Skulk of Foxes

  I looked away and began to whistle. Not my fault. No sirree.

  ‘You should do it,’ Morgan said. ‘I’m not sure there’s any other choice.’

  ‘Will it take a long time to arrange?’ Finn asked, while Julie stared, unmoving at Artemesia.

  Artemesia shook her head. ‘I’ll need to get into the Arndale Centre and locate the right spot but once I’m there it’ll be easy.’ She pointed to a small radio. ‘Getting inside shouldn’t be a problem. There’s been a lot of looting and most of the windows and doors into the Centre are already broken.’

  Morgan folded his arms. ‘Looters don’t have any care for either their own safety or for others. It’s not safe for you to go alone. We’ll all go. That way we can be sure you’re protected.’

  ‘No.’ Artemesia set her jaw. ‘You have to meet Liung and deal with the sphere. Sorting out the magic in the atmosphere is pointless if we don’t get that damn thing destroyed.’

  Timmons got to his feet. ‘I’ll go with her. I’ll make sure she’s alright.’

  I blinked at him. That was impressive; two weeks earlier he’d been a terrified weasel of a faery and now he was volunteering to face down an angry mob of humans.

  When he continued speaking, I was even more shocked. ‘Once we’ve sorted out the magic and sent it to the well,’ he said, ‘Artemesia and I will go to Rubus and do whatever we can to keep him in place. He keeps turning up at the worst moments. You can’t afford for him to interrupt the meeting with Liung as well.’

  I gazed at him. From dodgy hotel manager to potential hero of the hour. That was my influence. I’d rubbed off on him and now he was almost as wonderful as I was. Either that or he was just good in an emergency.

  Monroe frowned. ‘I have no problem with facing down Rubus again. We were taken by surprise last time but that won’t happen again.’

  ‘He’s got magic and he’s not afraid to use it,’ I reminded him.

  ‘Big deal. We are wolves. We’re not scared of him.’

  Much as I appreciated some overblown bravado, I hoped those words wouldn’t come back to bite him on the arse. ‘Just so long as you don’t leap in and claim all the glory for yourselves,’ I said. ‘We are the ones who’ve done all the hard work.’

  Monroe winked at me. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it, darling.’

  ‘We’ll all escort you to the Arndale Centre,’ Morgan said, ignoring us both. ‘Then we’ll meet Liung and rid ourselves of the sphere once and for all.’

  I rubbed my palms together. ‘Sounds like a plan.’ Then, because I wanted to prove that I was in this with Morgan and that the sexy Scottish werewolf was merely an aside, I leaned over and kissed my man heartily. Mmmm. Amnesia or not, one thing I’d certainly not forgotten was how to snog.

  Before I spontaneously orgasmed in front of everyone, I pulled back and glanced at Artemesia. ‘One other thing,’ I said. ‘Liung said that the cure to my, uh, memory issues, involved something called hmmbongo and avocado.’

  She started. ‘Mbongo?’

  I shrugged. ‘If you say so.’

  Artemesia’s eyes gleamed. ‘That could actually work.’ She jumped to her feet, darted to some nearby shelves and began rummaging. ‘Here!’ She pulled out a jar of something that looked like shrivelled penises. Ick. Then she grimaced. ‘I don’t have any avocado seeds.’

  ‘You’ve got hmmbongo but you don’t have avocado?’

  She tapped her mouth. ‘Maybe I can pick some up when we’re at the Arndale Centre.’ She looked at me. ‘I think the wily old dragon might be onto something.’

  I swallowed, hoping I didn’t look as nervous as I felt. Once my memory returned – if my memory returned – I’d be forced to face all the facets of my personality and my past, regardless of what warts both might contain. I could do it, though; if I could beat Rubus, I could beat myself. I nodded awkwardly at her and stood up.

  As soon as I did so, there was an odd trumpeting sound. I spread out my arms. ‘Look! Even the angels are singing a chorus for me!’ I beamed.

  ‘Darling,’ Julie said, her voice barely a whisper, ‘I think that came from outside.’

  We exchanged glances. Morgan got to the door first, hauling it open and peering out. ‘Wow,’ he whispered.

  I nudged him aside and gazed out. When I saw what had made the noise, my mouth fell open and I clapped my hands in delight.

