She ran to the bathroom, but once she was out of the sorting room, her stomach settled. When she returned, the cards were put away, the decks set out in their boxes on the counter.

“We didn’t want to put them away,” Ruth said.

“But we can,” Merri Lee added.

“I made a note on the deck that was too fantastical for you, and on the deck that wasn’t of interest, as well the two decks we’ve looked at. And there’s one other deck that might be too fanciful to be useful.”

Meg nodded. “We can look at more tomorrow.”

Her friends exchanged a look.

“I don’t need to cut,” she assured them. That was true in a way. She didn’t need a cut, but she craved the euphoria that came from cutting. “I just need some routine now.”

“Anything we can do?” Ruth asked.

“No. Thanks.”

“Should we tell someone about what you said about not needing those cards?”

“We don’t know anything for certain.” When the Controller had cut her for his clients, she hadn’t known what she’d seen and certainly hadn’t had any say in who was told about the prophecy. “If you tell someone... make sure you tell them we don’t know anything for certain.”

They nodded. Promising to return during the midday break and have lunch together, Merri Lee and Ruth went out the back door of the Liaison’s Office.

Meg opened the Private door and studied Nathan, who looked too casually sprawled on his Wolf bed under one of the front windows. She’d bet a week’s pay that he’d been leaning on the counter, listening to everything they’d said so that he could report to Simon.

She watched the mail truck pull into the delivery area and felt relieved that she would have something routine to do for a little while. Before the mailman stepped out of the truck, she said to Nathan, “Make sure you tell Simon we don’t know anything for certain.”

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 22

Moonsday, Juin 18

The six remaining bison weren’t as docile by the time Simon, Jackson, two juvenile Wolves, and Jerry Sledgeman reached the River Road Community. As soon as Simon and Jackson lowered the ramp on the livestock truck, the bison trotted away from the houses and the creatures who stood on two legs but smelled like Wolves.

“Do you want us to watch them?” a voice asked.

Simon looked at two Sanguinati males who had drifted close to them in their smoke form before taking human shape.

“Yes,” he replied. “It will be helpful to keep track of them.”

The two males shifted back to smoke and flowed in the direction the bison had taken.

Simon watched them as the other four juvenile Sanguinati joined them. At least bison watching would give them something to do.