Murder of Crows: A Novel of the Others Read online

  He gave her cheek one more lick, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

  CHAPTER 17

  Simon raced beneath a full moon, reveling in his speed and power as he closed the distance between himself and the most delicious-tasting, succulent meat he’d ever known. His soon. All his.

  He chased her until she began to tire. The pumping legs, the pumping arms. They couldn’t give her enough speed to escape a Wolf.

  He caught up to her, felt the rhythm of her moving limbs, closed his teeth over her elbow as it swung back—and pulled her down.

  Intoxicating scent, that blood. And meat so very delicious because it was …

 

  Simon woke with a yelp and flung himself off the bed. Panicked and panting, he peered over the edge. The room held the faint gray of early morning, which was enough light for a Wolf. He couldn’t see Meg on the bed, but …

  He started to shift. Remembering his promise to stay in Wolf form, he shoved his head under the covers and sniffed.

  Blood.

  Scrambling away from the bed, he howled, filling the sound with his unhappiness and fear.

  A startled response from Vlad, whose apartment was two doors down. Tess and Henry had apartments on the other side of the complex, but they would be demanding answers soon.

  He didn’t have answers. He had only the memory of his teeth …

  Simon howled again—and Meg appeared in the doorway. She flipped on the overhead light, momentarily blinding both of them.

  “Simon, what’s wrong?”

  He leaped toward her, caught the scent of blood, and backed away, whining. The delicious smell of her was right, but the taste in his mouth was all wrong, confusing him.

  “What is wrong with you?” She looked frazzled. “Are you hurt? Are you sick?”

  That wasn’t fair! She’d made him promise not to shift, but now she was asking questions that he couldn’t answer because she couldn’t communicate in the terra indigene way.

  He shook his head. It was the best he could do under the circumstances.

  Meg sagged against the doorway for a moment. “Okay. Since you’re all right, I … have to flush the toilet and wash my hands. I thought something was wrong, and I didn’t finish things.”

  She hurried back to the bathroom and shut the door more firmly than she needed to.

  The front door of her apartment opened and slammed shut.

  “Meg!” Vlad shouted.

  Simon shifted, grabbed the jeans he’d left on the floor by the bed, and pulled them on before Vlad appeared in the bedroom doorway.

  “What’s going on?” Vlad asked as he stepped into the room.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Are you still sick?”

  “No.” In fact, now that he was fully awake, he felt good. Confused, yes, but rested, energized.

  Meg returned to the bedroom and stared at the two of them. “What is wrong with all of you this morning?”

  “I smelled blood,” Simon said. “It was … upsetting.” He looked at her torso, just below the breasts. Did the cut open up? If it opened up and bled again, would Meg need to speak prophecy? Or did she have a fresh cut? Was that the reason she was in the bathroom? “Is there something I should write down?”

  “No,” Meg replied tightly. “It’s not a cut, so there aren’t any visions or prophecies with this kind of blood.”

  He cocked his head. “There are different kinds of blood?”

  Vlad, who was standing closer to her, looked at her face and took a step back. Simon wished he hadn’t put on the jeans so he could grow a tail and tuck it over his male bits.

  “I’m a girl!” she shouted. “It happens!”

  Simon glanced at Vlad, who looked equally puzzled.

  “You’re both so quick to think it’s ‘that time of the month’ whenever a girl isn’t all sweet and sunny, but it doesn’t occur to you when it really is that time of the month?”

  Probably best not to point out that she’d been living in the Courtyard for three months now and this was the first time she’d done this particular female thing. Maybe blood prophets came into season once a season? How were the Others supposed to know? The human female employees usually took those days off work to avoid being around predators who might become excited by the blood scent. So this was his first experience being around a female who was doing this and wasn’t terra indigene—and most kinds of terra indigene females only came into season once or twice a year.

  “Meg,” Vlad finally said.