  Jodie blinked. ‘Is that a pink elephant?’

  I beamed. ‘It is! Not just slightly pink either. Or that sickly baby pink. That creature,’ I said, as the elephant trundled past, its trunk and tail swinging, ‘is proper pink.’ It was also bloody massive.

  Tempting as it was to rush out and greet it properly, I decided that getting trampled wasn’t on today’s agenda. All the same… ‘It’s a sign,’ I declared. ‘We will emerge from this day fully victorious.’

  Morgan took my hand in his. ‘Let’s hope so,’ he murmured. ‘Let’s certainly hope so.’

  Chapter Twenty

  I twitched more than once. In fact, my left eyelid was ticking and twitching so rapidly and so often that I was beginning to think I had a parasite in my eyeball. Morgan pocketed the shell and gave me a brief smile. ‘That was Artemesia. The old wishing well worked a treat.’

  I wished that made me relax. If anything, my eyelid flickered even more furiously. I tried to smile but it was more like a grimace.

  Registering my nerves, Morgan took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. ‘One problem at a time. Julie is fine, despite the best efforts of Rubus to burn her alive. Artemesia has solved the issue of the magical build-up. I can’t feel the prickle across my skin any more, so she must have been successful with the ancient wishing well. There’s no sign of Rubus. The magical sphere is by far the largest problem but in thirty minutes we won’t have to worry about it any more.’

  ‘Assuming Liung really is trustworthy, does what he said and destroys it,’ I said.

  ‘For all his gruffness, he seems trustworthy enough.’

  I had to agree but I couldn’t deny the sense of foreboding that was burgeoning deep inside me. I curled my fingers tighter round Morgan’s. ‘I feel sick,’ I admitted.

  He nodded. ‘Me too.’

  ‘And my chest hurts.’

  ‘We’re at Castlefield. This is the main border crossing back to Mag Mell. The closer we are, the more the pangs of homesickness kick in.’

  I growled. ‘Liung chose the spot for the meeting to taunt us. By handing him the sphere we might be saving the world but we could also be consigning ourselves to an eternity here.’ I sighed. ‘I might not remember Mag Mell but I do understand the ache. I feel it. It’s growing. Suffocating me. And it’s all my fault.’

  ‘You weren’t to know that the borders would remain closed. You had good intentions when you used your magic to shut them. You wanted us faeries to recognise that our visits were potentially harmful and that we didn’t belong in this demesne,’ he reminded me gently. ‘You didn’t mean all this to happen.’

  I sniffed. ‘We don’t know that for sure. Maybe this is exactly what I was aiming for.’

  He smiled. ‘No. I know you.’

  ‘I’m an evil bitch.’

  ‘You pretend to be. But you’re not.’ He leaned in. ‘And soon you’ll be the person who saved this entire world from destruction.’

  Well, me and Morgan and Liung and Finn and Artemesia and Julie and Jodie and… Okay. Mostly me, though. ‘I suppose,’ I said, ‘I did achieve what I set out to do. I did prove that faeries shouldn’t be here. Go me.’

  ‘Go you indeed.’ His shoulders tensed and he lifted his chin. ‘The others are back.’

  I followed his gaze and spotted the small group wending their way towards us. I waved.

  ‘The werewolves are in place,’ Finn reported.

  Jodie still appeared rather star struck. ‘Monroe has the pack organised. He’ll make sure there are no interruptions.’

  ‘Great. And I have to say I’m thrilled that you made it to join us fo
r this,’ I chirped. ‘You’re all going to be witness to my brilliance at saving the world!’

  Jodie looked irritated. ‘Does she have to be here?’ she asked Morgan.

  I answered for him. ‘I’m the heroine in this storyline.’

  ‘You are the one who started all these problems.’

  I shrugged. ‘So I’m the villain too.’ I grinned. ‘I guess it’s all about me.’ Despite my flippancy, I felt a small part of my uneasiness slide away. I was indeed both – and it was indeed possible to be both. I met her eyes, for once with perfect sincerity. ‘We all have a touch of villainy inside us. We’re all selfish beings who make mistakes. But if we can right those mistakes and work towards making more of ourselves and being better people, we’ve already succeeded.’

  Jodie stared at me then at Morgan. ‘I can’t believe I’m listening to a lecture on morality from Madrona the Madhatter,’ she muttered.

