Page 61 of Skulk of Foxes
‘Down, boy,’ I said.
I was too late. Either Monroe’s wolf form wasn’t as sentient as he liked to pretend or he didn’t hear me. Either way, he launched himself at Rubus, his large jaws clamping down on his arm.
Monroe’s action gave the other wolves the excuse they needed. Half of them peeled off towards the Fey at one end of the street and half peeled off towards those at the other end. The scene exploded – fur, blood, snarls, calls … and more arsebadgering magic.
Rubus raised his free hand and muttered something under his breath at Monroe. A bolt of green magic flew towards him and smacked him on the muzzle. The werewolf instantly let go. I tried not to feel too satisfied at the blood staining Monroe’s muzzle and the trickle of blood dripping from Rubus’s arm and splattering onto the tarmac below.
The Fey was in more pain than he was letting on. ‘You’ll pay for that,’ he snarled.
From both ends of the street there were howls and screams. It was impossible to tell who was winning, Rubus’s Fey or Monroe’s wolves. There was nothing I could do to help them, not with the sphere stuffed into my bra and everything to play for.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the wolves guarding Charley’s door straining at the bit to join the fray. And it wasn’t just Charley’s house we had to worry about; up and down the street, nervous faces peeked out of windows. I suppose it wasn’t every day that gang warfare suddenly erupted, not when the going price for these houses had to be upwards of half a million pounds. I sucked on my bottom lip. We had to find a way to calm things down.
‘You’re never going to stop, are you, Rubus?’ I said eventually. ‘We’re never going to win.’
‘Finally, you’re getting it.’ He nodded. Blood continued to drip onto the road but it looked as if the wound were already healing. Arsebadgering faery skills.
I looked at Morgan. ‘I’m tired,’ I said. ‘Let’s just hand over the sphere and get on with it. We might as well yield to the inevitable.’
Rubus let out a crow of laughter. ‘She’s got you there, brother. I’m never going to quit. I’m going to take our people home no matter what happens.’
I couldn’t tell whether Morgan believed me or not. His eyes scanned my face as he tried to work out what I was thinking. ‘We can’t give up, Maddy. Not with the wolves on our side. At least now we have a fighting chance.’
Fighting chance was right. This street was already soaked in blood and the fight had barely begun. I wasn’t convinced there would be any wolves left after this bout. Or any faeries.
‘We’ve run out of options, Morgan,’ I told him. ‘This is already a bloodbath.’ I drew in a breath and met Rubus’s eyes. ‘We’ve taken the sphere to a bank and dropped it in a safety deposit box.’
Rubus sighed deeply. ‘Oh, Madrona, just when I thought you were starting to see the light. The banks – and the shops – have been shut for the last two days. You must think I’m a complete idiot. Tell me where my sphere really is and I might be tempted to let you go.’
‘The pink elephant took it. Snapped it right up with its pretty pink trunk and inhaled it.’
Rubus tutted.
‘No? We dropped it in the ocean. It sank to the deepest, darkest part. It’s swimming with the fishes now.’
He crossed his arms.
‘We gave it to an astronaut.’ I pointed up to the sky. ‘It’s closer to the moon than it is to us right now.’
‘I’m getting really fucking tired of this,’ Rubus snapped. ‘Just hand it over.’ He paused, a light dawning in his eyes. ‘You’re stalling for time. Why?’
‘Maybe,’ Morgan said, stepping in, ‘you should wait and find out.’
Rubus lunged towards him but yet again Monroe leapt forward and knocked him backwards. Rubus fought back, blasting more magic towards the werewolf, but Monroe avoided the worst of it. I winced, though, when he caught a bolt on his hindquarters.
Rubus raised his arm. From the left hand side of the street, a single Fey peeled off. He wove in and out of the fighting and strolled towards us. I squinted, then my heart sank. Carduus. That was all we needed.
‘Find it!’ Rubus roared. ‘Find my sphere!’
Carduus reached into his pocket and drew out a small glass bottle. He uncorked it and sniffed the contents, a smug expression on his face. As he did so, Charley’s door opened and DI Mulroney appeared.
‘You will stop this at once!’ he bellowed from behind the wall of wolves that was guarding him. ‘I am the police and I order you to stop!’
DC Jones and Charley appeared behind him. Rubus, unperturbed by the interruption, flicked out a hand and sent yet a bolt of destructive magic towards them. Charley only just yanked Mulroney back in time.
Rubus wheeled round, pointing his finger in an arc around us. Within moments a barrier of fire surrounded him, Morgan and me. Flames were licking at us. Rubus had trapped us inside the circle of flames with him. And Carduus was almost here too.
Monroe had rolled away and escaped the ring of fire. I flung my hands out in the direction of the Fey scientist and screeched at Monroe. ‘Get him!’
