Marked In Flesh

CHAPTER 45

Watersday, Juin 30

Simon barely had time to finish the phone call with Jackson and relay the information to Vlad before Steve Ferryman rushed in from the stock room of Howling Good Reads, dodging Vlad when the Sanguinati tried to block him.

“Have you seen this?” Steve set a piece of paper on the checkout counter.

Simon read the warning, then pushed the paper toward Vlad. “Haven’t seen this, exactly, but I just talked to Jackson Wolfgard, and he basically said the same thing.”

Steve blew out a breath. “Penny Sledgeman has appointed herself dispatch coordinator for our area.”

“As the mayor of Ferryman’s Landing, aren’t you supposed to make such appointments?” Vlad asked.

“Penny and my mom have been helping me deal with the deluge of requests for information about the cassandra sangue. This is going to be even more work. My mom and dad are working the barge to bring supplies to the island side of the village; my brother is moving as much as he can on the ferry. So if Penny wants to take this on, may the river bless her. I’m trying to get everyone warned in time to prepare.” Steve paused. “You think we’re going to lose power lines as well as phone? Well, no way for you to tell, is there? Uprooted trees can take down lines and knock out power in a whole area.”

Thinking about the cards Meg had selected in answer to a question, Simon looked at Vlad. To some degree, they would all feel the storms, but he had no reason to believe that the Intuit villages would face Namid’s teeth and claws, so why frighten Steve with too much truth?

Simon said.

Vlad leaned on the counter. “It’s possible that power lines will come down if the storms become severe. But those can be fixed. The loss of communication between regions should be thought of as long-term, and the Intuits and terra indigene should consider how to compensate for that.”

They watched Steve consider the implications, and saw the moment when he understood, as they did, that the shape of Thaisia was about to change.

“What about radio?” Steve asked. “What about television? Those are forms of communication.”

Vlad asked Simon.

he replied.

“If used with care, those forms of communication probably will remain intact,” Vlad said.

“All right.” Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll head to the River Road Community now and make sure all the people working on the houses get everything closed down and secure. We’re using the old industrial building to store supplies except for food. Oh, and a couple of the new residents arrived yesterday. A Roy Panthergard? I gather he’s an enforcer for the community?”

“He’ll deal with problems if any come up,” Simon said vaguely. Steve could figure out for himself the end result of a problem meeting Roy’s claws. “Who else arrived?”

“Two pairs. They both said they were Lynxgard, but then one pair said they were Bobcats and the other said they were Lynxes.”

“A gard name can be specific to one form, but sometimes it serves as an umbrella for terra indigene who took their forms from related animals,” Vlad explained. “Beargard includes all kinds of bear forms. Panthergard includes what humans would call panthers, cougars, mountain lions, jaguars, leopards, and probably a few more names.”

“Good to know.” Steve stepped away from the counter. “I’ll be in touch.”

They waited until they heard the back door close.

“First come the storms,” Simon said. “Then come the Elders.”

“Then comes death,” Vlad finished. “There won’t be much mercy, if any.”

“How much mercy did the humans show when they killed so many of the Wolfgard in the Midwest and Northwest? How much mercy did they show when they attacked us here? Or when they dropped bombs on the terra indigene who watched the borders of Cel-Romano?”

“And that’s how we should behave?”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to be that human. We can’t protect everyone in Lakeside from the storms or the Elders, but we can try to protect the human pack. If we bring them into the Courtyard, the Elders might leave them alone.”

“Some members of that pack have connections with humans who want nothing to do with us. Do we let in a potential enemy in order to protect a friend?”

“No. If anyone in the human pack can’t accept that, then that’s their choice.” The phone rang. Simon growled at it.

“The call might be about an order. We still get orders from the terra indigene.”

Good point. He picked up the phone. “Howling Good Reads. Yes, I am. Yes, I remember who you are.” He must have started growling, because Vlad poked him. “Stay there. We’ll come and get you.” He hung up and turned on his friend. “Don’t poke me.”

“Just trying to help.” Vlad tapped the phone. “Who wants a ride?”

“Agent Greg O’Sullivan. And Lieutenant Montgomery’s pack. I’ll go with Blair and pick them up at the train station.”

“I’ll call the lieutenant—and ask Captain Burke to drop by for a quiet word.” Vlad started toward the stock room and the stairs, then stopped. “Do you know where Michael Debany is now?”

