Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,121

make some kind of … arrangement … with some of the humans in order to minimize their fear of his kind because this morning he looked at a simple truth: the terra indigene living in Bennett were seriously outnumbered.

Most forms of terra indigene had a connection with the land and had no desire to become contaminated by too much human. The ones who were now residing in Bennett were here out of a sense of duty to the rest, in much the same way as the shifters who lived in Courtyards and kept watch over the humans had provided a conduit for the human goods that were wanted by terra indigene who never could look human enough to approach even a trading post—and there were many, many more who had no desire to try to take that form.

Yuri called.

Taking the maps, Tolya went to the conference room to meet the town council, as well as Virgil and Jana.

He laid the regional map on the table.

Jana leaned over the table, studied the map … and winced. “These are the existing towns?”

“They were,” Tolya replied. “I have not tried to ascertain if they still exist—or if they do, in what form. Perhaps that is something you could do as an officer of human law.”

“Some of the way stations are empty,” Nicolai said. “The humans working on the trains are concerned about that because there is no one to accept mailbags and supplies. The railroads would be willing to transfer trained workers to those places but only if the terra indigene would be willing to ensure their safety.”

“From us?” Virgil asked.

“My impression was they were more concerned about other humans,” Nicolai replied. “Some of the Owlgard have settled around our train station and keep watch at night. They also take turns listening to messages left on the answering machine in case there is an emergency.”

“There was an emergency,” Tolya guessed.

Nicolai nodded. “Of sorts. A human … held up?… the Carter’s Way station yesterday, just before full dark. The male took money from the booth where they sell tickets, as well as a bag of food, water, and medicines that they sell in the little shop. The male had a gun; the workers at the station did not. They gave him what he wanted, but he still fired the gun and wounded one of them before he left.”

“Where is that way station?” Virgil asked.

Jana found it on the map and put her finger on the name.

“Carter’s Way is a stop on a north-south railroad line,” Nicolai said. “If that male is one of the ones who attacked the ranch, then he’s moving south.”

Virgil bared his teeth. “Toward us.”

“We’ll deal with it,” Tolya said. “Right now, we have something more urgent to deal with before the next train arrives in Bennett.”

Nicolai looked at the clock on the wall. “Then there’s not much time.”

Tolya laid the town map on the table and moved a finger over the red lines he’d drawn. “These are the final boundaries for the town. There will be no further expansion. I will make a copy of this map for the land agents so they know where humans can live and can make a list of what stores and businesses are available for new residents looking for work.”

Virgil watched Tolya. “The Elders decided?”

“Yes,” Tolya said. “I was summoned last night. These are the boundaries. Room enough for the humans who are needed for the work that will allow the town to live, but no more. Anyone who wants to settle here either has the credentials to do a specific job or must be willing to apprentice in a particular kind of work and is an acceptable worker to the human who is dominant in that profession.” He looked at Jana. “You will assist the Werners to determine how many residents could be supported by each business or occupation so that we know how many more people we can accept as new residents. You need to figure this out, fast, since people continue to arrive and most don’t have any work papers.”

She looked stunned—and then he saw the look in her eyes that was the reason Virgil referred to her as a wolverine. He appreciated the attitude needed for a small predator to challenge a larger one.

Just because he appreciated it didn’t mean he liked that attitude aimed at him.

“Fast?” Jana growled. “Fast? I arrived a week ago with the rest of the people from Lakeside. We’ve barely had