Etched in Bone

CHAPTER 17

Moonsday, Messis 20

Having finished his lunch at Meat-n-Greens, Simon put the plate, silverware, and glass in their respective bins. No food except an apple core to dump into the food-recycling container.

His hand paused over the container. How many apples were left in their little apple house? How many would they need to set aside for the treats Meg gave the ponies? Henry would know. He knew apples ripened at different times, but he hadn’t paid much attention. Ripe apples were picked and eaten. But according to the female pack, some kinds of apples were better for eating while others were better for cooking and baking.

Who knew human females could be so fussy? A Wolf would munch on a ripe apple and be happy. Of course, making distinctions between apples was just one of many things that were different this year.

A Little Bite and Meat-n-Greens had gone through some changes over the past few weeks, especially now, when most of the humans who were allowed access to the Market Square ate at least one meal per day at one place or the other. That made sense for the humans employed in the stores or working at the consulate. And to be fair, the humans who had a share of the Green Complex’s garden made food that they passed around as a side dish, and they always gave some of the prepared food to Meg and showed her how to make the dishes she really liked.

All in all, considering the number of humans who were allowed to eat or purchase foods that came from the Courtyard’s land or from the terra indigene farms that supplied the things that weren’t grown, gathered, or caught right here, no one felt a real lack. Sure, some foods weren’t always available, depending on the success of a hunt or when the supply of flour reached Lakeside, but there was always something to eat.

That was part of the change at Meat-n-Greens and A Little Bite. Nadine’s Bakery & Café made foods for breakfast and lunch, and Tess would sell those foods in the coffee shop until she ran out. Then it was just coffee and other drinks. Meat-n-Greens had changed to providing food for lunch and throughout the afternoon, but patrons were expected to pick up their order when it was ready and clean up after themselves. In the evening, the place still acted more like a human restaurant with servers. In that way, terra indigene guests had a chance to experience several ways of eating in a human establishment.

All good things, when thinking of the Lakeside Courtyard as a place for advanced training in human interactions. But every day, humans still did things that were just peculiar. Like today. Having heard that there were no more turkey leftovers, he went into the kitchen area and offered to dump the turkey carcass where critters would find it so that it wouldn’t go to waste. Eve and Nadine had told him they were making turkey soup and he should keep his paws off the carcass until they were done with it.

He should have reminded them that he was their employer and they shouldn’t speak to him that way, but he’d been hungry and outnumbered and there had been too many sharp knives and pointy utensils within their reach.

He would talk to them later—or send a memo.

Making his way to the door, Simon noticed Lieutenant Montgomery, who had also stopped in for lunch. Something must have caught the human’s attention, because he took a step back from the door in order to remain unseen. Simon hurried to join him.

“You do not want to go out there right now,” Montgomery said. He held out an arm to block the door.

“Why? What’s going on?” Simon scanned the open area of the Market Square but saw nothing alarming. In fact, when Simon considered voice rather than actions, Montgomery seemed amused.

“Negotiations.” Montgomery pointed a finger at Miss Twyla, who was sitting on a bench eating an ice cream cone, and Skippy, who was chasing a bowl of ice cream until he finally pushed the bowl against one of Miss Twyla’s feet. Since her legs were crossed at the knee, the other foot dangled.

“Roo-roo.” Skippy planted a paw on Miss Twyla’s dangling foot and tried to pull it down so he could wedge the bowl between her feet instead of chasing it.

“No,” Miss Twyla said mildly.

“Roo-roo!” Skippy batted at her foot, more insistent.

“You can ‘Grandma’ me all you want. Doesn’t change the fact that you can hold that bowl by yourself. Miss Meg showed you how.”

“Roo?” Skippy looked around.

“She’s not here.” Miss Twyla licked her ice cream. “You just sit yourself down and put your own paws around the bowl.”

“Oh,” Montgomery breathed. “He’s going to try the ‘I’m too helpless to do this’ routine.”

Skippy did look pathetic, pushing at the bowl with one paw while the ice cream rapidly melted.

“We could go out and help him,” Simon said.

“You could do that. Of course, you’ll have to get around Mama now that she’s decided Skippy can do it himself.”

“But when we all had dinner the other night, she cut up his food, helped him eat.”

