a war. For a quiet life. Because you’re all so worried about the outside world intruding into your cozy little castle. Well, now they’re almost here. If the hunters can kill Minerva on her mountain then they can strike anywhere. We have to take action.”
Thrix slammed her paw on the table again. “I’ll be taking action anyway. But I’d prefer if the clan helped.”
Baron MacPhee spoke. He was a huge, rotund figure, with a deep voice to match. “Before discussing action, could we have a report? All I know is that Minerva’s been killed. I haven’t heard how it happened.”
“She was shot,” said Thrix. “A rifle, I think, which is unusual.”
“Didn’t she have spells protecting her?” asked Tupan.
Thrix looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he was hinting at disapproval for Minerva’s sorcery.
“Minerva had retired. She rarely used magic for anything. She’d gone beyond it. She was living out her life peacefully.”
“What did you find when you examined the area?” asked Markus. Thrix’s forensic skills were well known. The Enchantress could learn a lot about any werewolf death by studying the surroundings.
Thrix sat down. “I didn’t really examine the area. I was too upset. I took Minerva back to the top of the mountain and then I . . .” She fell silent.
“So you didn’t see any trace of her attackers?” asked Markus.
“It wasn’t Thrix who discovered the body,” said Dominil. “It was me.”
There was some surprise at this. Tupan turned to his daughter. “You found Minerva? What were you doing there?”
Dominil didn’t answer. There was a long pause.
“What were you doing there?” asked Tupan again.
“I’d rather not say.”
“This is unsatisfactory,” said the elderly Baron MacGregor. “How can we discuss it if we don’t know the circumstances?”
Thrix’s temper welled up again. “Dominil took Kalix to see Minerva because Minerva was going to help her get off laudanum,” she said. “But Kalix took an overdose on the way so they were late arriving. Minerva was left on her own, waiting for them. An old woman without any protection. That’s when she was killed.”
“Ah,” said Tupan. “Kalix.”
There was muttering around the table. No one was surprised to learn that Kalix had been involved. She was outlawed and known to be insane. The Mistress of the Werewolves sat stony-faced, not wishing to hear ill of her youngest daughter, but Thrix’s eyes blazed with anger.
“Yes, Kalix! Kalix and her laudanum addiction caused further destruction!” Thrix raised her paw and there were several swift moves by werewolves to steady their glasses of whisky before she crashed it on the table again.
“She’s always been a disgrace,” said Baron Douglas MacAllister. As the youngest baron, with strong reason to resent Markus and Verasa, he was more willing than most to voice his feelings, and not sorry to have an opportunity to criticize Verasa’s family.
“My daughter is not a disgrace,” said Verasa quietly. “She’s had troubles, but she is not a disgrace. And she is not insane.”
“But she is banished,” said Douglas. “She shouldn’t have been visiting a clan member in Scotland.”
“Kalix was with me,” said Dominil. “As a member of the council, I’m entitled to take a werewolf anywhere, even one who’s banished. I judged the journey worthwhile.”
“It seems to have gotten Minerva killed,” said Douglas. “She’d never have come down from her mountaintop if she hadn’t had to treat her for laudanum.”
“That’s not entirely fair,” said Dominil. “Kalix wasn’t the only one needing treatment.”
There was a long silence while the assembled werewolf council digested this.
“What exactly do you mean?” asked the Mistress of the Werewolves eventually.
“I’m also addicted to laudanum. I made the initial approach to Minerva. I asked her if she could help me. Then I asked Kalix if she would like to accompany me. So the responsibility for bringing Minerva from her mountain rests with me.”
In the long, astonished silence that followed, the only sound was the crackling of the great log fire. Everyone stared at Dominil with disbelief.
Markus eventually spoke. “Dominil, you’re telling us you’re addicted to laudanum? Is this just some way of protecting Kalix?”
“No. I am addicted.”
“But you’re not. You can’t be.”
“I assure you I have been for some years now. I’ve controlled it to the extent where I’ve kept functioning. But I am an addict, and take the substance every day.”
