Ceri opened her mouth to protest, but there was that look about his eyes. There was going to be no argument. She was being given a request by the new Alpha and it might not be her Alpha, but she knew Alexandra would have told her to accept the honour. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’d be honoured to.’
They walked out together to the pyre, Michael moving to Ceri’s side as they walked, and Lily coming up behind them. It was the simplest of elemental fire spells; Ceri could almost do it in her sleep, but again, it seemed like there should be more.
Ceri looked around for Tegan. The little folk singer had shifted back to human again and was standing beside Kai, her hand on his shoulder. The wolf-girl looked back at her, questioning, and Ceri said, ‘Sing.’
As Tegan’s soft, resonant voice lifted up into the pre-dawn sky, singing Goddess’ Gift, the song she had written with Kai and dedicated to Ceri, the sorceress focussed her will on the straw packed into the wooden frame in front of her. She reached out her hand. ‘Ennyn,’ she said softly. Flames flickered immediately in the dry straw, but she kept her focus, making sure the fire was well lit throughout.
The song drew to an end and the fire suddenly burst upward, engulfing the pyre in flames. The sun burst over the horizon a second later, the flames seeming to rise to meet the spark of light. For an instant, watching the rising column of flame, Ceri thought she saw something; standing in the fire there seemed to be the figure of a she-wolf, tall and powerful, and dressed in a white robe. Then it was gone.
Ceri blinked a tear out of her eye and turned to look at Tegan. ‘I think Luperca liked your song,’ she said softly.
And then they stood and watched the fire burn in silence.
Cardiff
‘Can we get one of these at home?’ Lily asked. The bathroom in the hotel suite came with a huge, sunken, hot tub-style bath and they were sitting in it washing away the sweat of the night before.
‘Where would we put it?’ Ceri replied. ‘There’s no way the bathroom is big enough. I doubt we could fit it in the dungeon, and there aren’t any utilities plumbed through to that room.’
Lily pouted. ‘We need a bigger house.’
‘I like my house!’ Ceri protested.
‘This is kind of nice,’ Michael said, interrupting the discourse. He was sitting between the two girls, an arm wrapped around each of their waists, and the last thing he wanted was to be argued across. ‘I’m enjoying the relaxation.’
‘Sorry,’ Ceri said. ‘It is relaxing.’ She looked around at her mate, her face serious. ‘Are you okay?’
The werewolf sat there for a second, apparently considering. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Y’know? Sad. But we made our peace finally. He said he was proud of me. And he meant it. I stood there at the fire and thought about him, and said goodbye. He’ll rest well after the send-off we gave him.’
‘Yeah,’ Ceri said, ‘I think…’ The phone rang. Ceri blinked and looked at the wall where the sound was coming from. There was a telephone in the bathroom?! ‘What the Hell?’ Grumbling, she climbed out of the tub and stepped across the tiled floor, dripping water as she went. ‘Yes,’ she snapped into the handset.
The voice on the other end sounded mildly irritated. ‘Ceri, it’s Kate. Carter gave us the number. You weren’t answering your mobile. What the Hell are you doing in Cardiff?’
‘Personal matter,’ Ceri said. The Greycoats did not need to know she had been attending a funeral.
‘You’re not following the case?’
‘What? No. Have you been smoking nightshade or something? Why would we be out here on that case?’
‘Okay,’ Kate said, her voice calming. ‘I’m sorry. The Chief heard you were there and put two and two together and it came out as nine.’
‘Kate, you’re not making sense. I’m standing in a hotel bathroom, stark naked and wet. I’m not that warm and there’s a hot tub waiting for me. Tell me what’s going on or I’m hanging up.’
‘Someone died yesterday night. A porn actor out there shooting a film, and it looks like he was forced off the road by something. Hit a wall at sixty. Thing is, no sign of any other vehicle, straight road, no reason for him to make the turn, and the brake lines were cut. And the road was way too narrow for him to be going that speed.’
Ceri frowned. ‘He was running from something.’
‘That’s what we figure.’ She paused. ‘Look, the local cops aren’t entirely happy for us to stick our noses in without more evidence, but they said they’d accept advisors… If you’ve finished what you were doing.’