“The other night he needed help. This he can do by himself.” Montgomery studied him, openly curious. “Do you continue to feed your young once they’re old enough to do for themselves?”

“Of course not. They have to learn to hunt, as well as learn to protect their share of the food.” Simon considered what Montgomery was asking. “Doesn’t mean juveniles won’t act like puppies sometimes and try to coax an adult into giving them an easy meal.”

“Not much different from humans that age. How often do your adults give in?”

When Simon didn’t answer, Montgomery grinned. “That’s what I thought. I guess Wolves and my mama have some things in common when it comes to raising children.”

Put that way, it explained why the Wolves treated Miss Twyla more like one of their own than like a human.

They watched Skippy flop down and put his front paws around the bowl. He gave the remaining ice cream a lick, then looked at Miss Twyla.

Montgomery laughed softly. “Oh, there are the big sad eyes. Lizzy tries that look on me every so often. Hard for me to say no to that look, even when I know giving in would be bad for both of us, but Mama is made of sterner stuff. Every grandkid has tried that look, and every grandkid has failed.”

They stood in the doorway, watching, until Miss Twyla turned her head and looked right at them.

“Are you two going to keep gawking, or are you going to get some work done?”

“That’s our cue,” Montgomery said under his breath before he raised his voice enough to be heard. “We were just leaving, Mama.”

Simon strode out of the Market Square with Montgomery but said nothing until they were out of sight. “I am the leader of the Courtyard. I’m the one who makes decisions.”

“Yes, you are.” Montgomery waited a beat. “You going to tell her that?”

He growled. “Maybe I’ll send a memo to her too.”

Montgomery just laughed.

Late that evening, when the Market Square stores had all closed, Vlad walked to the back of Erebus Sanguinati’s mausoleum, where Grandfather and Leetha waited for him.

“Simon will be here in a few minutes,” he told them. The Wolf had been a little confused, to say nothing of wary, about being asked to have this discussion in the Chambers. After all, it was only the second time since Simon took over the Lakeside Courtyard years ago that he’d been invited inside the black wrought-iron fences that marked the boundaries of the Sanguinati’s part of the Courtyard.

“Why does he need to be involved?” Leetha asked.

Vlad studied the female who had relocated here when the terra indigene abandoned the Toland Courtyard. She was an intelligent, beautiful hunter. Not in Stavros’s league as a predator, or his, or even Nyx’s, but deadly nonetheless.

“Simon Wolfgard is the leader of this Courtyard,” Vlad replied.

“And why is that with Grandfather residing here?” she challenged. “The Sanguinati always rule the Courtyards in prominent human cities. While this city isn’t as significant as some of the cities we rule on the East Coast, it’s still a major port on the Great Lakes.”

“The Sanguinati support the Wolfgard here.” Vlad felt his temper sharpen.

“Enough.” Erebus’s snarled command was directed at both of the younger Sanguinati, but he had turned toward Leetha to make it clear that she was the provocation. “It was decided many years ago that shifter forms were better suited to lead Courtyards in certain areas of Thaisia, just as we were better suited to rule the large urban cities and coastal towns.”

“Then why . . . ,” Leetha began.

“Perhaps the Sanguinati ruled in Toland so long they began to think of other terra indigene as subordinates rather than strong predators whose ancestors chose a different shape that better fit the other predators and prey where they lived. Your attitude displeases me, Leetha.”

She looked stunned. “I—I’m sorry, Grandfather. I didn’t mean to give offense.”

“Then learn. Simon and Vladimir are friends. They work together, live as neighbors, have fought well together. There is true cooperation in this Courtyard, not just an agreement to work together to defend against the human infestation as is the case in so many Courtyards. And that cooperation has opened up opportunities for all the terra indigene. Tolya now rules a Midwest town, a rustic place compared to Toland, but the Sanguinati have a foothold in a part of Thaisia as never before—because Tolya was willing to work with the Wolfgard and other shifters in the area.”

“So isolated,” she whispered.

Vlad studied Leetha. Was there a hint of fear in her voice? Tolya, and the Sanguinati he had selected to join him in running Bennett and some of the town’s important businesses, seemed to be thriving. But unlike the Wolves, who usually hunted four-legged animals and liked living in the wild country, the Sanguinati were better suited as urban predators, with humans being the preferred prey. That wasn’t as easy to do when you knew everyone in a small town—and they knew you. That was one reason the Sanguinati preferred using larger human cities as their hunting grounds.

