Blue Moon Rising (The Patroness)

by Natalie Herzer

  I raised a hand to block him off, pulled out my cell and pressed speed dial.

  “Allô?” Mathieu answered after the second ring.

  “Hey, I need to speak to Philippe, please!” I asked him, excited and anxious at the same time.

  There was a little fussing around, since Mathieu had to hold up the phone for the transparent Philippe. “Hey, Maiwenn, what’s up?”

  “Listen, I know it sounds weird, but do you know whether five ghosts where killed, exorcized...or offed in the last couple of days?” What was the right expression here?

  “Err, first of all, scary thought and second of all, no idea. Why?”

  “I’ll explain it to you guys later. Now I need you to check out the ghost community and find out whether they heard of something like that. Please hurry, okay?”

  “Sure, see you later.”

  “Bye,” I hung up and turned my attention back to the others.

  Kylian got up. “You think, they already have or will kill five faeries and five ghosts?”

  “Exactly. Then there’s the riddle, ‘five and five’. The Council is also called the Big Five, five species, five victims of each. Five and five.”

  He nodded. “Logic. But what about the wide circle?”

  “No idea. Yet.”

  Viviane joined in, “As the gargoyles’ riddle go, they tell us everything we need to know. ‘One is ambitious and not from here’, probably or most certainly speaks of the killer. He must be ambitious indeed to pull this off. But what about the ‘not from here’ part? Here, as in Paris, or France?”

  I bit my lip and thought about it, than shook my head. “That’s too vague. We’ll worry about that later. ‘In two different minds he likes to appear’? Any ideas?” I looked at the others, than at Pauline. “Shapeshifting? Telepathy? Mind control, maybe?”

  Pauline tilted her head, picking up my last train of thought. “The killer’s mind and that of a subject’s he’s controlling.”

  Kylian, as much absorbed in the riddle as the rest of us, added, “Would confirm our theory that he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. But I think it’s rather he appears in two other minds, literally, two different persons.”

  “Maybe.” I frowned. “Four...‘despite the four split souls forced into the shade’. Maybe the gargoyle’s were talking about those feathered things there. Split souls. You said, they perspired, and that’s a human thing, right? Maybe they are a mix between humans and birds?”

  “Bird-shapeshifters exist, I’d recognize the scent.”

  “Then they’re some other kind of mixture between humans and birds.”

  “What other creature could come out of that?”

  He had a point. Damn it.

  Silence settled, as everybody was lost in thoughts trying to crack the gargoyles’ little riddle. After some time I blew out a deep breath, at the end of my wisdom, and pinched the bridge of my nose as a headache started in the front of my head.

  “What about the ‘three’? ‘Three sets and it might be too late’?” Chastel threw in.

  “Well, that one seems easy actually,” Viviane said.

  I lifted my eyebrows. “Oh really?”

  “Sunsets, my dear! Three sunsets and it might be too late.”

  I groaned. “Sure, why the hell not.” A little more pressure, that’s all we needed right now.

  Around noon Kylian, Chastel and I were in my office, reviewing the information we got on our case as the telephone rang.

  I grabbed it and answered, “Bonjour, this is Maiwenn Cadic, Saints Investigation, how may I help you?”

  “You forgot to recharge your battery. Again,” Mathieu’s voice accused me.

  I pulled out my cell, to find it indeed dead. Damn it. “You know me. Any news?”

  “Yeah, though not what you were looking for. Quite the contrary, actually. Remember you wanted me to look for a group, or whatever, denouncing otherworldlers and stuff in some way. Well, got nothing there. But I found one flyer that said something like, ‘Do you feel different from those around you? We can help you. Sign up!’ I know it doesn’t sound threatening in any way, but...I swear if you saw it, read it...it has a weird ring to it.”

  An unpleasant and foreboding feeling tickled between my shoulder blades, and even though I’ve never had that flyer between my fingers, I agreed with Mathieu. Something was off. “I believe you. Did you talk to anyone about that flyer?”

  “No, but I can if you want to. Find out whether someone went...”

