“It’s not the first time. Won’t be the last. If the shifters and Sanguinati who live around humans can’t get things settled, the older forms of terra indigene and the Elementals will. They always do.” Vlad pulled up near the back door of the Liaison’s Office. “Go inside and say good-bye. Give her a hug.”
Simon hesitated. “That wouldn’t be too human?”
“No,” Vlad replied quietly. “That would be a friend in any skin.”
He went inside. Meg was in the sorting room turning the pages of the Lakeside News. But he didn’t think she was absorbing any images because when she saw him she looked preoccupied—and scared.
“It will be dangerous for you to be on a train now,” she said.
He cocked his head. “Are you sensing something?”
“Nothing. Maybe I’ve been drinking too much chamomile tea. Jane said the chamomile cookies have helped Skippy’s brain not to skip. Maybe the tea is blocking my ability to feel … something.”
“Or maybe there’s nothing to feel.” Had to get moving and get to the station. “Meg? Want a hug? It’s a friend thing to do when someone is leaving.”
When she nodded, he put his arms around her, pulling her against him. Her arms went around him and held on.
He breathed in the scent of her until Vlad said, <Simon? Time to go.>
He eased back and looked into her gray eyes. “Don’t cause too much trouble for Vlad and Henry.”
She sputtered. “I don’t cause trouble!”
That made him laugh. He walked out with her still sputtering. And the scent of her on his clothes was a comfort.
Monty’s phone rang.
He hesitated, almost let the answering machine pick up. But habit made him reach for the phone. “Hello?”
“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” Elayne’s voice, tearful and strident.
“Did what?”
“You sabotaged Nicholas’s speaking engagements in Talulah Falls and Lakeside—that’s what you did!”
Monty rocked back on his heels. He couldn’t be hearing what he was hearing. “Elayne, have you paid any attention to what’s been happening in Talulah Falls? No one is getting in or out of there yet. And considering the problems they’re having and the trouble the Humans First and Last movement has already caused in Lakeside, it’s not surprising your boyfriend’s speaking engagements were canceled.”
“Because you didn’t want to be shown up for the jealous, small-time man you are!”
“Is Lizzy there?” He didn’t have time for this nonsense, but he’d like to hear his daughter’s voice.
“No, she is not here!”
More and more strident, which made Monty wonder if Elayne thought Nicholas Scratch was as wonderful as he’d first appeared to be.
“Elayne, I have to go.”
“By trying to ruin Nicholas, you’re also ruining Lizzy’s chance to have something better. You realize that, don’t you?”
He felt a pang in his heart, even if he didn’t believe for a minute that Scratch could offer Lizzy a better home than he could.
“I have to go,” he said again. As he hung up, he heard Elayne screaming, “What’s so important that you can’t give me a minute to talk about your daughter?”
His hand hovered over the phone. They wouldn’t have talked about Lizzy. Whenever Elayne claimed that she wanted to talk about their daughter, the conversation quickly became the list of what Elayne couldn’t have because of his inadequacies.
“What’s so important?” He repeated her words as he stared at the phone. “I have to go help the Others murder a town full of people.”
CHAPTER 29
Throughout the Midwest, the Elementals moved toward the town that held the enemy’s lair.
Air flirted with Earth, tickling and teasing until Earth twitched—and left humans trembling in their insignificant houses.
In the towns where crows had been shot, Fire embraced the utility poles as he passed by, silencing electricity and telephones by the time Water arrived to deliver a punishing rain.
Tornados chased cars and trucks, sometimes catching them and tossing them high in the air, sometimes letting them go with nothing more than the lightest brush of warning.
Lightning struck with vicious accuracy, and Fire and Air danced in the houses of the men with guns before galloping away on steeds who shattered the roads as they ran.
Finally the Elementals arrived at the place that held the enemy. Once they had the town surrounded, they stopped playing.
And the world held its breath while the Elementals and their steeds waited for the rest of the terra indigene to arrive.
The conductor escorting Monty, Dominic Lorenzo, and Simon said, “Our executive car isn’t being used at the moment, so we thought you would appreciate the privacy.”
Meaning the railway didn’t want too many human passengers to realize a Wolf was on board, not when everyone was already stirred up and a minor conflict could swiftly become violent.
Monty looked at the leather chairs and the tables with padded bench seats. “Very nice. Who usually rides in this car?”
The conductor glanced nervously at Simon, who was poking around in the back of the car. “Men who do a lot of traveling and use the hours they commute to keep up with their work. Over here is a small kitchen area, stocked with sandwiches and some other foods and drinks. There is also a bar.”
“People pay on the honor system?” Monty asked.
“Oh, no. Food and drink are included in the ticket for this car.”
Monty thanked the conductor and went to the back of the car to find out what intrigued Simon.
“Toilet and sink,” Simon said, pointing to one door. He opened the door on the opposite side. “What is that?” He pointed to something that looked like a porcelain half-barrel with a seat. Water taps and a handheld shower attachment were secured to the wall behind it.
Dominic joined them. “It’s a little shower stall.”
Monty returned to the front of the car. Food, drinks, comfortable seats, and workplaces. Even an adequate washroom so a man traveling overnight could arrive fresh to a morning meeting. And privacy. “How much do you think it costs to ride in this car?”
“More than you or I would want to pay,” Lorenzo replied as he and Simon joined Monty. “Better take our seats. Feels like the train is leaving the station.”
They stowed their bags on the overhead racks and found seats.
Once the train reached the open land beyond Lakeside, Simon said thoughtfully, “What kind of humans would use this car?”
“The conductor said it was men who needed to work while they’re traveling, so I imagine it’s mostly businessmen and government officials,” Monty said.
Simon nodded. “Businessmen and officials. And humans who don’t want too many other people to notice where they’re going?”
“Why would they care if someone noticed …” Dominic looked at his companions and didn’t finish the question.
Monty stared at Simon. “You think that someone who can afford to purchase a ticket for this car can also afford to buy a prophecy?”
“Just because a person uses the executive car doesn’t mean he or she also goes to one of the compounds for a prophecy,” Dominic protested.
“No, but I don’t think the people going to those compounds do so openly,” Monty replied. “So while not every person who uses the executive car buys prophecies, it’s a safe bet that most people who buy prophecies would use the executive car.” He looked at Simon. “What do you think?”
Simon stood. “I think I’m hungry, and I want to see if those sandwiches are worth eating. And I think the railroad wouldn’t waste fuel to pull an empty car, so I’m wondering where the humans who had tickets for this trip were heading.”
Simon didn’t think the sandwiches were any better than what could be bought in the dining car, but maybe it was the convenience of not having to wait in line that made the food special.