‘You know,’ Ceri said, ‘both your accents get stronger when you’re in Wales.’
‘That’s not answering the question, love,’ Michael said.
A tiny thrill went through Ceri as he said the last word. Was that the first time he had used it? She was not sure. ‘That’s because the answer is obvious,’ she replied.
‘Oh,’ Michael said. He turned to look at Lily.
August 25th
It did not actually take Lily to discover what Bevan wanted. ‘It’s a shame,’ he said as Ceri stood by his bed, Michael beside her, ‘I’m too weak to shift. I’d love to see the hills once more with the eyes of a wolf.’ Michael glanced at Ceri; she knew what he was thinking, she was thinking the same. The old man reached out shakily and patted Ceri’s hand. ‘Would you leave us for a few moments, Ceri? I need to talk to my son alone.’
‘Of course,’ Ceri said. ‘I’ll be outside.’
Rhys was there when she got outside. He looked mildly annoyed that Ceri was coming out without Michael, but at least he stayed. ‘Bevan wanted to talk to Michael alone,’ she explained at a look from Lily.
‘He’s already had Rhys and me in there alone,’ Kai said. ‘Maybe he’s been waiting for the chance to talk to Michael.’
‘No,’ Rhys said. ‘It’s not that, he could have asked for that yesterday.’
‘He wants to die as a wolf,’ Ceri said softly. Everyone looked at her. ‘He said… he wished he could change and see the hills again before he died.’ She was looking at Lily when she said it, stopping her saying anything.
‘Well… he’s too weak,’ Rhys said. ‘He’d kill himself making the shift.’
‘He knows that,’ Ceri said.
The big man’s eyes were wet. ‘Why wish for something he can’t have? I need… he should hear the report for the night.’
‘You’re taking care of the pack while he’s here?’ Ceri asked. He nodded in reply. ‘Then it’s being taken care of. Could we talk?’
Rhys’ face tightened, but he clearly had too much respect for what she had done to Remus to decline. He nodded back up the hospital corridor, turning and heading that way. Ceri followed him to a large window at the end. It overlooked Bute Park, technically, though the hospital was not tall enough to see the grassland properly. They both stared out the window, not looking at each other.
‘You don’t have to take over from him, you know?’ Ceri said.
‘No one will challenge me,’ he replied. ‘The only one who could is Kai, and he’s perfectly happy frittering his time away on that band.’
‘Have you ever heard them?’
He stiffened. ‘Yes. I go to all the concerts in Cardiff.’ So he hated Kai’s freedom, but he still found time to be proud of his brother’s “frittered” time. ‘All right, so it’s not wasted time. Aside from anything, it’s good publicity for werewolves. There’s a generation growing up who now think we make good music at least.’ And he had a good political head on his shoulders.
‘So you’re destined to be king,’ Ceri said, smiling slightly. ‘Do you have a good Captain?’
‘Powell,’ Rhys said, nodding. ‘Da trained him.’
‘You should come to London when you’ve got things settled.’ He glanced at her, surprised. ‘A diplomatic exercise. Visit Alexandra and Catherine, discuss some inter-pack relations. I could possibly get Dane to bring the North Hills wolves down for a meeting. I don’t know if we could persuade Hywel to come down from Snowdonia… Perhaps you could look into contacting him.’
‘Why are you doing this?’
Ceri looked around at him, looking up to meet his eyes. ‘Because you don’t have to do this alone, and you don’t have to be locked away in your territory while your brothers wander elsewhere. An unhappy Alpha makes for a weak, unhappy pack. I’ve seen it. The Royals were useless with Joshua as their Alpha. And because I think the werewolves need a stronger voice in society. It’s started in London. The Minister for Supernatural Affairs listens to Catherine and Alexandra, but we can do better.’
‘We?’
Ceri shrugged slightly. ‘No, I wasn’t born a wolf, but Alexandra has given me her trust. I’m in her Guard. So, yes, “we.”’
He looked back out toward the trees of the park visible through the buildings. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Da said I should be my own Alpha. That he wished he had listened to Alexandra more when he was young. If I’m going to do that then I should at least meet her and make my own mind up.’
‘Yes,’ Ceri said, ‘you should.’ She almost jumped as he turned suddenly. Looking around, she saw Michael. He was waving at them to come over and she started off down the corridor. ‘We’re used to housing werewolves at my place,’ she added as they walked. ‘I’d be happy to put you and your people up when you come.’
