The Werewolves of Nottinghill

by J. J. Thompson

  “Yeah, yeah. I'm coming,” Malcolm rumbled as he staggered out of bed.

  Aiden pulled his pillow over his head with a groan and buried himself under the covers.

  When he opened the door, Malcolm found Sebastian standing there with a worried look on his face. It was replaced by a wide grin as he saw the big man squinting down at him wearing only boxer shorts.

  “Good morning!” the mage said cheerfully.

  Malcolm growled something unintelligible in return and then cleared his throat.

  “What's going on?” he asked hoarsely. “Is the castle on fire? Is there a dragon attack? What?”

  Sebastian smile faded and he shook his head.

  “No, nothing like that. Chase is gone.”

  Malcolm waved him inside and shut the door behind him.

  “Have a seat,” he said as he walked over to the window and sat down on the sofa with a loud sigh. “What do you mean, gone?”

  Sebastian sat down on the couch across from him and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He was wearing a bright blue robe fastened with a purple sash and looked a lot more rested than Malcolm felt.

  “Just what I said. She's gone. We assigned her guest quarters yesterday and I checked on her about an hour ago. She's nowhere to be found. I told Tamara and she sent out a bunch of people to scour the castle.”

  “And? Nothing?”

  “Not a sign of her. She is definitely gone. I also checked with the gate guards and they swear that the gate has been locked tightly all night.”

  “What about the rear gate?” Malcolm asked as he pushed back his braids and rubbed his eyes. “Did she get out that way?”

  The mage just stared at him for a moment.

  “Um, well, I assume that someone checked to make sure that it was still sealed,” he said tentatively.

  Malcolm snorted in derision.

  “Sebastian, you know better than that. People never use that thing, which means that to most of the castle, it's invisible. Get someone to check it, just to be sure. If Chase isn't what she seems, the rear gate could be the perfect entrance into Nottinghill for a sneak attack.”

  Sebastian paled at the suggestion and leaped to his feet.

  “I'll check it myself, right now. In the meantime, I suggest that you and Aiden get dressed. Tamara wants everyone to gather in the main hall as soon as possible.”

  When Malcolm groaned, the mage smiled sympathetically.

  “Hey, there will be hot tea and food laid out by the time you get there,” he assured the big man. “So use that incentive to wake up Aiden. I'm off to check on that gate.”

  The two warriors were on their way to the meeting hall fifteen minutes later. It had been easy for Malcolm to get Aiden out of bed when he'd told him that the elf had disappeared, and had mentioned breakfast.

  Both of them were quiet though. Malcolm was generally not a morning person anyway and preferred not to talk to anyone until after he had eaten.

  Aiden was lost in thought, worried that Chase would turn out to be an enemy and wondering if he had missed any warning signs. He couldn't think of anything though.

  As they entered the meeting hall, the smell of ham and eggs greeted them and Malcolm grinned broadly.

  “Food!” he exclaimed happily. “I may survive after all.”

  Aiden smiled at his child-like enthusiasm.

  “Enjoy,” he said and gave Malcolm a little shove toward the conference table, where large plates heaped with steaming food were waiting.

  For his part, Aiden stood back and looked around the room.

  Tamara and Sebastian were sitting in their usual spots at the head of the table and looked rather grim as they spoke together quietly.

  Chao was standing alone in front of the fireplace, drinking tea and staring into the dancing flames. Sylvie and Veronique walked into the hall from another doorway, each of them smiling at Aiden as they noticed him.

  He nodded at them just as a gentle hand squeezed his arm. He turned to see Katherine standing behind him, wearing her regular white jacket and black pants. She looked more rested than usual and Aiden smiled down at her.

  “Good morning,” he said quietly. “How are you doing?”

  “Me? I'm fine, thanks. And as the resident cleric here, shouldn't I be asking you that question?” she replied with a subdued chuckle.

  Aiden's smile widened at her comment.

