At the headquarters of the Avenaris Guild, Mr. Carmichael was fending off complaints from irate werewolf hunters.

"Why has my expense claim been rejected?"

"Since when do we have to fill out Form 226a in triplicate?"

"They're asking me to pay back 2000!"

"How am I supposed to keep track of every penny when I'm out hunting werewolves?"

Mr. Carmichael, who believed that a calm center of operations was important for a successful operation, did his best to mollify his senior hunters. "There have been some problems with our new financial structure. I'm taking steps to improve matters."

"You mean you've sacked Albermarle?" Everyone knew that Albermarle had been responsible for the rigorous enforcement of expense claims.

"We've moved him to another position," said Mr. Carmichael, smoothly. "He's engaged in field operations now."

This caused some consternation among the assembled hunters.

"Couldn't you have just moved him into another office post? The man's an idiot, but there's no need to kill him."

"Albermarle passed our tests and asked for the transfer," said Mr. Carmichael. "I'm sure he'll perform satisfactorily. Easterly is there to take care of things."

"Poor Easterly, having to take care of that fool."

Albermarle hadn't turned up to his strategy meeting with Captain Easterly this evening. Easterly didn't really care. There was no talking to Albermarle. He had all but abandoned trying to look after him. He was far more concerned with his date tonight with Thrix MacRinnalch. Yesterday he'd talked with Princess Kabachetka and once more asked her to boost the sorcery that enabled him to see Thrix for what she was. The princess had warned him again that he was endangering his life. "Too much fire may burn you out, Easterly."

Easterly deemed it to be worth the risk. The destruction of Thrix would surely be the greatest achievement in the history of the guild.

"Are you still planning to travel to Edinburgh?"

Easterly wasn't certain. Last time they'd talked, Thrix seemed to have gone off the idea. "She says she's not so keen for me to meet her family again."

The princess laughed. "No doubt. You must increase your efforts at wooing her, Captain Easterly. My spell will be ready by then, and I'll need you close at hand to kill her."

Easterly nodded.

The princess studied his aura. She frowned. There was something about it she didn't like. "Do I sense a lack of enthusiasm for killing her?"

"I'll do it. You don't need to worry about that."

The princess's eyes narrowed. "Be sure that you do." She examined his aura suspiciously. To her annoyance, Easterly still showed no sign of falling in love with her, which she took as a great insult.

Captain Easterly was pleased to hear Thrix's voice when she called but was disappointed to hear her canceling their date.

"I'm sorry, I've had too bad a day. I'm late and I'm tired and I'm going home. Would you mind canceling the table?"

The enchantress was worn out after her abortive attempts to locate either Albermarle or Susi Surmata. She was also depressed after reading the latest financial figures for her company. Shops just weren't buying her clothes, and she barely had enough money left to keep paying her employees. If things went on like this, her fashion house would go bankrupt. She drove back to her apartment trying to come up with a solution but couldn't see a way out of the situation.

At his office, Easterly mused for a while. Thrix had said she wanted to be alone. That might mean it was a good time to leave her alone. Or it might mean it was a time for a lover to make a bold move. He decided on the bold move. He threw on a suit, put a bottle of wine in a bag, hurried downstairs to the garage, and drove towards Thrix's apartment. They'd booked a table at an expensive restaurant, and while he couldn't entirely make up for missing that, he intended to arrive with something.

When Thrix arrived home she was astonished to find him waiting on the doorstep with several plastic bags.

"Chinese takeout," he explained. "It's the best I could find in a hurry." He produced a small, rather crumpled flower. "I took this off of a jar on the table."

Finding Easterly on her doorstep with food and a flower, even though she'd quite rudely canceled their date, had a powerful effect on Thrix. Her eyes welled up with tears, something that very rarely happened. She embraced him quite tenderly on the street before leading him upstairs to her apartment. She suddenly thought she might be falling in love.

CHAPTER 126.

Kalix emerged from the bath and studied her naked figure in the mirror. Though her exertions as a werewolf had recently caused her to eat more, it didn't seem to have affected her. She was still as skinny as ever. Her ribs were clearly visible. Her eyes were a little more sunken, the flesh around them a little grayer, probably from her increased intake of laudanum after another visit to Merchant MacDoig's shop. Her skin had a slightly unhealthy, yellowish tone. Her neck and shoulders were badly scratched, remnants of her fight in the park. There were fresh cuts, high up on her arms, self-inflicted, and more on her thighs. Surrounding these cuts were the thin white marks of older scars.

