Wild Country

Tolya didn’t respond to the Wolf. Instead he reached out to the Panther.

“Are all the pet animals fed and watered?” he asked. Since she was an almost-vet, this was her primary task right now—caring for the small animals that had survived until she could convince other humans to take them.

“Yes, but—”

“Good. I need you for a special task.”

“We’re all supposed to help sort things from the houses for a couple of hours each day.”

Tolya nodded. “You’ll be sorting books.” No one had asked why he’d designated a room in the government building as the place to store the books that had been removed from houses and now would have to be sorted into some kind of order. The truth was, he’d wanted to keep that task for himself instead of handling other, less interesting, human possessions. But to keep the peace, and to help Saul, he would give up some of the pleasure of looking through the books.

“You’ll also be showing another member of our community how to do this sorting,” he continued. “In return, you may select a bag of books as a bonus for being a mentor. I would also appreciate you setting aside any books you find about the frontier days. Those would be for me.”

“Okay. Who am I helping?” she asked, almost pulling ahead of him now that the task sounded interesting.

“Joshua Painter.”

“Oh.”

What did “oh” mean? Good? Bad? He guessed it meant something good since her blue eyes now had a sparkle to them that had nothing to do with being angry with Virgil.

“Saul feels Joshua is ready to interact with humans,” Tolya said. “I thought sorting the books would help the cub reinforce his reading skills, and you, having experience with shifters because you lived in Lakeside, could help Joshua bridge the gap between his old life and this new one, as well as answer any questions he has about human things.”

“I can do that.”

Barbara Ellen had not shown this level of excitement when she’d met other young males who were staying in Bennett. She had been friendly, and being one of the few human females currently living in the town, her company was sought after by many. But this . . . giddiness . . . for a male she hadn’t met? Well, he would assess her emotions at the end of the day. If there was no change, he would preempt receiving another message of alarm from Officer Debany in Lakeside by writing to Vlad and telling him about Joshua Painter. After all, if Barbara Ellen’s brother was going to get excited about her living with a parakeet named Buddy, he could imagine the man’s reaction to a male who had grown up among the Panthergard—a male who was a few years younger than Barbara Ellen, although just old enough to be considered an adult. He wasn’t sure that mattered or should be a concern, but it was another thing to keep in mind.

“What are you going to do with the books?” Barbara Ellen asked. “Sell them? Give them away?”

“Jesse Walker indicated that we might find many copies of some books and only one or two copies of other titles. She also said some books are more valuable than others. First editions and uncommon texts.”

Barbara Ellen nodded. “That makes sense. We’ll probably find a lot of copies of last year’s bestsellers.”

“Jesse Walker’s suggestion was to make the popular books available for free and set aside the valuable books to be sold in the bookstore as a special category.”

Once they reached the government building, he led her to the room he had set aside for this sorting task. Boxes of books were piled along the edges of the room and under the big U-shaped table in the center, as well as on the folding tables that filled the space under the windows.

“Do you want me to stay and introduce you?” Tolya asked.

“No, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” She gave him the same bright smile she’d given him the day she’d stepped off the train. Barbara Ellen Debany was ready for another adventure.

He wasn’t sure he was ready for her to have another adventure. “I’ll be in my office if you need anything. The office is on the second floor.”

“I know.” She was already pulling boxes from under the table. “Oh! Is there a drinking fountain in the building? We might get thirsty.”

“I’ll arrange for water and glasses to be brought in.”

“Thanks.” Bright smile. Dismissive smile?

He wasn’t used to feeling superfluous.

He didn’t like it.

And he wondered if sending the Debany parents a card expressing sympathy for the work involved in raising a young human would be inappropriate.

Two minutes after entering his office, Tolya shifted into his smoke form, flowed down the stairs, then up to the ceiling, and . . . snuck . . . past the door to the book room before flowing down to the floor and shifting into human form. Then he waited near the building’s front door for Joshua Painter to arrive.

He was being cautious. That was all. Joshua might be human, but he had no knowledge of human behavior and what might be appropriate when a male and female were together. Alone. But not together. Barbara Ellen had a friendly manner that human males found attractive, but it might be misinterpreted as something more by someone who was in Bennett to learn about his own kind.

But maybe Joshua also needed protection from their almost-vet, who seemed a little too interested in this one particular male? The Sanguinati took advantage of humans’ casual mating practices, using seduction to lure their prey, but that knowledge didn’t help Tolya now when trying to anticipate a human’s potential interest in another human and how swiftly mating might occur once interest was indicated.