‘Ceri,’ Michael said before Rhys could find an answer, ‘he wants to see you and Lily.’
Lily was looking nervous as they walked in. She was unsure why the old wolf had asked for her in particular. Catching Ceri’s hand as they went through the door, she held onto it fiercely as the couple approached the bed.
‘Bevan,’ Ceri said, smiling, ‘this is Lily Carpenter.’
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,’ Lily said. The tension in her hand came nowhere near her voice.
‘Bevan,’ the old man in the bed corrected. ‘By the Goddess, girl, I wish I’d met you a couple of years ago.’
Lily giggled, relaxing. ‘Thank you, Bevan. I think I’d have enjoyed that too.’
‘Michael tells me that you’re more of a trio than a couple,’ Bevan said. ‘It’s unconventional for wolves…’
‘We’re hardly even a conventional couple,’ Ceri countered.
‘No, no you’re not.’
‘And I met Lily long before I met Michael,’ Ceri added. ‘I consider myself lucky that my mate isn’t jealous of my girlfriend, but we worked at it. No one gets left out.’
‘And what do you think of all this, Lily?’
Lily smiled. ‘I’m a half-succubus, we’re fairly simple…’
‘So not,’ Ceri interrupted, getting an elbow in the ribs for her trouble.
‘We’re fairly simple,’ Lily continued. ‘Emotional, passionate. Michael said he loves me, that’s good enough for me.’ She giggled. ‘The sex is good too.’
Bevan’s laugh turned into a cough and Ceri stretched out her hand, stilling his diaphragm with a thought before he could hurt himself. ‘It seems to me that you’re both exceptional women,’ he said once his surprise had faded, ‘and my son’s a lucky man to have you. You’ve been good for him.’
‘He was doing well before he met us,’ Lily said. ‘Anita wouldn’t take just anyone into Alexandra’s Guard.
‘No, true,’ Bevan admitted. ‘Perhaps leaving the shadow of me and his brothers was good for him.’
‘Alexandra…’ Ceri began a little hesitantly, ‘…she considers him a possible successor when she dies.’ Bevan’s eyes widened. Lily actually gasped. ‘Don’t tell him,’ Ceri added quickly, ‘he’d freak.’
‘From what I’d heard, Anita was most likely to succeed her,’ Bevan said.
‘She the other most likely,’ Ceri agreed, ‘but she’s unmated and, um, Michael’s mated to a black-fur. I don’t think it’s the same, I mean, I’m only a wolf because of Luperca’s collar…’
‘Is that it?’ Bevan asked, lifting his hand slightly and not really pointing at the leather, silver-studded collar around Ceri’s throat.
‘Yes,’ Ceri said. ‘I don’t wear it all the time, but it seemed appropriate here.’
He nodded. ‘It’s an honour to see it. You two will look after my boy, won’t you? I wasn’t always the best of fathers, but…’
‘You did better than you think,’ Ceri said. ‘You gave him a strong base.’
‘It’s kind of you to say so.’
‘We’ll look after him,’ Lily said. ‘You don’t have to worry about that.’
Even though the tension had not been visible,
Bevan visibly relaxed. ‘I wish Rhys had found himself a mate by now. He shouldn’t be alone, but I can’t have everything, can I?’
‘Rhys will be okay,’ Ceri said. ‘I think I’ve persuaded him to come out to London to meet some of the other pack leaders. He’ll get some of that freedom he wants and still feel like he’s being responsible.’
‘You’re a smart woman,’ the old wolf said, grinning weakly. ‘I think I need a little rest now.’
‘We’ll see you later,’ Lily said and the two of them backed out, leaving the old man to close his eyes.
Rhys was still there. He was not standing particularly close to Michael, but the tension in his body at being around his half-brother was a lot less. Michael looked at Lily as soon as the door was closed, expectant and a little impatient. ‘Well? What did he want?’
Lily gave a soft giggle. ‘Me, initially.’ Michael’s eyes widened. ‘What? He’s sick, not dead. Once we’d got past that… Ceri’s right, he wants to die in the hills, running. A proper death, not sitting in a sterile hospital room.’
Rhys’ eyes were on Ceri. ‘And you could do that for him?’
