Lonely Werewolf Girl

by Martin Millar

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. But there’s bound to be a way. I’m always having to persuade Aunt Malvie to get me stuff. Tell me more about Moonglow, I’ll think of something.”

  124

  Dominil was used to dealing with the Merchant in Scotland and knew that his son ran the business in London. Had this not been so, it would have been difficult for her to make the journey to England. Dominil had the strength of character to keep her addiction secret but it would have been very difficult for her to manage without laudanum for long.

  The MacDoigs knew from experience that Dominil was not one for banter. She entered their shop, paid for her merchandise, and left quickly. They didn’t attempt to detain her. There was much about Dominil to make a man nervous. And yet, as Dominil left his premises, there was an expression of satisfaction in the Merchant’s eyes. He knew Dominil despised him. But while she was taking laudanum she was dependent on him. Even though MacDoig knew better than to push Dominil too far, he had not shirked from raising the price. There was a fine profit to be made here, and Merchant MacDoig never backed away from making a profit.

  “She’s an odd one,” was his only comment to his son, as the white-haired werewolf strode silently away.

  “The most intelligent of the clan, so they say,” responded his son.

  “So they say. But not so intelligent that she won’t need us for the rest of her life.”

  A perceptive person might have observed a change in Dominil’s demeanour when she came back from the Merchant’s shop. The twins were not perceptive, and didn’t notice the slight slowness of her actions. Sarapen would have noticed had he been close enough, but he was watching from a distance. It hadn’t taken him long to track her down. The huge werewolf gazed after her as she entered the twins’ house and he remained there a long time, staring at the curtained windows, wondering what she was doing inside.

  Sarapen should have been busy hunting for Markus. Or hunting for Kalix. But here he was, perched on an uncomfortable vantage point, looking at the house which contained Dominil. He told himself it was all part of his campaign to win the Thaneship. The votes of Dominil, Butix and Delix were all important. Sarapen knew he was lying to himself. He hadn’t tracked Dominil because of her influence on the voting. He’d tracked her down because ever since he’d seen the savage way she’d dealt with her attackers, he’d burned with desire for her.

  Dominil was not the only non-human to visit to the Merchant that day. As night fell Princes Kabachetka made an appearance, wrapped in golden fur.

  “You understand that this is a confidential transaction?” she said.

  “Aye, Princess. Don’t worry, there’s no one more tight-lipped than old MacDoig.”

  MacDoig was importing more magical items from the Princess’s realm. Some of these items were very delicate. It needed a specialist to bring them across the dimensions safely. The Empress Asaratanti would not have approved of her nation’s sorcerous secrets being brought to this realm, but Princess Kabachetka was prepared to go to any lengths to defeat Queen Malveria.

  From the Merchant’s shop the items were taken to Alan Zatek.

  “Now you have Asaratanti’s Spell of Wondrous Spying,” she told him. “Thrix MacRinnalch can hide nothing from you. Do whatever is necessary to ensure that I surpass Malveria at the Sorceress Livia’s 500th birthday celebration.”

  125

  Verasa was surprised to receive an early morning phone call from the twins. She knew it must be bad news.

  “She’s gone.”

  “Who?”

  “Dominil.”

  “What do you mean she’s gone?”

  “Sarapen kidnapped her.”

  Beauty and Delicious had been wakened by the noise of struggling in the hallway. They’d arrived to find Dominil being dragged from the house by Sarapen and bundled into a car.

  “Who else was involved?” demanded Verasa.

  “Just Sarapen.”

  Verasa was perplexed. In human form, Sarapen was certainly stronger than Dominil; even so, Verasa would not have expected that she could simply be picked up and carried off.

  “She didn’t seem to be properly awake,” explained Beauty. “I don’t know why.”

  “We don’t know what to do,” added Delicious.

  “Remain where you are,” instructed Verasa. “I’ll contact Thrix.”

  The household in Kennington was thrown into uproar by the news. Had the neighbours been able to see the scene as Thrix hurried into the living room, rousing the Fire Queen, while Vex and Kalix wandered out to see what the fuss was about, and Daniel tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes, they might have wondered what they were doing living next to such a household.

