The next day, Lane and David led their horses to walk alongside the four werewolves. They reached the city of Mannin around noon. All the werewolves were growing visibly nervous when the gates came into view, and Lane had to admit, she wasn’t sure about this, either. The guards stared at them as they approached the gate, and two of them stepped forward, halberds raised as if to stop them. Staring at Morgulon.

“Let them pass,” their sergeant ordered calmly, and saluted David.

Morgulon, Jody, Mia, and Charles moved a little faster, as they passed the guards. Lane couldn’t blame them, she felt uncomfortable herself under the men’s scrutiny. Clearly, not all of them were happy about the order.

Civilians entering the city with them stared, too, and a hush surrounded them, with a whisper trailing after them along the high street. Yet nothing was thrown at them, nobody even so much as raised their voice, until they passed a coffeehouse. A group of ladies, all of them obviously well-to-do, in fashionable dresses, hats, and prim white gloves, started clapping when Morgulon walked past their table.

David lifted his hat to them, which made some other people watching the scene whistle. After this, more people followed them – or were less inconspicuous about it – until they were leading their own little parade to the large square where the circus performed.

The petite tight-rope walker was waiting for them, leaning against the wall of the booth next to the big guy selling the tickets. They both stared, like everyone else, when they saw Morgulon. The tight-rope walker caught herself fast.

“I was wondering if you guys would actually show up,” she said

Morgulon wasn’t paying attention to either of them, nor to the crowd that was gathering quickly. She was staring at the big circus tent, and even her wolf-face couldn’t hide the emotions. Wonder and longing. Remembrance.

Lane paid for the tickets, while David found someone to take care of their horses for the duration of the show. Every last seat was packed by the time it started, and quite a few people were clearly more interested in watching Morgulon than the performers. If Morgulon noticed, she gave no sign of it. Her eyes were glued to the arena. Lane thought she could see tears in them a couple of times.

After the show, Eyal and much of his crew were waiting in front of the circus for them. Jody, Mia, and Charles visibly relaxed at the sight of them. Morgulon hardly seemed to notice her surroundings, still lost in thought. Lane kept at her side as they followed Eyal and his men to where they were staying, a rather cheap hotel attached to a large public house.

They still needed to talk about finding elder werewolves.

The group gathered at the pub. The taproom was just barely large enough for Eyal’s crew and the werewolves, which meant all the curious onlookers had to stay outside. Morgulon settled down at the very back. Jody and Mia sat down at the table right next to her.

“You didn’t come here just so we could see the circus, right?” Jody asked, when David and Lane pulled up chairs, too.

“We do have to ask some more questions of Morgulon, yes,” Lane said.

“Right,” Jody sighed. “Let’s get it over with.”

“Thank you,” David said. “Can we get you some dinner?”

Jody grinned wryly at that. “You’re always welcome to pay for our food, sure.”

So David waved a waitress over. The woman barely hesitated to walk up to the table Morgulon had hidden behind, but kept glancing over while she took their order.

Lane was a little surprised that nobody had asked about how Morgulon was still a wolf, despite the moon phase. She could just imagine all the questions that small professor, Audenne, would ask if he could see this.

“How did your mother hide herself, Morgulon, while she couldn’t turn human?” David asked once the waitress was out of earshot.

“She performed with the circus,” Jody relayed. “As the main attraction. Like the lion tamer’s show we saw, but with a werewolf instead of a lion?” Jody frowned and watched Morgulon intently, as if she couldn’t quite believe it herself. “Morgulon says, back then the ban on captured werewolves was rarely enforced.”

“Right,” David said. “I keep forgetting that the previous High Inquisitors didn’t care. Lane said it’s possible that Greg is the father,” he continued. “Is that true?”

Morgulon shrugged.

“It was full moon,” Jody explained. “Even she can’t be sure – what exactly happened. But if – if the timing is what she thinks it is, then yes. Your brother is one of the possibly fathers.”

David massaged his forehead with one hand. “Great. That – I suppose their human form will tell?”

“Most likely, yes,” Jody said.

Lane still had trouble getting to terms with all this. Not knowing for sure who the father was, that was one thing. But not even remembering...?

Lane bit her lips. She had asked this before, but she was really curious: “Did you – want this to happen, Morgulon?”

Morgulon nodded. There was no hesitation this time.

“It couldn’t have happened, otherwise,” Mia said quietly. “There’s no one old enough to – to force himself on her.”

“Not even on full moon?” David asked. “Greg said, when mad werewolves fight, only physical strength counts?”

