“That is why the Sanguinati are leaving Toland—why all the terra indigene are leaving Toland,” Erebus said.
“We’re going quietly,” Stavros said. “Most of the Wolves have already left. They’re heading up the northern coast or toward the Addirondak Mountains. The Hawks, Owls, and Crows leave the Courtyard as usual, flying over Toland. But not as many return to the Courtyard as leave each morning or evening. Since the Sanguinati were the dominant form there and the least vulnerable to the Elementals’ wrath, we’re packing up what possessions we can and using earth native trucks late at night to move items to other locations, or we’re sending a trunk of smaller items with someone who is traveling.”
“It sounds like we should order as many books as we can from the Toland publishers,” Vlad said.
Stavros nodded. “I’ve made that suggestion to several Courtyards.”
“How much time do we have?”
“Not much. Dead fish are starting to wash ashore.”
“One last order, then,” Simon said. “After that, there are Intuit and terra indigene companies that publish books and print books. We’ll buy from them.”
“We already buy from them,” Vlad said. “They don’t publish that many books.”
“They can expand a little to publish more. Besides, if Ocean is going to strike out for killing some of the Sharkgard—and dumping poison in a part of her water—there may not be any books in Toland left to buy.” He looked at Stavros. “What about you? Do you . . .” He stopped. Despite being the Courtyard’s leader, he wasn’t the one who should offer Stavros a place here at Lakeside. Not when Erebus was sitting right there.
Erebus smiled. “There will be many in the days ahead who would like a place in Lakeside, but too many predators in the same land causes strife. However, I would like Stavros to have a place here when he is not in Hubb NE, keeping watch over the human government. I think they will need careful watching in the days ahead.”
Simon drank the rest of the lemonade in his glass. Was it his imagination, or had it gotten a little more sour while it sat? “You’re not going to tell any of the humans, are you?”
“Why should we?” Stavros replied. “They brought this on themselves.”
“Not all of them.”
“There are no sweet blood in Toland now,” Erebus said. “Stavros and the government agent, O’Sullivan, removed them.”
“I wondered if Lieutenant Montgomery has family there.”
Silence.
“Ah,” Erebus finally said. “The helpful policeman. What could you tell him?”
Simon thought about that. No way to know when Ocean would strike. If too many humans tried to leave Toland, where would they go? Except for the human farms that supplied food for the city, there wasn’t any human-controlled place between Toland and Hubb NE, which was an hour’s train ride away. There was only wild country and the terra indigene, who, like Ocean, had less and less tolerance for the clever monkeys.
“I don’t know what I could tell him,” Simon said.
“Captain Burke’s cousin is visiting all the way from Brittania,” Henry said. “It would not be strange to ask if any of Lieutenant Montgomery’s kin were planning to visit him and the Lizzy.”
“Meg should ask. Otherwise Montgomery will wonder why we’re suddenly so interested in his kin.”
Everyone agreed that was a good idea. Meg asked questions. She talked to humans about all kinds of things. She might already know if Montgomery still had kin in Toland.
Nothing more to say. Not tonight. Simon wanted to shift to Wolf and run for a while in the moonlight. He wanted to curl up next to Meg while she watched TV or read a book. He wanted humans to go back to being annoying instead of a real threat.
Nothing more to say. Except . . .
“There’s trouble here too, but we’re not leaving Lakeside.”
“No, we’re not,” Erebus agreed.
“Nothing else is at risk by leaving Toland,” Henry said. “But if we’re gone from Lakeside, Great Island will be vulnerable, especially since it hasn’t been decided yet if all the remaining humans in Talulah Falls will be sent away and replaced by Intuits and Others who can work the machines. As it is, Steve Ferryman doesn’t want his people going there because it’s too dangerous. That means almost everything that comes from other parts of Thaisia—or the rest of the world—comes to them through Lakeside.”
Erebus stood—and the meeting was over. Vlad led Simon, Elliot, Henry, and Tess back to where they’d parked the minivan. Four Sanguinati, still in smoke form, kept watch at the gate.
They drove back to the Green Complex in silence. Henry parked the minivan in one of the visitors’ parking spaces across from the complex, and they all went to their apartments.
Simon stripped and tossed his clothes on the sofa before shifting to Wolf and going out again. He sniffed around the complex, watered a couple of trees, then returned to the summer room below Meg’s apartment, shifting one paw just enough to open the door.
“Hi,” she said.
He stopped just inside the door. He’d thought she’d be asleep since there was no light on.
“It’s going to be a busy weekend, isn’t it? The Addirondak Wolves will arrive in a few days for a week of people watching.” Meg laughed softly. “I don’t think it sunk in until Merri Lee, Ruth, and I were talking this evening that that’s what this is about—people watching.”
Interacting, actually. The Others watched humans all the time. Not that watching had stopped things from going wrong.
Nothing he could do about Toland. Nothing he could do about dead bison in Joe’s territory. But he could help Joe by sending books for the Others and the Intuits. He could help Jackson deal with the Hope pup. And he and Meg and the human pack and the terra indigene here in Lakeside could show the Elders who were watching closely that terra indigene and humans could work together to keep Thaisia a good place for all of them.
He gave Meg’s hand a couple of licks, then settled down next to her lounge chair and fell asleep.
? ? ?
Jerked out of a light sleep, Monty grabbed the phone on the second ring, scrubbing a hand over his face as if that would make his brain function—or convince his heart that Lizzy was still safe. “Hello?”
“Crispin?”
Monty’s heart banged against his chest as he turned on a lamp and looked at his watch. “Mama? What’s wrong?” Had to be something wrong for her to call him at midnight.
Twyla Montgomery sighed, a sad, tired sound. “I got handed my walking papers today. Security guard watched me clean out my locker, even checked my bag afterward to make sure I wasn’t taking anything that wasn’t mine before walking me out the door.”
“Fired?” Monty couldn’t get his mind around that bit of information. “You were fired?”
“Wasn’t needed anymore. Have to provide jobs for those more deserving.”
“They said that?” Then it clicked. “They wanted you to join the HFL in order to keep your job.”
“As if I need to belong to some organization in order to clean the toilets those fools mess up every day.”
“Gods.” Monty rested his head against the back of the couch. “Mama, you did right not joining the HFL. They’re doing nothing but stirring up trouble.”
“You think I can’t see that?”
The dry tone made him smile. His mama didn’t tolerate fools—especially fools who wore suits that cost more than she made in a month. But his smile faded as he realized what losing the job meant for her. “When do you have to move out of your apartment?”
“Soon. I can stay with your sister for a few days, but she’s got her troubles too.”