  She gave Vlad a scalding look. “Since I’m not getting any more sleep, I’m going to put the kettle on and make some chamomile tea.”

  For a short female whose weight was appropriate to her height, she could sound as stompy as a bison.

  Vlad turned to look at him. “What’s going on?”

  “I think Meg is in season.” That wasn’t what humans called it, but he was rattled and couldn’t remember the right word. “I was dreaming. I must have smelled the blood and …”

  Vlad flipped the covers back. They looked at the brownish red smear on the bottom sheet. He flipped the covers up. “I don’t want Meg mad at me for poking into private things, so I didn’t see that.” He picked up one of the pillows and frowned. “Why is one corner of this pillow drooled on and chewed?”

  That explained the taste in his mouth. Instead of answering, Simon retrieved his sweater and put it on. “You head off Henry and Tess. I’ll deal with Meg.” He paused in the doorway. “Human females. They’re kind of crazy during this time, aren’t they?”

  “If you choose to believe the stories written by male writers,” Vlad replied.

  They heard a bang and thump from the kitchen, followed by Meg yelling at something.

  Simon sighed. “That many males can’t be wrong.”

  “This morning’s top news stories. Late yesterday evening, radio and television stations in Talulah Falls stopped broadcasting. Sometime after midnight, phone lines went down. A spokesman for the Lakeside mayor’s office says every effort is being made to reestablish contact. Here at home, terror and tragedy struck last night at the Lakeside University when over two hundred students living on or near the campus contracted a mysterious illness. So far four deaths have been reported, and investigating officers and medical personnel are working to identify the illness and counter its effects. When asked if this was a new kind of plague, medical personnel refused to comment. However, all classes at the university are canceled until further notice. This is Ann Hergott at WZAS, bringing you the news on the hour and half hour. And now …”

  The man sitting in front of Monty on the Whitetail Road bus turned off his portable radio and gave his fellow passengers a self-conscious smile. “Sorry. I was hoping the investigators had identified the cause of the illness.”

  The investigating officers know enough about the illness not to ask what caused it, Monty thought, giving the man a distracted smile before turning to look out the window. They’ll remember the talk about people who came down with similar complaints a few weeks ago. They’ll look at the students who died and remember that a woman named Asia Crane had also died in a way that gave seasoned cops and medical examiners nightmares.

  The cause of those illnesses and deaths lived in the Lakeside Courtyard—and there was nothing the police could do about it.

  “Captain Burke is looking for you,” Kowalski said as soon as Monty reached his desk.

  “Already? I came in early because Dr. Lorenzo and I have a meeting with Simon Wolfgard this morning.”

  “Well, I think the captain has been here for a while.” Kowalski hesitated. “Debany heard the news on the radio and called me. He’s a bit freaked.”

  “I imagine he would be.” Debany was one of the officers who’d found Asia Crane. “Where is he now?”

  “At the efficiency apartments. He didn’t want Ms. Lee to be alone last night. But he’ll be in for his shift.”

  Monty studied his partner. “Is Ruthie all r
ight?”

  Kowalski gave him a strained smile. “The president of the school where she teaches suggested that she take an unpaid leave of absence.”

  “Why? Because the rest of the faculty don’t want to be around someone who is a ‘Wolf lover’?”

  “Something like that. There’s only a few weeks left in the school year. Ruthie wants to stick it out if she can. And, frankly, it’s going to be hard to afford our new place without both incomes.” Kowalski tipped his head toward the captain’s office. “Not a good day to keep him waiting.”

  As soon as Monty walked into the captain’s office, Burke said, “Close the door and have a seat, Lieutenant. Your meeting still on with the Courtyard’s Business Association?”

  “Yes, sir. In about thirty minutes.”

  “Then I’ll be brief. You’ve heard about the university?”

  “And about losing communication with Talulah Falls.”

  “Nothing we can do about the Falls, so let’s do what we can to help Captain Wheatley contain the situation at the university.”