  “I suppose so. I'm okay, though. So is Malcolm. We could have used a little more sleep, but with the sudden disappearance of the elf, that can wait.”

  He lowered his voice even more and looked around the room as he spoke.

  “What have you heard?” he asked.

  Katherine pursed her lips and glanced over at Tamara.

  “Not much more than you, I'm guessing. Our mage friends are quite alarmed though. The thought that we might be attacked by elves, or some rogue group of them, is terrifying. The elves don't use magic; they are magic. Which means that spells don't have nearly the same effect on them as they do on humans.”

  “They're immune?” Aiden asked in surprise. “That's news to me.”

  “Not immune, exactly, but certainly resistant. They are also exceptionally gifted and fierce warriors, or so the stories written about the battles between Simon O'Toole and the dragons would have us believe. The elves never shrunk away from battle when they lent the wizard their aid. If they have turned on us, for whatever reason, we are in great danger.”

  They walked over to the table and served themselves. Malcolm was already sitting down and eating enthusiastically, and Aiden joined him after he had loaded up his own plate.

  “Don't forget to breathe once in a while,” he said as he watched his partner shovel eggs into his mouth.

  Malcolm looked offended as he swallowed noisily.

  “Hey, I'm hungry, okay?” he said defensively. “It could be a while until we eat again, if this turns into a real emergency. You should eat your fill too, you know.”

  “I intend to,” Aiden replied. “But I'll pace myself a bit, thanks.”

  “To each his own,” Malcolm said with a shrug and he began devouring his breakfast again.

  Aiden grinned as he shook his head.

  Mal would never change, he thought. And I don't suppose that I really want him to.

  For his part, Aiden just ate a couple of fried eggs and some toast before he sat back and slowly drank his tea. A movement caught his eye and he looked over at the fireplace to see Chao motioning at him.

  Malcolm wasn't showing any signs of slowing down, so Aiden got up quietly and walked around the table to join the summoner where he stood next to the fire.

  “Good morning, Chao.”

  “Good morning, my friend,” Chao replied with a small bow. “How are you today?”

  “Fine, I suppose. The real answer will have to wait until we find out what happened to Chase.”

  Chao nodded and sipped his tea.

  “The elf, yes. It is a worrying development, is it not? She arrives and announces a wish to set up diplomatic relations with us, and then poof! She is gone. We are all on edge now, waiting to see what comes next.”

  “Do you know how she left the castle?” Aiden asked him.

  “I do not. Sebastian came in just before you and Malcolm did and told us that the rear gate was still locked tight. And the main gate guards swear that the elf did not leave that way. So it is a mystery to us all.”

  “Maybe she Gated out?”

  Chao looked dubious at that suggestion.

  “Chase is not a spell-caster,” he replied. “So I do not think that she used magic to leave the castle.”

  Aiden snorted softly.

  “She said that she wasn't a caster. That doesn't mean that she told us the truth. If she's up to something nefarious, she could easily have been lying, don't you think?”

  Chao put his empty cup on the mantelpiece and clasped his hands together behind his back.

  “Yes, if she had been speaking untruthfull
y to just you and I. But our friend Katherine was present when Chase was telling us about herself, was she not?”

  Aiden glanced over at the cleric and saw that she was now sitting next to Malcolm, who was apparently finally finished eating. They were having an intense conversation and Katherine was speaking animatedly as she made short, sharp gestures with her hands.

  “She was there, yes.”

  “Well then, we know that the elf was telling the truth. Katherine may not be a paladin like Liliana was, may she rest in peace, but as a servant of the lords of Light, she can detect untruths no matter who speaks them, and that includes elves. And Katherine has already confirmed that Chase was not lying to us during the meeting yesterday.”

  “Has she? So the elf didn't Gate out of Nottinghill,” Aiden murmured thoughtfully. “Good to know. But that brings us back to the original question. How did she leave the castle?”

  “Everyone?”