Dominil had not looked forward to confess
ing her addiction to the council. She was aware of the shock it would cause. The barons looked aghast. The Mistress of the Werewolves, who had the highest regard for Dominil, looked like she’d been struck a blow. Markus’s werewolf jaws were parted, as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t think of anything to say. As for her father Tupan, he was leaning away from her in his chair, as if trying to distance himself from his own daughter. That Dominil, known as the most intelligent, least passionate and most self-controlled werewolf in the clan, should share a substance addiction with Kalix was unbelievable. Kalix’s addiction was shameful enough but had been rationalized by the clan as part of her madness. Dominil had no such excuse.
“So how much laudanum had you taken when you opposed Sarapen’s nomination as Thane?” said young Baron Douglas mockingly. The young baron seemed amused.
“There’s no need to drag the election up again,” said the Mistress of the Werewolves sharply.
The shock may have lasted longer, and the accusations may have fallen harder on Dominil, had Thrix’s temper not been so violent. Thrix was not about to let the meeting be sidetracked into a discussion of Dominil’s problems. She growled, loudly enough to gain everyone’s attention.
“Did you also overdose in the morning?”
“No,” said Dominil.
“So you would have arrived on time?”
“Yes.”
“Then your addiction doesn’t change anything,” said Thrix. “Right now we’re talking about Minerva being murdered.”
Thrix stared at Markus. “I want the clan to declare war on the Avenaris Guild. I want us to find their headquarters and wipe them out. And I want you to ensure that the clan will devote whatever resources are necessary. So let’s discuss it.”
CHAPTER 32
After failing to find Kalix in the park, Daniel and Moonglow retreated to the car. Daniel had several deep scratches in his hand.
“It was mad to plunge into those bushes,” he said. “You shouldn’t have encouraged me.”
“I didn’t encourage you!” protested Moonglow. “You just dived right in!”
Daniel examined his bleeding hand. “I’ll probably get some disease. Parks are full of diseases.”
“Stop being such a baby,” said Moonglow. “You won’t get a disease. What should we do now?”
Daniel shook his head. He had no idea. They’d rushed out of the house to find Kalix, but having failed to locate her in the park, they weren’t sure where else to look.
“She’s probably on a rooftop somewhere,” said Daniel. “Looking down malevolently at the world after some werewolf crisis, which she won’t want to tell us about anyway. We must be insane, rushing around after her and getting cuts that will almost certainly lead to blood poisoning. Why do we waste so much time and effort on her?”
“Because we love her, of course,” said Moonglow, which took Daniel by surprise. He thought about it for a moment.
“I suppose we do,” he said.
They sat in silence for a few moments. The werewolf crisis had caused them to forget the awkwardness between them, at least for the moment.
“I just can’t think where else to look,” said Moonglow.
“I know!” cried Daniel. “The first time I met Kalix, she was hiding in a warehouse. I think she lived there for a while. She might have gone back.”
“Good idea. Where is it?”
“Not far away, it’s beside the big sorting office.”
Daniel set off toward the warehouse. They drove past a series of railway arches and turned into a side road that led into a large industrial estate which was surrounded by a tall wire fence. Daniel drove slowly along the side of the estate while Moonglow scanned the fence, looking for an opening.
“There’s a gap; we can get in there.”
They came to a halt.
“I’m actually quite scared of going into a dark warehouse in the middle of the night,” said Daniel.
Moonglow was already half out of the car and didn’t reply. Daniel hurried after her. They slipped through the gap in the fence and approached the warehouse. It looked like it hadn’t been used for many years. The whole industrial estate was dilapidated, with old wooden pallets strewn around and rusting oil drums lying on their sides.
“The door’s open,” said Moonglow, lowering her voice to a whisper.
“Good,” whispered Daniel. “It might be Kalix. Or a gang of violent criminals.”
“Criminals would have better places to go,” said Moonglow. She took her torch from her bag and stepped inside. Daniel mustered his courage and followed her. The moment they stepped through the door they heard a frightful growling.
“Kalix?” said Moonglow, raising her voice.
There was another growl, and the sound of padding feet. Moonglow shone her torch into the darkness. Two red eyes appeared to shine back at them.
“Oh no,” said Daniel. “Kalix is a full wolf.”
“That’s OK,” said Moonglow. “At least we’ve found her.”
“It’s not OK,” said Daniel urgently. “When she’s a wolf it’s not like when she’s a werewolf. She forgets everything about being human. We should go.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Moonglow. “It’ll be fine. Hi, Kalix, we’ve come to take you home.”
