16
	Megan was lost.  She had slipped out of the warehouse after Jess had left, in time to join the tail end of the protest on its way to the plaza.  During the pause at the flagpole, she had pushed her way to the front, so she could get her friend back.  The Scylla was set to sail at midnight and they had to be on board, or they would miss their chance.  She had been pushed down an alley when the charge down Silver Street started, and she’d run the other way when she’d heard the volley of gunshots.  That had panicked her and she'd run blindly, not paying any attention to the turns she made.
	The streets here looked like what you got when the local city government got the idea to pave the thousand year old animal paths that had founded the city.  They stank of mildew and rot and she could see heaps of trash in every corner, barely covered by the snow.  She imagined that it was a protest at the way the people here had to live.  Most of the buildings were houses, though there were plenty of little shops selling dusty odds and ends, or clothes so threadbare Megan wouldn’t have used them to dust with.
	She paused near the mouth of an alley, to catch her breath.  But what she caught was the smell of fresh blood.  It was faint, but grew stronger as she edged closer to the alley.  Fear made the fur rise on the back of her neck, and made her want to turn and run.  Jess had said that the collars were suppposed to protect them, but Megan couldn't see that it had done her friend any good.
	She didn’t scream when the hand came around the corner and latched onto her arm.  It wouldn’t have done her any good, and in any case she recognized the ring on the middle finger.  It was a cheap piece of pewter with a green glass stone, which Jess had worn since the day they’d met.  She smiled with relief, and stepped around the corner.
	Megan's heart almost broke when she saw the girl.  Jess's clothes were in rags, and she had torn her dress up and tied a strip of cloth around her chest to keep herself covered.  The rest she’d formed into a kind of crude skirt, which went down to her knees but which left a gap up one leg all the way to her hip.  The little mouse was splattered with blood, and her muzzle dripped with gore.  She had long scratches up the side of her exposed leg, and all the fur had been torn away from one side of her neck.  She held herself in a tense crouch that made Megan want to cover her throat with her hands.  When Jess was able to focus on her, the girl smiled in a way that showed far too many teeth.
	“There you are.  You shouldn't be here, I was coming to get you,” Jess said.
	“Did Marcus do this to you?  Did you kill him?”  Megan said.
	Jess wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, but this only smeared the blood around.
	“Not Marcus.  It was the cat in the alley.  He won't hurt any more girls,” Jess said.
	“Are you okay?” Megan said.
	“I'm not as bad as I look.  But I have to find Elizabeth.  I have to get some more pills from her,” Jess said.
	“Mousie, we have to go.  If you don't need a doctor, we have to get to the docks,” Megan said.
	“I'll have to tell her I let Alice out.  She won't like that.  Alice was my mother’s name.  I always wanted to use it, but Elizabeth would never let me,” Jess said.
	“We don't have time.  If the Scylla sails without us, how likely do you think it is they can find us another ship?” Megan said.
	The snow was coming down harder, and the sun had almost set.  Jess was still holding onto her like she was afraid she would fall if she let go, and maybe she would.  Megan wiped some of the blood off of Jess’s face with the sleeve of her shirt and pulled the girl close.  Jess didn’t resist when Megan put an arm around her shoulders, but the girl wouldn’t let go of her hand.
	“Can you get us back home?” Megan said.
	“We don’t have a home anymore,” Jess said.
	“But can you find it?” Megan said.
	“No,” said Jess said.
	Running footsteps made them both turn.  Jess dug her claws into Megan’s wrist, but she wasn’t shivering as much anymore.  Megan pulled the girl back, not wanting to meet anyone in the dark, but Jess dragged her feet and refused to cooperate.
	“It’s only Richard.  You can tell by the stink of cologne mixed with lies,” Jess said.
