LITMIR.BIZ

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said the Mistress of the Werewolves sharply.

      The shock may have lasted longer, and the accusations may have fallen harder on Dominil, had Thrix’s temper not been so violent. Thrix was not about to let the meeting be sidetracked into a discussion of Dominil’s problems. She growled, loudly enough to gain everyone’s attention.

      “Did you also overdose in the morning?”

      “No,” said Dominil.

      “So you would have arrived on time?”

      “Yes.”

      “Then your addiction doesn’t change anything,” said Thrix. “Right now we’re talking about Minerva being murdered.”

      Thrix stared at Markus. “I want the clan to declare war on the Avenaris Guild. I want us to find their headquarters and wipe them out. And I want you to ensure that the clan will devote whatever resources are necessary. So let’s discuss it.”

CHAPTER 32

      After failing to find Kalix in the park, Daniel and Moonglow retreated to the car. Daniel had several deep scratches in his hand.

      “It was mad to plunge into those bushes,” he said. “You shouldn’t have encouraged me.”

      “I didn’t encourage you!” protested Moonglow. “You just dived right in!”

      Daniel examined his bleeding hand. “I’ll probably get some disease. Parks are full of diseases.”

      “Stop being such a baby,” said Moonglow. “You won’t get a disease. What should we do now?”

      Daniel shook his head. He had no idea. They’d rushed out of the house to find Kalix, but having failed to locate her in the park, they weren’t sure where else to look.

      “She’s probably on a rooftop somewhere,” said Daniel. “Looking down malevolently at the world after some werewolf crisis, which she won’t want to tell us about anyway. We must be insane, rushing around after her and getting cuts that will almost certainly lead to blood poisoning. Why do we waste so much time and effort on her?”

      “Because we love her, of course,” said Moonglow, which took Daniel by surprise. He thought about it for a moment.

      “I suppose we do,” he said.

      They sat in silence for a few moments. The werewolf crisis had caused them to forget the awkwardness between them, at least for the moment.

      “I just can’t think where else to look,” said Moonglow.

      “I know!” cried Daniel. “The first time I met Kalix, she was hiding in a warehouse. I think she lived there for a while. She might have gone back.”

      “Good idea. Where is it?”

      “Not far away, it’s beside the big sorting office.”

      Daniel set off toward the warehouse. They drove past a series of railway arches and turned into a side road that led into a large industrial estate which was surrounded by a tall wire fence. Daniel drove slowly along the side of the estate while Moonglow scanned the fence, looking for an opening.

      “There’s a gap; we can get in there.”

      They came to a halt.

      “I’m actually quite scared of going into a dark warehouse in the middle of the night,” said Daniel.

      Moonglow was already half out of the car and didn’t reply. Daniel hurried after her. They slipped through the gap in the fence and approached the warehouse. It looked like it hadn’t been used for many years. The whole industrial estate was dilapidated, with old wooden pallets strewn around and rusting oil drums lying on their sides.

      “The door’s open,” said Moonglow, lowering her voice to a whisper.

      “Good,” whispered Daniel. “It might be Kalix. Or a gang of violent criminals.”

      “Criminals would have better places to go,” said Moonglow. She took her torch from her bag and stepped inside. Daniel mustered his courage and followed her. The moment they stepped through the door they heard a frightful growling.

      “Kalix?” said Moonglow, raising her voice.

      There was another growl, and the sound of padding feet. Moonglow shone her torch into the darkness. Two red eyes appeared to shine back at them.

      “Oh no,” said Daniel. “Kalix is a full wolf.”

      “That’s OK,” said Moonglow. “At least we’ve found her.”

      “It’s not OK,” said Daniel urgently. “When she’s a wolf it’s not like when she’s a werewolf. She forgets everything about being human. We should go.”

      “Don’t be silly,” said Moonglow. “It’ll be fine. Hi, Kalix, we’ve come to take you home.”

      At that moment the wolf-Kalix let out a terrifying howl and charged at them. Daniel, demonstrating speed and athleticism that he didn’t know he possessed, grabbed Moonglow and dragged her toward a gigantic wooden container. He leaped upward to grasp the edge and hauled himself up, dragging Moonglow after him. Moonglow’s pointy boots barely avoided the snapping of Kalix’s great wolf jaws. The two students had scrambled to safety just in time. Kalix was growling and snapping her jaws, leaping up at them. Fortunately for Daniel and Moonglow, the wolf was unable to mount the tall wooden crate. Her claws made a terrible ripping sound as she pawed at it, trying to climb toward them. She let out a howl even more terrifying than before, then padded up and down, growling savagely, turning this way and that, all the while staring up at Daniel and Moonglow with a crazed look in her eyes.

      “Well, we found Kalix,” said Daniel. “And now we’re trapped on top of a crate. Any suggestions?”

      “She just needs to calm down,” said Moonglow. “I’ll talk to her.”

      Moonglow, standing on top of the large crate, leaned forward slightly and caught Kalix’s eye.

      “Kalix, it’s us, Daniel and Moonglow. There’s no need to be upset, we’re here to help.”

      Kalix immediately made another furious attack on the crate, howling and snarling. Moonglow took a hasty step back.

      “That went well,” said Daniel. “Maybe you should offer her a cup of tea.”

      “There’s no need to be sarcastic. I’m sure the tea will come in useful. At least I tried to think of something helpful.”

      “So did I,” said Daniel. He was wearing a rather oversized coat. From his deep pockets he took a small music player and then, surprisingly, two small speakers.

      “You see?” said Daniel. “I came prepared too. I knew Kalix was probably going to be in some savage, bestial state.”

      “How could you know that?”

      “Since meeting Kalix I’ve learned to expect the worst.” Daniel plugged the small speakers into his music player. “I think this will calm her down,” he said.

      Moonglow was immediately alarmed. “If you start playing some horrible doom metal Kalix will probably eat the crate.”

      “My doom-metal collection is not horrible,” responded Daniel. “You just don’t understand it. But anyway, that’s not what I’m going to play. You know”—he turned to look at Moonglow—“it sometimes strikes me you don’t give me enough credit for my intelligence. I knew the day would come when Kalix went completely crazy, and I’ve prepared for it.”

      Daniel pressed the play button. A gentle sound emerged from the speakers, an acoustic guitar that played quite softly and two female voices.

      “What’s this?” asked Moonglow.

      “Marine Girls. I chose it scientifically

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