  “Yes, sir.” What were they supposed to do? Stop our own people from escalating the troubles; that’s what we’re supposed to do.

  Burke pushed a piece of paper across the desk.

  Monty picked it up and read, “ ‘The next time you touch what is ours, this will happen to all of you.’ ” He felt dizzy. “What is this?”

  “That message was found with one of the bodies, written in a notebook the boy must have been carrying. I think the message is clear enough.”

  “Simon Wolfgard wouldn’t allow that.” At least Monty hoped Wolfgard wouldn’t agree to senseless slaughter.

  “Remember when this strange illness appeared a few weeks ago, around the time when Darrell Adams died? We suspected then that there is something in the Courtyard that can kill with a look. If that creature now wants to wipe out the entire student body of Lakeside University, I don’t think Simon Wolfgard is going to get in its way.” Burke’s smile was fierce and friendly—and held a little pity. “You’re a bit innocent, aren’t you, Lieutenant?”

  “Sir?”

  “You were born and raised in Toland?”

  “Yes. My father’s family immigrated to Thaisia from Afrikah a few generations ago and settled in Toland. Most of my mother’s family still live in the Storm Islands.”

  “But you never had any real contact with the Others until now?”

  Monty shook his head. “I didn’t even know that Sanguinati was the name for vampires or that they ruled the Courtyard in Toland until I came here.”

  “And that’s why you’re an innocent. The Sanguinati have ruled the Toland Courtyard for two hundred years or more.” Burke blew out a breath. “Gods above and below, how many other officers in the Big City don’t know something that basic?”

  Stung, Monty wanted to push back, but he tried to keep his voice courteous. “We were charged with keeping the peace among our own kind. Most police officers never came in contact with the terra indigene. It’s not that different here. This station and its personnel are the only ones who have to deal with the Others on a regular basis. It’s not like there’s any status in dealing with the fanged and furred.”

  “The fanged and furred?” Burke linked his fingers together and rested his hands on his belly. “That’s quite an outburst coming from you. Why do I think this lapse has nothing to do with Talulah Falls or the students at the university?”

  “I have to get to my meeting.” Monty didn’t want to admit that it was the call he’d received from Elayne last night that was behind the outburst. Her speech had been slurred, which made him suspect she’d been drinking steadily for a few hours before the call, and he should have hung up since there was no likelihood of him talking to Lizzy at that hour. But he’d listened to her rave about her new lover and how Nicholas Scratch was going to make things happen and how much she was looking forward to spending the summer with him at his family’s estate in Cel-Romano.

  Suddenly he realized he’d been thinking out loud.

  “Have you found out anything about Mr. Scratch or his current plans while he’s in Thaisia?” Burke asked.

  Monty shook his head. “I’d be accused of being a jealous ex-lover if Elayne found out I was investigating Scratch in any way, and it’s already hard getting any information out of her about my daughter’s well-being.”

  “I’m not an ex-lover, and considering his line of work and the current tension in the cities around the Great Lakes, I have a very good reason for wanting to know more about Nicholas Scratch and his speaking engagements—especially if he’s planning to visit the area anytime soon. And if I choose to share that information with some of my officers, that’s just police business.”

  Monty felt sick with relief. He’d take whatever help he could get to keep tabs on his little girl.

  But thinking about Lizzy made him think of something else. “Captain? Why isn’t anyone trying to help the people in Talulah Falls?”

  Burke gave him a long look. “Say the governor of the Northeast Region orders every city, town, and village to send a percentage of its police force to the Falls to extricate the citizens who are trapped there. And we’re assuming some of them are still alive. How would that armed force reach the Falls?”

  “They could go by train,” Monty replied, having the odd feeling that he was about to prove his innocence once again. “Or pack men and supplies into buses and …” He understood so many things at that moment. Why the human-controlled cities in Thaisia were so far apart. Why the police in each city were the only armed force, hired and trained to maintain order within the human population—and stop people from provoking the Others into a slaughter.

