“A business that is a mixed community.”

Burke nodded. “Having a manager who has a feeling about trouble before it starts would benefit all of us.”

“You want me to talk to Vlad and to Steve Ferryman.”

“I do.”

Simon studied the police captain. “You know what happened here?”

“Lieutenant Montgomery told me. I’d like to stay and hear the decision, if that’s all right with you.”

Before Simon could answer, the phone rang. “Howling Good Reads.” He shot to his feet. “Meg? What . . . ? Are you . . . ? I’ll be right there.”

Burke also rose. “Problem?”

“Not yet.” Simon rushed for the door, then stopped when he realized he’d almost left Burke, a human, alone in HGR’s office—something he wouldn’t have considered doing a few months ago.

Burke met him at the door, then went out ahead of him, hurrying down the stairs to get out of the way. Simon brushed past the man and rushed to the Liaison’s Office to find out why Meg needed to see him so urgently before the Sierra made a choice.

• • •

“I already called Steve Ferryman,” Meg said when Simon ran into the sorting room.

<Simon?> Nathan planted his forelegs on the front counter and stared at the Wolfgard leader through the Private doorway.

<Was there trouble here?> Simon asked.

<No. Some growling when Meg used the prophecy cards, but it was mostly Merri Lee who did the growling, and she wasn’t growling at Meg.>

The wooden box with the carved lid that Henry had made to hold the prophecy cards was on the table. Three cards were on the table, facedown.

Meg waited until Simon stood next to her. “Merri Lee asked two questions on Sierra’s behalf. What will happen to Bonnie and Carrie if they are separated from their mother?” She turned the big question mark card. “What will happen to Sierra if she continues to allow her brother to pressure her into doing things she knows are wrong?” She turned over the second card.

He bared his teeth. “Death.”

“My question: why are you allowing Cyrus to stay around the Courtyard?” She turned over the card that represented something terrible and dangerous—something most humans thought was a fantastical, make-believe creature and most terra indigene, while knowing such forms existed, had never seen. “Your decision has something to do with them, doesn’t it? The Elders are coming back to the Courtyard.”

Simon stared at her as his ears became Wolf-shaped and fur suddenly covered his shoulders and chest. “They’re already here.”

“What do they want?”

“To observe. To learn.”

“They don’t want you to send Cyrus away?”

“Not yet.” He hesitated, trying to think of how to explain. “The human pack connected to the Courtyard is as big now as some of the human settlements in the wild country. The humans here were working well together and working well with us. Then that Cyrus walks in and humans are suddenly fighting among themselves. The Elders want to know why one human can sour an entire pack. If they can’t learn the reason by observing the humans connected to the Courtyard, they won’t allow humans to migrate to any of the reclaimed places. They won’t allow humans to migrate at all.”

Simon touched Meg’s shoulder, wanting contact for a moment. “And I want to understand too, Meg. Humans who cause this kind of trouble usually stay away from us. They certainly wouldn’t be trying to work with us. Not that that Cyrus is offering to do any kind of work.” He paused. “It feels like it should be a fight for dominance, but Montgomery doesn’t seem to understand that.”

“A fight for dominance would decide who is the leader of the human pack?” Meg asked.

He nodded.

“Then it wouldn’t be Lieutenant Montgomery who would fight Cyrus; it would be Captain Burke.”

Simon blinked. He’d been thinking of a dispute within a family pack, but Meg was right. Now that the conflict had spilled over to the rest of the human pack, that Cyrus would have to defeat Burke in order to claim dominance over the rest of them.

Suddenly he was looking forward to watching their next meeting.

Meg lifted her chin. At first he thought she was inviting him to give her a lick. Then he remembered that, in the kissy books, females did the chin lifting as a challenge or to indicate defiance. Since he didn’t know what Meg was challenging or defying, he just waited.

“If we have to let Cyrus stay, then I want you and Steve Ferryman to figure out a way to relocate Sierra and her daughters to Great Island.”

“She’s human, Meg. Ferryman’s Landing is an Intuit village.”

“But Roger Czerneda isn’t an Intuit, and Steve hired him as the village’s full-time police officer.”

“That was different.”

“Yes. Officer Czerneda doesn’t need to be in a place that is beyond someone’s reach.” Meg looked into his eyes. “Being in the Courtyard put me beyond the Controller’s reach, beyond the reach of the human laws he would have used to get me back under his ownership. The Courtyard is a safe place for Theral because it puts her beyond the reach of Jack Fillmore. But it’s not a safe enough place for Sierra because Cyrus is here, because he exerts a kind of ownership over her, and as long as she is within reach, she’ll remain weak where he is concerned.” She rested her hand on his. “Simon, Sierra’s daughters need her.”