Mating was not part of this instruction. He would make that clear to both humans.

The door opened and Joshua stepped inside, stopping when he saw the Sanguinati.

Tolya took a moment to study the young male. A supple, lean body. Dark brown hair with a hint of gold and red—sun highlights, those hints were called. Unusual eyes—green with an outer ring of gray. At least, he hadn’t seen any other human with eyes like that. The boy’s short-sleeved shirt fit his body, but the trousers were a size too big and had those storage pockets on the outer thighs.

“Mr. Sanguinati.”

“Mr. Painter.”

“Saul said you wanted to see me.”

“Yes, I wanted . . .” Tolya breathed in and the words vanished.

He had seen Joshua and Saul walking around the town square, giving themselves a chance to become acquainted with their new territory. Tiny houses lined both sides of one of the streets off the square—houses that might have been built by the original settlers and didn’t look like they had more than one room and maybe a bathroom. When Saul decided the cabin he’d originally chosen as their den was too far from the town square and the activity he wanted Joshua to experience, he had claimed two of those tiny places, side by side, so that the boy would have his own den but would still have the security of his older brother nearby.

It had been a good decision since some of the young men who seemed intent on settling in Bennett also chose houses on that street. Tolya wanted to ask if humans formed bachelor packs the way some other animals did, but he hadn’t been sure if the question would be considered rude.

Yes, he’d seen Joshua Painter walking around the square, looking at the stores. He’d even spoken to the boy a couple of times. But they had been outside, and the wind had not been in his favor. Now, standing inside the building . . .

He doesn’t smell like prey. He’s human. I know he’s human. Why doesn’t he smell like prey?

He knew the answer. It just wasn’t a realistic answer because the only other person he’d met who didn’t smell like prey was Meg Corbyn, the Lakeside Courtyard’s Human Liaison. The blood prophet.

“You wanted . . . ?” Joshua prompted.

“Barbara Ellen is going to teach you how to sort the books.”

“Barbara Ellen.” Joshua took a step back. “How can she teach me? She’s not very smart.”

He bristled. “Why do you say that?”

“She tangled with Virgil. How smart can she be?”

Tolya sighed. The boy had a point. “Humans have a saying about having book smarts and street smarts. Barbara Ellen has book smarts, but her previous dealings with the Wolfgard were less . . . exciting . . . and may have given her a false understanding of what a dominant Wolf will tolerate.”

Joshua thought about this and finally nodded. “Street smarts are about knowing how to move in the world, yes? Recognizing what is safe and what is dangerous.”

Tolya nodded. “That is a good description.”

“So I will learn book smarts from her, and maybe she can learn some street smarts from me.” The boy looked like he was bracing himself for some kind of conflict. “But I don’t want to have sex with her. Saul thinks it would be better to avoid mating with females until I have learned more about what is expected from a mate.”

“I agree with Saul. It would be better to refrain until you understand more about human females. They have feelings about such things, and are, in their way, more like us in not seeing much, if any, difference between sex and mating when they are truly interested in a male.” He would find a pair of pliers and pull out his own fangs before admitting he felt insulted by Joshua’s lack of interest in the girl, especially since he didn’t want either of them to have that kind of interest in each other. And he realized he needed to stop trying to explain human sex before he got both of them confused.

“Come,” Tolya said. “I’ll introduce you to Barbara Ellen.”

Joshua followed him into the book room, and he made the introductions.

“Barb,” she said, giving Joshua a big smile, almost bouncing with puppyish enthusiasm. “My human friends call me Barb.”

Tolya left the room but stayed near the door, out of sight, as he listened to Barbara Ellen explain her sorting method. And then . . .

“What do you like to read? What was it like living with the Panthergard? I used to live in Lakeside and was studying to be a veterinarian because I wanted to take care of animals. I didn’t get all that far in the classes, but I did work as a vet’s assistant for a while. That’s how I ended up coming to Bennett. They needed someone to take care of the pets, and I was chosen. Mr. Sanguinati calls me an almost-vet. Do you like mysteries? I love mysteries, especially the Crowgard cozies, which aren’t cozy at all. And the Wolf Team books.”

He didn’t hear any of Joshua’s answers. Wasn’t sure the boy had a chance to answer as Barbara Ellen pelted him with questions. But Tolya felt reasonably sure the two of them were safe with each other. For now.

Back in his office, he stared out the window and thought about Joshua Painter. Why hadn’t other terra indigene noticed that the boy didn’t smell like prey? Or had they noticed but didn’t understand the significance? Had any of the shifters who had helped find and release the cassandra sangue relocated to Bennett? Or was he the only one here who had been close enough to a blood prophet to know what it meant for a human to be not prey?