  “All roads travel through the woods,” Burke said gently. “The moment the terra indigene spotted an armed force on the move, they would do what they have always done here in Thaisia—and everywhere else in the world, for that matter. They would crush the enemy, Lieutenant. They would smash the roads, tear up the train tracks, leave no survivors. And after that, what odds would you give that the Others would allow the roads and tracks to be repaired?”

  “No odds,” Monty said, feeling a shiver run through him. “But it would inconvenience them too.”

  “Not nearly as much as it would inconvenience us, because it’s a good bet they’ve built roads that aren’t accessible to us.” Burke sighed. “Hopefully the government in the Falls is doing its best to negotiate for the town’s continued existence and a ‘citizen swap.’ ”

  “A what?”

  “I was a boy the last time it happened, and I don’t even remember which part of the continent was involved. But there was a blowup between humans and Others that was escalating toward humans being exterminated in that part of Thaisia. The Others didn’t want the town to go away completely, but they weren’t going to deal with the humans living there. So a few towns arranged a swap—some of their people moved to the town under siege, and the existing citizens were relocated. Fresh start for everyone. If my father had been younger and single at that time, I think he would have gone for the adventure of it. But everything was too unsettled between us and the Others, and my mother didn’t want to risk her children in such a place.”

  “Do you think that will happen in the Falls?”

  “I don’t know. What I do know is the farmers in Jerzy talked to the terra indigene and are being allowed to return to their farms. They hadn’t been part of that fight, so when they asked to stay they were given permission. None of the people living in the hamlet itself were allowed to stay. The last of them were escorted out a few days ago.” Burke picked up a folder and set it in the middle of his desk. “You’re going to be late for your meeting, Lieutenant.”

  “Yes, sir.” Monty pushed out of the chair. When he reached the door, he looked back. “Do you think the Others are afraid of some of their kind?”

  Burke opened the folder and didn’t look up. “I think some of them are afraid sometimes. And some of them aren’t afraid
of anything except the end of the world itself—and maybe not even that.”

  “I’m going with you,” Meg said. She tossed her carry bag into the back of the BOW and hoped Simon didn’t see her wince. Why would moving her arm pull at the cut on her torso? She didn’t remember having so many movement restrictions when she lived in the compound. On the other hand, the girls didn’t do anything the day after a cut except sit quietly at their lessons.

  “I know,” Simon replied, giving her a wary look. “I’m driving you up to the Market Square because you wanted to meet the female who is going to work for Dr. Lorenzo. And you wanted to look at the books that came in for the library since you still need to rest for the next few days.”

  “Yes, I want to meet Theral MacDonald and look at the books, but I also want to find out how Merri Lee is doing. She was beat up, which is something none of you thought to tell me.”

  She saw something change in his face and identified the look. If she kept pushing, the dominant male would need to assert his dominance.

  “I was going to tell you,” he growled. “You didn’t need to know yesterday, so who told you?”

  “Well, maybe you were right not to tell me yesterday.” She saw no reason to admit that Jenni Crowgard had told her a few minutes ago when Simon had gone to the garage to get the BOW and bring it around. As if a cut on her torso stopped her legs from working properly. On the other hand, it was foolish to slap at someone who was trying to be thoughtful, especially when being thoughtful toward a human was a new behavior. “But that’s not what I meant. I’m going with you to this big meeting you’re all having with Lieutenant Montgomery and Dr. Lorenzo.” Which was something Jenni had also mentioned, along with the grumble that the Crows weren’t invited.

  Simon’s canines lengthened, his amber eyes held those weird flickers of red that indicated he was angry, and fur sprang up on his cheeks.

  “That meeting has something to do with what happened to both of us yesterday, doesn’t it?” Meg pushed with disregard for the consequences. “It has to do with the things I saw in the prophecy, and what happened to you afterward. So I should be there too.”