“He was working at the Green Complex’s garden. Might still be there or heading this way to get ready for work.” Simon tried to stifle excitement as he added, “He is riding a bicycle to and from the garden.”

He had no interest in learning to ride a bicycle, but he really wanted to chase one. On foot, humans weren’t fast enough to be fun play-prey. Except Meg, but that was a different kind of chase game. But the bicycle . . .

That game would have to wait.

“Why do you want him?”

“I have something to discuss with him on Tolya’s behalf,” Vlad replied.

They walked out the back door together, stopping long enough to tell Merri Lee that she was minding the store for a while. Then Vlad shifted to smoke and headed for the Green Complex while Simon waited for Blair to bring a van around.

When a pack got too big, it was hard to bring down enough game to feed everyone. Problem was, their numbers were swelling with two-legged predators who wouldn’t be much good at bringing down meat.

They would have to earn their keep, just like everyone else in the Courtyard. This not working in the summer was a strange idea. You had to eat in the summer, same as in every other season. That required work.

Couldn’t tell yet if the storm that would hit Lakeside would come across the Great Lakes or swing in from the storm coming up the East Coast—or both. No way to tell how much time they had left to bring in supplies.

While he waited for Blair, he dashed into the Liaison’s Office to tell Meg that she and the female pack needed to order the schoolbooks today. With a bit of luck, they would receive some of them before the storms—and the Elders—arrived.

Vlad shifted to human form and waited for Michael Debany to notice him before approaching the garden.

There was that delicious moment when both hearts beat faster, and prey and predator recognized each other for what they were. But with the human pack, it really was just a moment before recent experience quieted generations of instinct.

“Hi,” Debany said. “It’s looking good, don’t you think?”

Vlad didn’t see anything different from yesterday in terms of edible food, but he nodded. “It is, yes. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure.” Debany pulled a towel and water bottle out of a small pack. He drank deep, then poured some water over his face and wiped it off. “What’s up?”

Casual. Trusting. At least trying to be those things.

“You have a sister.”

“Yes, I do.” The voice was still casual, but the eyes were wary.

“She likes animals.”

“She does. She has enough schooling to qualify as a veterinarian’s assistant. The family couldn’t afford to pay for more schooling, so she came home to find some work and save up to continue later. She was looking to work with animals as a job. Practical experience and a paycheck, you know?”

The same could be said for younger members of a Courtyard. “Has she ever considered living out west?”

“Don’t think she’s ever said, but with all that’s happened, I wouldn’t want her to go out there.”

“Even if her safety was assured as best it could be?”

“Meaning?”

“We can’t be responsible if she sticks her hand in a hole and is bitten by a rattlesnake. But the not-edible rule would apply.” Vlad studied Debany’s face. Police stance. Listening but no longer reacting. “Tolya Sanguinati is now in charge of a town called Bennett.”

“I’ve heard of it.” Flat voice.

“Then you also know there are no longer any human residents.”

A nod.

“There are, however, surviving house animals that need care, as well as the other animals that were left behind. Sanguinati and Wolfgard are on their way to Bennett, as well as some other forms of terra indigene. Some Intuits are also on their way to help run the businesses that are needed to support that train station. There wouldn’t be many humans like herself there, at least not in the beginning, but it would be an opportunity to do the kind of work you say she wants to do.”

“Who’s looking after the animals now?”

“I don’t know. Whoever is in town that day, I think.”

Debany rubbed the towel over his face. “I’ll tell her about it. Has to be her choice.”

A reminder to me or you? Vlad thought. “Well, we don’t need an answer until we get through these storms.” And find out what’s left of Thaisia when they’re done.

“Thanks for coming to get us,” Greg O’Sullivan said when Simon walked over to the chairs at the train station where the ITF agent guarded four females.

Simon almost told him that Blair needed to come to the station anyway to pick up some things they had ordered for the Courtyard, but that might make it sound like the humans were extra luggage, so he said, “It’s fine.”

The oldest female stood. She was short and thin, with brown skin and brown eyes, and her short curly hair was more tarnished silver than black. The other adult female was younger, and had black hair and brown skin, but her eyes were a clear, startling green.