  “No,” I interrupted him, “you don’t. Forget the flyer, stay put, and concentrate on studying. I’ll come by some time later to have a look at it, okay?”

  An alarm went off behind me. I turned around to watch Chastel jump up out of his chair as if his ass was on fire, and then pull out a black cell. “One of our traps is moving!”

  Into the phone, I said, “Hey, thanks for helping me, Mathieu. You’re the best. But stay put, please.”

  “Fine, whatever. Bye.” He hung up, without another word. Ouf, teenage boys.

  I didn’t put the phone down, instead I dialed one of my own numbers, the apartment. “Hey, Pauline, it’s me. Could you come down and help out in the office. The guys and I have to go out for a while.”

  “Sure, I’m coming right down.”

  I thought of the killer’s to-do-list, of the ghosts and fairies likely to be abducted and added, before she could hang up on me, “But, please, don’t leave the house while we’re away, okay?”

  “Yes, don’t worry.”

  With that Chastel, Kylian and I were heading out to look after one of the traps.

  “He’s headed north, now.” Chastel reported.

  Kylian and looked at each other, both of us thinking the same. North, like the rogue I’d fought with. “Okay then, let’s hunt ourselves some nice rug!”

  I was on my way to the bus that would bring up the fastest up north, as Chastel exclaimed, “Wait! He’s turning around, south, now.”

  “Where exactly is he?” I demanded.

  “Crossed the river, Ile de la Cité, Notre-Dame now.”

  “Ah, shit. That won’t pass unnoticed.”

  We tried to follow the zig-zags of the rogue until we finally circled him in the Quartier Latin, which covered the fifth and sixth arrondissement and was known for a lively atmosphere thanks to the many bistros. The sun was still up and everything seemed bright and real - except for the rogue lying on the ground a few yards ahead and baring his teeth at me. He was nervous, and wild. Sure, he was a rogue, but his wilderness seemed to be caused more out of fear than madness. He was anxious. But why?

  Behind him I could see Kylian approaching the gray wolf. From yet another little alley I knew Chastel did the same. The rogue was cornered, and knew it. The wolf whined, a sad and heartbreaking sound.

  I unsheathed Cutter, a movement that was greeted with snapping teeth. The wolf got up, his hackles up and baring his teeth with a loud snarl. Ah, doesn’t want to go down without a fight, huh?

  “It’s not our rogue!” Kylian suddenly called out.

  “What? Are you sure?” Well, that last one was kind of stupid. Kylian was a shapeshifter for God’s sake, he would know.

  “It’s not him. He smells new. Freshly turned, I think.”

  What the hell? “But he’s crazed, right?” I whispered back, though I didn’t have a damn clue why I whispered since I knew the mad wolf probably wouldn’t understand us anyway.

  “Yeah, he is.”

  It hurt to kill them when they were young. Hurt to see, after all the waiting, the procedures, when in the end they’d failed to control and discipline the beast inside.

  All of a sudden Kylian leapt into the air, to land beside the rogue, lightning fast. Taking the head between his hands, he gave it a sharp jerk. There was a popping noise, and the wolf silently slipped to the ground. Broken neck.

  I straightened, and tucked Cutter away. Rolling my shoulders to loosen my muscles, I went over to where Kylian was crouching, beside a
now human body, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  Chastel joined us. “What are the chances that there are two rogues in one city?”

  “Scarce.” Kylian pulled out his cell and hit the speed dial button. “Hey grandpa, were there any motions for turning approved for the area of Paris, say in the last couple of weeks?”

  He stayed silent for a while, then “Okay, thanks.” He hung up. And didn’t say a thing.

  “And? What did he say?” I prompted.

  Kylian looked up at me, a little confused, then his lips curved into a little, faint smile. “Right, you can’t listen in. No motions approved. He was turned illegally.”

  I closed my eyes. “Poor boy.”

  We said prayers, and then disposed of the body.

  “I really want to punch somebody. The third hangout isn’t far from here, am I right?” Kylian demanded.

  “Err. Yes, why?” I asked, although I already knew the answer.

  “Let’s check it out.”

  I was surprised it was already open. But since it served the same cause as the first club, though in a less brothel kinda way, and given the waxing moon and its extraordinary effect on the shapeshifters, it seemed logical.

