“Tokhar-Chin?” Chen asked.
“The Elemental who guards the Pacifik decides about travel between Thaisia and Tokhar-Chin, but we have no reason to believe there is a conflict between the people there and the terra indigene.”
Chen nodded. “So. We are living in a paper house, are we not? We have a city still governed by humans and land still under human control even if it is leased from the terra indigene.”
“Who can refuse to renew a lease and evict the humans living on that land,” Burke said. “The Others on the West Coast did it when there was trouble in Jerzy; they can do it here.”
“But not all at once,” Chen said. “The boundaries of the city weren’t set by a single agreement. Neighborhoods were added as more people came to settle here. When troubles started between humans and Others, I checked the land leases for my district. I was dismayed to discover how few years are left on the current lease, and . . .” He stopped and seemed to struggle with what he was going to say. “Lakeside is a city made up of neighborhoods, and neighborhoods often contain families who came from a specific part of the world. The majority of families in my district came from Tokhar-Chin. There are neighborhoods of people from Felidae and Afrikah. I think those who came from Brittania are spread out among the neighborhoods made up of people whose ancestors had come from the Cel-Romano Alliance of Nations.”
“That sounds about right,” Burke said.
“When I looked at what the city pays for those land leases—information that was not hidden but also not easy to find—I had to wonder if government officials might forfeit the lease for one district in order to ensure there was enough money in the city’s budget to pay the lease for what they considered a more worthy neighborhood.”
Monty stared at Chen. Burke swore under his breath. O’Sullivan sat back and said, “Gods above and below. Was that seriously considered?”
“I do not know,” Chen said softly. “At the time, I was one man on the city council and had little influence. Now?” He let the question hang.
Burke leaned forward. “There are four places situated at this end of Lake Etu within easy reach of each other: the city of Lakeside, the town of Talulah Falls, the village on Great Island, and a mixed community on River Road. Of those four places, Lakeside is the only one under human control. It’s the only one where the human population can do what it pleases on the land it controls, whether that’s farming or running factories or beating each other to death in the streets. At least, that’s how it used to be. As long as we didn’t interfere with the Others who were assigned to keep watch over our shenanigans, the rest of the terra indigene didn’t step in. But that’s no longer true. Humans did interfere with the terra indigene who were assigned to watch us. The Others were attacked and some were killed, and that enraged the residents of the wild country—the terra indigene that every cop who ever did a tour of duty in the wild country prayed he would never see. But they are on our doorstep now, and they are going to make sure we don’t forget it.”
“There is no safety in the dark,” O’Sullivan said. “The actions of the people in the HFL movement erased the boundary between the human-controlled land and the wild country, and there is no going back.”
Alvarez looked thoughtful. “No safety in the dark. Does that mean you’re recommending a curfew that begins at sundown?”
“Within the city limits, I think people going to the movies or the theater or out to dinner won’t be any more at risk than they’d been before when the only predators roaming the streets not only looked human but were human,” Burke said. “But anyone foolish enough to leave the city limits after dark? That’s just a gruesome way to commit suicide.”
“Which begs the question,” Alvarez said. “Are you recommending a curfew?”
Burke hesitated, then shook his head. “Unless there’s a nightly slaughter, you won’t convince the majority of people to be tucked in at home before dark, especially at this time of year. A request that all businesses close by ten or eleven p.m. would be better. That way most employees who work in the evenings would be home before midnight. The fewer people on the street, the easier it will be for us to handle calls for assistance instead of herding people who have more bravado than sense.”
“Very well,” Alvarez said. “That request can come from my office since the police will have to handle any trouble between people as well as any . . . results . . . of conflict with the terra indigene.”
Any results of conflict. Monty looked at Alvarez and thought that was a diplomatic way of describing what the Elders had done to the humans who had been in their way as they raged through the city. The medical examiner was still trying to match body parts to the people listed as missing.
That much settled, the men went on to the next concern.
“Travel between regions is erratic. Even bringing in cargo over the Great Lakes is not without dangers,” Chen said. “Lakeside has used household ration coupons for many months to discourage hoarding of perishable foods by allowing merchants to charge more for an item if it is not accompanied by a coupon. For the most part, people were sensible when it came to buying things like eggs and butter. Then we had shortages of things like flour—shortages caused by HFL supporters who were willing to let the people in Thaisia go without in order to sell to Cel-Romano for higher profits. Now when people see empty shelves because of shipping delays, they are not so sensible, are not able to believe the lack of a particular food is temporary. My office receives several calls every day, asking what I am going to do about the food shortages. People don’t believe me when I tell them that, while some foods may not be available in abundant quantities, there is still a bounty of foods to eat. Therefore, an equitable distribution of food is vital but will also create hard feelings. The Others in the Courtyard may be blamed if a shop runs out of a particular item, especially if the Courtyard continues to receive supplies.”