Lonely Werewolf Girl

by Martin Millar

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 whispering.

  “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 wa
ited 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.

  “I’ll 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.

  The small upstairs room was now a struggling, bloody melee of terrible werewolf violence. The defenders were outnumbered, but the odds were not quite as hopeless as they might have been. Sarapen had lost five werewolves to the Guild. Butix and Delix were unexpectedly in werewolf shape. It was still twenty against nine in Sarapen’s favour but his opponents included Kalix, whose rage in combat made her almost unstoppable, Dominil, whose will could not be broken, and Gawain, whose fighting skills matched those of his warrior ancestors. Thrix herself, eldest daughter of the Thane, was immensely strong and savage in combat and even the twins were powerful as werewolves. In addition, the defenders had Malveria. The Fire Queen would have been unrecognisable to anyone who had only ever seen her sobbing over a pair of shoes. Malveria’s strength was equal to that of a werewolf, and she had more experience of battle than anyone else in the room. She wielded her club so deftly that she was able to clear a space around Agrivex, pick her up, and throw her to temporary safety at the back of the stage.

  “Stay there and - ” Malveria’s words were cut off as a werewolf leapt on her back, dragging her down onto the floor.

  Dominil struggled to come to grips with Sarapen, attempting to batter her way past his bodyguards. Two of the MacRinnalchs who guarded the fire exit had now fallen. The Enchantress tried to bolster their forces at the back of the room but the Douglas-MacPhees pushed her back. More of Sarapen’s werewolves forced their way into the room. Kalix slew another opponent then disappeared under two more.

  The twins and the surviving MacRinnalch guards were forced back towards the stage while Kalix, Dominil and Gawain were engaged in the most savage fight with seven werewolves at the front of the room. The Enchantress found herself struggling with three enemies at once and she was dragged to the ground. She bit and clawed furiously, seeking to rise, but Andris MacAndris fell on her and fastened his teeth to her shoulder. The Enchantress was buried beneath her opponents and felt their claws and teeth cutting into her hide. The breath was being forced from her body and she couldn’t even shout for help.

  “Maladisia,” she whispered.

  Malveria was on the other side of the room, engaged with the enemy. Though the room reverberated with the sound of battle, and the Enchantress had spoken her secret name in a whisper, Malveria heard it. She threw off her attacker and leapt to
where Thrix lay. She swung her club in a series of fierce arcs, beating back Andris and his two companions, then grabbed the Enchantress and hauled her to safety. The Enchantress sat gasping on the stage while Malveria stood in front of her, guarding her with her club. They had a second’s respite before Dominil was picked up and tossed in their direction, landing heavily with blood seeping from a gash in her arm.

  “Retreat,” said Malveria. She stepped forward, nimbly avoided Sarapen’s jaws, grabbed Kalix and Gawain and dragged them backwards onto the stage. They crashed through the attackers who surrounded the twins and fled across the stage into the tiny dressing room at the back. Once inside they barricaded the door with a stack of heavy crates. Gawain put his shoulder behind the barricade as Sarapen and his werewolves tried to break it down, all the time howling and screaming.

  “Thanks for saving me,” gasped Thrix to the Fire Queen.

  “I gave you my name. I’ll always come to your side.”

  Malveria frowned.

  “But I was correct. We should have fled while we had the chance.”

  The werewolves tried to gather their strength. The door was already beginning to splinter. It wouldn’t keep Sarapen out for long.

  223

  Daniel was relieved to be outside.

  “There was nothing we could do. Eh… should we try to get help?”

  “What sort of help?”

  “I don’t know,” admitted Daniel. “Maybe call the police?”

  “And report some werewolves in trouble? That’ll bring a swift response. Anyway, we’ve got work to do.”

  “What work?”

  “We have to find Princess Kabachetka and disrupt her sorcery.”

  “What?”

  “We have to find the Princess. That’s what Thrix whispered to me. You don’t think I’d have just left for no reason, do you?”

  “We were going to get killed,” said Daniel. “That’s a reason. What’s this find Princess Kabachetka and disrupt her sorcery? I don’t like the sound of it.”

  “Come on,” said Moonglow, and dragged Daniel along.

  “But I don’t want to disrupt sorcery,” protested Daniel. “It sounds dangerous. And I don’t know who Princess Kabachetka is.”