Simon nodded. “We could be eating yogurt.”
Burke chuckled, but his amusement faded quickly. “How much longer is the tethered goat going to stay in Lakeside?”
“I don’t know. If it were up to me, that Cyrus would have been gone the day he arrived.”
“So they’re still interested in Cyrus Montgomery?”
Simon looked thoughtful. “That Cyrus is not the kind of human who normally would go near the wild country.”
WE LERNED FROM YU. The Elders had posted those signs, luring television and newspaper reporters to towns like Bennett to see for themselves what the primal forms of terra indigene in the Midwest and Northwest regions had learned about what it meant to be human. Whole towns were slaughtered in retaliation for the slaughter of the Wolfgard in those areas.
That had been terrible enough and gave him sleepless nights—something he would never admit to his men or his superiors—but with the Humans First and Last movement shattered, it wasn’t likely that anyone would be able to rally humans to another all-out attack on the Others. At least, not for another generation or two. No, the next threat to humans could be more subtle and more terrible if it was a reflection of Cyrus Montgomery’s more unsavory traits.
“He’s not the kind of human anyone would want the Elders to imitate,” Burke said.
“Well,” Simon replied after a moment. “He’s just the tethered goat. I don’t think the Elders are that interested in him anymore.”
? ? ?
Jimmy sat at the bar in the Stag and Hare, nursing a drink. Sandee was boohooing about Clarence’s hand and how dangerous it was to be around the Courtyard. And the kids were boohooing about every damn thing. A man couldn’t get any peace.
Had to make some connections. Had to find something he could turn into cash. He’d sold the extra package of lasagna easily enough, and the men he’d approached were interested in anything else he might have to sell. But with restrictions on how much of everything humans could buy at the Courtyard, and the freaks getting riled up about Clarence palming a couple of stupid things that weren’t anything, he didn’t think he’d be able to get enough food to sell—unless he sold half of what he could squeeze out of the Courtyard and told Sandee to pay for her food some other way.
Too bad the freaks didn’t seem interested in humping. Sandee might be worth her keep if they were.
The blond-haired man he’d seen before sat on the stool next to his and gave him a smile that lacked sincerity and held a hint of mean. “Buy you a drink?”
Jimmy was inclined to like the man for the smile alone. The offer of a drink just added weight. “Appreciate it.”
“You have some kind of hook into the Courtyard,” the man said.
Feeling cautious, Jimmy sipped his drink. “I know people who have a hook.”
“But you can get inside the Courtyard and walk around without raising any alarms.”
“True, but humans are watched all the time.”
The man downed his drink and ordered another round. “Not all the time. A distraction can have them focused on one part of the Courtyard, leaving another part . . . exposed.” He turned his glass. Turned it and turned it. “They’ve got something that belongs to me. I haven’t been able to reach it, but I know where it is. I need access to the Market Square for a few minutes. Just long enough to grab what’s mine and get out again. And if I can’t take it with me, I’m going to make sure it’s of no use to anyone.”
The man pulled some money out of his pocket and fanned the bills on the bar. Ten fifty-dollar bills.
“Just a distraction that would draw attention away from the Market Square,” the man said. “Enough commotion and noise to let me get in and out. What do you think?”
Five hundred dollars to make some noise and cause some trouble for the freaks?
The man left one fifty on the bar and pocketed the rest. “Just for listening.”
“If you need to move in a hurry, how am I going to get the rest?”
There was more than a hint of mean in the man’s smile now—and in his blue eyes. “I’ll make sure the money gets to you.”
Jimmy licked his lips. Five hundred dollars would set him up for a little while, especially if Sandee didn’t know he had the money. “When?”
“Tomorrow.” The man held out a hand. “Do we have a deal?”
Jimmy didn’t hesitate. He clasped the man’s hand. “I’m Jimmy.”
The man squeezed Jimmy’s hand just a little too hard. “I’m Jack.”
To: Vladimir Sanguinati and Simon Wolfgard Bennett’s new residents arrived. The humans who will be working on the farms and ranches are staying in town for a couple of days to receive instructions from Tobias Walker, the foreman of Prairie Gold’s ranch, and Stewart Dixon, a human rancher who was helpful to Joe Wolfgard and is making an effort to work with us in exchange for being able to visit Bennett to buy supplies and allow his people to attend social events like going to the movies or attending a concert or play. I’m not sure if there will be professional concerts or plays for a while, but the movie theater informed me that they have received several movies, so there will be some entertainment for the humans—and for us. I’ll keep you informed.
—Tolya
Messis 14
Dear Jenni,
Arrived in Bennett. I’m staying at the hotel while I choose the furniture for my bedroom. I met Barb, my housemate, and Virgil, my new boss. I start work tomorrow.
—Jana
CHAPTER 13
Sunsday, Messis 14
As the Owlgard headed home and the rest of the gards still slept, their footsteps filled the Market Square with an odd, and frustrated, silence.
They couldn’t find the scent of tasty Wolf cookies anywhere except the working den of the howling not-Wolf. There were interesting scents in the Harvester’s working den, especially during the day when so many terra indigene and humans hurried and scurried in and out of the cluster of buildings. And then the scents, so fresh and strong, disappeared—the food consumed.
They were strong, and their claws could open doors so easily, but the Wolfgard and the Sanguinati were already unhappy about their insistence on keeping the insignificant human predator close by. If they broke into the working dens of the Harvester and the not-Wolf to look for the tasty or some other treat, the smaller shifters would be angry. So would the Harvester. And the not-Wolf? If she became frightened, she might abandon the working den—and enough smaller shifters, if willing to sacrifice many, could seriously wound an Elder. And the Harvester working with them would do the rest.
<The small human male took from the Hawk,> the male said.