Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls - Jane Lindskold [26]
“Not yet. I wanted to see if I could get into Sarah’s file at the Home. I avoided a Classified flag—it was pretty plain, meant to keep out peeping staff grunts.”
“What did you find?”
Abalone’s smile vanishes. “It’s been rewritten, look.”
The screen flickers. The same picture is there, but in the swimming characters is information that makes Professor Isabella gasp.
“To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant,” I hint, tired of being ignored.
“Sorry, Sarah,” Professor Isabella apologizes. “Ignorance may be bliss, here. Abalone’s right, the file describes a young woman of about your age and appearance, but nothing else is the same. The woman is not listed as a possible autistic, but as a probably dangerous paranoid. Your little identifying traits—like speaking in quotes—are completely missing.”
I look with puzzlement at Abalone and she wrinkles her brow. “I don’t know, Sarah, but I got out of that file as fast as I could. I checked the recall on Ali and Francis—not much help there except that Dr. Haas issued it. I think she’s behind the search for you—well, at least involved with it.”
Professor Isabella is still looking at the altered file.
“This frightens me, girls. The woman depicted here is dangerous—if she was ‘accidentally’ killed or, worse, doped to the gills, there aren’t many who would question the wisdom of the action. By then, she could not defend herself.”
“Wolf’s Heart!” Abalone cries, kicking a chair leg. “Can Sarah, anyhow? You really need to listen to follow her as it is. She could be dragged off before anyone could understand her and decide to step in.”
“That he is mad”—I point to myself—“’tis true: ’tis true ’tis pity; And pity ’tis ’tis true.”
“Sarah, honey”—Professor Isabella pats my hand—“there is a method to your madness but Abalone is right, not many will take time to find it. Abalone, how long until they find she is in the Jungle?”
“Peep says Edelweiss knows someone wants Sarah. That means others do, too. My guess is until Sarah gets more time with Head Wolf than the others like. The Law doesn’t forbid Pack members to fight, just demands that the fight is ‘alone and afar.’”
“’Lest others take part in the quarrel and the Pack be diminished by war,” I finish, remembering with a pounding heart the conversation Betwixt and Between had reported.
“We may not have much time.” Professor Isabella looks sharply at Abalone. “I may be asking too much, but Sarah needs to be taken away from this area. The city is large. We can lose ourselves easily and yet keep tabs on the search. When the interest dies down…”
“We can move back into our old hunting grounds.” Abalone nods. “I’m with you. She’s my Cub still, even if she has won her wolf. I’m not leaving her now, but will she go with us?”
“Ask her,” Betwixt and Between hiss together, unheard as always.
Professor Isabella looks at me.
“You’ve heard all of this, Sarah. Will you leave the Jungle and come with us to a safer place?”
Memories of the musky Jungle, warm even in winter’s chill, of swinging free above the Pack, of Head Wolf’s hands and dark mad eyes engulf me, but I know that the Jungle is no longer a safe lair for me. I know, too, that a search there may threaten the Pack and provide an excuse for our enemies.
I square my shoulders and manage a smile. “Elysium is as far as to the nearest room, if in that room a friend await felicity or doom.”
“Brave words.” Abalone smiles. “Head Wolf needs to know this, but it is best we move quickly and without alerting the Pack. Leave it to me. You two rest. I’ll be back.”
She flees before we can protest. Reluctantly, I wait, pacing the confines of walls that did not bind until this moment.
Seven
THE APARTMENT IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. ABALONE HAS DISCARDED the sky-reaching metroplexes as too institutional and has chosen instead a refurbished older building. We each have our own bedroom and share a living room and kitchen. There are even two bathrooms.
Despite the lovely old brick walls that whisper to me