  “The brutal Sarapen has kidnapped the white-haired wolf?” said Malveria, a hint of admiration in her voice. “Such a decisive action! What will you do?”

  “Get her back,” muttered Thrix.

  “Not without re-doing your make-up, I trust,” said Malveria.

  “Where’s Moonglow?” said Daniel.

  “How would I know? Is she missing?”

  “Maybe,” said Daniel. He’d tried calling her mobile, with no success, and was now phoning Jay. When Jay informed him that he hadn’t seen Moonglow for two days, Daniel became frantic with worry.

  “I’m sure Moonglow is not involved…” began Thrix, but halted. It was possible she was. Moonglow might somehow have been caught up in events. To Daniel’s frustration, Thrix was touching up her make-up in the mirror.

  “Don’t do that, find Moonglow,” he demanded.

  “I’m thinking,” retorted Thrix.

  “Why would Dominil let herself be kidnapped?” wondered Malveria, aloud. “Even confronted by Sarapen I would have expected her to repel him for long enough for help to arrive.”

  No one could answer this.

  “And why has he kidnapped her anyway?” continued the Fire Queen. “A swift killing at the doorstep I could understand. But kidnap? For what?”

  “Malveria, I’m going home. I’ll use a spell to find her.”

  “That werewolf can work spells?” said Vex to Kalix. “That’s really unusual. Can you do it?”

  Kalix shook her head.

  “It’s quite thrilling really,” said Vex. “A kidnapping. Did you ever kidnap anyone, Aunt Malvie?”

  “Yes,” responded Malveria. “And have I not instructed you not to call me Aunt Malvie? But my kidnappings were usually for sound strategic reasons. Maybe once or twice just as humorous escapades. And once for passion, when that handsome air elemental - “

  She paused, and looked towards Thrix.

  “Does the werewolf Sarapen have a passion for Dominil?”

  “Sarapen has no passion for anything except the Thaneship,” said Thrix.

  Malveria looked thoughtful, but kept her own counsel. Daniel was not satisfied. Surely no one was taking Moonglow’s disappearance seriously enough.

  “She’s probably not involved,” repeated Thrix. “If she is, I’ll find her and let you know.”

  “What will I do?” asked Vex, as the Queen made to leave.

  “You? You will return home and continue your studies. I believe you have several lessons in history today.”

  Vex looked aghast, then outraged.

  “You can’t send me to lessons. Not when everything is so interesting here.”

  Malveria eyed her pointedly.

  “The werewolves do not want another Hiyasta poking her nose into their affairs. Particularly one so dramatically incompetent as you. Now go to your lessons. If I hear from your tutor that you have not spent the day studying assiduously I will be most displeased, dismal niece.”

  With that, Malveria waved her hand and both she and Thrix disappeared from view.

  “I’m not going to school,” said Vex. “It’s a ridiculous idea. What’s for breakfast?”

  “I have to find Moonglow!” blurted Daniel.

  So far Kalix had remained unaffected by the uproar, not c
aring one way or the other for Dominil, but at Daniel’s distress she felt a twinge of sympathy.

  “I’ll help you look,” she said.

  “Excellent,” said Vex. “I’ll come too.”

  “The MacRinnalchs don’t need more Hiyastas interfering in their affairs,” retorted Kalix, rather grandly.

  Vex chortled merrily. “You werewolves are so funny,” she said. “So, where will we look first?”

  Kalix was baffled and defeated by Vex’s good humour. She couldn’t think of a suitable response.

  “Can you teleport us like Malveria?” asked Daniel.

  “Teleportation is the speciality of the Hiyastas,” replied Vex.

  “But can you do it?”

  “Well not very well actually.”

  “Then we’ll have to drive,” muttered Daniel. “I’m going to college to find out if anyone’s seen Moonglow.”

