The Anxiety of Kalix the Werewolf (68 page)

“Stop saying that!” said Kalix.

Vex laughed, and put her head on Kalix's shoulder.

“Can I come?” said Moonglow.

“Well . . .” said Daniel.

“Hmm . . .” said Vex.

Moonglow immediately felt cross. “What do you mean ‘well' and ‘hmm'? Since when am I not invited to a party in my own house?”

“We wanted to keep it entertaining,” said Daniel. “You know, favorite music and cartoons. And I've got a whole folder of funny cat pictures. We didn't want anything too serious.”

“I'm not too serious!” cried Moonglow. “Kalix, do you think I'm too serious?”

“Mmm, lamb chop,” said Kalix with her mouth full.

“I don't go around being serious all the time!”

“What's that book you're carrying?” asked Daniel.

“A Catalogue of Ancient Mesopotamian Temples.”

Daniel and Vex laughed.

“I wasn't about to make you read it,” said Moonglow. “Shove over and make room.”

Moonglow clambered onto the bed and sat beside Daniel, so that the four flatmates were all perched against the headboard.

“Vex,” said Kalix. “Why did you just prod me and then prod the cat?”

“I was seeing which one was most soft and fluffy. It's about equal.”

Vex produced two more party hats, which she passed along to Daniel and Moonglow.

“I can't believe you were going to ignore me,” said Moonglow, and elbowed Daniel in the ribs. “I'm as much fun as anyone else.”

As the moon rose high in the night sky, the first Kalix wolf-night party got underway, with the first half of the Runaways'
Live in Japan
, followed by two episodes of
Shakugan no Shana
. The cat went to sleep on Kalix's lap, Vex leaned on her comfortable furry shoulder, and Kalix herself, once full of raw meat, began to enjoy the unexpected event.

CHAPTER 131

The Mistress of the Werewolves' chambers were by far the lightest and airiest in the castle. She'd had them renovated since the old Thane died, enlarging the windows, brightening the decor and bringing in modern furnishings of which her late husband would never have approved. She stood with her son by the main window, gazing in the direction of Colburn Woods, though the wood was too far away for even the sharp-eyed werewolves to make out from the castle.

“I think you're going to have to suspend your disapproval of Dominil, Mother.”

Verasa made a face. “I don't want to.”

“You used to regard her very highly. She hasn't changed, you know.”

“She's changed in my eyes, Markus. She let us down.”

“You're being too hard on her. So she takes laudanum. That's bad, but she's still doing a lot for the clan.”

“It's more than bad. It's a disgrace. You can't just pretend it's not.”

Markus looked at his mother. “Kalix is worse. You haven't started disliking her.”

“Kalix is my daughter. And she's troubled. Fighting, running, living with all her fears and worries. I can understand how it happened. None of that applies to Dominil.”

“Who knows what goes on in Dominil's mind? Maybe she had her reasons too. Anyway, the clan needs her. We wouldn't have found the Avenaris Guild without her. I doubt we can mount an attack without her either.”

“We don't know that yet,” said the Mistress of the Werewolves. “Thrix might bring us everything we need.”

Thrix had left the castle to visit Queen Dithean, her second visit in the space of a few days.

“I wouldn't put that much faith in Thrix,” said Markus. “Haven't you noticed how unstable she is these days?”

“Not really.”

Markus shook his head. “Only because you don't like to admit that anything's ever wrong with your children. Take it from me, Thrix is about to go off the deep end.”

The Mistress of the Werewolves couldn't deny that Thrix had displayed an unusually sharp temper at the council meeting, but argued there were reasons for it.

“Baron MacGregor was being more obstructive than ever. I blame Marwanis.”

Marwanis MacRinnalch, niece of the old Thane and strong supporter
of Sarapen, had refused to make peace after the feud. She'd left the castle, moving to the lands of Baron MacGregor.

“She has a lot of influence with the MacGregors.”

The Baron's son Wallace, and his chief adviser Lachlan, were both known to be in love with Marwanis. It seemed to be casting a baleful influence over the whole clan, judging by the Baron's opposition last night.

“Can't you at least ask Dominil to come and talk?” asked Markus.

“Wait till we've heard from Thrix.”

Thrix returned to the castle earlier than expected. She arrived in her mother's chambers looking cold and downcast.

“Queen Dithean can't help. Or won't help. It comes to the same thing.”

“Did she have anything to say about the stone dwarves' ‘House That Can't Be Found'?”

“I'm sick of hearing that,” said Thrix. “You'd think they could have given it a shorter name. Queen Dithean says she can't help us enter it.” She shivered. It was much colder in the Highlands than it had been in London. “She was quite abrupt about it. I don't think she appreciated me asking for a second favor so quickly.” Thrix shivered again. “So we have nothing to tell the council tonight.”

“We just need a plan of attack,” said Markus. “It's a building with doors and windows. We must be able to invade it somehow.”

The Mistress of the Werewolves didn't share Markus's optimism. “MacAllister made a fair point when he said we couldn't have a troop of werewolves outside in the street. Our need for secrecy is greater than our need to attack the Guild.”

“Why would we have werewolves outside? We can all go in as human and transform inside.”

Markus's mother shook her head. “I'm sure you'd all be shot before you got through the front door. And I don't see why you're including yourself, Markus. I still don't think you should lead the attack.”

“We've been over this. If there's an attack, I have to lead it.”

“Well, whoever leads the attack, we need some sort of plan,” said Thrix. “And we need it before tonight. Why isn't Dominil here?”

