Marked In Flesh (The Others #4) - Anne Bishop Page 0,42

our Courtyard, were targeted by vandals, just as some places were targeted here. Broken windows, writing on the walls and remaining glass. Stores that showed an HFL sign the next day had no difficulty finding replacement glass or getting repairs done. Store owners that refused to bend aren’t doing as well.”

“The impression I had from speaking with some of Lakeside’s government officials is that this difficulty is the same everywhere,” Elliot said.

Stavros nodded. “Tolya and I have been monitoring the television and radio news as well as reading the human newspaper. Nicholas Scratch has been oddly silent about the vandalism. He has not made any speeches about it or spoken to reporters. This is curious because he has voiced opinions about everything else that connects a group of humans with any of the terra indigene.”

“Not so curious if he knows the Humans First and Last movement was behind the vandalism,” Elliot said. “Maybe he left Toland?”

“No, he’s still there, and he’s still meeting with members of the HFL.” Stavros took a sip of lemonade, then set the glass down again. “I’ve already discussed this with Grandfather, and it has been decided that we’re going to abandon the Toland Courtyard.”

Simon stiffened, while Elliot, Henry, and Tess made wordless protests.

“The humans are driving you out?” he asked, shocked.

“Not the humans,” Erebus replied. “But Toland is a city filled with humans. Too many humans. They covet the land we hold in that city.”

“They covet all of Thaisia,” Henry rumbled.

The hair framing Tess’s face turned red. “If they aren’t held to the land they already infest, they’ll swarm the continent and consume everything.”

“No, they won’t.” Simon looked at Vlad. “Show them the letter.”

“I’ll read it.” Vlad took the paper out of his back pocket, unfolded it, and read Jean’s prophecy about the human cities in Thaisia.

“Fools,” Henry said. He looked at Erebus and Stavros. “If the humans aren’t driving the terra indigene out of Toland, who is?”

“While the terra indigene were distracted by the bison being killed, and while humans were distracted by the vandalism of stores not affiliated with the HFL, a dozen ships left three human-controlled cities on the East Coast. Five of those ships left from Toland; the other ships sailed from the other two cities. I don’t know what cargo they carried, but we think it must have been some kind of contraband because each ship carried barrels of poison that they dumped into the water, killing all the fish that came in contact with the stuff.”

“Sharkgard?” Simon asked.

Stavros nodded. “Oh, yes. The poison killed sharks and Sharks. It killed dolphins. It killed the schools of fish sought by fishing boats. Some of the Sharkgard survived long enough to send a warning. The ships were avoided to prevent further deaths, but they were followed until they reached the Mediterran Sea and Cel-Romano.”

“What happens now?” Tess asked.

Stavros laughed, a bitter sound. “Ocean is going to vomit the dead fish onto the shores of those three human cities. She will vomit the poisoned water into the streets of the cities responsible for killing the terra indigene who live in her domain. And then she will give the humans a taste of her wrath.”

“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