Ceri glanced at him and then lowered her eyes. ‘Yes.’
‘We discussed it,’ Kai said.
‘Then discuss it some more,’ Ceri snapped. ‘If I do this, he won’t be coming back.’
‘If I’ve got to say goodbye to my father,’ Rhys said, ‘I’d rather do it the way he wants. We’re werewolves, Ceridwyn, we belong out there, in the hills.’
‘We should get the whole pack together,’ Kai said.
Michael nodded. ‘Agreed. We’ll need an ambulance to get him out of here, and the doctors will object.’
‘I can arrange that,’ Rhys said. ‘Carys works as an ambulance driver here and I can get it passed with the hospital authorities. Kai, could you help me ring around the pack?’ Kai nodded in reply.
‘Okay,’ Ceri said, ‘if you’re sure, we’ll do it tonight. The longer we wait the less time he’ll last when he’s changed. Let him rest… Then you can tell him what we’re going to do.’
Brecon Beacons
Ceri could not believe her eyes as she stepped out of the back of the ambulance. The stress of the journey, her own discomfort riding on top of the need to make sure Bevan was okay making for a bad mix, all that drained away at the sight of more werewolves in one place than she had ever seen. They were almost all greys though she spotted a few browns and, even more amazing, around ten blacks. As Rhys and Kai appeared from a nearby car, she realised that the pack had perhaps a dozen black-furs.
Lily stepped down behind her. ‘We need to get this going,’ she said.
Nodding, Ceri waved to the brothers. ‘Let’s get him out.’
Michael and Carys rounded the ambulance from the front and together the four werewolves manoeuvred Bevan out on his stretcher. Dropping the wheels, they half-rolled and half-manhandled their Alpha through a gate and into a field on the other side.
‘Ready?’ Ceri asked the old wolf as they came to a stop, surrounded by the huge horde of wolves.
‘I’ve never been so ready for anything in my life,’ Bevan replied.
Ceri nodded to Carys, who began disconnecting tubes and drips, and then turned away, taking a few steps from the stretcher before pulling her T-shirt off over her head. She paused, looking at Lily. The half-succubus was standing among the wolves with a sad expression, looking out of place; Lily never looked out of place. ‘What are you waiting for?’ Ceri asked her pet.
‘Well, I’ll see you off and…’
‘Bugger that,’ Ceri said. ‘Get your clothes off, you’re coming too.’
‘Too right,’ Kai said from the floor as he pulled his trousers off.
‘You were with Ceridwyn when she destroyed Remus,’ Rhys said. ‘It’d be an honour to have you with us.’
‘Oh,’ Lily said, not that she took any more convincing. Reaching down, she grabbed the hem of her dress and peeled it upward. As usual, there was nothing under it. Kicking off her shoes, she walked over to Ceri, supporting her as she stepped out of her jeans.
Bevan, laid on the stretcher and breathing a little raggedly now, slapped Michael on the arm with more strength than anyone expected. ‘You lucky son of a bitch,’ he said, his voice rasping.
‘Okay,’ Ceri said, ‘Lily first.’ She looked her demon in the eyes. ‘I’ll need to borrow from you, if that’s okay.’
Lily grinned. ‘You know it is.’
Stepping back slightly, but holding Lily’s hand, Ceri focussed her power. Drawing the energy through Lily left the residual thaumic charge in her instead of Ceri. It was that residual charge which limited Ceri’s power, so using Lily as a sink for the charge let her do more. Plus Lily got a buzz out of the magic being pulled through her. Using Lily’s Chakral Median as a guide, Ceri formed the energy pattern, allowed it to fill her friend, and released it. There was a shimmer, an instant of dual-form, and then Ceri was holding the hand of a beautiful, brown-furred she-wolf. Lily was unique in wolf form; her fur was brown, but a gorgeous chestnut brown, unlike the dull colours browns normally wore.
‘You make… a beautiful wolf,’ Bevan said. His breathing was becoming less steady. Ceri ignored it as she walked over to his stretcher.
‘She’s learned to understand some wolf from Michael and me,’ Ceri said, ‘but this is only the second time we’ve transformed her so she’s not used to speaking it. Don’t expect too many replies. All right, let’s get this started…’
She could have done it the simple, straightforward way. All she had to do was provide the power; Bevan’s natural abilities would do most of the work. Pump energy into his Chakral Muladhara node, allow it to propagate, and they would have instant werewolf. Somehow, though, Ceri felt this one needed words.