  Daniel dressed very quickly then hurried to his car, pursued by Kalix and Vex. Kalix and Vex struggled over who was to sit in the front, an argument over which neither would back down, and they ended up sharing the seat as Daniel headed north of the river as fast as he could.

  126

  Dominil was now Sarapen’s prisoner, locked in a cell in the basement of his London mansion. Her rage against Sarapen was immense and her rage against herself was worse. Sarapen had fallen upon her as she opened her front door, struck her unconscious and carried her off. As simple as that. She hadn’t even detected his approach. Dominil’s senses had let her down because last night she’d overindulged in laudanum. After arriving home with a fresh bottle she’d been unable to resist taking more than her normal dose, even though she knew that now was not a good time to do so. Dominil sat on the bench in the cell and cursed herself for her weakness.

  She’d already tried breaking out. Her great strength had made no impression on the door but come tonight, when the moon rose and she could transform, she would rip the door from its frame, then find Sarapen, and tear him to pieces. Dominil wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. Already she was missing her laudanum. It was many years since she’d been forcibly separated from her supply. She didn’t know exactly what the effect of an enforced abstinence would be, but feared it would be severe.

  Several floors above, Sarapen sat alone, brooding, and wondering at his actions. He was surprised at the ease with which it had been accomplished. Dominil had grown careless since leaving the castle. Either that or she’d been indulging too freely in the MacRinnalch malt, something to which Sarapen knew she was occasionally prone.

  Since bringing Dominil to his mansion, he hadn’t spoken to her. When the moon rose the white-haired werewolf would try to tear her way to freedom. Let her. The cell was of stronger construction than even her werewolf jaws could break. ‘She can languish in that cell for a long time,’ thought Sarapen. ‘She can stay there till she decides it’s not such a good idea to nominate Markus as Thane.’ He felt some satisfaction at the image of Dominil languishing. His satisfaction faded as unwelcome memories of his passion for Dominil flooded into his mind. Again he wondered whether he’d kidnapped Dominil as a strategic move in the war for the Thaneship, or simply because he couldn’t bear to be separated from her. He rose to his feet, determined to rush downstairs and tell Dominil he loved her. He sat down, angry with himself, then rose to his feet once more, determined to go and tell her he despised her and she could stay in the cell forever. He sat down, rose again, and then wondered what he, Sarapen MacRinnalch, was doing bobbing up and down like a child at a funfair. It was a relief when Andris MacAndris interrupted him with news that Verasa was on the phone.

  “I won’t talk to her,” said Sarapen. “Tell her you don’t know where I am, or when I’ll be back.”

  127

  Moonglow didn’t know what to think when she woke up naked in bed with Markus. It surely hadn’t been a good idea to sleep with him but she couldn’t convince herself that she regretted it. She was strongly attracted to Markus and had been since she first laid eyes on him. When she’d taken him home for the second time she’d refused point blank to relinquish him into the care of his fellow werewolves. She didn’t trust them to look after him properly. Obviously he was traumatised and needed someone to care for him.

  Markus had indicated to his werewolf companions that it was all right for her to enter the house. Moonglow had stayed with Markus for the rest of the evening. She sat on the couch beside him, comforting him, and finally soothed him sufficiently for him to drift off to sleep. She sat like that for a long time and when Markus woke up, deep into the night, she kissed him, without even thinking about it. It was she who suggested that she stay the night.

  Now, with the morning light barely penetrating the heavy curtains in the bedroom of Markus’s London hideout, they lay in each other’s arms with no one to disturb them. There were werewolves in the apartment next door, but here there were just Moonglow and Markus, and Moonglow felt satisfied. She thought of Jay, and didn’t feel guilty. She was too passionately attracted to Markus to feel any guilt. He turned over in bed, moving a little uneasily in his sleep. Moonglow stroked his arm, and he became quieter, then Moonglow fell asleep again, still content.

  128

  No one at College had seen Moonglow. Daniel feared the worst, and despaired.

  “She’s been eaten by a werewolf.”

  Kalix and Vex remained silent.

  “Well?” demanded Daniel, angrily.