Ceri glanced across at Lily and Michael. ‘Send the details to my mobile,’ she said. ‘We’ll see what we can do.’
Part Four: The Wages of Sin
Cardiff, Wales, August 26th, 2011
The headquarters building of the South Wales Police was located in the Cardiff Bay district, a modern building which Ceri thought looked a little like a castle, two wings extending from a tower section. Finding it was easy enough, getting in to see the detective Kate had said they should contact was harder. Ceri was not best pleased when she had to deal with red tape at the best of times, but now she was having to deal with it after cremating her mate’s father. Detective Inspector Dilan Hughes was lucky he did not get his head bitten off by the time they were finally showed through to his office.
He was a small, slightly plump man in his thirties and already going bald. The slight reddening of his bulbous nose suggested he drank more than he should. His eyes were a watery grey, and he had the irritated attitude and nicotine-stained fingers of a heavy smoker cooped up in a no-smoking office. On top of that, he did not seem pleased to meet them.
‘Look,’ he said, ‘I’ve been handed this case that looks like something anyone could deal with. I’ve got a ring selling illegal potions to locate and deal with. I’m the only detective dealing with supernatural crimes in the force. On top of that, I heard that the local werewolf Alpha died last night when some arsehole dragged him out of hospital, so they’ll be up in arms and there’s the succession to deal with. That’ll be rough. I don’t expect you to know much about werewolf pack behaviour, but it can take months and there’ll be violence. And now I have two “Special Advisors” down from London sticking their noses…’
He had not offered them a seat, but Ceri sat down anyway, the action bringing him up short, his eyes angry. ‘It’s your lucky day, Detective,’ Ceri said. ‘I’m the arsehole that dragged Bevan out of his hospital bed, at the request of him and his sons. We took him up to the Beacons and I gave him enough power to shift one last time, and then the whole pack ran with him, up into the hills until he dropped. And then we put him on a pyre and I lit it because Rhys asked me to. The succession will go through smoothly. No one’s going to contend it. Rhys is the new Alpha.’ She leaned forward in her seat and locked eyes with him across his desk. ‘I see you know nothing about your local werewolf pack, but I assure you they’re not the uncivilised dogs you seem to think they are.’
A noise a bit like a sneeze came from a corner of the room where a young man sat. Hughes glared at him. Ceri looked across to see a slim man with a narrow, reasonably attractive face. He looked no older than she was, probably a year or so younger. He had the grooming of someone who paid attention to his appearance; his hair was carefully and expensively cut, and his suit was probably not off the peg. He was trying hard not to grin.
Ceri ignored him for now and looked back at Hughes. ‘So, we were in town on personal business and Detective Chief Inspector Barry asked if we could come down to determine whether this death is related to the string of them in London.’
Expecting bluster, Ceri was a little surprised when Hughes just sagged. Ceri saw something shift under his shirt; a necklace chain? ‘Sergeant Croft, show these young ladies the case file on the car crash case,’ he said. ‘Use that spare office down the hall.’
Croft slipped out of his seat, circled around his desk grabbing a file folder off a pile, and waved for them to follow as he walked out through th
e door. ‘Sorry about Inspector Hughes,’ he said as they walked toward whichever of the offices they were going to use, ‘he really is that stressed. This alchemy ring has him running in circles, and they’re killing people. The last thing he needs is a supernatural murder to deal with.’ He looked back and grinned, his hand falling on a door handle. ‘He won’t thank you, but you probably put his mind to rest about the werewolves.’
Shrugging, Ceri followed him into a clearly disused office. For starters, the chairs were piled up in a corner so the cleaners had better access. Croft was gentleman enough to take down the chairs, putting them down around one of the desks before smiling and offering his hand. ‘Detective Sergeant Mark Croft,’ he said. ‘Pleased to meet you.’ There was no hint of a Welsh accent on this one.
His enthusiasm was a little infectious; Ceri cracked a grin and took his hand. ‘Ceridwyn Brent, this is Lily Carpenter.’ Lily took his offered hand, shaking it with a warm smile. Croft smiled back, but without the lascivious edge Ceri usually saw in younger men. Well, in any men faced with Lily, really.
