The Anxiety of Kalix the Werewolf (54 page)

“Hey!” came an irate voice.

Kalix looked down. She'd stepped on a young couple who appeared to have mislaid some of their clothes.

“Sorry,” said Kalix, and hurried on, embarrassed. At the edge of the gardens, beside Prince Henry's Tower, she climbed quickly into a tree. Decembrius was sitting in the upper branches.

“Dominil sent me here,” said Kalix. “So don't make any stupid comments about me trying to stalk you.”

“Why did she send you?”

“Probably she doesn't trust you to guard properly.”

“And she thinks you'll do better?”

They settled down into an unfriendly silence. It was broken by Kalix giggling.

“What's funny?”

“I stood on a couple having sex in the bushes. They weren't very pleased.”

“Lucky you weren't a werewolf. They'd never have got over it.”

The atmosphere thawed a little.

“When we were going out . . .” said Decembrius.

“Yes?”

“I'm sorry we kept arguing.”

Kalix didn't know how to reply.

“I've never been that good at keeping relationships going,” continued Decembrius.

“That's all right,” muttered Kalix.

“What do you mean ‘that's all right'? Is that it?”

“What did you expect me to say?”

“I expected you to admit it was your fault too.”

“You mean you just apologized so I'd apologize too?”

“Why not?” said Decembrius. “We only kept arguing because you were crazy all the time.”

“I was not crazy,” cried Kalix.

“Well, you weren't exactly calm.”

“Bad things kept happening. It's not that easy being a werewolf in London.”

“But they don't all go crazy.”

“They don't all get stupidly depressed and lie around feeling sorry for themselves either,” said Kalix pointedly.

Decembrius was stung by this. “I think you'd win any contest for mental problems.”

“Probably. So what?”

“So don't say everything was my fault. You've got no idea how to be anyone's girlfriend.”

“That's not true.”

“It is,” said Decembrius. “You were always upset about something. And if it wasn't that, I was having to calm you down from some panic attack, or listen to you complain about your family. And then there was the laudanum.”

“I really sound like a nightmare,” said Kalix. “Why did you ever go out with me?”

“I thought you were pretty for a while. Though if I'd known you were allergic to sex, I'd never have bothered.”

“I am not allergic to sex!”

“Really? I don't remember you ever wanting to do it.”

“You're talking rubbish.”

Decembrius looked round at the gardens. “Hey, I'm jealous of the couple in the bushes. They're having more than we generally did.”

“We might have had more if you hadn't wanted to watch football all the time,” said Kalix.

“Not that again,” said Decembrius. “It was one time. So I wanted to watch a football match. That's not so strange. Plenty of people like football.”

“Werewolves don't.”

“Yes, they do. I used to play football with other werewolf kids at the castle.”

Kalix sniffed. She'd never been friends with any other werewolf children, and didn't really know if they liked football or not.

“I hate you,” said Kalix.

“At least I made an effort to apologize,” said Decembrius.

“You spent one second apologizing and then launched into a long description of everything that's wrong with me! If we weren't on a mission I'd punch you right off the tree.”

“Violence is another one of your problems,” said Decembrius. “I feel sorry for your new pretty boy.”

“Stop calling him a pretty boy! He's a painter. A good painter.”

Decembrius sneered. “A pretty boy who paints. And now he's going out with Britain's most notorious crazy werewolf. I can see that ending well.”

Kalix growled.

Decembrius suddenly held up his hand and looked down. “What was that? Did some hunters just go past?”

“I can't see anyone.”

“I can feel something,” said Decembrius.

It was Kalix's turn to sneer. “Feel something? You mean with your pretend, made-up powers?”

“Shut up, you idiot,” snarled Decembrius, and began to climb down the tree.

“You shut up,” replied Kalix, following him down.

Decembrius landed heavily on the ground. “Three hunters,” he said. “They went right past. We'd have seen them if you hadn't been arguing about everything.”

Kalix landed more nimbly. They set off through the bushes. There were unfamiliar scents in the air, but with so many people around it was impossible to know if they were hunters or just guests at the ball. Decembrius seemed convinced, and was agitated about letting them past.

“We have to stop them getting inside the hotel,” he said.

There was an anguished cry from under a bush. Kalix looked down.

“Sorry again,” she cried, and hurried on. The prospect of fighting had calmed her and focused her attention. She was ready to hurl herself into the fray.

“They're right ahead,” hissed Decembrius.

Kalix transformed into her werewolf shape and threw herself forward, jaws wide open, her long sharp teeth ready to bite and tear. Decembrius did the same and the two werewolves flew into a clearing between the bushes. They pulled up immediately, surprised at the sight that confronted them. Thrix was standing over three bodies, each of them facedown on the grass. Fiery energy still crackled around her werewolf claws and over the bodies. She was smiling in triumph. She looked up at Decembrius and Kalix and laughed.

“Nice work guarding the perimeter.”

Decembrius looked down at the bodies. Two young men, one older, all struck down instantly by Thrix's sorcery.

Thrix's smile vanished and her expression turned ugly. She bent down and grasped the collar of one of the bodies, dragging him from the ground. Then she took a swipe with her claws, making a great gash in his chest.

“You don't need to do that,” said Decembrius. “They're all dead.”