  Finn cleared his throat. ‘Can we get to the point? Is he here yet?’

  We all knew who he was referring to. Morgan and I shook our heads. ‘No sign of Liung yet,’ Morgan said.

  ‘What do we do if he doesn’t show?’

  I shrugged. I’d happily show Morgan that I was feeling nervous but I wouldn’t show anyone else. ‘I’ll take the sphere to the deepest, darkest ocean and drop it in.’

  ‘We should have done that in the beginning, darlings,’ Julie said. She fluttered her hands. It was good to see that she was almost back on form. There was even some healthy colour in her cheeks.

  ‘Too many variables,’ Morgan grunted. ‘Like getting to the ocean without Rubus stopping us.’

  ‘Speaking of your darling brother, have we had any word?’

  Morgan’s expression was grim and I noted him touch his sling briefly as if to remind himself of what his brother was capable of. ‘Nothing. I spoke to Begonius ten minutes ago. It appears that Rubus is tucked up for the night. Monroe and his wolves will probably have a quiet time.’

  ‘Timmons,’ I said softly. ‘Not Begonius. He prefers to be known by his human name.’

  Morgan squeezed my hand reassuringly. ‘Timmons,’ he agreed, with a gentle glint in his eye. ‘You’re more kind-hearted than you realise for remembering that.’

  It was only a name; it wasn’t rocket science.

  ‘You’d be surprised,’ Morgan continued, ‘how many people don’t listen or pay attention to small details like that.’

  ‘Many people aren’t me.’

  He chuckled. ‘That is very true.’

  I was no longer convinced I was being complimented. Perhaps it wasn’t wise to pursue this line of conversation for too long.

  I checked my watch. It was almost time. ‘He should be here by now.’ I craned my neck, scanning the Roman fort and the grassy banks. ‘Can anyone see Liung?’

  Finn and Jodie scanned the area while Morgan pursed his lips. Julie reached into her coat pocket and drew out a delicate silver hip flask. She took a sip and smacked her lips. ‘Fortification, darling,’ she murmured. I could tell from the scent rising into the air that it wasn’t gin and, when she tucked the flask away, her lips were faintly stained with red.

  ‘I can’t see him anywhere,’ Finn admitted, still pretending to search around so that he didn’t have to notice what Julie had been doing.

  Morgan continued to frown. ‘Can you hear that?’ he asked.

  ‘I can’t hear anything,’ I started to say. Except then I did.

  There was an odd thrumming sound in the air, as if the distant clouds were beating. It got louder and louder. I spun in the direction it was coming from. From over the horizon, behind a copse of old oak trees, a speck appeared in the sky.

  Jodie’s mouth fell open. ‘That’s…’

  The speck grew closer. And bigger. ‘A dragon,’ I breathed.

  We watched as the shape, growing more massive by the second, flapped towards us. He was the size of a house and dark red in colour. Oddly, his features were still similar to Liung’s human face.

  ‘You know,’ I said, as he circled over our heads, ‘none of the storybooks or films ever said much about a dragon’s genitalia. It does rather … hang down unpleasantly, doesn’t it? Not to mention that, proportionally speaking, I ain’t all that impressed.’

  Julie tilted her head backwards to get a better look. She’d regret it. ‘I see what you mean.’

  Liung opened his mouth and roared, rather pointlessly in my opinion. He somersaulted before landing directly in front of us, his massive claws slamming into the earth and raking up great clods of mud. Now he was just showing off.

  He stretched out his neck. He widened his jaws in our direction, and snapped for effect. Then, before our eyes, his body transformed. With a crunch of bones and heaving scales, he shrank into the wrinkly and flabby form of an old pensioner who’d seen better days.

  Unperturbed by his nudity, he stretched his arms wide. ‘I am dragon!’ he bellowed. ‘Hear me roar!’

  I rolled my eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah.’

  Morgan nudged me. ‘Jealous?’ he asked with a mischievous glint that didn’t often light his eyes.

  ‘Are you kidding me? I would totally rock being a dragon. I’d be far better at it than that old codger.’

  Liung paused long enough to glare at me. ‘There’s only room in this city for one dragon and that is me!’

  I tsked. ‘Whatever. I’m the only person around here with a proper nickname. That makes me the best, whether you can flap your dry, scaly wings and breathe fire or not.’

