As Billi lay down on her belly, Elaine cut the back off of Billi’s jacket and began mopping up the blood.
“You’re lucky. It was a young wolf. You can tell by the tears: neat and clean,” said Elaine. “Older werewolves have jagged claws. Bugger to stitch up.”
“Strange, I don’t feel lucky.”
“Well, you are. In more ways than one. The lycanthropy infection is much stronger in older wolves, and takes hold almost immediately. This one”-she poked a raw bit of skin, and Billi winced-“is barely an adult. You probably aren’t infected anyway.”
“Let’s be sure, shall we?”
Elaine wiped the wound clean. “You’ll end up with more scars than your dad.”
“As long as they’re not on my face, I don’t care.”
“Just lie still.”
Billi shifted around, but Elaine, her hands much stronger than her physique implied, held Billi down firmly on the cold mattress.
Billi couldn’t stop thinking about Pelleas. Another Templar gone. Her dad had warned her that the Bataille Tenebreuse, the Templars’ war against the Unholy, took its toll. But the price was heavy. Her godfather Percy; Berrant; Father Balin; now Pelleas. Billi closed her eyes, but their faces were there. She could see them in the mists of the gray shores. But one stood out, closest to her.
Kay.
She could picture the white-blond hair, the albino-pale skin, the secret smile he used to have, like he knew all the answers. They’d grown up and trained side by side. They’d made plans to leave the Templars and be like normal people-to be together. It had been a lie, of course. There was only one way out of the Templars.
Kay would welcome Pelleas now.
“Pelleas?” asked Elaine.
“There was nothing I could do. There were two of them.” Billi waited for a response, but Elaine stayed quiet. Her fingers dug into Billi’s muscles, and Billi gritted her teeth, feeling the blood seeping down her back.
“Saved that girl, though,” said Elaine. She pulled out a box and opened it. The van was suddenly filled with the odor of rotten vegetables and oil.
“They wanted her badly,” Billi said. “Think she could be one?”
Elaine paused. “An Oracle?” She pressed a wet flannel over Billi’s cuts. “Maybe.” Elaine used the Templar term too, but they used to be called
Billi winced as Elaine got busy with a pair of silver tweezers, not too gently poking the open wounds to check that no claw shards remained. She tightened her hands into fists and buried her face farther down.
Elaine laid the wet poultice on Billi’s bare back, pressing it firmly into the channels of flesh, making sure the medicine soaked in deeply.
“It stinks,” said Billi.
“This, girl, is my own special recipe. Wolfsbane, a dash of holy oil, and ground-up werewolf bones. You know how hard it is to get werewolf bones? How much it costs?”
“Bet it cost some loony an arm or a leg.”
Elaine laughed. “Too true. An arm, in this case.”
“How long do I have to keep it on?”
“It takes a while for the herbs to soak in. So keep it on for a few days-long enough to suck the poison out. You don’t want to turn, do you?”
As if she didn’t know. Billi had spent the last few months studying nothing but lycanthropy. Anyone could turn into a werewolf if they were scratched or bitten by one. Everyone had the Beast Within. It was the savage part of their soul that reveled in slaughter and violence. It was bloodlust.
If injured by a werewolf, the Beast Within would awaken. First there’d be the dreams-of hunting, of running in dark forests and howling. Then the appetite would change-there’d be a craving for raw meat and red juices. The redder the better. Rage would come. Mindless and psychotic urges to kill and feed. Giving in to it accelerated the transformation process. So for some the change was swift; others-those with strong wills-held on to their humanity longer.
Eventually, though, everyone gave in, and a new werewolf would howl with joy beneath the moon’s ghostly light. Nothing human would remain except for the eyes. The eyes stayed human. Only Elaine’s poultice prevented the infection from taking hold. It had saved more than a few knights in the past.
“You…don’t think that’ll happen? Do you?”
Elaine tore off long strips of tape. “No, but call me if you have any strange urges.”
“Like what?”
“Like wanting to chase cats.”
Once the bandages were fixed, Elaine handed Billi a fresh shirt and unrolled a blanket. She stepped out for a cigarette break while Billi changed. Billi glanced at her watch: two in the morning. With any luck she’d get four hours’ sleep, then up for morning prayers and off to school.
Just great. PE tomorrow. How was she going to explain why she looked like Tutankhamen? The immense weight of tonight’s action bore down on her hard, squeezing her into the mattress. It seemed like her bones were made of lead; she couldn’t move for the exhaustion. Just a few hours’ sleep…
“Well?” came Elaine’s voice from outside.
“Too late,” said Arthur wearily. “Pelleas is dead.”
Even though she’d known it, it still hurt. Billi closed her eyes and tried to ignore the black hole in her stomach.
Arthur continued. “We’ll grab what we can, then get out of here. A bloody balls-up, Elaine. Maybe I shouldn’t have sent Billi out so soon.” He shuffled. “How is she?”
Billi heard the sharp rip of a match, swiftly followed by Elaine’s wheezing. They were just outside. The van softly tilted as someone, Dad probably, leaned against it.
“She’ll be okay.”
“Will she?” Billi heard him kick a stone in frustration. “She’s changed, Elaine.”
Billi’s eyes felt hot and watery. She blamed it on the wolfsbane poultices.
He sighed. “It’s been three months, but, if anything, she’s worse.”
“She loved Kay. You of all people should understand that.”
“But she’s just a child.”
“Sixteen in a few months,” Elaine said. “She’s young, Art, but I don’t think she’s ever been a child. Kay died, and she thinks it was her fault. She’s taken on a lot of responsibility.”
“She’s a Templar.” Elaine changed the subject. “What about the girl? Think she could be one?”
“An Oracle? Lot of effort’s been put in if she isn’t.” Arthur tapped his sword hilt against the van. “Werewolves aren’t usually wrong about this sort of thing. They did the same with Kay, remember? The Bodmin pack came looking soon after we found him.” The van rocked slightly as Arthur moved. “But they’ve stuck to the accord ever since.”
“Ever since you chopped their leader’s arm off.”
“Right.”
“And if she is an Oracle?” asked Elaine. Billi could hear the fear-and excitement-in the old woman’s voice.
“Then thank God we got to her first.” Arthur’s boots squelched in the slush as he walked away.
4
BILLI SLEPT IN THE VAN AND ONLY STARTED TO STIR when the tires trundled over the cobbles of Temple District.