	If she hadn't been so tired, Megan would have picked Jess up and carried her.  As it was, all she could do was keep dragging her along the road.  It was slow and uncomfortable for both of them, and they had only gone a couple of feet when Richard came around the corner.  He stopped when Megan snarled at him, and she enjoyed the sight of his tail curling between his legs.  He carried an old fashioned lantern and he held it out at arm's length like a shield..
	“Did you do this to her?” said Megan.
	“My father did,” he said.
	“Then why are you here now?” Megan said.
	“I saw her leave the jail.  I thought she might need someone to help get her home,” he said.
	“She doesn't need you.  You've hurt her before, and I'm sure you would again,” Megan said.
	“That isn’t fair.  You don't know anything about me,” he said.
	“I know enough.  Would you defend her against him? Against yourself?  She’s mine,” Megan said.
	Megan got one of her arms under Jess's legs, and lifted the girl up.  She wobbled under her friend's weight and had to put her down again, or risk falling.
	“I love her,” said Richard.
	“The hell you do.  You’ll forget about her the next time you go to a House.  You just want someone to fuck,” Megan said.
	“It doesn’t matter.  Let him come with us.  I’m cold, and tired, and I need to see Elizabeth, now,” Jess said.
	Richard put Jess’s other arm over his own neck and let Megan shift some of the girl's weight onto him, but Jess leaned even further over, and put her muzzle next to his ear.
	“I can walk,” she said.
	She bit him on the ear, which made him yelp and pull away, and she jumped to the ground when he and let  her go.
	“Next time you touch me, it'll cost you another fifteen dollars.  Payment up front, just like last time,” Jess said.
	“That’s three months rent.  You really paid that much money just to stick it in something warm?  You have hands,” Megan said.
	She went after Jess, leaving him by himself in the dark.  He didn’t call after them, and Megan was glad of that.  She needed a moment to compose herself and to swallow her anger.
	“There was a cat.  He caught me after Marcus let me go,” Jess said.
	“It wasn’t your fault,” Megan said.
	“I think I killed him.  There was blood all over, and he wasn’t moving,” Jess said.
	“It’s okay.  You were defending yourself,” Megan said.
	“It’s not.  He was sick.  He didn’t know what I am,” Jess said.
	Jess wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, then wiped them on her skirt.   Megan scooped up a double handful of snow from the ground and scrubbed at the girl’s arms and belly to clean her up.  Jess snarled at her, but she didn't move away.
	“He wasn’t interested in asking questions, was he?” Megan said.
	By the time Richard finally joined them, Megan had Jess as clean as she could get her.  She still looked bad, but it mostly scratches and missing fur.
	“You did the right thing.  He isn’t worth worrying about.  He would have cut your throat when he was done and left you in the road,” he said.
	“Who asked you?” Jess said.
	Jess took the lantern, but she let Richard take the lead.  He walked slowly so Jess could keep up, until she got impatient and shoved him through two intersections without stopping.  After that, he picked up the pace.  This was hard on Jess, who was soon panting for breath and trying not to show it, but she wouldn’t let Megan slow her down, either.
	Several minutes walking along the twisting roads brought them to the first proper street since Megan had run away from the fight.  It wasn’t much wider than the alleys behind them, but the houses were in better repair and there were some signs of life.  People walked out in the open rather than skulking around corners, and there was the smell of the ocean coming in from somewhere.  The street was dominated by a three-story red brick house that was separated from its neighbors by a fence and a scrap of yard that circled it on three sides.  Lanterns burned on either side of the door and it looked quite solid next to the wooden houses around it.
	“People ought to be ashamed to live in houses like that,” Megan said.
	“People can’t help how they’re born.  Why should they be ashamed, just because their parents happened to be rich?” Richard said.
	“Even if they’re rapists?” Megan said.
	Richard shut his eyes and he turned his head away from her.  Ordinarily, she would have agreed with him.  It wasn’t fair to blame people for things they have no control over.  It would have been easier to keep that in mind if Jess hadn’t been the only person in the city to really care about her.