O’Sullivan made the introductions. “This is Twyla Montgomery, her daughter, Sierra, and the girls are Carrie and Bonnie. Ladies, this is Simon Wolfgard, leader of the Lakeside Courtyard.”

“Can we call you Wolfie?” the girl with the missing front tooth asked.

“You can call him Mr. Wolfgard or Mr. Simon, same as you would any other grown-up,” Twyla said.

She didn’t raise her voice or threaten, but she subdued the pup and left no doubt that question wouldn’t be asked again.

Simon was impressed—and hopeful there was now someone who could keep the human puppies in line without biting them. “What should we call you?”

“Twyla will do.”

Maybe. He’d see what Lieutenant Montgomery said about that.

Humans were starting to notice them, and it wasn’t smart to linger. Simon grabbed a couple of the carryalls piled around the females and tried to remember the things humans asked about travel. “Did you have a good trip?”

“It was just fine once we got seats,” Twyla replied. “We’d probably still be sitting in the station at Hubbney if Agent O’Sullivan hadn’t stepped in.”

“Oh?” Simon looked at O’Sullivan, who was also carrying a couple of bags that weren’t his own. Simon knew this because one carryall was black; the other two were bright pink and smelled like the little females.

“There has been some trouble with trains running out of Toland, so everyone is being funneled through Hubb NE,” O’Sullivan replied in a quiet voice. “Now that trains aren’t running after dark, to avoid incidents, there is a backlog of passengers, and those who could afford to ‘upgrade’ their ticket were being given the seats. Ms. Montgomery and her family had already been sitting at the Hubbney station for a full day when I arrived to catch the train to Lakeside. When I heard her son was a police officer, I stepped in and gave the railway a choice of putting us in the executive car or having me shut down the station while the ITF investigated the preferential treatment of some passengers over others.”

Simon smiled. “You have teeth, O’Sullivan, even if you are human.”

“Thanks.”

They packed the van with cargo and carryalls and humans. As he settled into the front passenger seat, Simon heard the distant sound of thunder.

Meg opened the gate and slipped inside Henry’s yard. Nathan was still in the Liaison’s Office, and Jake was perched on the wall between the delivery area and the yard, so she’d have plenty of warning if a truck pulled in.

She hurried up to the studio door and tapped on the frame. “Henry? Can I come in?”

The Grizzly stepped away from one of his sculptures and gave her a quizzical look. “When have you needed to ask?”

She went in and sat on the bench where she could watch him work without getting in the way.

“I’m glad you came. I wanted to show you this.” Henry picked up a piece of wood and came over to sit beside her. “What do you think?”

Not finished yet, but she could make out a tree in the center. In each corner of the box, touching some of the branches, was something that represented each of the seasons. “It’s wonderful. This is the lid for the box to hold the prophecy cards?”

He nodded. “When it’s time, you can help me stain the pieces. That way the wood will get to know you.”

She ran her fingers gently over the wood. “I’d like that.”

He took the lid and set it aside. “What’s on your mind, Meg?” He waved aside her excuse before she made one. “You wouldn’t come to visit during your work time if you didn’t want to talk while everyone else was occupied—and with the new visitors, everyone is occupied.”

“Henry? How much human is too human?”

In human form, Henry was a big man with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes, but he didn’t feel human. At least, not when she’d first met him. Now? Was it just that she’d gotten used to him, or had he lost some of the wildness in these past few months?

“That depends on who you ask,” he replied.

“The terra indigene who no one talks about. The really dangerous ones. Well, you’re dangerous too, but . . .” She stopped, afraid she’d insulted him. Then she pressed on, because she had to know. “Simon has brought more humans to the Courtyard. It’s Lieutenant Montgomery’s family, so it’s a kind thing to do, but will they think he’s becoming too human because he’s spending so much time with humans? Are you at risk? Did I cause this?”

Henry leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. His expression went from puzzlement to amusement as he slowly shook his head. “Have you been saving up these questions, Meg?”

“You think it’s funny?”

“Funny? No. Amusing?” He tipped a hand back and forth. “There is always a danger of taking too much from a form, but I imagine that’s been true since the first terra indigene took the form of another predator in order to study its way of hunting and become an even better hunter than the original animal. But humans are an odd kind of predator, and most of what they fight over among themselves . . .” He shrugged. “Yes, we’ve become more entangled with humans, and not just in Lakeside. Yes, there’s a risk that we’ll become too involved in their concerns and forget who we are and what our own kind need. But I don’t think Simon will become too human, not in any bad way. You know why?”

