Written In Red Part 61

"He was shot by the intruders."

"I'm sorry."

And Kowalski was genuinely sorry, Vlad realized. He looked at the two snowmobiles that Fire had left untouched. "Do you know how to work these machines?"

"I've ridden on them a few times, so I know enough to drive one."

"Then you will show me, and we'll use the machines to reach the hospital."

Picking up the steaming mug of tea, Henry walked over to the windows of his studio. Nothing he wanted to see out there. Not tonight. Terra indigene had died today, and some humans had died in the storm that was the Elementals' response to those deaths-and to the harm done to Meg.

The intruders had also died, and that was good.

Now they would see if the humans would resume their wary peace with the terra indigene or if there would be war. He hoped the humans would show some sense. It had been many years since the terra indigene had crushed a human city. If it came to that here, he would regret the deaths of some of these people.

Shaking his head, Henry sipped his tea. No point stirring up the bees if you weren't looking for honey.

On his way back to this part of the Courtyard, he'd found Nathan, exhausted and half frozen, still trying to chase after that Asia. But Tess had dealt with Asia Crane, so Henry shifted from spirit bear to Grizzly and broke the trail for the Wolf right up to the back door of the efficiency apartments. The girls had put Nathan's paws in warm water to melt the ice clumped between his pads, had patted him dry with towels, and given him food and water. Now Nathan and John were curled up in the apartment, asleep, while the girls were at A Little Bite, making food and hot drinks. And Lorne, with Henry's permission, was in the social center, letting the stranded use the toilets and rest in a warm place for a while.

Last winter they would have stood behind their locked doors and watched the humans die. But things had changed around the Lakeside Courtyard, and those changes held promise for all of Namid's children. So he hoped the human government would be wise enough not to choose war.

Meg woke slowly, feeling a rattle and burn in her chest.

White room. The hated and feared bed. And a figure at the end of the bed.

"No," she moaned. Had it been a dream, a delusion?

"Meg?" The figure leaped toward her, his weird-shaped hands coming down on either side of her head. "Stay awake, Meg. Stay awake!"

A face out of nightmares, out of visions of dark water and terrible cold. Then the fur receded and she recognized him. "S-Simon?"

Red flickered in his amber eyes and he snarled at her. "If you ever scare me like this again, I will eat you!" Then he pressed his forehead against her arm and whined.

Not a dream? She had reached the Courtyard, had been building the life that had swum through the dark dreams? "Where are we?"

"Hospital." He raised his head and snarled again. "You stupid female. You fell through the ice and cut your chin!"

He paced, he panted, he snarled and whined. He threatened to eat her a half dozen times. But when he howled, all kinds of people ran into the room.

Terror filled her when she saw the man in the white coat-the same kind of coat that had been worn by the Walking Names-but Lieutenant Montgomery was the next person into the room, followed by Vladimir Sanguinati.

"Ms. Corbyn, I'm Dr. Lorenzo," the white coat said. "You're awake, and that's welcome news." He slanted a glance at Simon. "Although hospitals are supposed to be quiet zones, even when there is good news."

Simon just growled at the doctor.

"I want to leave," Meg said, desperate to get away from the bed and the room that felt too much like the compound, like a cage.

Dr. Lorenzo shook his head. "Considering the condition of the streets, none of us are going anywhere until morning. Besides, you need warmth and rest. Which is why Lieutenant Montgomery, Mr. Sanguinati, and I were talking about moving you to a private room on another floor. It will be quieter, and, frankly, we need the exam rooms down here in emergency."

"I agree with Dr. Lorenzo," Vlad said. "A private room will be less stressful for everyone."

"But I want to leave," Meg said, looking at Simon. Would he understand why she was afraid to be here?

Simon hesitated, then shook his head. "Your lungs rattle. I can hear them. We'll stay here until your lungs don't rattle."

So they bundled her up, plunked her in a wheelchair, and took her up to another room, where they tucked her into another bed, gave her warm drinks and a bowl of soup, and then left her with the vampire and the Wolf.