Kalix was not yet eighteen. From a distance, she looked younger; close up, she looked more worn than a seventeen-year-old should.

"I'm a mess," she muttered, but she didn't care. She shivered. There was a small electric heater mounted high up on the bathroom wall, but it had never worked. Kalix wrapped herself in the old dressing gown that hung behind the door and trailed water between the bathroom and her bedroom where she began the long process of drying her hair. She fiddled with her nose ring and felt some anxiety about Decembrius, who was due to arrive soon to help her study.

On the small table lay a piece of paper, printed very clearly in Moonglow's hand. It was a list of money Kalix owed for household bills. Moonglow had given an identical piece of paper to each of them. Kalix, Vex, and Daniel had accepted them gloomily and wondered how they were going to pay. According to Moonglow, they were only a few days from having their phone and heating cut off.

When Decembrius arrived, Moonglow let him in and directed him to Kalix's room.

"It's a werewolf study party," she said to Daniel. "Isn't that cute?" She stopped and looked concerned. "Do you think he's going to try and fall on her again?"

"Why would he do that?"

"Maybe it's his way of making advances."

Daniel doubted it. Decembrius gave the impression of being a confident werewolf, one who was unlikely to resort to such subterfuge. "I don't think he'd pretend to fall on Kalix twice. Think how suspicious it would look."

Moonglow continued to worry. "Should I check on them?"

"You're making the mistake of thinking Kalix is twelve years old and you're her parent. You're not. Leave them alone."

Upstairs Kalix greeted Decembrius without any show of pleasure. "Don't try kissing on me again."

"Why would I want to? You think I'm short of girlfriends?"

"Then go visit them."

"You asked me to come and help you."

"No, I didn't. You wanted to come."

"No, I didn't. I just came because Dominil suggested it."

They eyed each other with dislike. Kalix thrust a few papers at Decembrius. "This is what I'm supposed to be learning."

Decembrius looked at the papers. None of it seemed too difficult. He couldn't see why Kalix was having such trouble.

"Let's make a start," he suggested.

"Is Ruraich dead?"

"Yes."

"I wonder how the hunters found us."

"Who knows? Let's study. None of this arithmetic is very hard. You can do it."

Kalix didn't seem keen to start. "It's strange the way the hunters seem to find us more easily these days. Why is that?"

"Are you going to study or not?"

"We should kill them all. And their dogs."

"Right. Maybe after you've passed your exam. And that dog you killed wasn't a hunting dog, it was a family pet."

"How do you know?"

"I met the family."

Kalix shrugged. "I hate dogs. And sharks."

"Sharks? What do sharks have to do with anything?"

"I saw them on TV. I don't like them."

Decembrius felt exasperated. "Well, if we meet any sharks, I'll bear it in mind. Meanwhile are you going to look at this test paper?"

"I could beat a shark," said Kalix.

"Let's look at some fractions."

"If you try and kiss me again, there's going to be trouble."

"I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last werewolf on the planet."

"Good. I wouldn't let you anyway."

"Fine. As long as we're clear."

"And you should shave," said Kalix, looking at the stubble on Decembrius's chin. "You look stupid like that."

Decembrius scowled. "Do you want to do these fractions or not?"

"No."

"Well, we're going to anyway." Decembrius opened the book and sat down.

Kalix leaned over and closed the book. "I need you to help me. Not with studying. With Gawain."

"Gawain?"

"I need to know who killed him. But I don't know how to investigate properly. Everyone just denies everything."

"You want me to visit some people with you?"

"No. It won't get me anywhere. I need you to see something. You've got powers, right? You can see things that are hidden? That's what people say."

"It's not easy...I don't really have much control over it."

"You could try." Kalix looked into Decembrius's eyes, seeming very earnest.

Decembrius was about to lie but abandoned it abruptly. "I can't. My powers disappeared months ago. They don't work anymore."

"But you had a vision...you said you saw everyone dead."

"That was a one-time thing. I've no control over it." He stared at the carpet. "I haven't been keen for anyone to find out."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a while.

Decembrius sighed very heavily. "Sometimes I wake up so depressed about it I can't get out of bed."

CHAPTER 127.