Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,130

wary of the female pack member, John came over to stand next to Tolya and read the words.

“Let me see the book,” Virgil said, holding out a hand. He could have taken it from the desk, but he waited for Jana to hand it to him. A reassertion of dominance or prudence because none of them were certain of her right now?

“I can look at the magazine,” John offered.

“It’s time to ask Evan and Kenneth how long Maddie has been with them,” Tolya said, watching Jana. “Time to ascertain if she had any formal training before becoming part of their family.”

She nodded. “We need information from them—and we need to know everything we can about the cassandra sangue.” She looked at John. “You had experience living around a blood prophet.”

“Jackson and Grace will know more,” Virgil said as he turned the pages of the picture book. “They’re raising the Hope pup and have experience with her cutting.”

“I dealt with Meg when she came into the bookstore,” John said. “Not when she …” He made a slicing motion across one forearm.

“There is a human female in this book,” Virgil said. “The pups call her Grandma and she is walking a dog.” He held up the book so they could all see the picture.

“Grandma hair,” Tolya said grimly. “Jesse Walker has gray hair like the female in the picture, and she has a dog.”

“I think I found the big water.” John held up the copy of Nature! so they could all see the illustration of the Great Lakes that went across the top half of the center spread. “There’s also an article about Thaisia’s great rivers, but these lakes are the biggest water on the continent.”

“Bumpy dark.” Tolya looked at each of them. “Any thoughts about what that could mean?”

“Cave?” Virgil said.

Tolya said to Virgil.

The Wolf looked at him.

“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” Jana whispered. She looked at Tolya. “Humans. Not the terra indigene. Something is going to happen somewhere in the Great Lakes area, and because it happens, we’re all going to die.”

Tolya had never seen a human who still had blood flowing through her veins look so alarmingly pale.

Virgil snapped, “Stop it. You’re an enforcer, not some mewling, useless human.”

“I—” Jana turned on the Wolf, then stopped.

Apparently the verbal nip by her boss was as effective as an actual bite to get her brain to start thinking again. A good thing for all of them to know about the human deputy.

“I will call Jesse Walker,” Tolya said. “She may have some insights. Virgil? If you could call Jackson Wolfgard and find out if Hope Wolfsong has been … itchy … this morning?”

“Should we alert the Lakeside Courtyard?” John asked.

“And tell them what?” Tolya replied. “An untested, and probably untrained, sweet blood spoke prophecy this morning and one of the images might mean something will happen in or around the Great Lakes. That ‘something’ might happen in Lakeside or Shikago or any of the other human-controlled cities that still exist on the shores of those lakes—or even happen in one of the terra indigene communities around those lakes. Another clue seems pointed to a female who lives in Prairie Gold, which is here.” He understood the need to do something, anything, but … “We don’t know enough. Maddie is not Meg Corbyn or Hope Wolfsong. If we send out a warning without sufficient parameters, we could begin the very thing that will end in bloodshed. Deputy Jana is correct; if we stir up the terra indigene, which would include the Elementals and Elders, then humans will be the ones who will die.”

“So we do nothing?” Jana asked.

“We keep watch,” Virgil replied. “Tolya and I will make the phone calls; then I’ll patrol the business district. You will take the vehicle and patrol the rest of the town, driving as if this was a normal activity, not howling down the streets.”

Jana made a face at him.

Tolya said to Virgil.

Virgil asked.

Turning to Jana, Tolya said, “Yuri is not on duty at the saloon today, so he will go on patrol with you, and Garnet Ravengard will answer the telephones as a substitute dispatcher.”

“Why? Not why have Garnet—I agree it would