	“The people who live here aren’t like my father.  The Coburns are rich, but they had to earn it,” he said.
	“Why did you bring us here?” Jess said.
	“Don’t you know?” Richard said.
	“Why don’t you tell me, and we’ll see how close I am.” Jess said.
	Richard's ears drooped, and he twisted the end of his tail in his fingers.
	“I don’t want you to think I’m the kind of person who would do that to you,” he said “I meant what I said.”
	“Why?”
	This time she did turn on him, and he didn’t resist when she grabbed his chin and pulled his head up so he would look at her.
	“Because Catherine can help you, if you can put up with her,” he said.
	“Is she your friend?” Jess said.
	“She hates me.  Now that you have your girlfriend here to look after you, this is as far as I’m going,” he said.
	He took her wrist in both of his hands and pushed her away, but gently.  Then he turned and walked back down the alley, without waiting to get his lantern back.  Jess watched him until he was out of sight.
	“He isn’t like his father.  He’s much worse,” she said.
	Megan didn’t particularly like the idea of walking up to a strange house unannounced, especially when Jess looked as bad as she did.  However friendly Catherine might be, people tended to feel differently when the same unfortunates they were keen to help in public started banging on their door.  But she did it anyway, because Jess needed her to.
	“This isn’t right.  Trust a male to get everything wrong, especially when he has his mind in someone else’s pants,” Jess said.
	The door was flung after only a minute of pounding and a middle-aged red wolf stomped out onto the porch.  He was taller and more heavily built than Catherine, but there was no question that they were related.  He had the same muzzle that was just a little bit too narrow, and the same oversized ears she had.
	“You have the look of some of Catherine’s friends.  And about the same manners, too,” he said.
	Jess lunged forward and grabbed the front of his shirt, leaving little smears of blood down the front of it.  He recoiled with a snarl, but she refused to let go.
	“Is she here?  I need her to take me to Elizabeth.  Catherine has to know what happened to her,” she said.
	“You need a doctor,” he said
	“Doctors are a waste of time.  I know what’s wrong with me.  I’m not going away until I see Catherine,” Jess said.
	“You’ll be waiting quite a while, then, and I’m not going to have you collapsing on my porch.  Come in and sit down, and I'll get some alcohol and bandages,” he said.
	Jess tried to pull away, but he held onto her and waggled a finger at Megan.
	“Bring that lantern closer, girl, and help me get her inside.  Were you going to let her walk around all night like this?” the wolf said.
	Megan held the light up higher so he could see and he pushed Jess into her arms.  Jess growled and fought, and it took both of them to get her in the house, but Megan was almost certain it was just for show.  Jess was stubborn, but Megan didn't think she was stupid.
	The house was not what Megan expected.  It was easily the most comfortable house she'd ever seen, with shelves filled with books along two walls and several large kerosene lamps placed around the room to give light to most of it.  The floor was polished wood, and there was a high backed armchair by the fireplace.  But it wasn't what she would have expected a mansion to look like.  Once her eyes adjusted to the dim light she could see a certain shabbiness to the place.  Except for the books, everything was old and covered in scratches and tears, as if the people who lived here didn't care very much about mere things.
	“People are so wasteful.  They throw away perfectly good furniture with plenty of wear left in it and carpets with just a few tears.  Put her in the chair,” the wolf said.
	Megan lowered Jess into the seat, bending her knees for her and fussing over her to make sure the girl was comfortable.  She didn’t try to take her hand away this time, but perched on the arm of the chair to shield her from everything around them.  Catherine’s father went over to a table on the opposite side of the room, and busied himself with several of the bottles that were arranged on top of it.
	“I’m Robert.  I don’t know if Cath ever bothered to say.  I suppose you came here because you haven't heard what’s happened to her,” he said.
	“I’ve had a busy evening.  Everything else could have been on the moon,” said Jess.
	“I suppose so.  She’s been arrested, along with nobody knows how many other people.  Some say as many as a hundred,” Robert said.