“Full moon isn’t the same as actual madness,” Jody said. “I mean, yes, if a truly mad werewolf came along, they could – could do bad stuff even to her.”

“So you decided this is a good time to have children?” Lane asked, trying not to sound judgmental, and not quite succeeding.

“It’s the first time there’s any hope at all, is there?” Jody pointed out.

Lane opened her mouth and closed it again. That wasn’t wholly stupid. There was certainly more hope for a – litter? – of young werewolves now than a year ago. And she still wasn’t sure how old Morgulon was. Somewhere in her thirties? Late thirties?

And yet... There was a war coming. They still needed to deal with the Rot. Needed Morgulon to deal with the Rot, really. Would she still be willing and able to fight once the young were born?

Stolen novel; please report.

“What about you and Mia?” David interrupted Lane’s thoughts. “Is - rape - an issue we should be aware of, especially on full moon, if you ever need to work in the same area as let’s say Calder’s crew?”

Jody and Mia looked at each other, clearly uncertain.

“I don’t know,” Jody said after a moment. “I know that mad werewolves can do bad things to us. I’ve never heard of anything like rape from a sane one, but I’ve been a werewolf for five years now – so usually, I’m the oldest one around, and don’t have to worry about any males, anyway.”

Morgulon rumbled softly, and they all looked at her.

“Morgulon isn’t perfectly sure, either,” Jody said after a moment. “But she thinks it won’t be an issue as long as there’s a decent pack leader around who won’t stand for anything like that. And she'd like to make it clear that she didn't force any of the males into this, either.”

“So, something to keep in mind for the future, but probably not an issue we’ll need to deal with immediately,” David concluded. “Anyway, what we actually wanted to ask, Morgulon: Is there anything we can do for you? Jody suggested finding a doctor, possibly a veterinarian. There is one, working for Desmarais, who treated two boys after they got bitten. Would you like me to send a message?”

“She’s more worried about the children after they’re born,” Jody reported. “She says some of them might not spend much time in their wolf-form.”

“Like Greg?” David asked.

Jody nodded. “She says her younger brothers were like that – almost always human. And her mother, too.”

Morgulon shifted her weight.

“She’s worried about the winter,” Mia said.

“The winter?” Lane repeated. “Right, of course you are.”

Not about the war, not about the Rot. Morgulon was worried about the winter.

David ran his fingers through the tight braids on his head. “Can you tell us where we can find more elder werewolves?” he got down to the point they really needed to talk about. “Because if we had another elder to take your place here, you could just come to Courtenay with us. Mother would help take care of the young, no matter what shape. And you, too,” he added. “She’s gone through half a dozen pregnancies of her own, she knows what it’s like.”

Morgulon thought about it.

“Courtenay?” Mia asked after a moment.

“It’s the name of father’s barony,” David explained. “Lots of forest, a few villages and farms. Mother likes to stay at Heron Hall, our residence there. She had the old ice-house made safe for Greg to transform in during full moon.”

Morgulon looked away when the waitress finally brought the food they had ordered. Morgulon hadn’t wanted anything earlier, but when the waitress offered her a large piece of beef’s bone, she didn’t refuse, either.

“Can you tell us where we can find more elder werewolves?” Lane finally asked again, when Jody’s and Mia’s plates were almost empty.

Morgulon shook her head. Lane wanted to protest, but Jody and Mia were staring intently at the elder she-wolf, so she kept quiet.

“You can’t,” Jody eventually reported, frowning. “No human can. Morgulon thinks that Mia and I can’t, either. She’s not being real clear why. I’m sure I could find them?”

But Morgulon shook her head again.

Jody did not look happy. “You think he’ll be better able to convince them? He’s only a year old! Well, if that isn’t the point, then what is?”

“She wants your brother Greg to go,” Mia explained before Lane or David could ask.

“I can take care of myself, thanks a lot,” Jody grumbled after a moment. “Better than he can, I bet. Has he ever even fought as a wolf?”

“What’s the issue?” David wanted to know. “The Rot? I agree with Jody, maybe then we should send someone older?”

Morgulon shook her head vigorously.

“The Rot’s not a problem,” Mia translated. “Not the problem.” Morgulon looked at David directly for the first time, and Mia just said: “Fear.”

“And you think they’ll be less scared of Greg than of me?” Jody asked.

Morgulon shook her head, paused, nodded.

David didn’t look happy, but like Lane, he looked to Jody and Mia for more explanation.

“If they’re that scared, do you think they’ll be willing to help?” Lane asked when none came.