"Sam?" she asked.

"He's fine," Simon said.

"He's a little hoa.r.s.e from howling for so long," Vlad said. "But otherwise, he's fine. After we sent news to the Courtyard that you would be all right, he settled down. He's still with Grandfather Erebus. They're watching movies."

"Kept him safe," she whispered.

"You should have stayed with Erebus too," Simon growled. "Stupid female. And I do not want to know about you spinning the BOW, because I'm sure I would have to bite you."

She blinked at him. Oh. That wasn't a dream either?

Vlad chuckled, an earthy sound. "Let it go, Simon. It's probably best if we don't know too much about how our Meg ended up in the creek."

"Asia," Meg said. "She came to the apartments. She tried to take Sam. Did she get away?"

They both shrugged, but she saw the look they exchanged. And she wondered how much special meat was going to be available to the Courtyard's residents over the next few days.

CHAPTER 30.

Throughout the night, Monty, Louis, and Kowalski stood shifts outside Meg Corbyn's hospital room, while Debany and MacDonald ferried medicines to people who needed them and could be reached. At one point, Jester had ridden back to the Courtyard with Vlad, who returned with clothes for Simon and Meg, two more snowmobiles that the Others offered to MacDonald and Debany for their use . . . and Jake Crowgard.

Monty didn't ask about the location of the previous owners of the snowmobiles. Maybe they would be filling out DLU forms for those men; maybe not.

By dawn, news began filtering in.

Lakeside was cut off for the time being, not only by a record snowfall but by the "glaciers" that blocked every road out of the city. Monty wondered if spot melting to clear a road or two was possible-if anyone dared to approach the Courtyard and ask politely.

An hour earlier, Officer Debany called to tell him Asia Crane had been found dead in her car. Monty hoped he never heard that much controlled terror in a man's voice again.

The shifters and the vampires are the buffer between us and the rest of what lives in the Courtyards, Monty thought. We were given a glimpse yesterday. Let's hope we're smart enough to heed the warning.

He pushed to his feet when he saw Douglas Burke walk toward him, then walk past him a few steps-just far enough so they wouldn't be directly outside Meg Corbyn's room.

"Captain."

"Lieutenant." Burke hesitated. "Thought you should know. Our mayor died in the blizzard." There was a peculiar, almost fearful note in his voice.

"He was out in it?" Monty asked.

"He was in his bedroom, with the door locked and the windows shut. When they found him this morning, the room was filled with snow, floor to ceiling. Medical examiner will have to determine if he froze to death or smothered-or died of some other cause, since there are some suspicious wounds around major arteries and an insufficient amount of blood around the body." He paused. "The acting mayor wants it known that he will do his utmost to maintain a cordial relationship with the terra indigene." Another pause. Burke lowered his voice even more and added, "Between you and me, I think the terra indigene connected His Honor's interest in apprehending Meg Corbyn with the attack on the Courtyard and the abduction attempt. And that's why they killed him."

"But the governor was the one who had pushed for it, sending the orders down the line." Monty studied his captain's face and felt chilled. "What else happened?"

"The governor of the Northeast Region also died last night."

"But the governor lives in Hubbney." The actual name was Hubb NE. A small town that was the hub of government for the Northeast, it was an hour's train ride north of Toland, and it was hundreds of miles away from Lakeside. "How did he die?" Heart attack? Monty hoped. Or a traffic accident?

"He froze to death in his bathtub." Burke's smile held no humor. "Not only did the water freeze around him so fast he wasn't able to escape, but it somehow forced its way down his throat and then froze in his lungs. A hideous way to die, I should think."

"Not too dissimilar to what might have happened to a woman if she fell through the ice while being pursued by unknown a.s.sailants," Monty said, shuddering.

"Not too dissimilar," Burke agreed.

So the Others had decided the governor was also to blame for the attack and had reached across hundreds of miles to eliminate another enemy.