Meg shook her head.

Henry smiled. “Because you won’t let him.”

She sat back and sighed. “Tess is kind of cranky.”

“Tess is Tess.”

“Do you think the Courtyard will still be able to buy those apartment buildings across the street?”

“We have bought them. The humans have to do their paperwork, but that’s a formality and should be completed anytime now.”

“Until then, where do we put everyone?” In the compound where she had been raised, every girl had her own cell. She didn’t have a training image that would help her visualize many people crammed into a room to sleep, even temporarily.

“Meg? You take your quiet time whenever you need it. You’re not responsible for Lieutenant Montgomery’s pack; he is.”

“Well, I’m not going to make the mistake of showing them the ponies!”

Henry’s booming laugh rang out. “As if Jester would let you near the Pony Barn with small humans after the last time.”

She’d made mistakes when she’d taken Lizzy to see the ponies. She had no reason to believe the other little girls would react the same way and want to ride the Elementals’ steeds, but she wasn’t going to take that chance.

They heard Jake cawing.

“Sounds like I have a delivery.” Meg stood. “Thanks, Henry. I like the box.”

She hurried out of the studio, ran the length of the yard, dashed out the gate, and rushed into the back room of the Liaison’s Office. She reached the front counter in time to see the deliveryman getting back into his truck. The packages and her clipboard, with the information filled in, were on the counter.

She took the packages into the sorting room, then turned on the radio. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been listening to the weather report when she realized that Tess had come in.

Meg tipped her head to indicate Tess’s coiling green and red hair. “You’re feeling tense.”

“So are you.” Tess looked pointedly at Meg’s arm, where her fingers were digging into skin. “Are you feeling prickles?”

More than that. Worse than that. “I haven’t made a cut in a few days.”

“It won’t tell us anything.”

“It could tell us if we’ll survive.”

Tess gave her a long look. “No, I don’t think it will this time.”

Simon led Captain Burke and Agent O’Sullivan upstairs to HGR’s second floor. “Vlad is checking e-mails, so we’ll talk in the office where he can hear us. Unless we should wait for Lieutenant Montgomery?” He felt restless and didn’t want to wait. You could dig a den in the earth to escape a bad storm or hide from fire if you couldn’t outrun it. But you could drown in that same den if the storm brought a flood or if the packed earth collapsed and trapped you inside. Shifters like him weren’t the target of the storms, but they were going to get hit just the same.

“No, the lieutenant needs some time with his family,” Burke replied. “I’ll relay the information to him once he gets everyone settled in the duplex.”

How could he tell these humans that he would try to save some but he couldn’t risk trying to save others who belonged to the same pack?

Vlad said.

Simon asked.

Vlad closed down the e-mail program.

Simon studied Burke. “The Courtyard will be a safe place during the storms. If Lieutenant Montgomery’s pack is denning too far away, he might not be able to bring them here in time.”

“My duplex isn’t that far away. Besides, you’ve already taken in more people than you can comfortably fit,” Burke said.

“There aren’t enough individual dens for the newcomers to have their own place here,” Simon agreed. “But there are beds above the social center that could be used for sleeping and temporary shelter. And humans sleep on the floor sometimes. Kowalski has a puffy blanket for sleeping on the ground.”

“You’re pussyfooting around.”

Simon stepped back, insulted. “I’m a Wolf. I do not have pussy feet!”

O’Sullivan laughed.

Burke smiled, but the smile quickly faded. “You’re offering shelter to humans? Why?”

“Not just any humans,” Simon said at the same time Vlad said, “Because there’s a storm coming.”

“Yes, there is,” Burke agreed. “The only question is which direction it’s coming from, because, right now, there are multiple possibilities.”

“Captain, the storm you can see isn’t the one that is going to kill your people,” Vlad said.

“If Jean’s prophecy about Thaisia is correct, Lakeside is one of the human-controlled cities that will survive.” Simon didn’t mention that Meg had seen Lakeside’s future as being undecided. He looked at O’Sullivan. “Hubb NE is another.”

“Toland?” O’Sullivan asked.

