Chapter Ten

Raven looked over his shoulder and saw the three snarling beasts that eyed both him and Jagger. Their teeth glowed white and their claws closed and opened in anticipation of the kill. Raven held a hand to his mouth and coughed politely before turning to Jagger.

"What's the matter with you, haven't you seen a werewolf before?" asked Raven.

Jagger shook his head slowly but did not speak. As the wolves prepared to pounce, Raven threw himself to the floor. Jagger screamed as the three beasts tore into him, his arms and legs flailing wildly beneath his ferocious attackers. The two men at the door were trying desperately to unlock it but in their panic, one of them dropped the key onto the floor. Raven ran at the man still holding onto Clive and managed to knock him onto his back. Clive yelped as Raven grabbed him by his neck and stood him upright.

"Please tell me that there is another way out of here," said Raven.

"There is another way out of here," said Clive.

"And...where is it?" asked Raven.

"There's a trap door to the cellar, behind the bar," said Clive. "But..."

"But what?" asked Raven.

Raven turned to see the wolf coiled like a spring, ready to attack. The slight dash of red in its fur gave away its identity, as it sat on the bar.

"Oh, come on, Walter," muttered Raven.

The three other wolves had now turned their attention to the men at the door, but the one on the bar did not move, its eyes firmly fixed on Raven. Raven did not have his shotgun or a weapon of any kind. He also could not think of any spells that might be appropriate for the situation. He turned to Clive and smiled.

"If you have any bright ideas, now is the time to share them," said Raven.

"You mean, you don't," said Clive.

The wolf bared its teeth, preparing to pounce and Raven closed his eyes. It leapt from the bar and Raven felt the soft touch of its fur as it brushed past his cheek. Raven opened his eyes, convinced that the wolf had attacked Clive first, but Clive was standing perfectly still with his eyes firmly shut. Raven saw that the man he had put on his back must have attracted the attention of the wolf as he got to his feet. Raven grabbed Clive and climbed over the bar, as the wolf pinned the man to the ground.

"What happened?" asked Clive.

"It missed," said Raven. "Where's the trapdoor?"

Clive pointed at the square shape on the floor that had a single ring pull and Oscar Sandwedge's head sat in the middle of it. Raven ran across and kicked Oscar's head over the bar.

"You...did you really have to do that?" gasped Clive. "That was Oscar."

Raven pulled the trapdoor up and threw Clive down the opening. Clive rolled down the concrete steps and landed on his back at the bottom of the cellar. He heard Raven slam the trap door shut and come running down the steps. Raven stood over Walter.

"Are you all right?" asked Raven.

Clive got to his feet and brushed himself down.

"Well, aside from being beaten up by gangsters, attacked by werewolves and seeing my employer's head booted over the bar, I'm fine," said Clive.

"Good," said Raven.

"No...wait a minute. Let me explain something to you. That was sarcasm," said Clive.

"How do we get out of here?" asked Raven.

"So, now you just ignore me completely," said Clive.

"Walter, where's the exit?" asked Raven.

"Can't we just stay here and wait until things quieten down?" asked Clive. "After all, werewolves can't open trapdoors can they?"

"That's just it, Codpiece, I don't know," said Raven.

"Oh, great," muttered Clive. "And my name is Clive, not Codpiece."

"The door?" said Raven.

Clive moved to the end of the cellar and stopped to undo two large bolts above his head. He started to push upwards against the heavy wooden doors but only managed to open them when Raven came to lend a hand. The two of them pulled themselves onto the street and Clive breathed a sigh of relief as he realised it was raining heavily. Usually, he despised the rain for keeping him indoors, but tonight he loved the rain for reminding him he was alive. Raven looked around the street before placing his fingers into his mouth to generate a loud whistle. Onyx came trotting down the street and Raven stroked the horse's mane fondly when it reached him.

"It's so good to see you," said Raven.

He climbed into the saddle and outstretched a hand to Clive. Clive was still enjoying the rainfall when he realised that Raven wanted him to get on the horse with him.

"What? Where are we going?" asked Clive.

"To the nearest town," said Raven.

"What about my stuff?" asked Clive. "Everything I own is in there."

"You want to go back in there and get it?" asked Raven.

"No," said Clive. "But we could just wait."

"You know what the Blueboys will do when they eventually turn up?" asked Raven.

"Arrest the wolves, of course," said Clive.

"Can you hear yourself?" asked Raven.

"Well, what then?" asked Clive.

"They will have been paid by Jagger to ignore the inn for the evening. Whatever noises they hear or reports they get, they will not arrive until morning. Walter and his friends will be long gone by then. They will want someone to blame for the bloodbath, and werewolves are a no-no. Not least because there is not a single Blueboy in the land who would dare to go into Cobbleknock to arrest someone," said Raven.

"So, who would they blame?" asked Clive.

Raven sighed and slumped against the neck of Onyx.

"Give me strength," he grunted.

Clive thought a little longer and then stared wide-eyed at Raven.

"You don't mean?" said Clive.

Raven glowered at Clive.

"Bigpuddle," said Clive.

"What?" asked Raven.

"The nearest town is Bigpuddle," said Clive.