Page 61 of Licence To Howl
Devereau offered her a ghost of a smile. ‘I have a feeling I know who’s behind all of this,’ he told her. ‘This attack and Solentino’s murder. I don’t think it’s the Greek.’
Scarlett’s eyes flew to his. Before he could say anything else, however, Moretti pivoted and began to speak in Italian, bellowing at the top of his voice so that all the assembled werewolves could hear him. Devereau watched, his frustration growing at his inability to understand another language.
‘My Italian isn’t great,’ Scarlett admitted, ‘but I can understand enough. He’s saying that the priority is to find survivors. Some parts of the building are still standing and others have collapsed completely but the entire place is unsafe. The Lupo wolves need to tread carefully and use their noses to find any and all who might still be breathing. There are people in there who are counting on them to find them.’ She paused, her mouth flattening. ‘He says that the city needs them.’
Every single werewolf in front of Moretti nodded. Nobody looked eager but there was no mistaking the sense of grim anticipation at their upcoming task. Then Moretti continued.
‘They’re going to split up into teams,’ Scarlett translated. ‘If anyone locates any signs of anyone still alive under there, they have to howl once and wait for search and rescue to reach them. They have the technology to do the heavy lifting.’
Moretti pointed to five separate people. Scarlett squinted.
‘Each beta wolf will lead a team. Everyone is to follow their lead at all times and do nothing which might risk further building collapse or their own safety,’ she told Devereau.
He nodded. ‘Noted.’
The first group of wolves took off, sprinting in the direction of the destroyed Pantheon. Devereau began to head after them but Scarlett grabbed his arm. ‘Wait,’ she said. ‘Are you sure you’re up to this?’
‘Of course I am,’ he growled.
‘You collapsed only yesterday, Dev. If something like that happens again and you need rescuing yourself, you will cause more harm than good.’
‘I’ve rested and eaten since then,’ he snapped. ‘I’m fine.’ Then he scowled at himself. Damn it. ‘Sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken like that to you.’
Scarlett’s expression was understanding. ‘I get it. I feel the same way you do and you don’t have to apologise. But you do have to be sure that you’re well enough for this.’
‘I am,’ he said simply. ‘I promise. You should stay back, however. You don’t have the nose of a wolf, Scarlett. It’s better if you keep out of the way.’
‘Devereau,’ she murmured, ‘with all due respect, you can fuck off.’
They gazed at each other for a moment with perfect understanding. ‘Okay then,’ he said finally. ‘Let’s go together and help our hosts as best as we can.’ He half closed his eyes, allowing his animal to come to the fore. The wolf inside him was bursting to be released. ‘I’ll give you a ride,’ Devereau told her. ‘It’ll get us there faster.’
Scarlett blinked but gave him a tiny nod. Then Devereau’s human body yielded entirely to the beast.
Scarlett moved quickly, straddling his body with her fingers curling tightly into his fur so she didn’t fall off. He waited until she seemed comfortable and then he took off, bounding after the Lupo werewolves, all of whom were heading into the fire and destruction rather than away from it. They all had to do this. There was simply no choice.
Even without the chaos, Devereau wouldn’t have known where he was or where he was going. He kept his head down and followed the trail of the other werewolves. As it was, he almost on top of the Pantheon before he realised. He came to a skidding halt and blinked through the clouds of dark smoke which billowed up from various spots. Jesus.
They’d come at the Pantheon from its eastern side. At least half of the massive structure seemed to have been pulverised in one stroke. The domed ceiling had completely caved in and small fires were dotted everywhere, springing from goodness knows what. Devereau had never been in the army but it certainly looked like a warzone to his eyes. He swallowed hard and felt Scarlett tug on his left ear, indicating that she wanted him to move. He padded in that direction, spotting the famous Pantheon façade. Only two columns remained standing – and it was doubtful that they would remain that way for much longer judging by the taut, disturbed expressions of the hard-hatted engineers who were cautiously examining them and the first section of the building which was still upright just beyond.
A single sharp howl pierced through the chaos. Moretti’s wolves had already found someone. Devereau breathed out and looked round, noting the low shapes of the werewolves as they clambered gingerly across what was left of the once magnificent building. Scarlett slid off his back and he turned his gaze towards hers. She nodded once and then together they took off, aiming for the nearest pile of collapsed stone.
He’d been expecting that his vision would be hampered by the smoke and the fire and he’d known that progress up and over the ruined building would be slow. What he hadn’t anticipated was how hot the jagged stones would be under his massive paws. He growled, forced to scamper quickly and not remain in one place for too long. It was easier said than done. The debris shifted and groaned under his weight. He had to be both nimble and careful.
Although she was wearing knee high boots which should have been entirely unsuited to this sort of task, Scarlett was fast on her feet. She leapt away from a sudden flare of flame before locating an undamaged section that she was able to run up. Then she paused and looked down from her vantage point, her figure silhouetted against the terrible orange glow of the fires around them.
Devereau spun to follow her lead, while another howl ripped through the air. As soon as he reached her side, she pointed down. ‘There’s a space down there,’ she told him. ‘Can you scent anything?’
Devereau turned his head and gazed at the gaping black hole by their feet. They were at least thirty feet above ground level and it was impossible to see anything in the space below. He lowered his muzzle towards it and inhaled. It was incredibly difficult to distinguish between the different smells the collapse of the building offered up. He focused all his energy and attention, blotting out the rest of the sights, sounds and smells around him. There. There was something down that dark chasm of pantheonic destruction that smelled of human and pain and terror. He tilted his head and listened. That was a moan. He was sure of it.
Devereau yipped, indicating to Scarlett, and then took the plunge without thinking. He leapt long before he looked, stretching his front paws forward to prepare for the landing. It came sooner than expected and he tumbled forward, knocking the left flank of his fur covered body against something. He whined briefly and pulled himself upright again, as another thump came from behind him.
‘For fuck’s sake, you’re supposed to howl and let Search and Rescue know someone’s here. You’re not supposed to throw yourself into a space that might collapse on top of you at any second,’ Scarlett hissed.
Devereau turned his head and gave her hand a tiny nudge with his nose. He wasn’t the only one standing down here. Scarlett huffed, her annoyance easily audible now that the sounds of the chaos from outside were muffled. Then she shrugged at him, delved into her pocket and drew out her phone, flicking on its torchlight to get a better look at their surroundings.
There was a stone column to their right. Ominous cracks were displayed along its length but it was still standing and was obviously the reason why this pocket of space remained, despite the devastation around them. Devereau pawed at the floor. It was covered in a layer of thick soot and ash but it appeared to be marble.
‘We must be in part of the main atrium,’ Scarlett said. ‘Most of it seems to have collapsed when the domed ceiling caved in but this section appears alright.’ She gestured to the right. ‘There’s a gap there. It might be enough of a crawl space to get through and investigate further.’