  Aiden and Chao looked across the room to see Tamara standing at the head of the table.

  “Please take your seats,” she said loudly. “Let's get started, shall we?”

  The group sorted themselves out and sat down in their usual places. When the room was settled, Tamara cleared her throat and looked down the table.

  “Thank you. I'm sorry to have roused you all out of bed at such an early hour, but as you know by now, we have a situation on our hands. Chase is gone. Lisa, one of our staff members, swears that she showed the elf to her room last night. And that's the last time that anyone saw her. When I went to speak with her this morning, there was no answer to my knocking and the room was empty. We have scoured the castle from top to bottom and so I can say with some assurance that she is gone. So that leaves us with several questions. The first is, of course, how did she leave? Both gates are sealed and have not been opened all night. The guards on the wall tell me that they saw nothing suspicious all night and, with the return of the dragons, they are all very alert, so I believe them.”

  “And we are pretty sure that she did not Gate out,” Sebastian added.

  “Exactly,” Tamara continued. “But putting aside the mystery of how she left, the real burning question is why? Why leave so suddenly after just arriving to ostensibly set up relations between our two peoples? It makes no sense to me. Does anyone have any ideas?”

  There was a brief silence.

  “Could she have been a spy?”

  The blacksmith, Daniel, had walked into the room unnoticed and was standing next to the main entrance, leaning on the wall with his arms folded in front of him. His dark expression was telling.

  “A spy?” Malcolm said skeptically. “Why would the elves need to spy on us? We aren't hiding some powerful secret weapon. All we are is a group of people, and not a very large group at that. There's still only a few hundred of us living here. If a large force of elves wanted to attack us, I doubt that we would be able to repel them for long.”

  “Nice show of confidence there,” Sebastian commented irritably.

  “Just being honest,” Malcolm told him with a shrug. “We could hold Nottinghill indefinitely against an attack by humans, not that there are enough people left in the world to even attempt such a thing. But elves? We all know the stories, and some of us remember what they were like. They are ancient and wise and tough as nails. They could tear through Nottinghill like it was made of paper if they wanted to. And because of that, I doubt that Chase was sent here to spy on us.”

  “Huh. Well, that's a humbling assessment,” Tamara observed wryly. “But I have to concur with Malcolm. We are truly not a threat to anyone, let alone the elves. If they wanted to invade the Earth and take it over, for some bizarre reason, there would be little to no opposition from humanity. The elves would have more trouble with monsters and dragons than they would with people.”

  “And dwarves and goblins,” Aiden told her. “We may have become just a shadow of what we once were, before the return of magic, but the other races have thrived. The dwarves are as ancient as the elves, and at least as tough in their own way. And the goblins? They're like a virus on the face of the world, a plague that threatens all life. If the elves wanted to take over the planet, dealing with those disgusting creatures would probably be their first priority.”

  There was a lot of head nodding around the table and Chao raised his hand tentatively.

  Tamara smiled at his deference and motioned for him to speak.

  “That is what is truly baffling to me,” the summoner said as he stood up and looked around the table. “No matter what the elves want with our world, we are their natural allies. Even if they did plan to build settlements on Earth, and I for one cannot imagine why they would, I believe that none of us here would object to that. Would we?”

  No one spoke, but the answer was obvious.

  “Exactly my point,” Chao continued. “Having the elves as neighbors would actually be a relief. It would mean that we had allies again, and more reliable allies than the dwarves have been. No offense to them, of course, but the dwarves are isolationists and they interact with us quite rarely. Perhaps the elves would be more willing to support us?”

  He sat down again and a murmur of conversation followed.

  “He makes a good point,” Malcolm told Aiden. “Who wouldn't want more allies, especially now with the new primals to worry about?”

  “I agree,” Aiden replied. “And Chao's right about not understanding why the elves would want to come here. From all the stories that I've heard, their world is practically a paradise. An entire planet covered in forests? And mostly temperate weather all year round? Sounds like heaven to me. Of course there are dangers there, but that's life. There are always threats of one kind or another. But at least they don't have any damned dragons to worry about. Why take on more trouble by coming to Earth and dealing with the primals?”