“Yes, but the light was dim.” He didn’t want to be responsible for humans he didn’t know, but he believed this gesture of friendship would help decide Lakeside’s future, one way or the other. “The police we know and their kin can hide here. We don’t think Namid’s teeth and claws will harm any humans who are with us in the Courtyard.”

“That’s a generous offer,” Burke said.

“If there are enemies of the terra indigene among those humans, we may not be able to protect any of you.” Simon looked at Burke, willing him to understand. “Choose carefully.”

“I’ve been making provisions for families of officers to take refuge at the Chestnut Street station. Being able to send some of them here . . . I appreciate it.” Burke appeared to be thinking hard for a moment. “You think this will happen soon?”

“As soon as one of the storms hits Lakeside.”

“I take it I shouldn’t plan to get back to Hubb NE before things happen,” O’Sullivan said.

Simon shook his head. “I’ll talk to Elliot about letting you work out of the consulate for now. Then you can call Governor Hannigan.”

O’Sullivan looked at Simon. “He’s already mustering all the manpower he can in the Northeast to respond to the storms. Is there anything in particular he should prepare for?”

Hatred was now a taste in the water, rage a scent in the air. “He should prepare for a lot of humans dying.”

Sitting in A Little Bite, Monty drank coffee and listened to his mother’s quiet, no-nonsense recitation of the trouble they’d had getting seats on a train. Noting the strain on Sierra’s face, he figured it had been a lot more trouble than Twyla would acknowledge.

He smiled at his nieces and wished he could seat them at another table—or better yet, scoot them into Howling Good Reads and out of earshot so that he could really talk to his mother and sister. “You all had quite an adventure.”

Catching some movement, he turned his head and watched Captain Burke and Agent O’Sullivan approach their table.

“Ladies.” Burke tipped his head slightly. “I am very pleased you’re here.”

“Would you be needing a word with Crispin?” Twyla asked.

“Actually, I need a word with most of you.”

Nicely worded, Monty thought. Burke didn’t say he wanted the girls to leave—which would have made them want to stay—but he was quite clear.

“John Wolfgard is working in the bookstore,” Burke said. “I asked him to show the girls around the store. He’s right over there.” A gesture toward the archway that connected the two stores.

Since John was the friendliest Wolf in the Courtyard, Monty didn’t think the girls would provoke him into biting if left in his care for just a few minutes.

He smiled at Carrie and Bonnie. “You could each choose a book to read. A present from me.”

Carrie slid off her chair. “Can we have—”

“A book?” Sierra smiled at her daughters. “Yes, you can each have a book since that was the treat that Uncle CJ offered.”

Sierra’s firmness was a veneer that was wearing thin, and the girls could have broken it with whines and pouts. But Twyla’s firmness ran to the core, and one look at their grandmother had the girls heading for the archway and the Wolf waiting there.

“You’re Mr. John?” Twyla asked.

“Yes,” John replied warily.

“They’re allowed a book apiece, not anything else you might sell in your store.”

John scratched behind one ear. Monty felt relieved that the ears weren’t pointed or furry.

“Only sell books,” John said. “And a few magazines. And some maps.”

“That’s fine, then.”

John hesitated, then led the girls into the bookstore.

Nadine approached their table and looked at Burke. “Can I get you anything?”

“A few minutes of your time. Have a seat, Ms. Fallacaro,” Burke replied.

“I have cookies baking.”

“This will just take a few minutes, and it’s important.”

Nadine took a seat. Burke took another while O’Sullivan grabbed a chair from another table.

“I offered the other side of my duplex for your use.” Burke looked at Twyla. “But I’ve been told that, under the current circumstances, it would be wiser if you stayed here. It will be cramped, especially since Simon Wolfgard has offered sanctuary to a few police families when this coming storm hits Lakeside. However, this is the one place where you should be protected—and there will be people here who can help you.” Now he looked at Nadine. “You have a room here. What about Chris?”

“He’s bunking in one of the rooms above the social center. He comes up to my room for a shower.”

“Impress upon him that he needs to stay here until this storm passes.”

Nadine smiled bitterly. “He has a broken hand, Captain, and he’s been branded a Wolf lover. He’s too vulnerable right now to go out among the humans.”

Monty winced at the way she said “humans,” but he couldn’t blame her for feeling that way. The HFL had burned down her shop and home and would have killed her and Chris. No matter what Simon thought about getting more tangled up in human concerns, the Wolf had stepped up and offered Nadine and Chris shelter and protection.