“Mother doesn't like inviting her to her chambers any more.”

“Really, Mother?” Thrix was exasperated.

“There's no need to look at me like that, Thrix. You're the one who's been blaming her for Minerva's death.”

“We still need her help.”

“Very well, let's visit her.”

Still avoiding the need to invite Dominil to her chambers, the Mistress of the Werewolves accompanied her son and daughter through the long stone corridors of the castle to the room Dominil had lived in since she was a child. It had never been refurbished and was as plain now as it had always been. They found Dominil sitting with her laptop open on her desk and an old book in her hand, glancing from one to the other.

“Queen Dithean won't help us,” Thrix told her.

“I'd like to talk to her,” said Dominil.

“It's no use, she can't help.”

“Nonetheless, I intend to talk to her.”

Thrix was exasperated again. “Why would that help? Have you ever even met her?”

“No.”

“Well, I have, often, and I've already asked.”

“Do I have to keep repeating myself?” asked Dominil. “I intend to speak to the Fairy Queen.” She closed her laptop, put on her coat, and left her room.

“What good is this going to do?” said Verasa.

“None,” said Thrix. “Apart from frightening the young fairies when they get a look at Dominil.”

CHAPTER 132

Dominil took the main footpath into Colburn Woods. She had been here often in her youth, though she'd never met Queen Dithean. She noted the slight rise in temperature in the shelter of the trees. Colburn Woods was known for maintaining a climate milder than that outside. The harsh winters of the Scottish Highlands were not quite so harsh here.

Dominil walked along the main path till she reached the burn that flowed through the woods. She crossed the water, briefly consulted a map she'd placed on her iPad, then took a turning to the left, a path so faint as to be almost invisible. The trees became denser and the light dimmer. When she reached a silver birch tree next to a rowan tree, she left the trail and made her way through thick undergrowth, walking carefully round
several huge thistles. After a difficult journey, she finally emerged into a small clearing, where the land rose into a mound, covered in grass of a particularly vibrant shade of green. Dominil walked confidently to the top of the mound.

“Queen Dithean NicRinnalch,” she announced. “I am Dominil MacRinnalch. I've come to visit you.”

Nothing happened. Dominil thought she could hear some faint giggling in the trees around her.

“I will be very honored if the Queen of the Fairies would grant me an audience,” said Dominil loudly.

A tall, slender woman stepped out from the trees. Dominil was surprised at the bright blondness of her hair, though not by her diaphanous silver gown, which seemed appropriate for a fairy queen.

Queen Dithean strode up to Dominil. Noting Dominil's height, the Queen had made herself a few inches taller than normal. She looked the werewolf in the eye, and smiled faintly.

“Dominil MacRinnalch. I saw you often when you were young, playing in my woods. Or rather, standing in the snow.”

Dominil nodded. “I did come here as a child.”

“Yet never to visit me.”

“No.”

“Did Thrix MacRinnalch tell you the way?”

“No. I learned how to find you from an old book in the castle library.”

“Really? I had no idea I was in your books.”

“A past caretaker, Fenella MacRinnalch, wrote a short treatise about the fairies of Colburn Woods in the nineteenth century.”

“Fenella? I remember her. She was a pleasant werewolf.” The Queen was still smiling faintly. Not threatening, but not welcoming either. “I have heard much about you, Dominil.”

From the Fairy Queen's tone, Dominil was unable to tell if that was good or not. “I've come to ask for your help.”

“Of course. Why else come now, when you've never cared to visit me before?”

“I acknowledge that,” said Dominil. “My interests have lain in other directions.”

“You're not the first MacRinnalch to visit in recent times, needing help, after neglecting me.” The Queen's faint smile disappeared. “It is hardly flattering.”

“I apologize for the slight,” said Dominil calmly. “But my not visiting
you was not out of disrespect, rather it was from having no wish to bother you for no reason.”

Again there was some giggling from the trees.

“My young fairies are intrigued by your white hair. It amuses them. So tell me, what help do you require?”

“It concerns the werewolf hunters. I'm sure Thrix has told you of our need.”

“I already helped.”

“And your help was excellent, Queen Dithean. But we need more. We need a way to enter the Guild's house quickly. Otherwise we'll be defeated and many werewolves will die.”

The Queen studied Dominil keenly. “Your own death does not trouble you, does it?”

“No. But I want to defeat the Guild.”

“Death didn't seem to trouble Thrix either,” said the Queen. “It would have at one time. But she's changed. I can sense another werewolf in your family, far away. Kalix. She's looking forward to dying. Perhaps there's some problem in the MacRinnalchs, Dominil, that you should all be so unconcerned about dying. Perhaps you should deal with that before fighting the Guild.”

“I'm sure there are many MacRinnalchs looking forward to long, happy lives. A few may not be. We really need your help.”

The Fairy Queen stepped away, and looked toward the trees. A hedgehog peeped out from the undergrowth but, seeing Dominil, withdrew swiftly.

“I can't give you sorcery to be used outside these woods. I've already done it once, and it will cost us. Without my protection, all the creatures of Colburn Woods face a cold winter.”

“Would one more spell really cause you great trouble?”

“Sorcery that would enable you to enter a ‘House That Can't Be Found' does not count as
just one more spell
. It would be an old piece of magic, treasured from centuries gone by. The stone dwarves were cunning. Overcoming their cunning is not easy.”

“But you could do it?”

“Yes. But I won't. Already the cold of winter is approaching. I can't give away any more of my power.”