He could be mistaken. Maybe Joshua’s scent was different because he had lived with the Panthergard. The boy was already different enough from the rest of the young human males. Why complicate his life by suggesting he wasn’t like them in other ways?

He didn’t have to say anything. He could wait and see if someone else noticed a difference in the boy.

After all, if Joshua Painter did come from a line of blood prophets, they would all know soon enough.

Jesse entered the general store in Bennett and sighed.

“Mom?” Tobias laid a hand on her shoulder. “You all right?”

She patted his hand. “I’m tired. I’m glad tomorrow is Earthday and we can stay home and rest.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do.” Her right hand reached for her left wrist. She stopped the movement, but she knew Tobias had seen her tell. “If for no other reason, I need to figure out the most sensible way to stock the shelves in my own store.”

“You’re meeting Tolya Sanguinati?” Tobias asked. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

Surprised, she turned to look at him. Tobias’s intuitive gift primarily had to do with animals and with people only in relation to animals. It made him a good rancher—and it helped him deal with the terra indigene.

“I’m not looking forward to discussing what I strongly feel we need to discuss, but I’m not worried about being alone with him if that’s what you’re asking under the offer to stay.”

Tobias studied her. “Okay. But I’d like to talk to him too about how to distribute the new hands, assuming the Lakeside Courtyard finds any to hire, and who should be the foreman of each ranch we’re going to try to keep going.”

“I’ll tell him. Where will you be?”

“The livery stable. I want to look at the horses there, want to make sure the people working there actually know something about horses.” He hesitated. “And then I thought I’d take a look at the saloon. It’s not open for business yet, but people are welcome to come in and take a look.”

It didn’t surprise her that the first business in Bennett to be fully staffed and truly operational would be the saloon. There had been more than one “watering hole” in the town, and someone might eventually open one of the other ones, but for now the Bird Cage Saloon would be an important gathering place.

“Go on, then.” When he turned to leave, she added, “Tobias? I’d like to know about the people working there—and the person Tolya Sanguinati chose to run the place.”

“You think that will be important?”

“Yes, I do.”

They studied each other. Intuits did not dismiss the feelings that had helped them escape the persecution of humans who feared their gifts and had helped them bargain with the terra indigene to establish communities that were well hidden in the wild country.

“Anything in particular I should look for?” Tobias asked.

Jesse shook her head.

The door opened and Tolya walked in with a long roll of papers. “Mr. Walker.”

“Mr. Sanguinati.” Tobias touched the brim of his hat and left.

Jesse went behind the counter. No reason to except she felt easier.

“We can’t keep doing this.” She hadn’t meant to say it so bluntly, but she was tired—and she was scared for herself, for her son, for the people of Prairie Gold, and for the newcomers, who, she was sure, weren’t prepared for the daunting truth about Bennett no matter what pictures they had seen on the TV or in newspapers. Picking through the lives of so many people, realizing that what had eliminated the entire population was out there, watching, waiting . . .

Bennett was a carcass. Sooner or later, the scavengers would start arriving to pick at the spoils. And then more people would die.

She jerked when Tolya’s hand closed over her right hand, which had a tight hold on her left wrist.

“I know your tell, Jesse Walker, and I know the scent of fear. Why are you afraid?”

“Outlaws, scavengers, squatters,” she whispered. “They’ll be coming too. Maybe not on the same trains that bring the people we want, but they’ll be coming close behind. They’ll find a way to get here because this place is ripe for the picking, and there’s nothing we can do.”

She felt surprised when a tear rolled down her cheek. Felt even more surprised when Tolya gently brushed it aside.

“We can’t keep doing this,” she said again.

“‘Doing this’ being clearing out the houses? I know. That’s why I brought these maps of the streets. I had some thoughts about . . . prioritizing.”

She moved her hands to indicate she wanted to be released. Tolya immediately raised his hand.

Taking a tissue from the open box she had placed near the cash register, she blew her nose and considered priorities.

“Jewelry, money, bank information, and legal documents are the important items that might be in each home, yes?” Tolya asked. “Those are the things that should be set aside for any potential heirs, if the attorneys who settle here can find anyone. These items are more important than clothing, books, furniture, and the food in jars and cans.”

“All the alcohol should be collected,” Jesse said, tossing the tissue in the little wastebasket she’d also tucked behind the counter. “I think . . . I feel the task of clearing out the houses is taking a toll on the young people doing the work. Some of them may come to depend on alcohol to numb their minds and hearts in order to face the work. And drugs. The houses should be cleared of all the drugs. Let the doctors who come here figure out what to do with prescriptions and such.”