Dropping the file down on the desk, he sat down and waited for them to do the same. ‘Take a look, if you wish. Basically, it’s all in there, but it comes down to the guy’s brakes were cut, he was speeding, he swerved and smacked into a wall. Dead on impact. Oh, the airbag failed to deploy as well. They’re checking, but they think it was tampered with.’
Ceri was flicking through the file and stopped, pulling out a photograph and passing it to Lily. As Lily looked at it and grimaced, Ceri checked the notes. ‘You’ve, uh, spotted something?’ Croft asked.
‘This cable wasn’t cut,’ Lily said.
‘Says so in the notes,’ Ceri said. ‘Right here… “No edged implement was used to sever the brake cables. Rather they appear to have been pulled apart through sheer stress.”’ She flicked further through and her finger landed on the page. ‘And this, “The nearside door shows signs of impact damage not consistent with the terminal collision. There were no signs of abrasion, or paint transfer.”’
‘He swerved because something slammed into the side of his car,’ Lily said, ‘without leaving a trace.’
‘And that links into these murders?’ Croft asked.
‘Two of the deaths in London involved considerable physical strength,’ Ceri said.
‘Pulling a werewolf’s head off isn’t easy,’ Lily added, ‘and the other one… well, it would’ve needed a lot of force.’
‘Who’s the victim?’ Ceri asked.
‘Harry Walls,’ Croft said, ‘aka Monty Balls.’ He managed to say it with such a straight face Ceri actually believed he did not find it funny. ‘He’s moderately well known in porn, been doing it for years.’
‘Straight and gay movies,’ Lily said. ‘He was best known for having a ten inch cock, thick too. Fairly okay guy, not too big an ego.’
‘You’re an aficionado?’
‘I used to work in the industry.’
‘So… have you met Walls?’
Lily grinned. ‘Oh yeah, you could say that.’
‘How was he?’ Ceri asked.
‘Big,’ Lily said, matter of factly.
‘You actually worked with him?’ Croft sounded a little awed.
‘And Suzie, though not as… closely.’
‘Suzie?’
‘Suzie Stacks,’ Ceri said. ‘One of the other victims.’
‘Oh,’ Croft said. He clearly did not know the name, which seemed odd if he knew the man. He glanced at his watch. ‘Look, it’s my lunch break in… two minutes and I only get forty minutes. Do you want anything? If you’re staying here a while, I should show you the locals.’
Ceri scratched at an eyebrow. ‘We were up all night, my body clock is way off. I could stand a drink though.’
‘Great, I’ll get my jacket.’ He was up and off before they could even move, though they were not really trying.
‘He really wants to take us out to lunch,’ Ceri said. ‘I thought he wasn’t interested.’
‘Yes,’ Lily said, ‘he really wants his lunch.’
‘Huh?’
‘I thought you’d noticed. He’s not interested in either of us,’ Lily said, ‘but he might be interested in Michael.’
~~~
‘So,’ Ceri said, ‘gay and English, and a South Wales cop?’
Croft grinned. ‘South Wales is the best place to be English and gay in Wales. Though you get the odd church goer who doesn’t like it.’
‘Being gay, or being English?’ Lily asked.
‘Hard to tell.’
‘Is that Hughes’ problem?’ Ceri asked. ‘I noticed a chain around his neck under his shirt.’
Croft blinked. ‘I see why they made you a Special Advisor. Yeah, it’s a cross. He goes to church twice a week. His mother was a witch, died when he was a kid. He’s got no talent for it, but I don’t think he’d work magic even if he did. He’s not very fond of the supernatural really.’
Ceri had to wonder why people with no liking for magic and supernatural creatures seemed to end up in the police working supernatural crime. ‘Where’s this film being made?’ she asked. ‘The one Walls was working on.’
‘Oh it’s…’ He paused as an attractive young man brought over their drinks, and then watched his retreating behind. Suddenly the choice of venue, a moderately pleasant wine bar on Mermaid Quay, made total sense. ‘Sorry,’ Croft went on. ‘They’re staying out at Wick. When I checked into it we’d had a couple of complaints from locals about, well, indecorous behaviour. Young women dressed in less clothing than some old woman with twelve cats thought was right, that kind of thing. There was some investigation, but all their licenses are up to date and while they’re filming outdoors they’re doing it on private land and the only people who could see anything would have to go out of their way to do so.’