At that moment the wolf-Kalix let out a terrifying howl and charged at them. Daniel, demonstrating speed and athleticism that he didn’t know he possessed, grabbed Moonglow and dragged her toward a gigantic wooden container. He leaped upward to grasp the edge and hauled himself up, dragging Moonglow after him. Moonglow’s pointy boots barely avoided the snapping of Kalix’s great wolf jaws. The two students had scrambled to safety just in time. Kalix was growling and snapping her jaws, leaping up at them. Fortunately for Daniel and Moonglow, the wolf was unable to mount the tall wooden crate. Her claws made a terrible ripping sound as she pawed at it, trying to climb toward them. She let out a howl even more terrifying than before, then padded up and down, growling savagely, turning this way and that, all the while staring up at Daniel and Moonglow with a crazed look in her eyes.
“Well, we found Kalix,” said Daniel. “And now we’re trapped on top of a crate. Any suggestions?”
“She just needs to calm down,” said Moonglow. “I’ll talk to her.”
Moonglow, standing on top of the large crate, leaned forward slightly and caught Kalix’s eye.
“Kalix, it’s us, Daniel and Moonglow. There’s no need to be upset, we’re here to help.”
Kalix immediately made another furious attack on the crate, howling and snarling. Moonglow took a hasty step back.
“That went well,” said Daniel. “Maybe you should offer her a cup of tea.”
“There’s no need to be sarcastic. I’m sure the tea will come in useful. At least I tried to think of something helpful.”
“So did I,” said Daniel. He was wearing a rather oversized coat. From his deep pockets he took a small music player and then, surprisingly, two small speakers.
“You see?” said Daniel. “I came prepared too. I knew Kalix was probably going to be in some savage, bestial state.”
“How could you know that?”
“Since meeting Kalix I’ve learned to expect the worst.” Daniel plugged the small speakers into his music player. “I think this will calm her down,” he said.
Moonglow was immediately alarmed. “If you start playing some horrible doom metal Kalix will probably eat the crate.”
“My doom-metal collection is not horrible,” responded Daniel. “You just don’t understand it. But anyway, that’s not what I’m going to play. You know”—he turned to look at Moonglow—“it sometimes strikes me you don’t give me enough credit for my intelligence. I knew the day would come when Kalix went completely crazy, and I’ve prepared for it.”
Daniel pressed the play button. A gentle sound emerged from the speakers, an acoustic guitar that played quite softly and two female voices.
“What’s this?” asked Moonglow.
“Marine Girls. I chose it scientifically as the best music to calm our angry werewolf.”
Moonglow looked doubtful. “You chose it scientifically? How?”
“Because when I was making CDs for Kalix, I noticed she usually likes music with female singers. And she likes things from the seventies and eighties. Probably the result of growing up with only the Runaways to comfort her. This is the most soothing music that fits the bill.”
Moonglow was still skeptical and half expected the music to drive Kalix into an even worse frenzy. She looked down at the wolf, which was still prowling. But Kalix had stopped howling and was no longer trying to bite the crate.
“I think it’s working,” said Daniel. At the sound of his voice, Kalix started howling again. With a look between them, Daniel and Moonglow agreed to be silent for a while. Kalix quieted down again. The music played out gently through the warehouse. Kalix stopped howling. She walked around in a circle a few times. As the first song ended and the next began, she lay down and began licking her paws.
“I think it’s working,” Moonglow whispered in Daniel’s ear. She’d been standing rigidly in alarm since arriving on top of the crate, but now relaxed a little. Moving carefully so as not to disturb Kalix, she sat down. Daniel did the same. They sat and watched as the shaggy-coated wolf stretched out on the ground and yawned. Kalix’s wolf-mouth was huge, and her teeth were extremely long and sharp, but when she stopped yawning she looked quite peaceful.
For a long interval there was no movement in the warehouse, and no sound save for the gentle songs of Marine Girls. Kalix lay motionless on the ground, occasionally twitching her tail.
“She’s so beautiful as a wolf,” whispered Moonglow.
Daniel made a face. Kalix was beautiful as a wolf, but she was also abnormally powerful. It didn’t take long for her to forget she was human and lose her intellect. It was mainly because of this that she very rarely made the full change. Few of the MacRinnalchs did, preferring to spend their nights as werewolves, the half-human half-wolf state that came to them quite naturally. As werewolves, their intelligence didn’t desert them.