The other reason was that, in larger human cities, his kind didn’t often deal directly with terra indigene like the Elders.

“If you cannot accept Simon as leader, perhaps you would rather be living in Talulah Falls,” Erebus continued. “It is under Stavros’s rule now.”

“No.” Leetha’s tone made it clear that she didn’t want to answer to Stavros.

Interesting. Vlad knew Stavros had agreed to rule Talulah Falls so that he would be close enough to present himself as a potential mate the next time Nyx came into season. Had he turned away from Leetha’s invitation the last time she was in season, unwilling to become the mate of a female who wasn’t his first choice? Or perhaps Stavros, who could poke fun at his own kind, had sensed on some level that he and Leetha would not suit each other once the physical mating concluded.

And, in truth, Talulah Falls was even smaller than Lakeside and in far more turmoil, as terra indigene and even some Intuits moved into the town to join the remaining humans in keeping the power plant and other necessary businesses running.

It suddenly occurred to him that both Stavros and Tolya had seen the possibility of working in a mixed community because of their visits here.

Simon called.

Vlad smiled, almost feeling that amber stare despite being out of sight.

He looked at Grandfather Erebus. “Simon is here.”

“Open the gate for him, Vladimir.”

“Not necessary.”

The fence that defined the Chambers wasn’t tall, wasn’t trying to keep anyone out. Anyone who entered uninvited didn’t leave. But maybe leaping over the fence to join them was Simon’s way of telling Leetha, and any other Sanguinati who might be in doubt, that he was, in fact, the leader of the Courtyard and he respected their boundaries by choice.

Simon said politely once he joined them.

“Wolfgard.” Erebus tipped his head in the slightest bow.

Erebus smiled. “The sweet blood knows how much I enjoy watching my old movies.”

Leetha looked at Grandfather, then at Simon.

Yes, Vlad thought. The sweet blood is the link between our kind and Simon’s. We would not have come this far this fast if she hadn’t stumbled into the Courtyard. Some of us would not have survived the recent conflicts with humans. Even with her warnings, some of us didn’t survive.

“Tell the Wolfgard what you heard,” Erebus said, waving a hand toward Leetha.

“A couple of us followed Cyrus Montgomery earlier this evening,” Leetha said. “The bus station and downtown bus stops are good hunting grounds, especially after dark. And businesses that stay open later than the police recommend are also prime hunting grounds. Lights are lowered and the door is locked, but the patrons who come in before the official closing aren’t asked to leave.” She smiled, showing a hint of fang. “The owners tend to live above the business and don’t really care what happens to the customers when they make their way home.”

Simon asked.

“I don’t like him.”

“Yes. He met with four men. He’s going to case the Market Square tomorrow to confirm the earth native trucks are making a meat delivery. When the stores close for the evening, he’ll call the men. They’ll slip into the Courtyard, break into the butcher shop, and steal all the meat. You Wolves will howl about the loss, but all you’ll do is hunt a couple extra deer to make up for it.”

Simon asked.

Challenge, plain and simple. A Wolf couldn’t win a fight with a Sanguinati who was in smoke form, but Simon must have heard something in Leetha’s voice that he wouldn’t allow to go unchallenged.

“Leetha?” Grandfather Erebus’s voice was quiet—and more threatening because of that. “The Wolfgard asked you a question.”

A hesitation, but they all knew her answer would determine if she was allowed to remain in Lakeside.

“Cyrus Montgomery said those words,” she finally replied. “The words were said sneeringly, as if you deserved no respect.”

Simon didn’t move, didn’t reply.

“Simon?” Vlad said. “What do you want to do? How do you want to stop them?”

Simon stared at him as if Henry had given him a brain-rattling swat and that’s why he would ask such a silly question.

Vlad suddenly realized why Leetha was having trouble accepting a Wolf as the Courtyard’s leader. She’d observed Simon dealing with the female and police packs. She’d seen him with Meg, who brought out his playful side. But she didn’t take into account that there was a reason he was dominant over strong Wolves like Blair and Nathan, didn’t take into account what it meant to have a Harvester like Tess living among them. She hadn’t really seen Simon yet.

“What reason?” he asked.