  Liung’s smile grew. ‘I’ve been thinking about that. What do you think of Liung the Lawless?’

  My lip curled. He shrugged. ‘Liung the Lucky? The Lovable Lurker? The Lively Lark?’

  I snapped my fingers. ‘I’ve got the perfect one. The Lugubrious Lugworm.’

  Liung frowned. ‘Too long.’

  I opened my mouth to make another helpful suggestion but Morgan beat me to it. ‘I take it that the fact you flew here as a dragon means that the magic hasn’t left your system, even if it has left the atmosphere?’

  ‘You take it right indeed, sir!’ Liung sang. As much as it galled me, I had to admit that he suited his newfound skills. He seemed far happier and more light-hearted. ‘If anything,’ he continued, ‘I’m feeling more powerful, not less.’ He cracked his knuckles and started stretching his legs as if he were limbering up for some sort of bizarre naked marathon. ‘There’s virtually nothing I can’t do.’

  ‘Except put on clothes,’ I muttered.

  Liung shook his groin in a most unappealing manner. ‘Modesty is for fools. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.’

  I shrugged. ‘If you insist.’ I started to pull my T-shirt over my head. It was only Morgan’s arm reaching across me that stopped me.

  ‘Let’s stick to the point, shall we?’ He cleared his throat. ‘You’re here, Liung. We have the sphere. Will you stand by your promise to destroy it?’

  The old man gave him a long look. ‘Why else would I be here? Pass the thing over.’

  Morgan resisted. ‘We need you to do it now. We have to know that it’s gone for good.’

  ‘Yes, yes,’ Liung said impatiently. ‘That’s fine. I’ll get rid of Chen’s dratted thing in a jiffy. Just get it out.’

  Morgan nodded. Without saying a word, Finn and Jodie flanked Liung. Julie stayed where she was, an oddly lascivious look on her face as she watched the old dragon. Her eyes kept drifting towards his jugular. To be fair, I couldn’t help wondering myself whether dragon blood would taste the same as Fey or human blood – and I barely had any tastebuds to speak of.

  Liung stiffened. ‘Do you think I’m about to run away with it?’ he enquired.

  I thought of how Rubus had fooled us by creating a glamoured version of an old dragon. ‘We can’t afford to take any chances,’ I said. I dusted off my palms and made a show of rolling up my non-existent sleeves, as if to prove that I was here for more than just tit-for-tat with the creepy old arsebadger.

  ‘I gave m
y word,’ Liung growled. ‘What more do you want?’

  ‘We just want the sphere destroyed,’ Morgan replied.

  Finn and Jodie edged closer to Liung, Jodie’s hand straying to her hip where her knife hung. Her fingers twitched and I could feel her anxiety. My left eyelid was flickering even more intensely. Another few minutes, I told myself. Another few minutes and all this would be over.

  Morgan kept his gaze on Liung while I put my fingers in my pocket and drew out the sphere. It was cool to the touch, despite my body heat warming it for some time. I rolled it around my fingers; all this trouble for such a small thing.

  I lifted my eyes up to Liung’s, noting his covetous gleam. For a moment, I almost changed my mind and took a step back – but we had to do this. Part of Liung wanted to own the thing for himself and bind it to him like his other daft objects and dragon paraphernalia, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get rid of it for us. In fact, the way that he wasn’t masking his feelings about the sphere gave me more hope that this would end the way we needed it to. At least he was being honest about his desire to own it; if he’d been blasé, I’d have suspected his intentions far more.

  I took a deep breath and held it out. Liung lunged towards it and I snatched it back in the nick of time. ‘Tell me,’ I said. ‘Exactly how will you destroy it?’

  He ground his teeth in frustration. ‘Under ordinary circumstances,’ he said, ‘I would have to take it away and spend several days crushing it. The magic imbued in that little thing is powerful. Once I extinguished the invisible power, I could melt it with ordinary fire.’

  He smiled, displaying his yellow teeth. ‘However, all your little faery spells have caused such havoc in our fair city that I can actually get rid of the sphere far more quickly. Now that I can transform into a real dragon, and have more power at my own disposal, all I have to do is breathe fire onto it for a few seconds and I suspect both the sphere and the magic linked to it will be obliterated for good.’