Thrix snarled. So did Kalix. The young werewolf's tongue lolled from her mouth. Having changed into her werewolf shape, ready to fight, she'd been on the verge of her battle madness, and was now confused. She looked around for someone to fight, then looked down at the bodies. She growled, and began to paw at one of them.

Decembrius changed back to human and quickly searched the hunters' pockets. As he did so a young couple arrived in the clearing. They looked with horror at the sight of the three bodies and two snarling werewolves, and opened their mouths to scream. The Enchantress pointed one long werewolf talon at them.

“
Fear-faol Dìochuimhnich
, forget werewolf,” she said. “And go away.”

The couple turned round and left the clearing quite calmly.

“The hunters don't have any documents,” said Decembrius. “Kalix, stop snarling. Thrix, get rid of the bodies.”

Thrix didn't seem to hear. “I love this ball,” she said.

“Yes, we're all having fun,” said Decembrius. “Now can you do something about the corpses?”

Thrix turned to leave. Decembrius grabbed her, holding on to the long blonde hair that hung from her werewolf shoulders.

“What's the matter with you? You can't leave.”

“Why not?”

“You're still a werewolf. And there are still bodies here.”

Thrix looked down at herself, and then at the bodies. She looked momentarily puzzled. “Right. I should move them.”

Thrix changed back into human and raised her arm. Nothing happened. She frowned. “I can't. I don't have any power left.”

Kalix finally got over her confusion and changed back too. “What's happening?”

“Thrix doesn't have enough power left to move these bodies. Which is a problem. We can't leave them here.”

They could hear happy voices, not far away, debutantes laughing in the gardens. Kalix had a sudden inspiration.

“Hide them under the bushes. I'll get Malveria.”

CHAPTER 104

Kalix made her way through the gardens into the hotel. For a few moments, as she stood over the bodies, Thrix had looked completely insane. Kalix wondered if that was how she looked when her battle madness came on.

At least I'm not the only mad one in the family any more
.

She made her way into the ballroom. By now she was sick of crowds, evening dresses and chandeliers. She hadn't forgotten how unpleasant Decembrius had been.

He couldn't wait to insult me. I'm never going to speak to him again
.

Taking less care than before, Kalix plowed through the crowded dance floor. She finally arrived at the back of the ballroom where she found Dominil, Vex, Moonglow and Malveria. Kalix whispered in the Fire Queen's ear. The Fire Queen nodded and hurried off.

“What happened?” asked Dominil.

“Just some fashion stuff with Thrix,” said Kalix, who didn't want to let Moonglow know there were dead hunters in the gardens. “Are we still spying?”

“We're done,” Dominil told her. “But we have to find Daniel.”

“Someone asked Dominil and Vex to be models,” said Moonglow as they worked their way through the room.

“He asked Kalix too!” said Vex.

Kalix felt embarrassed and didn't respond. When Moonglow was a few paces ahead of them, Kalix caught Dominil's arm and whispered in her ear, telling her what had happened in the gardens. Dominil nodded, and carried on. She led them out into the corridor, seeking a quiet spot.

“So how do we find Daniel?” asked Kalix when they could hear themselves.

“We should split up and search everywhere,” said Dominil.

“That sounds tedious,” said Vex. “And things always go wrong when you split up. Monsters pick you off, one by one.”

“That's more when you're in a lonely mansion or something like that,” said Moonglow. “I don't think monsters will pick us off here.”

“I still don't like it,” said Vex. “Anyway, why not just look in Lady Gezinka's room? They're probably in bed together.”

There was general surprise at the suggestion.

“Why would they be in bed together?” asked Dominil.

“I thought you said Gezinka was unfriendly?” said Kalix.

“She was,” admitted Vex. “But you know, lonely middle-aged lady, handsome young guy—or Daniel in this case, but he did look better in that suit—plus champagne, glamorous ballroom and stuff. They've probably gone to her room.”

Dominil was baffled. She turned to Moonglow. “Is this credible?”

Moonglow hesitated. “I suppose it might be.”

“We've already had several narrow escapes while visiting the rooms of the Hainusta elementals. I don't want to go there again unless it's absolutely necessary.”

“We could just leave them to it,” said Vex. “They probably don't want to be interrupted. Humans are funny like that.”

“We can't leave anyone behind,” said Dominil firmly. “I doubt that Daniel is in Lady Gezinka's room, but I'll check. Wait here.”

“If you're going to burst in on Daniel I want to come!” protested Vex.

“Stay here.” Dominil was firm. They'd been fortunate so far and she didn't want to risk a further confrontation with the Empress.

“How are we going to get home without Daniel?” wondered Vex.

“I suppose we'll have to find a cab,” said Kalix.

Vex screwed up her face. She'd been in London long enough to know that it could be difficult to find a taxi willing to go south of the river in the early hours of the morning.

“We could get the night bus.”

“I'm not getting on a bus dressed like this,” said Kalix. “It's bad enough being half-naked in here.”

In the early hours of the morning, the ball was still going strong, though a few people had started to leave. William appeared, escorting his mother to the front of the hotel, where a car was waiting for her.

“So nice to meet you, Moonglow,” she said. “Remember, you must come for lunch.”

“I'll be back soon,” said William.

They walked off toward the foyer.

“You really impressed his mother,” said Kalix.

“I know! I was such a good date!”