Marked In Flesh

An Intuit who was the mayor of his village would have a feeling about any deceit that might threaten his own people.

“The Sanguinati have adapted to living in and around human places,” Vlad said, finally ready to say what Erebus had commanded him to say. “We are willing to take over the rule of Talulah Falls, with the help of other forms of terra indigene.”

He saw fear in the humans’ eyes, but not as much as there would have been a few months ago. After having a Harvester walking among them, the idea of vampires running the town was a relief.

“The Sanguinati who would be the leader is known to many in the Lakeside Courtyard. He also has contact with Governor Hannigan’s Investigative Task Force, so he is in a position to consider the needs of the human citizens as well as the terra indigene.” Vlad looked at the terra indigene leaders.

they asked.

Done. Since Talulah Falls was now a town controlled by the Others, there would no longer be a Courtyard as such. Vlad and Nyx, along with a couple of human residents, would take a look around the Falls and recommend places where the Sanguinati might live. The rest of the terra indigene who would settle in the Falls would select their new homes according to their nature.

People were in desperate need of some supplies. Could something be done?

Yes, something could be done. Checkpoints would remain, but an effort would be made immediately to bring in supplies—and find drivers who would be willing to bring a truck into the Falls.

Vlad gave the police captain his e-mail address. Steve Ferryman did the same. Between them, they would do what they could while the transition of leadership took place.

As a last gesture, they all followed Jerry Sledgeman’s livestock truck to the fenced acres that used to be the Falls Courtyard and released the four bison. Maybe the humans would value the meat; maybe not. But the gesture of help was building links among Talulah Falls, Ferryman’s Landing, and Lakeside.

How much human do the terra indigene want to keep? Vlad thought as Henry drove the minivan back to Lakeside. Are the Sanguinati, who can adapt to urban environments better than most forms, going to become separated from the rest of the Others? Or are we going to be the stronghold that maintains the bits of human the terra indigene want while the other forms take care of the land? There’s a storm coming. We all know it, even if humans don’t want to see it. No point worrying about what might be until we see what is left.

Simon ran through the Courtyard. Ran and ran and ran. Talulah Falls wasn’t his responsibility. If the terra indigene there wanted to yield to the Sanguinati and go home, that was their business, not his. In Lakeside, the Sanguinati and Wolves were complementary predators, and they were strong predators. They made an effort not to quarrel with one another. Okay, they had snarled at each other a bit about Meg, but they were both being protective because she was not only a friend; she was Namid’s creation, both wondrous and terrible.

He stopped suddenly and spun around. In smoke form, the Sanguinati had no scent. They made no sound. But he’d sensed something in the dark.

Vlad asked.

Did he? Why hadn’t he known that?

He settled into a trot until he came to one of the creeks. He swam to the other side, shook the water out of his fur, then shifted to human and sat on the bank. A moment later, Vlad flowed across the water, shifted, and joined him.

“Why didn’t you tell me the Sanguinati were going to take over Talulah Falls?” Simon said.

“Until I felt confident that the terra indigene who were already there wanted to leave, I wasn’t supposed to say anything.” Vlad stared at the creek. “Sanguinati have ruled the Toland Courtyard since the first humans built houses on the land that became the city. We’ve seen Toland bloat around us, fill itself to bursting with humans. To abandon that Courtyard . . . It feels wrong. Like you would feel if all the Wolves were driven out of the Northwest and High North.”

“But you didn’t leave because of humans.”

“No, but we won’t be going back there.”

Simon studied his friend. “It makes you sad.”

“Yes. But I like it here, so the loss of Toland doesn’t feel as sharp for me.”

“Why Talulah Falls? Wouldn’t Stavros prefer settling in Hubbney, where the region’s government is located?”

“We’re already strongly established in Hubbney. Many of the Toland Sanguinati will resettle there, but Stavros . . .”

“His being there would mean a fight for dominance.”

“Not something we need at any time, but especially right now.” Vlad smiled. “Besides, I think Grandfather is doing a little of what humans call matchmaking.”

Simon blinked. Blinked again. “He’s bringing Stavros here to find a mate? Who?” The second he asked, he knew. “Nyx. What does she think about that?”

Vlad shrugged. “Grandfather is providing an opportunity since Nyx has shown no interest in the males here.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to mate yet.”

Vlad laughed softly. “But it’s good to be available when a female changes her mind.”

Simon growled. “Are we talking about Nyx?”

“Of course.”

“Meg has been very quiet since her visit to the Pony Barn this afternoon.”

“Did Jester say why?”

“He was very quiet too.”

“That’s not good. The Coyote is rarely quiet when he knows something the rest of us don’t.”

“Henry picked up the Elders’ scent on the outskirts of Talulah Falls and on the way home. He thinks they’re just curious, just poking around.”

“He would know better than I would,” Vlad said.

“He thinks we’ll be okay, and humans will be okay. He doesn’t think the Elders are considering extinction anymore.”

“You think he’s wrong?”

“I think I’d like to know why Meg is so quiet.” And why she kept rubbing the right side of her jaw when she thought I wasn’t looking.