  “Were we meant to contradict you?” asked Vex.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay,” said Vex, brightly. “I’m sure she’s still alive. Sarapen would probably kill any friend of Kalix’s without a second thought. But that doesn’t mean Moonglow’s dead. She may just have had a bad accident and be in hospital. What’s that machine that makes noises?”

  Vex was gazing at the pinball machine in the student’s union. Daniel, normally not adverse to a few hours on the pinball machine, ignored both it and the young Hiyasta. He spoke urgently to Kalix.

  “Can you pick up Moonglow’s scent?”

  “It’s difficult in the city, with all the traffic and people.”

  Kalix sniffed the air.

  “Markus has been here,” she announced. “Maybe yesterday or the day before.”

  “Markus? Are you sure?”

  Now even more worried, Daniel hurried back to his car which he’d left in a garage in Holborn. Agrivex bounded after him but Kalix followed on less enthusiastically. She’d suddenly started to wonder what she was doing here. She still didn’t care that much for Moonglow, who was always ordering her about, and telling her to eat. It struck her how much more Daniel liked Moonglow than herself and she felt some resentment. No one ever liked Kalix best, so it seemed. There was always someone they liked better.

  By the time Kalix reached the car she had started to sulk. The young werewolf looked bored while Daniel negotiated the ramp back onto the street.

  “Where are we going?” asked Vex.

  “To see Thrix,” replied Daniel.

  “Why?”

  “To find out where Markus lives.”

  “That’s a stupid plan,” said Kalix. “Thrix won’t be there.”

  “Then we’ll ask her secretary where she is.”

  “She won’t know,” said Kalix.

  “Well do you have any better ideas?” demanded Daniel, rather harshly.

  Kalix’s lip curled. People always ended up speaking harshly to her. She didn’t like being here. She didn’t like being ordered around by Daniel and she didn’t like being in the same car as the ridiculously bubbly Vex. It seemed to her that Daniel already liked Vex better than her. Kalix wished that she could go home and take laudanum.

  They drove off, with Kalix now in a bad mood. Outside the cold rain was starting to fall. The heater in the old car took a long time to warm up and Kalix shivered as they crawled through the busy afternoon traffic towards Soho. Daniel swore in frustration as they became tangled up in a great jam of buses and taxis as they inched
their way through Piccadilly. Kalix looked at the small statue of Eros in the centre of Piccadilly. When the weather was better crowds of people would sit around the statue: tourists, or just young people with nothing better to do. Kalix had sat there herself, when she had nothing better to do. It didn’t hold any good memories for her.

  Daniel’s language became worse. He shouted abuse as a bus trundled so slowly through the traffic lights that they changed back to red before they could make it through.

  “Stop shouting,” muttered Kalix. “It’s annoying.”

  “What do you mean?” demanded Daniel. “I’m trying to get to Thrix’s to find Moonglow.”

  “Shouting isn’t going to get us there any quicker,” said Kalix.

  “Stop complaining,” said Daniel, now frustrated at everything, because he was frightened for Moonglow.

  “You stop complaining,” echoed Kalix, like a child.

  Daniel turned in his seat and looked at Kalix angrily.

  “This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for your crazy family.”

  Kalix snarled, and felt a wolf-like anger descending on her.

  “So it’s my fault,” she said. “Fine.”

  Kalix got out of the car. She hopped nimbly through the lines of traffic, pleased to be away from them. Daniel was so annoying. She decided to walk home, pick up her bag and journal, and leave the house. It had been a mistake to ever become involved with humans. She put on her sunglasses, pulled her coat tight against the rain, and set off towards Kennington.

  129

  Even as a werewolf, Dominil could make no impression on the cell door. The metal was strong and the cell had been cunningly engineered so that there was nowhere for a werewolf’s claws or jaws to grip. Dominil couldn’t get out. When Sarapen arrived in the basement she was still pounding on the door.

  “You won’t escape,” said Sarapen, calmly. “This cell is specially constructed to hold werewolves and it’s a good deal more sophisticated than anything at the castle.”