Twyla studied the men, her eyes lingering on Monty. “This storm is part of the trouble that had you asking me to get to Lakeside as quick as I could?”

“Yes, Mama.”

Now Twyla looked at Burke. “How bad is the bad going to be?”

Burke studied Twyla in turn. “Here in Lakeside? I don’t know. When it comes time for the reckoning, I hope our efforts to work with the terra indigene will count for something. Across Thaisia? We just hope for the best now.”

A kitchen timer dinged. Nadine jumped up. “I have to get those cookies out of the oven.”

“Miss Nadine?” Twyla said with quiet courtesy, stopping the other woman. “You run this shop?”

“Working here. Tess runs it. I don’t know where she is right now.”

“I think the three of us should talk soon.”

Nadine nodded and rushed into the back.

“And I’m thinking that Mr. Simon and I should talk soon too,” Twyla continued.

Monty laid his hand over hers. “Mama?”

“Whatever provisions they have here for humans living or even staying overnight isn’t going to fit the number of people they’re going to take in and shelter. Doesn’t matter how you wiggle things; they’re going to need help. I’ve got two good hands and I know how to work. So does Sierra. And the children can do what they’re able. You asked me to come and help you with Lizzy, and I will. But right now there’s a lot to do and not much time to be doing, so I’m not going to sit by, Crispin. That’s not my way.”

“I know, Mama, but—”

“What can you do?” Simon asked, walking over to their table.

Monty wondered how long the Wolf had been standing in the archway listening.

“You tell me what needs to be done, and I’ll tell you if I can do it,” Twyla replied. “One thing I know right off. You’re going to be feeding more people than you’re used to, and that might not be easy in this coffee shop.”

“We have Meat-n-Greens in the Market Square.”

“I’d like to take a look at it, offer an idea or two after I speak with Miss Nadine and Miss Tess.”

Those amber Wolf eyes studied Twyla with too much interest.

“If the human pups misbehave, we’ll bite them,” Simon said.

“If I had your teeth instead of these dentures, I’d be inclined to do the same.”

Simon cocked his head. “What are dentures?”

“Perhaps a discussion for another time?” Burke suggested.

“Now,” Twyla said, looking at Monty, then at Burke and O’Sullivan, and finally at Simon. “We’re here and we’re fine. Sierra and I are grown women who are capable of sorting out who is staying where. You men have your own work to do, and you don’t need to be fussing about us.”

“Ruthie, Merri Lee, and Eve Denby are the females in the pack who already have dens here,” Simon said. “They can help with this sorting.” He went back to Howling Good Reads.

“You sure you’ll be all right?” Monty asked. He addressed the question to his mother, but they both knew it had more to do with Sierra and the girls than Twyla.

“We’ll be fine, Crispin.” Twyla patted his hand. “You go about your business.”

Burke and O’Sullivan stood and said the appropriate things. Monty kissed Twyla’s cheek and whispered, “I’m glad you’re here.” Then the three men went out the back way.

“We’ll walk over to the consulate with you,” Burke said.

“What should I tell the governor?” O’Sullivan asked.

Monty glanced at the back of the Liaison’s Office. He caught the faint sound of music coming from the open windows, but Meg wasn’t playing it loud enough for him to determine if it was earth native music or popular music. He needed to talk to his mother and sister before they met Meg Corbyn and saw the scars that were now visible since she’d begun wearing summer clothes.

“You ever watch nature programs?” Burke said. “You ever see one of those anteaters with the big claws breaking open the ant hills in order to get at the ants?”

“I vaguely recall seeing something like that,” O’Sullivan replied.

Burke nodded. “Then you tell the governor that the storms heading our way are the claws of the beast that will break open our cities in order to get to the meat.”

“Can we take a walk?” Meg asked.

Simon paused, the T-shirt halfway raised. He finished pulling it off, dunked it in the water trough in the Green Complex’s open communal area, then, with a happy sigh, put it back on.

“That’s better. Sure, we can. Do you need to rub bug spray on your skin?”

If she did, he’d stay so far away she’d have to shout instead of having a very quiet talk. “No, I’ll be all right.”

“Then dunk your shirt like I did so you stay cool.”

She looked around, not sure who else was home right now. “Girls aren’t supposed to take off their tops.”

