by Laura Taylor
“No,” she stated, softly but firmly. “I won’t. Il Trosa have kindly offered to let me use a bedroom, and I would like to accept that offer.” Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked calmly up the steps and in the front door.
After Genna headed inside with Simon and Sempre had slunk off like the snake she was, Tank turned to the Council, waiting to see what they wanted to do next.
“Shall we head inside to the library?” Baron suggested, but Feng quickly shook his head.
“I’m feeling a strong desire to spend some time in wolf form,” he said, fidgeting restlessly. “I propose we take a run up to the top of the hill and talk up there. It’ll be private enough to discuss things properly, and I, for one, would appreciate the fresh air.”
There was no objection to the plan, and Tank found himself rather grateful for the chance for a run, so a few minutes later they were all on their way. It wasn’t yet midday, the earth still warming up beneath the cloud-splattered sky and the birds were making the most of the day, squabbling over scraps of food or which twig to sit on, preening themselves and serenading the wolves with melodious duets. At the top of the hill, the countryside could be seen stretching away for miles around, dark patches rolling across hills as the clouds blocked out the sun, then the brilliant greens, reds and yellows of autumn taking over again.
They would be heading to Scotland soon, Tank knew, as he gazed at the scenery, panting from the exertion of the run up the hill. Whoever the Council chose from the international Grey Watch packs would meet them there for the trial, and then they’d have to decide on the Den’s future. Were the Council really going to make them leave all this? The estate had been the shifter’s home for hundreds of years.
“Perhaps we should let Tank speak first,” Eleanor said, shifting into human form, far less interested in the view than Tank was. “Let’s hear what happened in the hotel, then we can see where we go from there.” Baron and Caroline had also taken the time to appreciate the scenery, Tank noticed, and Feng seemed to be enjoying it, though Paula had taken little notice.
Tank shook himself, then shifted, sharing Feng’s opinion that he’d been spending too much time lately in human form. There seemed to be no end of duties that required human hands or long discussions with other people and far too little time to kick back and follow the trail of a wild rabbit, or give his teeth a workout on a raw bone. Even his usual tasks of patrolling the boundaries and monitoring the scent trails had been neglected lately.
“The problem is far bigger than just the Treaty,” Tank said. “Nothing Genna said really changed what she told us before. Yes, she met with the Noturatii, at Sempre’s request, yes, she is genuinely sorry for it, and she wants to set things right in any way she can. But the problems Sempre has been causing go far deeper than that.”
“Whatever her other crimes may or may not be,” Eleanor interrupted, as Tank had expected her to, “they are beyond our jurisdiction.”
“True,” Tank said. “To an extent. But there are two arguments against that that may apply given the current circumstances. Firstly, we’re calling in representatives of other Grey Watch packs to negotiate a solution to the Treaty. If one of their own packs is out of line, now would be the perfect opportunity to bring it to their attention. Again, maybe none of our business,” he added, before Eleanor could say it for him. “But there is another angle on this whole issue to consider: according to Genna, Sempre’s overarching focus is an endless quest for more power, whether it’s over the spiritual world, or the members of the Watch. She promotes people who bolster her stranglehold on the pack, she oppresses people who oppose her, she keeps everyone under control by limiting the food supply, keeping the males as slaves and generally badgering people into submission. So what if Sempre deciding to expose us to the Noturatii was actually part of a larger quest for power? What if she’s become so confident of her own authority that she honestly believed she could get away with breaching the Treaty?”
Silence followed. “It’s an interesting picture you paint,” Eleanor said slowly. “But scant on detail. What exactly is it – aside from your claim that she’s deliberately making everyone go hungry – that you think she’s doing?”
Now they were getting somewhere. “How familiar are you with the normal rituals and procedures of the Grey Watch?” Tank asked.
“Not particularly,” Eleanor said. “Each pack has their own way of doing things, their own initiation rituals, their own culture. There are a few customs and principles common to the whole of the Grey Watch, like a general desire to shun human civilisation, but aside from that each pack is largely left to run themselves.”
“Well, just as one example, Genna told me about her conversion,” Tank said, feeling the anger he’d felt in the hotel come rushing back. “She was made to strip naked and was converted through a raw electric shock from a power socket. It was done too early, before she’d finished her six months’ training period, which meant there was a high risk of her going rogue. And then there was a mandatory mating between her and one of the males.”
“Mandatory?” Paula said, holding up her hand to stop him. “What…?”
“She was raped,” he stated bluntly, “however prettily they might try to dress it up. And in front of an audience, no less.” The shock on the Councillor’s faces spoke for itself. “And after that she was forced to shift into wolf form and fight her way back to the camp. If she didn’t make it back by dawn she would have been killed, deemed too weak to be of use to the pack.”
Feng swore fluently in Italian, while Paula let out a heartfelt cry. Eleanor simply looked revolted.
“We are honour-bound to respect and protect the lives of newly converted wolves,” Feng bit out. “And they would just cast one aside on her first night? The whole damn pack should be put down.”