Raising her arms in supplication, she spoke. ‘Luperca, Goddess of Wolves, Mother, hear my plea.’ She heard a little gasp from behind her; it sounded like Tegan. ‘Bless us, your children, with your presence here this night. Grant your faithful warrior this one last night to run among his hills. Grant his people this last memory of their Alpha. Blessed Goddess, grant my wish.’
It was a little odd, but Ceri somehow felt the power she needed to work the spell came easier. Light flickered around her, flowing out from her body as the wolves around her gasped and hid their eyes. Reaching out toward Bevan, Ceri let the energy flow. Her Sight showed her the expanding field of thaumic energy surrounding him. It looked perfect; nothing was wrong with his ability to change, just his fitness to power it. The field collapsed, there was an instant when wolf-man and bed-ridden old man occupied the same space, and then Bevan was swinging his legs off the stretcher. Rising to his feet, he raised his muzzle and howled. A second later the other wolves, even Lily, were joining in.
Ceri reached up to touch her collar, invoking the spell which transformed her. The night was suddenly bright, the colours of the aurora in the sky standing out more, though dulled by the lack of the right sort of receptors in her eyes. The scent of country air filled her nostrils and the rush had her howling as well.
Bevan barked an order, Come! Suddenly the whole pack was running, dashing through the dark field toward the nearby hills. Ceri found Lily and Michael running beside her; Bevan, Rhys, and Kai were just ahead of them, a grey which Ceri suspected was Tegan was beside Kai. Around them, werewolves ran, jumped, howled at the night. They leapt over hedges, ran amongst trees. There were barks of glee from all sides as they ran ever upward.
Cresting the hill, they dropped immediately into the next valley, howling and yelping as they skittered down the slope. Ceri was running with her mate and her lover on either side of her, charging through the open country of South Wales amid a pack bigger than she had ever seen. She was ecstatic, exhilarated.
It lasted until they crested the next hill, perhaps five miles from where they had started. Bevan stopped and the pack faltered, gathering around him. Ceri found herself in the inner ring, Lily on one side and Michael on the othe
r with his two half-brothers beyond. The old Alpha looked around at his pack, and then turned to his sons, pride showing in his sparkling amber eyes. He raised his muzzle and howled exultantly. Around him, the wolves of the Brecon pack joined in and the howl rang out across the hills. When they looked back down, Bevan was lying on the rock-strewn grass.
Ceri could tell he was dead without going closer. The light was gone from his eyes and from the line of his Chakral Median. Rhys moved forward slowly, kneeling beside his father and closing his eyes. Then he raised his head again and his howl rang out, one soon becoming a hundred as the other wolves responded. This time, the howl was one of mourning.
August 26th
It took the pack almost until dawn to haul the wood and build the pyre on the hill where Bevan had fallen. They had been prepared for his death, but not for it to take place in the hills. Cars and trucks had carried the materials to the nearest road, and then they had worked all night to carry huge logs and bundles of straw and kindling up the hill.
Ceri and Lily had scavenged twigs and branches from the treed areas nearby and built a small fire near the construction site. The two of them, along with Tegan and Carys, had then supplied mugs of coffee and tea to the pack when they needed a break. No one said much; there was really nothing to say. The mood, however, was not miserable. Bevan had died as he wanted, and his pack could remember him like that instead of as a frail old man in a hospital bed.
Finally, Bevan’s three sons lifted his body into place atop the pyre, working together, reverently laying their father to rest. Climbing down, Rhys shifted to human as he walked toward the fire and the four women tending it.
Ceri lifted a branch she had been working on and offered it out to him. ‘I made a torch,’ she said. ‘You can light it in the fire and then light the pyre.’
Rhys smiled. ‘How are you two managing to stay warm this close to dawn?’ he said. It seemed a totally incongruous question, but Tegan and Carys were regularly shifting into fur to keep warm.
‘Lily’s half demon, she’s got internal heating,’ Ceri replied. ‘I’ve got the fire and magic.’
He nodded, looking strangely as relaxed as she had ever seen him. ‘Thank you for the torch, but we talked and we’d like you to send him on his way.’
Thaumatology 05 - Disturbia Page 11