  Tamara tapped on her teacup with a spoon and the room quieted down once more.

  “Thank you, Chao,” she said warmly. “You're right. I doubt that we would mind if the elves wanted to move some of their people to Earth. Like the rest of you, I cannot imagine why they would, but we certainly wouldn't object. So that brings us back to our original question: why did Chase leave like a thief in the night?”

  “And how did she do it?” Sebastian added.

  “Exactly. Until we have the answers to those questions, we're going to have to take steps. Malcolm? You and Aiden had better add extra guardsmen to the walls and increase patrols. Better to err on the side of caution here, until we find out what is happening.”

  “Done,” Malcolm stated. “We'll double the guards and shorten troop rotation times to keep them as rested as possible. Might I suggest that we have a mage up on the ramparts with us at all times, just in case?”

  Tamara nodded solemnly.

  “Yes, I had planned to do that anyway. In fact, Sebastian has volunteered to stand the first shift.”

  Her brother grinned at Malcolm and Aiden.

  “Always happy to pitch in,” he said cheerfully.

  Aiden smiled back at him.

  “You really have to learn how not to volunteer so quickly,” he joked. “If it starts raining while you're standing up there in your robes, you'll be sorry.”

  Sebastian just laughed.

  “I'm British, mate,” he replied. “I don't even notice the rain. Now, if it snows, that's another story.”

  “All right, then,” Tamara said as she stood up. “We remain vigilant and see what happens, if anything. In the meantime, Sylvie, Veronique and I are going to do a little magical snooping and see if we can't figure out how Chase left the castle. This meeting is adjourned.”

  Chapter 10

  As Malcolm and Aiden were leaving the meeting, Chao caught up with them.

  “May I walk with you for a moment?” he asked.

  “Certainly,” Aiden replied with a smile. “What's up?”

  Both of the warriors shortened their steps so that Chao could keep up with them.

  “I j
ust wanted to let the two of you know that Veronique and Sylvie have agreed to help me try to modify the lycanthropy spell that you have lived with for so long, when things get back to normal, that is.”

  Malcolm stopped abruptly and stared at him with wide eyes.

  “Seriously? They said that?”

  Chao bowed solemnly.

  “They did. I am still working out which rituals to use, and of course we will have to wait until this mystery surrounding the elf's disappearance is resolved, but when that is all settled, we will make the attempt.”

  He looked at each man in turn.

  “If you still wish it, of course,” he added.

  Malcolm glanced at Aiden, who was smiling broadly.

  “Hell yes, we still wish it,” the big man exclaimed, speaking for both of them. “To finally be rid of this damnable curse once and for all? Or at least to be able to control it? There is nothing more important to Aiden and me, except for the safety of Nottinghill. Once that is assured, we will be at your disposal, Chao. Just let us know when and where.”

  The summoner bowed once again.

  “I shall do that, my friends.”

  Aiden led out the first patrol of the day to walk a circuit around the castle, while Malcolm passed along the news that more guardsmen were needed to man the walls. He also posted a new, temporary schedule in the barracks that reorganized the warriors' hours. They would have less rest for a while, but no one would have to work more than twelve hours out of every twenty-four. That was the best that he could do with his limited numbers.

  There was some groaning when the men and women living in the barracks saw the new schedule, but apparently the word had already spread about Chase's mysterious disappearance and no one asked Malcolm why they suddenly had to work longer hours.

  The troops always know, Malcolm told himself as he left the barracks. Always. But they're a good bunch and they'll do their duty no matter what. I can't ask for more than that.

  Outside in the courtyard, a patter of rain bounced off of his armor as he left the building. The long stretch of good weather that the castle had enjoyed was apparently over and the big man grimaced in irritation as a trickle of water dripped down his back.