“Did you know about this?” Baron demanded of Caroline suddenly, the pair of them watching from the sidelines. Tank didn’t know as much of Caroline’s past as Baron did, but he did know that she’d spent a period of time living with the Watch soon after she was converted. If she’d known about the brutal standards they lived by…
“No,” Caroline said quickly. “Life in the Watch is harsh, I’m not denying that. They fight over food, the nights are cold, their camp is extremely basic. But I never witnessed any rituals and certainly not a conversion. I had no idea how brutal it was.” She looked as shaken as Tank had felt when Genna had first told him.
“That’s disgusting,” Eleanor said, struggling to find words to express her feelings. “And you’re right. It’s certainly worth bringing this to the attention of the rest of the Grey Watch. If other members of Sempre’s pack report the same treatment, surely the panel could do something to stop it.”
“Back to the topic at hand,” Caroline interrupted, “do you really believe that Sempre knows about the meeting with the Noturatii. That she arranged it?”
“For what it’s worth, I do,” Tank replied. “I certainly believe Genna’s telling the truth about her conversion. And while not everything about Sempre’s recent behaviour adds up,” he added, remembering the odd conversation he’d had with Caroline about Sempre not knowing the estate was in danger, “I don’t think it’s a great stretch of the imagination to believe that if she’s capable of arranging for her own pack members to be raped, then she’s also capable of sending one of them to do her dirty work with the Noturatii for her. I’m starting to think it’s entirely possible that Sempre’s not only manipulative and power-hungry, but delusional as well.”
“That would certainly explain a lot,” Baron muttered under his breath.
Eleanor ignored him. “What about Genna’s abilities?” she asked Tank next. “Is she truly a particle mage?”
“A what?” Tank asked, momentarily confused.
“Can she really make objects disappear?” Feng clarified. “We did a little digging into the old texts last night, and that’s what they used to call it.”
“Then yes, she is,” Tan
k confirmed. “She gave me a small demonstration in the hotel. She says she’s still fairly new at it and doesn’t have great control over the process, but she can definitely make things disappear.”
“Is that how she killed Feriur?” Caroline interrupted. “Feriur was by far the stronger warrior, but if Genna had an ‘invisible’ weapon, that would give her the advantage.”
Tank nodded. “She said Feriur had a knife when they started arguing. Genna made it disappear, and then later, she was about to lose consciousness while Feriur was strangling her. She says she ‘accidentally’ brought the knife back into reality, in the middle of Feriur’s throat. I don’t claim to understand quite how her magic works,” he added, when the others looked at him sceptically, “but that’s how she described it.”
“That makes her a rather complicated security threat,” Baron said, sounding unhappy about it. “She could potentially appropriate any weapon that anyone on the estate had and use it against them.”
“Did you miss the bit where Feriur was trying to strangle her to death?” Tank snapped. “Accident or not, Genna only killed her in self defence. She’s not looking to sneak around the estate picking us off one by one.”
“All right, all right,” Eleanor interrupted, holding up her hands for peace. “You both make valid points. We’re going to have to do some investigating as to the circumstances surrounding Feriur’s death, but at the same time, keeping an eye on Genna’s abilities should be a high priority. As we’ve already discovered, keeping her locked in a cage comes with its own set of problems, but either way, we’ll be bringing some assassins in to manage security when we head to Scotland. I’ll have them sent over early, and if Genna gets out of control, they’ll take appropriate steps to contain her. But back to the point at hand,” she went on, “the Watch hasn’t had a particle mage in their ranks for nearly two hundred years. Even if Genna is convicted of breaching the Treaty, there are very few people in the Watch who would consent to her being put down. Her magic is simply too valuable.”
“But if Sempre is ultimately responsible for the Treaty,” Feng mused, “then it wouldn’t be unreasonable to let Genna live. Assuming she’s as remorseful as Tank says she is,” he added, when both Baron and Caroline looked unimpressed by the possibility. “One of the major points we have to cover is ensuring there’s a minimal risk of this sort of thing ever happening again. And if we’re confident that Genna has learned the error of her ways, then letting her live, while not particularly favourable to our side, would not be unreasonable.”
It was a sharp reminder that their ultimate goal here was peace. Vengeance and the quenching of their anger were secondary goals when considering the stakes of the current situation.
“We’ll speak to Genna directly after we finish here,” Eleanor said, keeping the conversation moving. “And then we’ll have to start looking at moving to Scotland. This estate isn’t large enough to house all the visitors from the other Grey Watch packs, and frankly, with the situation with the Noturatii, I’m not particularly happy about your Den remaining here either,” she said to Baron and Caroline. “In the short term, at least, you’ll all have to come to Scotland. The senior members of your pack will be required to answer to the Panel, and I’m loathe to leave the more junior members here with the Noturatii hunting for you.”
Baron shrugged. “As you see fit,” he said, no doubt knowing there was no point arguing with a direct order from the Council. “Have you decided which packs you’re going to invite yet? Just so I know what sort of timeframe we’re dealing with.”
“We’ve chosen our five,” Paula said. “Sempre will still need time to choose her five, and then there are the logistical difficulties of inviting them to come, and getting them here, once they agree. So at the very earliest, let’s say we’ll be in Scotland in a week’s time.”