"Well," Burke said. "I'm guessing the hospital has provided a place for their staff and law enforcement to crash, so why don't you take a couple of hours?"

Monty tipped his head toward the door. "It's my shift."

"I'm taking your shift, Lieutenant. Get some rest. You've earned it."

He was swaying on his feet, so he didn't argue. But he did wonder which one would be the first to poke his head out the door to get a look at the unfamiliar police officer: the Wolf, the vampire, or the Crow.

CHAPTER 31.

On the Thaisday after the storm, Monty walked into Howling Good Reads and nodded to Heather as he scanned the front of the store. Then he walked up to the counter, giving her a warm smile.

"I noticed the Open sign," he said. He and his men had driven by several times a day once the roads were cleared, checking for that sign. "No customers today?"

"Not yet," Heather replied with forced brightness. Then she pointed to the stacks of paper on the counter and the full cart of books. "But there are plenty of orders to bundle up for shipping."

You're not sure the human customers will come back, Monty thought. He had wondered the same thing. Just like he'd wondered if the Others would open any of these stores to humans again. The Lakeside Courtyard was the most progressive Courtyard in the whole of Thaisia, with its human employees and human customers. Granted, humans still had limited access, but it was a positive start that could ripple through the continent and ease a little of the ever-present tension between humans and Others in cities and towns across Thaisia. But the Lakeside mayor and Northeast Region governor aiding and abetting someone the terra indigene considered an enemy could also ripple through the continent, and the storm in Lakeside and the slaughter in Jerzy were grim reminders of how the Others took care of difficulties caused by humans.

And yet there had been a bright note, and that's what had brought him to HGR as soon as the store reopened.

"I'd like a word with Mr. Wolfgard if he's in," Monty said.

"I'll see if he's available." Heather picked up the phone and dialed an extension. "Mr. Wolfgard? Lieutenant Montgomery would like to speak with you." A pause. "Okay, I'll tell him." She smiled at Monty. "He says to go back to the stockroom."

"Thanks." As he walked to the back of the store, he realized this meeting would also have significant ripples, and the next few minutes would determine if those ripples would be good or bad.

"Lieutenant." Simon glanced at him, then checked a list and pulled more books off the stockroom shelves.

"Mr. Wolfgard. No watch Wolf today?"

"They come and go. That was always true, although Ferus and Nathan were the ones who spent the most time on guard at HGR. Ferus is in the Ash Grove now, and Nathan thinks our Liaison is more entertaining than the customers."

"Ms. Corbyn has returned to work?" He'd seen the lights on in the Liaison's Office when he and Kowalski had driven past, and that, too, had been a good sign.

Simon nodded. "She should stay in the den until next week, but she snarled at me when I suggested it."

Monty wasn't sure if the Wolf was offended or pleased, so he didn't reply. But he thought, Good for you, Meg.

"Something on your mind, Lieutenant?" Simon asked.

Many things, but he'd start with the one least likely to offend. "I understand you've set aside one of the efficiency apartments for my officers' use. Thank you."

Simon looked uncomfortable. Then he shrugged. "We had the s.p.a.ce. We set two of the apartments aside for our human employees so they don't have to go out in a storm. And Henry still has the one he prefers when he wants to stay close to his studio. Letting your officers use the last apartment was sensible."

And it would add another layer of defense to the Courtyard.

"I heard you removed the water tax on the Chestnut Street Police Station and the hospital that took care of Meg."

"So?" Simon disappeared for a minute, then returned with an armload of books that he put on the cart.

"It's appreciated." Now they'd come to the next layer of discussion. "And to show his own appreciation, Dr. Lorenzo would like to set up a small office here and provide medical treatment for your human employees."

No reason to mention that part of Lorenzo's interest was the ca.s.sandra sangue living among the Others. Having the opportunity to gain some understanding of Meg Corbyn's race was not something the good doctor would pa.s.s up.