Ruthie saying, “Hang on, Lawrence. Hang on. The paramedics are here.”
And Jenni crying, “Crystal? Crystal, wake up! Simon says we have to leave now.”
He stepped aside as men from the ambulance rushed in, guarded by police. He looked at his pack.
Henry had a deep, bloody furrow along his right cheek from the bullet that had struck him when he swatted Simon out of the way. Michael Debany was limping and couldn’t seem to bend one knee. Ruthie was all bloody, but he couldn’t tell if she was wounded or if it was all Lawrence MacDonald’s blood. Merri Lee had bruises already blooming on her face, arms, and legs—and a bone sticking through the skin of one finger on her left hand. Vlad appeared unharmed. So did Jenni and Starr. But Crystal . . .
The back too arched. The feet pointed so hard they were almost curling. The eyes that should have been dark and shining were already dull. And feathers had partially sprouted along her stiff arms.
He looked at the bloody magazines that had fallen around her and thought, This is the vision Meg had seen about Heather. If the human bunny had been working in the Courtyard, she would have come here with the other girls. Would Crystal have lived if Heather had died here?
He didn’t know how much of a prophecy could change and how much was going to happen, regardless of what someone did. All he knew right now was he hurt and he wanted to go home.
<Nathan?> he called.
<Cut from broken glass and hurt from the rocks they threw at me. The monkeys pushed the bus over. Don’t think I can get out. I smell gasoline.> A hesitation. <The police out here are saying they’ll help. They say hurry.>
<They’ll help. Get away from the bus.>
Too much noise. Too much confusion. He felt dull and sick as he watched the paramedics rush MacDonald to the ambulance. He watched police lead the attackers with minor injuries out of the building. And he watched Captain Burke speak briefly to Kowalski and Debany before approaching him.
“Mr. Wolfgard? What can we do for you and your people? You and Mr. Beargard are wounded. So is the Wolf who was in the bus.”
“Our bodywalkers will take care of us,” Simon said. “We just want to go home.”
“Your bus is too damaged to drive, but we’ll get you home.”
“Crystal too.”
Burke nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
He wanted to get away from this place. He wanted a chance to rest and heal. Then he remembered the other part of Elliot’s message. “Tell Lieutenant Montgomery to keep the Lizzy away from the Courtyard. Something bad is going to happen there . . . or has happened.”
“What kind of bad?”
“Don’t know. Meg saw . . .”
“Simon is hurt,” Henry said. “He needs to go home.”
“Captain Zajac and his men also responded to the call for backup. Give me a moment to talk to him; then I’ll make arrangements to get you all home. We’ll need statements from all of you, but that can wait.”
As Burke walked away, Kowalski walked up to Simon and Henry, his arm around Ruthie.
“I’m sorry,” Ruthie said, crying. “I am so sorry.”
“We talked to the merchants’ association last week and asked them if there would be a problem with terra indigene visiting the stall market to shop. We were told it wouldn’t be,” Kowalski said.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Wasn’t your fault,” Simon said. “You wanted to give the Crows a treat. Other humans took the opportunity to try to kill us.”
No, this wasn’t Ruthie’s fault. Allowing himself to be lured to a place where the terra indigene had so little chance of surviving an attack was his fault. As the leader, he should have remembered why the terra indigene didn’t go to movie theaters or concerts or any other place where a mob of humans could attack a small number of Others. He should have heeded Vlad’s concerns about going to the stall market instead of relying on Kowalski’s and Ruthie’s trust in these humans. Crystal Crowgard had died because of that trust, and Lawrence MacDonald was badly wounded.
Burke returned as Debany and Merri Lee joined them. “Officers, you and the ladies are going to the hospital for treatment. I’ve left messages for Lieutenant Montgomery and Pete Denby, so they’ll be aware of the situation and will take precautions. Mr. Wolfgard, there’s transportation waiting for you and the rest of the terra indigene.”
“We’re ready.”
Vlad joined them, carrying Crystal and trailed by Jenni and Starr.
Nodding to Burke, Simon walked outside, followed by Vlad and the Crows, with Henry bringing up the rear. Nathan waited for them near some kind of police van. The Wolf was still bleeding from some of the deeper cuts, and judging by the way Nathan moved, Simon suspected there were other, deeper injuries. He just hoped those injuries were things Jane Wolfgard could fix.
As they drove away from the stall market, more ambulances were turning into the parking lot—and Simon wondered if the humans who started this had any idea how much damage they had done.
*
Blair growled and looked over his shoulder, but the warning ended quickly as Elliot joined them and said, “I have news.”
“Simon?” Blair asked.
“He’s hurt,” Elliot said. “So are Nathan and Henry. Crystal is dead. Jenni and Starr are upset but don’t appear wounded. Vlad is unharmed. They’ll all be here in a few minutes. The human pack is being taken to the hospital. Various injuries. One of them is badly wounded.”
“Let’s move these carcasses.” Blair hesitated. Then he looked at Tess. “Are these meat?”
She considered the two men, who were already beyond answering questions, and acknowledged to herself that she’d harvested more than she’d intended. She shook her head. “They’re rotting too fast.”
“Mine is weakened, but the meat and blood are fresh,” Nyx said.
Blair nodded. “We’ve also got the van’s driver. Two will provide enough special meat for everyone who wants some.”
<Sirens,> Jake Crowgard reported from his position on the roof. <Police are coming.>
“Then we need to hurry,” Nyx said.
Blair fetched the drop cloths he’d left at the end of the hallway. The four terra indigene wrapped up the three bodies and hauled them down to the Utilities Complex’s pickup, which he had parked near the back stairs. They also took the soiled rug.
As soon as Blair and Elliot had driven off with the meat, Tess opened windows in all the apartments—even the ones that hadn’t been invaded. Then she wiped the floors while Nyx arranged to have the personal belongings returned after the police left.
By the time Nyx returned and police officers were coming up the stairs from the street door, Tess had everything sufficiently tidy.
She let the officers look around. She answered the questions she chose to answer, and the officer in charge, a Commander Gresh, who had provided assistance on previous occasions, was smart enough to be satisfied with the answers he’d been given.
She told him he could do the smudging thing on the street door to check for fingerprints. The cars in the Courtyard’s parking lot? Not customers of any of their shops, so the officers were welcome to seize them, detain them, tow them, or do whatever else they pleased with them.
“A police van just drove in,” Nyx said once the police were sniffing around the parking lot. “Vlad says the police will take Simon and the others to the Market Square medical office.”
“I don’t think our humans will be returning soon, but let’s put everything back as best we can.”
“Everything?”
Tess looked at Nyx, knowing the Sanguinati was asking about the pink book. “Not everything.”