“What do we know about the other Grey Watch packs?” Caroline asked. “Personally, Sempre’s pack is the only one I’ve ever had any dealings with.”
“They’re as varied as the wolves themselves,” Eleanor replied. “Some have peaceful relationships with their Il Trosa counterparts. Some refuse to have anything to do with us and retreat further into the forests every year. Some worship nature, while others abuse their magic as Sempre’s pack does. All of them shun contact with humans to a far greater degree than Il Trosa, but that’s about as far as the generalisations go. The ones we’ve chosen are the more moderate of the packs, the ones who have maintained good relations with Il Trosa for many years.”
“We should head back to the manor and start organising things with Sempre,” Paula said, peering at the sky. “If we hurry, we’ll have time this afternoon to contact the rest of the Council in Italy and get them to send out messengers to the Grey Watch.”
“We’ll meet you back there,” Caroline told them. “There are a few things I want to discuss with Baron and Tank while we’re here.”
Moments later, the three Councillors were back in wolf form, heading rapidly down the hill. Caroline waited until they were out of sight, then turned to Tank.
“What are you doing?” she asked bluntly, and it was almost a relief to know he hadn’t quite managed to fool her, as he had the Council. She knew him far better, after all, and had had far longer to get to know the subtleties of his body language.
“The same thing I’ve always done,” Tank replied, his tone calm and respectful. “Looking out for the welfare of this Den. After all, it could be argued that even if Sempre wasn’t directly responsible for the meeting with the Noturatii – which I still believe she is, by the way,” he added, just to cover his own arse, “then she would still be responsible for Genna’s actions, by neglecting to adequately control a new recruit and by failing to teach her the necessary lessons on shifter history and culture.”
“But should neglect carry the same penalty as wilful evil?” Caroline mused.
“If, hypothetically speaking,” Tank said carefully, “you could choose between truth and justice, which would you choose?”
“An interesting question,” Caroline answered shrewdly, while Baron merely raised an eyebrow. “And one that even the wisest of scholars would have trouble answering.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Responding to the perpetually cheerful voice of the GPS, Tank pressed his foot down on the brake of the van and peered up the road to try and see the gateway that the perky electronic woman insisted was coming up on the right. As far as he could see, there was nothing but endless hedgerows, growing tall and thick to block out any view of the property behind the…
Ah, there it was! Barely noticeable until you were right on top of it, the gate was simple to look at, but when he pulled off the road and eased the van up to the control panel, he could see it was every bit as high-tech as the gate at Misty Hills. He entered the code, watched the gate swing open smoothly and soundlessly, and proceeded through.
It was just over a week since they’d found Genna at the hotel and brought her home again, and the time had flown by as hasty preparations were made for their trip to Scotland. Sean Dalton, the ex-cop that Baron was so fond of, had been called in to act as caretaker for the estate while they were away, and at George’s insistence, a new fridge had been ordered to replace the one the health inspector had been so disappointed by. Having it delivered while the wolves were all off-site was more convenient that messing about with a lockdown, and Sean had assured them that he was fine with supervising the delivery men.
Sempre had selected five Grey Watch packs to mediate on her behalf, along with the five the Council had chosen, and everyone had been rather grateful that she’d seemed to understand the severity of the charges against her. She’d made no fuss about the continuing need to stay at Il Trosa’s estate, nor about any of the details of the mediation. She’d told the Council it was very reasonable of them to allow her to choose half the panel – as close to a thank you as they were likely to get – and then she’d largely kept to herself.
Right at the moment, Sempre wa
s travelling in the Watch’s own van, while the Den and the Council came in four of their own. The visitors from the other Grey Watch packs were due to arrive in two days’ time, and the rest of the British division of the Watch would be summoned once Sempre had assessed the property and assured herself that her pack would be safe here. Eleanor had explained to her that the Panel, as well as themselves as representatives of the Council, would need to question the rest of her pack on a number of issues, and Sempre hadn’t put up a fight, just replied that she would cooperate after running an appropriate security inspection. Tank couldn’t fault her on that; he would have done the same.
The estate itself was everything the Council had led him to believe it would be; quiet, isolated, well hidden by surrounding hedges and woodlands. It was a thousand acres of a wolf’s paradise – as far as such a thing could exist in Britain, the entire country a far cry from days long gone when forests covered the landscape and ancient spirits ruled the land. But Scotland had always held a special place in Tank’s heart, ever since the first time he’d come here for a Densmeet. It was a mystical place, full of magic and history, and while every Densmeet was special in its own way, he’d particularly looked forward to the ones held in the old estate they’d rented in Scotland.
Today, though, there was none of the joy and anticipation that previous visits to this part of the world had inspired. The weight of their combined problems was too great for any sort of revelry, and the threat of having to leave Misty Hills for good dampened his enthusiasm for spending time anywhere but home.
As they travelled further into the estate, the road wound around the side of the hill, the van swallowed up by bushes at times, then breaking through to overlook open fields ripe with hidden gullies to explore and the promise of game to hunt. Finally they turned a last corner, and Tank automatically put his foot on the brake as he took in the view ahead of him. The van rolled to a stop, and he could only stare in wonder.
