that moment, furious yells erupted from the private chamber beyond. The Mistress of the Werewolves was shouting, and so was the Thane. Their voices were clearly audible as they insulted each other. Dominil looked at Doctor Angus.
“How long has this been going on?”
“Ever since the birth.”
Dominil nodded. No wonder the celebrations had been muted. The Thane and his wife had been on bad terms for some time; the werewolves in Castle MacRinnalch had come to dread their violent arguments, and they tried to avoid them whenever possible. She made to enter the chamber. Angus put a hand out to restrain her.
“You should wait.”
“I came to see the baby,” she said, removing his hand. She slipped through the great wooden door into Verasa’s private chamber. Inside, Verasa was sitting on the edge of her bed, half shouting and half growling at her husband. Neither werewolf took any notice of Dominil. She stared at them without expression for a second, then walked into the small room next door. Behind her the argument intensified.
The room, like Verasa’s chamber, was not as warm as the rooms outside. The Mistress of the Werewolves’s private chambers were large but not particularly luxurious. There was a small, old cot in the center of the room. Dominil looked in the cot and there was Kalix, a werewolf baby, tucked up under a green tartan blanket. It was indeed an unusual sight. A tiny little werewolf, only an hour old. She had thick dark fur, which made it difficult to make out her features. Dominil studied the baby objectively. She wondered, in her inquiring manner, if the unusual birth might have any long-term effects.
Dominil could still hear the thunderous argument going on in the next chamber. She looked down at the tiny werewolf, who twitched in her cot and whimpered a little.
“Welcome to the MacRinnalch Clan,” she said.
Moonglow considered organizing a surprise party for Kalix’s eighteenth birthday; Daniel persuaded her against it.
“Kalix doesn’t like surprises,” he pointed out. “We’re liable to end up with an angry werewolf looking for someone to bite.”
“Kalix has never bitten us!” protested Moonglow.
“She once knocked you across the room. You know she has a violent temper.”
“Her temper’s not as bad these days,” said Moonglow. “But I suppose you’re right. The surprise might upset her. We’ll give her plenty of warning so she can get used to the idea.”
As far as Daniel and Moonglow could gather, Kalix had never had any sort of birthday party before.
“It’s a pity her eighteenth birthday’s actually on the full moon,” said Moonglow. “She’ll have to make the change. So we can’t invite anyone who doesn’t already know she’s a werewolf.”
“I don’t think she has any other friends anyway,” said Daniel.
Moonglow looked slightly troubled. “I hoped she might make a few friends at college, but she doesn’t seem to want to.”
“Unlike Vex,” said Daniel. “She makes friends with everyone.”
Agrivex, the fourth occupant of the small flat in South London, attended the same remedial college as Kalix, who had never learned to read or write properly. Since meeting Daniel and Moonglow, the young werewolf’s skills had gradually improved. Vex’s literacy and numeracy were not that impressive either, but she had the excuse of English not being her first language. Vex was a Fire Elemental and had been born in a different dimension.
“Does Vex have a birthday?” asked Moonglow.
Neither of them knew. All matters of dates and times seemed confusing when transferred from one dimension to another.
“So if we can’t have anyone human here for the party, who can we ask?”
They wondered about it, sitting at their table in the living room. It was a small flat, and very old, built above a small shop in Kennington that had been boarded up since they’d arrived. The walls were painted a dull cream, through which the pattern of some ancient wallpaper showed, and the carpet was faded brown and threadbare, much like the couch. Despite the dilapidation of the flat, it was comfortable and warm, and even cheerful, due to the assortment of pictures, ornaments, flowers and candles Moonglow had distributed around the rooms.
They waited for their tea to brew. Moonglow was fastidious about her tea-making, and regularly produced a well-set-out tray containing a teapot, black china cups, a sugar bowl and a small silver milk jug. The tea had to be left for several minutes to brew properly, and Moonglow would chide anyone who tried to pour it too quickly.
“What about Decembrius? Should we ask him?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Are they still going out with each other?”
“Were they ever really going out?”
Decembrius, another member of the MacRinnalch werewolf clan, had certainly been keen on Kalix. They’d slept together on at least one occasion, as far as Moonglow knew. After that, they seemed to have spent most of their time arguing, sometimes violently.
“What about Thrix?” suggested Moonglow.
Daniel shuddered. His dark, floppy hair fell over his face, as it did when he was troubled or nervous.
“I don’t like Thrix.”
Moonglow didn’t much like Kalix’s older sister either. Thrix MacRinnalch was a very notable werewolf but not a very congenial one. Thrix, often referred to as the Enchantress, was a powerful user of magic. That was unusual for a werewolf. Her sorcery wasn’t her only notable attribute. She was a successful businesswoman, running her own fashion house in London. She was also the only blonde werewolf in the clan, and vain about it. Moonglow and Daniel both thought that she could have been more helpful toward Kalix in the past. Unfortunately, Kalix and Thrix had a history of ill feeling, and relations between them were now worse than ever.
“I’m sure Kalix wouldn’t want to have Thrix at her birthday party.”
“Well, on the subject of hostile, unfriendly werewolves, what about Dominil?” suggested Daniel.
That did seem more promising. Daniel’s description of Kalix’s cousin Dominil was accurate enough—to most people, she was hostile and unfriendly—but Kalix seemed to like her, or at least respect her.
“I think she gets on reasonably well with Kalix. We should ask her. And the twins too. I’m sure they’re always up for a party.”
Kalix’s cousins Butix and Delix, twin sister werewolves, were older than Kalix by a few years. They lived a riotous lifestyle in Camden in the north of the city, playing in their own band.
“That’s probably enough,” said Moonglow. “Vex, the twins and Dominil are enough to create chaos anywhere.” She paused. “But it doesn’t include any boys. Can you have an eighteenth birthday party without any boys?”
At that moment the door banged downstairs and they heard the sound of heavy boots on the uncarpeted stairwell that led from the street up to their flat. Vex and Kalix trudged into the room carrying heavy orange plastic bags full of shopping.
“I have totally done my bit of the quota!” yelled Vex, and seemed delighted about it.
Some months ago, the household had threatened to descend into chaos because of unpaid bills. Moonglow, offended by this, had efficiently marshaled the previously disorganized resources of Daniel, Kalix and Vex, organizing a schedule to pay off their debts. They’d all worked through the summer, stacking shelves at a local supermarket, earning enough money to ease their financial crisis. Emboldened by her success, Moonglow had then organized them into a schedule of housecleaning and shopping. Given