He smiled, sitting back as the waiter brought over a plate of lasagne. It did smell good. ‘Best pasta in town if you’re looking for a meal out,’ Croft said, though Ceri was not sure if it was for their benefit or the waiter’s. The fact that the detective did seem to savour his first bite suggested he was not lying at least.
‘When there was a suggestion from Greycoat Street that this was linked to supernatural crimes, it got passed straight to us,’ Croft went on. ‘Boss was not best pleased, as you can imagine. We haven’t been able to get out to interview the film crew yet.’ His face soured. ‘We got a small break in the alchemy case yesterday afternoon and we’re trying our damndest to make something of it.’ He took another bit of lasagne, chewed, and swallowed before continuing. ‘To be honest, I think if you can take this murder off our hands the boss’ll be thankful.’
‘Are we actually allowed to do that?’ Lily asked Ceri.
‘I think, technically, we’d have to be invited in by someone. Barry could arrange it, I guess.’
‘Will you need anyone to show you around?’ Croft asked.
‘No,’ Ceri replied. ‘We have that covered. My mate’s a local boy. Well, he left a few years ago, but he’s ex-Brecon pack.’
‘You have a werewolf mate?’
‘It’s… a long story,’ Ceri said, not wanting to go through it all again.
Croft frowned slightly. ‘I figured you two were… well, together.’
‘We are,’ Lily said, ‘and we’re also with Michael. Ceri tends to think it’s complicated, but that’s because she’s human.’ Her grin showed her fangs.
Croft blinked. ‘And you are?’
Lily sipped her wine. ‘Half-succubus.’
‘Don’t tell Hughes,’ Ceri suggested. ‘He looks stressed enough.’
‘I’ll, uh… I don’t think he needs to know, no.’ Croft ate a few more forkfuls of lasagne. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I guess that explains why an ex-porn actress is working for the Met.’
~~~
It was as they were walking back to the station that Ceri spotted the four men who seemed to be paying them more attention than she liked. They looked like thugs. They look
ed like thugs who were spending too much time watching the three figures as they walked through the bay.
‘Lily?’ she said softly.
‘I see them,’ the half-succubus replied.
‘See who?’ Croft asked, but at that point it became obvious.
‘What’s a pansy like you doin’ with a couple o’ birds like this?’ The speaker was well over six feet in height, and probably the same around the chest. He was not local; Ceri could tell from the accent.
Croft was apparently not unused to this kind of behaviour. ‘Settle down and just leave us be, okay,’ he said, his tone resigned but conciliatory.
‘Oh, I don’t think so. You’ve been puttin’ your nose where it doesn’t belong. So we’re gonna fix it so you can’t, and then we’re gonna have some fun with your girlfriends.’ The bruiser’s friends had formed a circle around them. Five against three, hardly fair odds. They just did not realise they were outnumbered.
‘I’ll give you fair warning,’ Ceri said. ‘Leave now and you won’t be humiliated and arrested.’
‘Right,’ the lead thug said, ‘what are you gonna do to us?’
‘Me? Nothing. Lily…’ Ceri’s hand moved, but not to cast a spell. She covered Croft’s eyes without warning and he let out a startled cry. Lily’s eyes shone red and five men crumpled to the floor, writhing in ecstasy. ‘I’m going to uncover your eyes,’ Ceri said. ‘Don’t look at Lily.’
‘Uh, okay.’ Ceri uncovered the man’s eyes, which he kept on Ceri. ‘What happened to them?’
‘I did say they’d be humiliated and arrested,’ Ceri said. ‘Could you arrange the second part?’
‘This one,’ Lily said, kicking the one nearest her with her toe, ‘he wants a drug, something alchemical.’ Croft almost turned to look, stopped by Ceri grabbing his face in both hands.
‘Radio,’ Ceri said. ‘Backup. You may have another break in your alchemy case.’
Wick
By the time they had given statements, arranged with London and Cardiff that they could investigate Walls’ death, got a hire car from a place Carter recommended, and driven down the coast to the village of Wick, it was starting to get dark.
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