  The second we stepped over the threshold of the shapeshifter hangout, neon signs started flashing ‘Jackpot, jackpot!’ in my head. A quick gaze into Kylian’s eyes, which had turned ice blue, confirmed my instinct.

  The club had the size and the furnishings of a normal Parisian café. A bar to the left and behind it I noticed a winding staircase leading to the basement. Very common in this district, but the ‘private’-sign dangling on a heavy chain blocking the passage made me curious.

  “He’s here!” Kylian growled, and lead the way into the club, at the same time loosening the reins he kept on his inner beast. His hands were now crowned by six-inch long, razor sharp claws, instead of harmless fingernails. And, although I couldn’t see his face, I was pretty damn sure he bared a lot of big, pointy teeth. ‘But grandmother...’

  Chastel and I took up the rear, ready for battle and weapons drawn, with me holding Cutter in one hand and a silver coated Trident dagger in the other one, and Chastel trusting his crossbow combination weapon.

  Kylian came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room, a strategically rather unfitting place to be in an outnumbered fight, but he just didn’t seem to care. Instead, Kylian roared. A loud, inhuman sound, invoking big beasts of prey and bloodshed.

  “Give us the rogue! He needs to be punished, according to the second Council law.”

  The alpha attitude and sheer dominance radiating off him, made most of the crowd duck their heads. Others obviously weren’t as smart.

  A big man came forward. Big was the only word that came to mind while looking at him, since his broad shoulders were as wide as a good-sized closet. “Why? So you can kill him?”

  Well, have an educated guess!

  “Exactly,” Kylian snarled, with just a little touch of excitement and rapture in his voice.

  Now the folks not lusting after a nice spanking hightailed it out of here, leaving the three of us against a group of twenty-five shapeshifters behind. All of them had shifted into a not-quite-human-nor-animal form, just like Kylian. I couldn’t stop wondering about their behavior. Why were they covering for a rogue? Why would they fight for him? It wasn’t as if the laws were new to them.

  Chastel and I positioned ourselves in a way so we’d form a triangle with Kylian, each of us covering the others’ back. I covered the left side, Chastel the right one. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and had my every cell buzzing with excitement and readiness.

  “Last chance, give us the rogue and we won’t hurt you,” Kylian called out.

  Closet-guy just laughed. “Last chance for you, man. Look around you, you’re outnumbered.”

  Kylian just grinned. Or at least I thought he was as he displayed his perfectly white and lethal teeth.

  Then all hell broke loose; and my universe shrank to claws and teeth trying to tear me to pieces. Two shapeshifters attacked me at once. I trapped the first ones’ claws with my Trident Dagger, and rotated my wrist to swiftly trap his hand. After adding a quick kick into his groin, I turned and shoved Cutter into the soft flesh of the other one’s stomach, as he was about to jump me, leaving himself unprotected.

  And so it continued, an exciting and deadly dance. Block, block, strike. Sweat began to bead on my forehead, my muscles becoming pliant. I smiled as my weapons sang for me an harmonic and absolute symphony of death. Block, strike, strike.

  More came at me. Most of them now in full animal modus. Wolves, big cats of prey and bears were circling me. Their different heights and angles of attack gave the battle an extra particularity as inattention and in-adaptability would be severely punished.

  A bear was suddenly right in front of me, standing on his hind legs he easily reached nine feet. I looked up, up, and grinned at him. The bear frowned, cocking his head to the side. With lightning speed I ducked his mowing front paws the size of a good bass drum and sliced the backs of his knees, or whatever you call that part of human anatomy in a bear. As he toppled down I jumped to the side, thrusting Cutter into an oncoming wolf.

  Ice, swiftly followed by white-hot pain burned my shoulders. Ouch, that hurt. One of the shapeshifters was climbing my back. Thanks guys. I didn’t get her off me, so I changed my grip on Cutter and moving it behind me, sank my sword into the leopard’s soft side. With a sharp yelp she let me loose.

