Excerpt: Angels in the Square

Prelude

The pack flowed across the landscape, a slim river of silken movement. Heading onwards from its home towards London.

***

The rain had polished the cobblestones to a trecherous sheen. The stars which had chosen to glimmer did so dimly, far overhead, offering no light to help navigate the dark lanes. The lack of light makes no difference to the man now striding impatiently towards his destination. He is tall and has the slim build and slight fragility of face that would mark him as fey if you made a study of such things. Behind him trots a white wolf, collared in silver, a thin chain of which leads from the wolf to the man. They move swiftly along the alleyways, turning sharply into corners and tight passageways as though trying to keep a step ahead of some grasping hand.

There is behind them, some slight sound, a scraping stumble on the wet stones. The man pulls the wolf through another series of sharp corners and ends crouching in the doorway. He unhocks the chain and says 'go' before pushing the wolf away. The wolf runs like quicksilver, bounding through another set of alleys to circle back, behind the noise.

***

Morpheus hated the rain. The cold was fine, preferable even, to the heat of summer, but the rain. It made everything damp and wet and not quite stable. His shoes had been sliding over the stones since he began to traipse along these accursed alleys and the fatal stumble had been inevitable from the moment he decided to give chase. Pressing himself into the nearest doorway, he'd watched his quarry escape deeper into the maze of tumbling houses and cursed. Not that it had helped.

At least Blades had run. Morpheus had no intention of fighting the man, not given his reputation and rumoured possession of a blue edged sword. There were some things that it was prudent not to investigate too closely. He stepped out of the doorway and fell to the ground. The weight on his back told him he hadn't slipped and fallen. There was a soft insistent growl at his ear that made him spread his hands wide beside him. The pressure as the wolf crouched to spring knocked what little air was left in his lungs out again and by the time he'd got enough breath back to sit up the wolf was standing at the entrance to the same alley Blades had vanished down moments earlier.

It was a white wolf, with a thick silver collar studded with small jewels. Expensive, was Morpheus's first thought. It seemed strange that a man like Blades should choose to keep a pet, but the animal was obviously well trained as a hunter and dangerous even if it seemed to be currently only interested in warning him off. He shook his head at it and turned away. He'd had enough for one night, and knowing that Blades kept company with a white wolf was a resonable enough profit for the evening.

***

Alex watched Morpheus depart feeling strangely pleased with himself. He'd been worried that the idiot angel might decide to fight, but no, he'd left peacefully enough. Which was good, killing angels was always troublesome and since there were so few the others had a tendancy to take such things personally. He didn't run back to William, but strolled enjoying the damp night and the momentary freedom from orders and commands.

William was waiting exactly where he'd been left, leaning against the door. He raised an eyebrow as Alex padded round the corner and gave one of the rings on his fingers a slight rub. Alex shifted from his wolf form into human, shaking his head slightly as he stood up to rid himself of the cloudy sensation that changing always seemed to cause.

'Who was it?' William' s voice cut through his muzziness.
'Some ranger, I think he just stumbled on us by accident. Left quickly enough when prompted.'
'Indeed,' William came to stand in front of him, and grasped his chin lightly, turning Alex's gaze up to meet his. 'I suppose you simply had to let the poor creature go.'
'He wasn't a threat.'
'Really? One of Louis's toys reporting on a white wolf being seen with The Ladies man of business is not a threat? You don't suppose he might find it an interesting match?'
'He'd find a rangers corpse with a wolf's teeth marks in his throat more interesting I'd wager'
'That would be assuming he'd find the corpse at all.'
Alex stepped back, pulling himself away from William.
'I acted as I thought best. We were instructed not to call attention to our activities.'
'If you are going to act the petulant brat you can go back on your leash. I dare say it is not important what becomes of one foolish ranger. '
William turned and began to walk away. Alex sighed, feeling the fear which always accompanied any challenge to William's orders ebb away. He supposed there would come a time when he would not be able to make sufficient excuses.

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