Morgulon shrugged.

“Convince them,” Mia said, and ducked her head. “That’s all she’s saying.”

“Can you give us maybe some advice on how, Morgulon?” David asked.

“Greg,” Mia sighed.

“Yes, but I mean, is there anything we can do to help?” David tried again.

This time it was Mia who glared at Morgulon. “I can’t say that”, she complained.

When Lane and David looked at her expectantly, she grimaced. “She just said ‘be worth it’.”

“We’ll try,” David said dryly.

“Will you promise?” Mia continued.

“Promise what? To be worth it?” David asked, raising his eyebrows.

Mia looked at Morgulon, who seemed to think about it. “Safety.”

David pressed his lips together. “I can’t promise you that,” he said after a moment. “If we lose, there won’t be any safety anywhere on Loegrion. If the Valoise didn’t know before, they do now that you guys can defeat the Rot. They might decide to use captured and enslaved werewolves to drive it out themselves if we lose. And hunt down the rest of you.”

“Promise the duke won’t sell us out once the war is over.”

David smiled tiredly. “I can only promise you that if he does, I’ll do everything I can to make him regret it.”

Morgulon huffed, looking frustrated at Mia. After a moment, the younger werewolf held out her right hand.

David blinked in surprise, but he grasped it firmly. He considered for a moment and then said: “You have my word that I will do everything in my power to protect not only Greg, but all the werewolves of Loegrion. But I really don’t know how much good that’ll do.”

Morgulon sat up when they shook and gently rested her jaw on the clasped hands.

“Morgulon reckons you have power,” Jody said, still looking a little miffed about Morgulon’s decision to send Greg.

“I have very little power in this, Morgulon,” David disagreed. “Baron is not that high a noble rank.”

“Not that,” Jody said. Morgulon grinned a wolfish grin, as she pulled back. Jody blinked, and then she grinned, too, though rather surprised. “Is the duke really in love with you?”

David leaned away from them. “How do you know that?”

But Jody only smiled. “Morgulon thinks you should stay close,” she said instead of explaining. “He will heed you.”

“Did you and Morgulon talk about – about George Louis and me?” David asked the next morning at breakfast at their hotel.

Lane shook her head. “No, I don’t think I told her much about George Louis at all. Morgulon did say that – that lust is a strong smell. That she could smell it when my father was – wanting her. Maybe she – sniffed it out after she defeated the Rot monster in Deva.”

David didn’t look happy. “Even if he wants me that much – she overestimates how much influence I have on him.”

“Possibly,” Lane said.

David frowned at her. “You think she’s right? That I should, I don’t know, hang around Eoforwic more?”

Lane pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I think it couldn’t hurt,” she said. “I don’t know what Morgulon knows or how. And yet... She knew I wouldn’t kill her in the mountains when she saved my life.”

“Hardly the same,” David objected. “You would have died, too, if you had.”

“True,” Lane said. “I would have. Still, for someone who hardly spends any time with humans, that was a pretty astute prediction of human nature, wasn’t it?”

“Or just plain luck,” David replied.

“Or that,” Lane admitted. “I don’t know.”

“We need to send a message to Greg,” David changed the topic. “I don’t really like sending him after what Jody said, but I don’t see any other way.”

“Morgulon will want to leave the city today, anyway,” Lane said. “We can ride out with her, and then go straight back to First Camp, let Greg know. I’m curious to see his face when he hears that he might be a father.”

David looked down onto his plate at those words.

“What?” Lane asked. “You’re aren’t going to tell him?”

“You really think he’s a possible father?” David gave back. “Morgulon told us that any transformation might mean a miscarriage. Considering her demonstration for Audenne, don’t you think it’s more likely this happened after she was back from Deva? Wouldn’t that mean that Greg was already at First Camp when it – well, started?”

Lane shook her head. “That can’t be true, David. Morgulon started building her nest right after her return. She must have already known she was pregnant then. I guess she was just lucky.”

David ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll write to Desmarais that we need his veterinarian here,” he decided. “Once we have a better idea of the timing, I’ll let Greg know. There’s no point in freaking him out and possibly ruining his and Thoko’s relationship if it turns out that he wasn’t involved in this at all.”

“Right. But you are going to warn him that you told that journalist he’s a werewolf, right?”

“I’ll show him the article, yes.”

Morgulon had preferred to stay with the navvies and the other werewolves at the cheaper hotel. Lane and David went to pick her up, and Morgulon accompanied them all the way to the bridge across the Savre. She said good-bye by washing Lane’s face with her tongue.