“That’s a stupid human rule,” Simon growled. “We don’t care.”

She couldn’t argue that one way or the other, and the air had become close and viciously muggy in the face of the oncoming storm. The weather forecasters couldn’t decide whether Lakeside was going to be hit by the storm coming up from the south or the one swinging over the Great Lakes from the north. They were cautiously optimistic that the rain and damaging winds from the hurricane that was leisurely pummeling the East Coast wouldn’t reach Lakeside. The hurricane hadn’t stalled; it just seemed to pause at certain cities to inflict the most damage before continuing north.

After dunking her shirt in the trough, Meg put it back on and sucked in a breath when the cool, wet fabric touched her skin.

“Isn’t that better?” Simon asked, taking her hand.

“Much better.”

They walked over to the road, then paused.

“Which way?” Simon asked.

Good question. If they headed toward the Market Square, they would pass the kitchen garden. It was dark now, so it wasn’t likely that anyone would be working there, but there was always a chance, and she didn’t want to see her human friends right now.

Meg turned in the other direction, which would take them up to the Utilities Complex if they stayed on the Courtyard’s main road.

“Are we walking so you don’t itch?” Simon asked after a minute.

Should have known he would notice. “Too much that’s new and unsettled.” She hadn’t met Lieutenant Montgomery’s mother or the other members of his family, but just their presence in the Courtyard had caused twitches and prickles and buzzes on her arms and legs. Those potential prophecies could have been caused by Agent O’Sullivan just as easily. After all, he would have more influence on whatever might happen, wouldn’t he?

In the end, she’d closed the Liaison’s Office early and gone home—and wasn’t surprised to find Nathan waiting on her porch by the time she’d put her BOW in the garage and connected it to its charger. Until Simon got home, the watch Wolf was on duty.

She wasn’t sure if it was being home, or doing some of the moves she’d learned in the Quiet Mind class, or her amusement at Nathan, in Wolf form, doing some of the moves with her, but the prickles faded. And yet the unease had lingered through the rest of the afternoon.

“Simon, what’s going to happen?”

He didn’t answer. Then: “I don’t know. A lot of things broke at the same time. A lot of the Wolfgard died. In the past, trouble boiled up in one place. One form of terra indigene or other would deal with it, the humans who caused the trouble would be gone, and some—or all—of the land would be reclaimed and become part of the wild country again.”

“The terra indigene who none of you will talk about.”

“The Elders.”

Meg nodded. “The Elders. Are they going to reclaim all of Thaisia? What’s going to happen to people like the Intuits at Ferryman’s Landing? They aren’t the terra indigene’s enemy.”

They walked in silence. Finally Simon stopped and looked around. Meg wondered how much more he could see than was apparent to her.

“Do you know why Wolves howl?” he asked.

“To say, ‘We are here.’”

He looked at her and smiled. “Yes. We are here, keeping watch. We are here, thinning the weak from the elk and deer herds, from the bison. We are here to defend the wild country that borders on the human places.” The smile faded. “But the terra indigene who are Namid’s teeth and claws are coming to deal with the invasive predators, and where there are no Wolves to sing to the night sky . . . I don’t know what’s going to happen in the places that are filled with silence.”

“It won’t be silent in Lakeside. You’ll tell them you are here and you’re still keeping watch.” Meg thought a moment. “What about Ferryman’s Landing or the River Road Community? None of the Wolfgard live there.”

“The Coyote and the Fox live there. And there are a few of the Beargard on the island, and now there are Bobcats and Lynxes and a Panther at the River Road Community, as well as the juvenile Sanguinati. Different songs but the same message.”

He stepped closer and put his arms around her in a tentative hug.

Meg tensed, not sure what to do. The assault of male hands. Her body still reacted to the memory of her life in the compound. But this was Simon, and Wolves just liked contact with members of their pack.

She put her arms around his waist and allowed her body to relax against his.

“We were attacked here too, so I don’t know how much of Lakeside will be standing when this is done, but I think our pack will be all right,” Simon said quietly. “I don’t think the girls at the lake will let things get too bad in the Courtyard.”

“When?”

“At least one of the storms will reach us by tomorrow.” His arms tightened around her as he rested his cheek against her fuzz of hair. “You’ll be all right, Meg.”

“We’ll be all right.” She wanted to believe that, but would believing it be enough to make it true?