	He came back with a glass bottle on a wooden tray.  There was also a square of cloth and a roll of bandages.  The bottle held a clear, sharp smelling liquid that he poured out onto the cloth.
	“Catherine gets these ideas in her head, and rushes off without thinking.  I told her she was going to get someone hurt doing that,” Robert said.
	He thrust the tray into Megan’s hands and bent over the chair to dab at Jess’s cuts with his cloth.  She hissed with pain and snapped at him, her teeth narrowly missing his arm.  This left the side of her neck exposed and he took the opportunity to dab at the bite marks there.
	“I’m sick of males touching me,” she said.
	“I know.  But if these cuts get infected, you’ll be sorry,” Robert said.
	“I’m tired of male condescension, too.  None of you cared a thing about me, until now,” Jess said.
	“You think so?  Didn’t you ever think about the girls who managed to get free, and had families to go back to?  Or who started one of their own?  You girls on the inside aren’t the only ones who are hurt, you know,” he said.
	Now it was Jess who turned her head away.  A blush crept up the inside of her ears, and Megan gave her hand a squeeze.
	“It turns you blind,” Jess said.
	“My mother was born in the Sunrise House.  My father was a Captain in the city militia, but he was a slave the same as she was.  They never talked about it much, but it was with them all of their lives,” he said.
	He rubbed at her cuts a little more, but every time she flinched he stopped for a moment so he wouldn’t panic her.  Jess watched everything he did, but Megan could see her starting to relax and she had all but stopped shivering.
	“It couldn’t have been hundreds.  The city jail doesn't have that many cells,” said Jess.
	“It doesn’t matter.  None of them did anything wrong,” Robert said.
	He put the cloth back on the tray and picked up the roll of bandages, but then he appeared to have second thoughts.  Even Megan could see that somebody would have to take off Jess's clothes to tend to the rest of her wounds.  So Robert gave the tray to Megan, instead.
	“You don't have to do anything special.  Just wrap them around and pin them on.  I’ll go upstairs and get the spare bed ready, so you two can get some rest,” he said.
	Jess jumped up out of the chair before he had gone more than two steps, with a look of panic on her face.
	“Your ship leaves tonight?” she said.
	“Yes, in a couple of hours.  But you’re in no condition to travel,” he said.
	“Megan is.  Catherine promised me you’d take her.  If you can get her out of the city, I can get Catherine out of jail,” Jess said.
	“By yourself?” he said.
	“There’s Sarah.  She can make up for one abduction with another,” Jess said.
	Robert snorted, a sound that was half laughter and half disbelief
	“She’s mad enough to help you, too.  But you don’t know where she lives,” he said.
	“But you do, don't you?  I won't ask you to tell me.  I'm sure she mad you promise not to.  Just send her here to me before you leave, and we’ll take care of springing your daughter,” Jess said.
	“I’m not going anywhere without you,” said Megan.
	  She dropped the tray on the floor and jumped between Jess and the door.
	“I’m not getting on that ship by myself,” Megan said.
	“Why not?  There's nothing to be frightened of,” Jess said.
	“Yes, there is.  You know that as well as I do, but you just won't admit it.  You go out of your way to help people, but you’re still stuck here,” Megan said  “Why?”
	Jess gave a little laugh, and knelt on the floor to pick up the tray.  The alcohol bottle had broken and she picked up the pieces one at a time between two fingers, so she wouldn’t get cut.
	“You’d better go on.  It’s a long way to Viridis and I know your family misses you,” Jess said.
	“We need to move fast, before Marcus gets any clever ideas.  The last time there was a riot in the city, he blockaded the port for a month,” Robert said.
	He took her by the hand and turned her to the door.  The last Megan saw of Jess, the girl was sitting on the floor by the fire with her hands in her lap and her head raised to the ceiling.  Jess's eyes were shut, and the girl kept repeating something to herself over and over.