about the rest of what you told me? About the Skinners branching off from the rest?”
The big man let out a tired breath that came across as harsh static through the phone. “Yeah. That part wasn’t bullshit. You wanna know who introduced me to these guys first? Ned. Turns out the old guy wasn’t just sitting in that house after all. Lancroft had a lot of knowledge to pass along, and them runes are only a part of it.”
“You’ve been learning about those runes for a while,” Paige said. “Does that mean you were working with these Lancroft assholes all that time?”
“Why do you think they’re assholes?”
“Because Lancroft’s Mud Flu got a bunch of innocent people killed! Lancroft created Henry! He was a murderer!”
“He was all about the greater good,” Rico explained. “You think things are bad now? How bad do you think they would have been years ago if Lancroft hadn’t done his best to hold back the tide? He’s always had Skinners following him, but he wasn’t stupid enough to work with just anyone. You met those pricks in Philly. What about those bastards who accepted Nymar in their ranks? Skinner ranks! Soon as we start handing our traditions over to the bloodsuckers, we’re slitting our own throats. Now the whole damn thing is crumbling.”
“So you’re probably going to say that Lancroft prophesized about what’s happening today?”
Rico chuckled. “There ain’t no prophecies, just like there ain’t no Chosen Ones. Lancroft’s predictions weren’t any more impressive than predicting the weather by using a Farmers’ Almanac. You look at past trends, present climates, and you can gauge the future. Lancroft’s just the only one lookin’ at our almanac.”
“And when did you come to these conclusions?” she asked.
“Yesterday. I’ve been checking on Ned’s death ever since it happened. I got people who can look into these sorts of things, friends I worked with since before I met you. I kept looking until I found out what drew Ned to Lancroft in the first place. Lancroft wasn’t just a Skinner. He was a pioneer. He believed in taking steps to keep things from getting out of our control. You think it’s a coincidence that the world went to shit after he died?”
“That’s putting a lot onto one man’s shoulders.”
“Maybe,” Rico grunted. “But he kept some damn thorough records. You know what the Breaking Moon is?”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
“When someone is turned into a Half Breed, all their bones are broken and stitched together with muscle. You and I know this because we seen it happen. We’ve gutted the poor bastards and taken a closer look for ourselves.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Paige said.
“Full Bloods call that first change the Breaking. Mostly, it’s a random thing when people get attacked and turned. There’s a time when those Breakings spike. Lancroft coordinated with other Skinners, cross-checked some notes, and realized it happened when the Full Bloods returned to the middle of their territories and stayed there. Records were pieced together over seventy years documenting people who weren’t attacked changing into Half Breeds. They were just healthy, random folks who dropped to their knees and shattered inside. According to Lancroft’s journal, that time’s about to happen again and the Full Bloods ain’t sticking to their territories.”
“So what?”
“So, there’s somethin’ going on, Paige. We need to be united. If we all run around half-cocked, there’s fewer of us to make a stand when the time comes. The bloodsuckers already tipped the scales enough. We need to close ranks and start acting instead of reacting. I ain’t your enemy, Bloodhound. We both got tricked in Canada. If you let that split us apart, then that skinny fuck Kawosa got what he wanted. I’m giving you a chance to put your good work to use.”
She stood up and gripped the phone tighter. Somewhere along the line, she’d drawn her weapon with her other hand and held onto it with a tight enough grip to bury the thorns into her palm. “So that’s why you’re calling. You need the info I downloaded about Cobb38.”
“What are you gonna do with it?” he asked. “Hand it over to MEG? Too late for that. Let Daniels take a look at it? After all that’s happened with the bloodsuckers, I wouldn’t be surprised if all of their house-cleaning involved sweeping out the rats of their own kind. If he is still alive, he’s on borrowed time and probably bein’ watched even closer than ever right now. So what other choice does