“You fear for the young humans. But humans keep alcohol in their homes. There is a store here that sells nothing but alcohol.”

“Which isn’t open because there is no one to run it yet.” Jesse frowned. If access to the free alcohol was stopped, would some of the young men resort to breaking into the liquor store? “The saloon could sell bottles and act as the liquor store for the time being as well as being a place to buy a drink and socialize.”

“I will mention this additional requirement to Scythe,” Tolya said.

A chill ran through her. “Scythe?”

“Madam Scythe as she will be known at the saloon.”

“Is she a shifter?”

“She can take human form.”

Evasive. She didn’t expect Tolya to tell her everything. She didn’t live in Bennett, wasn’t a part of the governing body here. But Prairie Gold would have a hard time surviving if Bennett disappeared completely, so she did have a stake in what was happening here. “What is she?”

Tolya studied her. “A rare form. A ferocious predator, even by the standards of other terra indigene. Understand that knowledge about her cannot be disseminated without great risk to your species.”

Gods above and below. Did she want the burden of that kind of knowledge? Was there really a choice? “Tell me.”

“She is a Harvester, a Plague Rider. The Sanguinati drink blood as their preferred sustenance. Her kind harvest life. It can range from a sip of life energy from many different prey to killing her prey. Her hair indicates her mood. Red is anger. If her hair turns solid black, she can kill with a look.”

“Why . . .” Jesse struggled to speak. “Why let her stay here if she is so dangerous?”

“Would you have her on the outside, where she is alone and sees all of you as prey?” Tolya countered. “The Lakeside Courtyard has a Harvester running the coffee shop, and the arrangement has worked well for them. They are careful around her, as we must be around Scythe, but it is safer for everyone to have her among us at this point.” He paused, then added, “Besides, she is enthusiastic about running a frontier saloon.”

“She’ll kill people.”

“Yes. She will protect the beings who work with her.” Tolya unrolled the papers he’d brought in. “I think we should establish residential territories so that humans with the same customs can live together if that is what they desire. Also, by designating neighborhoods open to habitation, we can reduce the pickup of garbage and other government services.”

“You’ll still need to have someone drive around the streets with unoccupied houses to keep an eye on things.”

He smiled, showing a hint of fang. “Why drive a vehicle and waste gasoline? If the Ravens, Eagles, or Hawks see something, they’ll tell us.”

Jesse looked at the street map of Bennett and knew that, while Tolya’s point about services wasn’t a lie, that wasn’t the reason for designating particular areas as approved housing. “These are boundaries.”

His smile faded. “As you pointed out, there will be scavengers and squatters. Humans who are not suited to be here. There are no real boundaries, Jesse Walker. Not anymore. But there can be acknowledged areas where humans will be considered not edible as long as they don’t provoke the terra indigene into attacking them.”

“And if someone decides to live in one of the houses outside those areas?”

“They might survive.”

But it wasn’t likely. Suddenly she realized why Tolya wasn’t that concerned about scavengers and squatters. Every kind of terra indigene would look at those people and see meat.

There was no mercy in the wild country, no safety in the dark. She knew that. But she wondered if the people coming to Bennett fully appreciated what that meant.

And she wondered what else Tolya wanted to talk about but shied away from.

She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Could we drive around these areas you designated? I think I could get a feel for whether or not they would do what you have in mind.”

“Of course. I welcome your input. I will locate someone with a vehicle to drive us.”

“Tobias can drive us. He was going to take a look at the saloon, so we could meet him there.” And she’d like to take a look at the madam running the place.

Kelley didn’t want a house, was adamant about not wanting the work of taking care of a house and whatever yard was attached to it. Abigail didn’t want an apartment, was certain being in an apartment complex would expose her to danger and leave her vulnerable in a way that living in a house wouldn’t.

A month ago, Kelley would have given in. But a month ago he’d still believed the story she had spun about her life before meeting him, had still believed she was the sweet woman he’d loved and married. Now they were two people who were living in the same room at the hotel but not even sharing a bed while they wrangled about where to live.

She had a feeling the wrangling wasn’t going to go on much longer. Couldn’t go on much longer. Her new neighbors had to see her as sweetly odd Abigail Burch who had sold soaps and candles when she’d lived in Prairie Gold.

Maybe it would be better to arrange things so that Kelley would leave and she could be the sad, brave wife he’d walked out on. That could work—as long as she chose the right kind of neighbors.

