“Oh?” Simon looked at O’Sullivan, who was also carrying a couple of bags that weren’t his own. Simon knew this because one carryall was black; the other two were bright pink and smelled like the little females.

“There has been some trouble with trains running out of Toland, so everyone is being funneled through Hubb NE,” O’Sullivan replied in a quiet voice. “Now that trains aren’t running after dark, to avoid incidents, there is a backlog of passengers, and those who could afford to ‘upgrade’ their ticket were being given the seats. Ms. Montgomery and her family had already been sitting at the Hubbney station for a full day when I arrived to catch the train to Lakeside. When I heard her son was a police officer, I stepped in and gave the railway a choice of putting us in the executive car or having me shut down the station while the ITF investigated the preferential treatment of some passengers over others.”

Simon smiled. “You have teeth, O’Sullivan, even if you are human.”

“Thanks.”

They packed the van with cargo and carryalls and humans. As he settled into the front passenger seat, Simon heard the distant sound of thunder.

•••

Meg opened the gate and slipped inside Henry’s yard. Nathan was still in the Liaison’s Office, and Jake was perched on the wall between the delivery area and the yard, so she’d have plenty of warning if a truck pulled in.

She hurried up to the studio door and tapped on the frame. “Henry? Can I come in?”

The Grizzly stepped away from one of his sculptures and gave her a quizzical look. “When have you needed to ask?”

She went in and sat on the bench where she could watch him work without getting in the way.

“I’m glad you came. I wanted to show you this.” Henry picked up a piece of wood and came over to sit beside her. “What do you think?”

Not finished yet, but she could make out a tree in the center. In each corner of the box, touching some of the branches, was something that represented each of the seasons. “It’s wonderful. This is the lid for the box to hold the prophecy cards?”

He nodded. “When it’s time, you can help me stain the pieces. That way the wood will get to know you.”

She ran her fingers gently over the wood. “I’d like that.”

He took the lid and set it aside. “What’s on your mind, Meg?” He waved aside her excuse before she made one. “You wouldn’t come to visit during your work time if you didn’t want to talk while everyone else was occupied—and with the new visitors, everyone is occupied.”

“Henry? How much human is too human?”