“I want to stay,” Merri Lee said. Another chorus of neighs outside the sorting room door. Meg found Fog, Quicksand, and Whirlpool standing there, sans baskets. Obviously the other ponies had informed their friends about the special treat. After handing out sugar lumps and washing her hands, she returned to the sorting room, where Merri Lee studied the cards that were still on the table. “We still have a lot to learn about interpreting what is seen,” Merri Lee said, “but I think you’re getting better at using the cards to reveal prophecy.” “I saw death. But Theral will be okay.” “Did Vlad say anything about the man?” Meg stared at her friend, but she was thinking about when she had hidden in the Pony Barn with Sam, Skippy, and Jester while Namid’s teeth and claws roamed the city, hidden by the fog. She was thinking about the odd and terrible silence that had filled the Courtyard that day. “No,” Meg finally said. “No, he didn’t.” • • • Simon stared at the three cards on the sorting room table, especially the middle card, the upside-down figure of a person pointing. This explained why Meg had said he was going the wrong way. Distraction. Diversion. The Humans First and Last movement had used the attacks in Thaisia as a diversion for the war in Cel-Romano. It hadn’t changed the outcome of the war, but it had forced the terra indigene to ignore a distant threat in order to deal with the one right in front of them. Just like what happened in the Courtyard a little while ago. Damned tethered goat. A family dispute, no charges filed. As far as Simon was concerned, the fight was overdue. Unfortunately, the trouble in the Market Square stopped the fight between Montgomery and that Cyrus before Montgomery could settle the question of dominance once and for all. Equally unfortunate, Simon thought it likely that Montgomery would receive a thrashing from the leaders of the police pack for fighting where he was seen by all the humans driving by on Crowfield Avenue. Well, that was Burke’s job. “You’re all right?” he asked Meg and Merri Lee. “We’re fine,” Meg replied. “I didn’t see much.” “Captain Burke might want to talk to you. It’s almost time for the midday break. Why don’t you go over to A Little Bite and eat? Vlad is at HGR now, so I can watch the office here for a few minutes in case there are any last-minute deliveries.” Meg put the cards back in the box and put the box in the drawer. “I’ll wait outside,” Merri Lee said. “Simon?” Don’t ask, Meg. I won’t lie to you, so don’t ask. “Tess told us a while ago that there is some mint growing in the Courtyard, so I wondered . . . Do Wolves usually chew on mint?” “No. Why?” Before coming to see Meg, he’d gone into the bathroom at HGR to use some mouthwash. He’d also examined both sets of teeth to make sure there weren’t any bits of human flesh stuck between them from carrying the backbone. Did he smell minty from the mouthwash—or was the scent wafting in from the front room? Meg confirmed that suspicion when she glanced at the Private doorway before leaning toward him and whispering, “When Nathan came back to the office, he smelled like he’d rolled in mint.”