Abigail wandered one of the residential streets, making sure she looked adrift, homeless.

In order to eat free food and have a free place to stay, everyone coming into Bennett was expected to put in forty hours a week in some kind of work—and part of that work included helping to sort and clear out houses and businesses. She had tried to help sort and clear out the clothing, but she couldn’t stand being in the bedrooms, especially the ones that had belonged to the children. So she volunteered to clean the offices, scrubbing windows and floors, dusting furniture, cleaning the bathrooms. Even that work wasn’t without its unpleasant surprises. One person had kept a small bowl of tumbled stones on a desk, and those stones created another dissonance, another tear in the protections she had created around herself with her own collection of stones.

Abigail closed her eyes. She needed . . . She needed . . .

“Hey!”

A hand grabbed her arm. She gasped, pulled away, staggered. The hand grabbed her arm again.

“Easy. Wow. Have you been out in the sun too long? I live across the street. Come over. I’ll give you some water.”

Abigail looked at the young woman—at the gullible mark—with the blue eyes and freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. Perfect. “Thank you.”

“I’m Barb. I’m just moving in over there.” She pointed to a house. “You’re pretty wobbly. I’d say you should see a doctor, but we don’t have one yet. I’m what Mr. Sanguinati calls an almost-vet since I’ve been taking care of all the pets who were left behind when . . . they were left behind.”

She wasn’t really listening. She was staring at the house next to Barb’s. “Who lives there?”

“It’s currently unoccupied.” Barb hesitated. “It hasn’t been cleared out. I’ve heard they aren’t going to do that anymore. If you want a place that hasn’t been cleared and is in one of the approved zones, you have to pack up all the stuff you don’t want—and pack up the things that are on the list of items that have to be turned in. Do you want to see inside? I was given the keys to the houses on either side of mine so that I could show them if anyone was interested. The house on the other side of mine was cleared out, so you’d have to go around to the storage areas and select furniture and all the other things you’ll need. That might be easier if you’re on your own. But some people think just removing what they don’t want is easier than lugging out furniture in order to lug in different furniture that does the same thing.”

Abigail barely glanced at the empty house to the left of Barb’s. The places that still held the footprint of the people who had lived there were hard to endure, but somehow that empty house felt worse.

“I’d like to take a look at that one.” She pointed to the house on the right.

“I’ll fetch the keys—and some water. I’ll just be a minute.” Barb ran into her own house, leaving Abigail alone to study the house next door.

Bennett was haunted by the echoes of the dead. That might never change. But on this residential street, she wouldn’t be exposed to anyone coming into town.

And even if Kelley didn’t come with her, or moved in with her but didn’t stay long, that might work out for the best.

Messis 6

To: Tolya Sanguinati, Urgent

We have selected twenty-four Simple Life males to work on the farms and ranches around Bennett. We also selected five Simple Life females to work on the farms and ranches. Four of those females will do cooking and whatever is needed to take care of the human dens. The fifth female wants to herd things. She knows how to ride a horse and says she can lasso animals. None of the males mentioned this ability. Vlad and I agreed that, if we had to deal with her, we would give her cows to herd to keep her from herding other things—like us. But it’s your decision.

The ranch humans will take a train to Bennett on Windsday, which is the same day we will interview the humans who are doctors and attorneys and other professions that work out of offices.

—Simon

Messis 6

To: Simon Wolfgard

Instead of biting her, I put Barbara Ellen in jail for a while on Firesday. When she yapped about it, I told her she needed “me time,” something I heard a cop in the TV box say to a human male before putting him in a cell.

This is a useful thing to say to females since it makes them too annoyed to continue yapping, but what, exactly, is “me time”?

—Virgil

Messis 7

To: Tolya Sanguinati

We have found some humans to work in the stores. With this new group of humans coming in, you will need to figure out how to pay them so that everyone can buy the goods that will need to be replenished and that you will need to purchase from suppliers, like gasoline, milk, and toilet paper. You may not have experienced this yet, but human females turn predatory when there is a noticeable lack of toilet paper.

Some of the humans who are qualified to work in the stores will start their migration tomorrow, traveling with the Simple Life humans. The humans who said they needed extra time will go with the group leaving on Firesday.

Also, Steve Ferryman told us that news of job openings has traveled past Lakeside, and even though all the humans are supposed to see Simon and me first, several Intuits on Great Island feel that humans we haven’t seen and approved will be arriving and looking for work. You should be wary of any humans who don’t have a letter from us.

—Vlad