  I stood, ready for the next attack, but it never came. I gazed over at the staircase leading downstairs. A quick glance at Kylian and Chastel showed they had no struggle controlling the last remaining opponents, so I headed for it. I hopped over the chain, and slowly began my way down the stairs. It was a small and spiral staircase, made out of big and roughly cut stones that were typical for the basements in this area of town and drowned out the grunting and blood splashing noises of the fight upstairs little by little.

  As I made the last turn, I could make out the end of the stairs. Darkness flooded the room lying behind. I waited a moment for my eyes to adjust, which generally didn’t take long. Slowly, and above all quietly I slid along the wall, taking the last steps to reach the doorway. Then in a fast and efficient move I checked out both sides, right and left. Clear. I took in the room, searching for exits and hide-outs. Got nothing on the first and a lot on the second.

  At least a dozen canopied beds draped with thick, dark-red and black velvet curtains filled out the entire room. That gave the ‘private’ sign upstairs a whole new meaning. I carefully began to check in, under and around every bed, looking for the rogue. I knew he had to be here somewhere, and if that’s the case he’d probably smelled me by now. Since the rogue was really just a crazy wolf, maybe I could get him to make a mistake. Or at least get some information as to where he was and whether he was in animal or human form.

  “Don’t you want to come out and play?”

  “I don’t play with food.” There you go. Good boy. Human form.

  His deep and rough voice, though, seemed to come from everywhere, bouncing off the stone walls and getting lost in the labyrinth of velvet. Nevertheless I quietly moved forward, expecting him more in the back of the room.

  “Right, you prefer fast food. Like the couple I found you with, remember?”

  He chuckled. “Fast food? Yeah, you might be right. They were really just a snack...and then I had a taste of you for dessert. I have to admit you’re quite mouth-watering. In every sense.”

  Although his voice was rough and laced with blood craze, it seemed familiar. Which meant it was one of the Parisian pack and probably one of higher rank, explaining why there’d been so many upstairs and ready to fight to protect this particular wolf.

  “Want another bite? I’ll be delighted to give you your worst stomach ache. And more.”

  He chuckled again. “Always the hard-ass Patroness, aren’t you? I will eat you afterwards, ma puce. First, I’ll teach you
some manners and take you on your hands and knees, fucking your brains out.”

  Ugh, the second best thing for a rogue after shredding humans? Sex.

  “In your dreams.”

  “Ah, Maiwenn as I know and hate her. Always a big mouth and nothing in it. You know, they should call you the Virgin of Paris.”

  He was to the right, in the back of the room. Two rows of beds were still separating us. I had to find a nice topic so I’d be able to sneak up on him, which wasn’t an easy task. But hopefully he was too distracted and caught up in his fantasies.

  “Make up your mind, where do you want me to be? Which position you want me in?”

  Treading softly but quickly I made it to the last bed. Slowly, without making any noises I parted the soft curtains and climbed on the bed, behind which the rogue was hiding.

  “I’m not stupid. So, though you’re only a human I’ll be damn careful to go anywhere near your sharp mouth.” I parted to curtains slightly to look at him. He was standing with his back to me, to be able to look around the bed, to look for me. He was dark haired and tall but other than that I couldn’t make out a lot more that would have made it possible for me to identify him. He went on, caught in his disgusting fantasy, “Better I have you on your knees, yeah, that’d be good...hands tied up, and behind your back...your face pushed in a pillow...yeah, that’d give it an extra thrill, don’t you-”

  Without losing another second I lounged at him from behind the slightly parted curtains. Taking him to the ground, I straddled him, and rammed Cutter into his throat. Not even hesitating a second as I recognized him.

  “No thanks, I’d rather be on top.”

  Pinned to the ground, all he was able to get out were awful, gurgling sounds. I leapt off him, and cut off his head in one smooth motion. Not even close to satisfied with his too fast death, something he’d withheld from his own victims after all, I made my way back to the staircase. Halfway there, I first heard, then saw Kylian and Chastel rushing in.

  “How are you?” Kylian asked.

  “Where is he?” Chastel demanded at the same time.

  I jerked a thumb over my shoulder. “In the back, to the right. And thanks I’m fine.”