"I'm glad that you found a crack in your schedule to slip me in, Kanla." Urko slowly lowered himself in the chair on the other side of the Chimp's desk and dug into the inner pouch of his vest for his pipe. Now that the damn woman hadn't been able to avoid seeing him any longer, he'd make it clear to her that the length of his visit wasn't determined by her.

As well as a lot of other things.

"When I was your commander, you were the first to jump to attention when you spotted me." He grinned. "The others used you as a sort of early warning system."

Kanla eyed him cooly. "That was a lifetime ago," she said. "And I do have a tight schedule. So what brings you here? I sent for a veterinarian, but you don't look as if you'd changed professions."

Urko didn't answer right away. Kanla had been an eager young lieutenant when they had started out on their campaign, eager to please, eager to prove herself. He had lost sight of her over the course of the human uprising - there was just so much to do - and when they had finally stomped out the last of those vicious pests, she had been two districts away, probably busy with her own cleanup. And then she had applied for this prefecture, and gotten it, and he had completely forgotten about her.

Now she looked old, and harrassed, and not at all happy to see him. Urko smiled to himself and began to pack his pipe. "Well, how could I ignore your plea for help, Kanla? I'm always there for my lieutenants, even if they never send a greeting for New Year or Remembrance Day."

"I have a pretty good idea what kind of help you have on offer, Urko," Kanla snapped. "And I'm not interested. I need those humans."

"Nobody needs humans," Urko growled. He lit his pipe. "Filthy pests. Do you want to be the torch that sets the whole district on fire? Huh? Do you want to be 'Prefect Kanla, who sicced the plague on innocent apes, because she couldn't bring herself to have her pets clubbed while there still was time'? They're contagious, Kanla, they're a hazard to public health."

Kanla leaned back in her seat and regarded him with her cool, steady gaze. Urko held it, a slight smile playing on his lips. Kanla was cold and hard like marble; the only thing she was pissed off about right now was that he was here to tell her what to do.

Well, too bad. She could've handled this on her own, if greed hadn't clouded her judgment. Now he was here, and he'd see to it that simian safety got the priority it deserved.

"As chance would have it, I already have all the help I need," she said finally. "A veterinarian, no less. And according to his report, the fever is already breaking, and there haven't been any new infections. So," she leaned forward, and bared her teeth to him, "with all due respect, General, I must decline your offer. It isn't needed here. My humans are on the mend, and will be back on my fields soon, harvesting my cotton, and filling the prefecture's treasury with sweet money."

"A veterinarian, huh? What a... convenient coincidence." Damn woman looked way too smug. Urko wouldn't be surprised if she'd pulled that doctor out of her ass. Couldn't really fault her - the prefecture sorely needed the money. He had taken a peek at their finances before he had hurried north; they were deeply in debt, and the last years had all but destroyed their harvests.

Kanla narrowed her eyes. "Are you accusing me of lying? I can make use of an opportunity - if you remember."

He remembered. Those had been good times. "Who is that vet?"

"A Dr. Kova. Was on his way back to his own prefecture up north." Kanla remained straight in her seat, tense like a coiled spring. Her eyes were fixed on him, alert and intense.

Urko felt his own blood quicken in response. This was like fight practice. He licked his lips. He'd throw that Chimp to the mat. No ape was a match for a Gorilla.

No ape was a match for this Gorilla.

"What was he doing that far south?"

Kanla shrugged. "I didn't ask him. Not my business. But he's a damn good doctor, because he's the first who found a cure against the fever." She waggled the scroll in her fist. "I already sent copies of his report to the neighbouring prefectures, just in case they have the same problem. Mothers willing, we won't have that problem in the future."

"So all that digging and wearing fancy costumes were that doctor's ideas, hm?" There was something about the batch of covered up humans digging that ditch that plucked at the edges of his mind, he just couldn't put his finger on it. The human he had asked had stammered that they were hiding from the mosquitos, that the mosquitos were the bringers of sickness, and that idea was so... so outlandish. It didn't sound like something any self-respecting ape doctor would have suggested.

"Yes. Kova wrote in his report that he thinks the mosquitos are responsible for spreading the fever to the humans," Kanla echoed his thoughts.

Urko leaned forward. "And how did the good doctor come to that conclusion? Did he take the little pests' temperature?"

Kanla blinked, taken aback. "I've no idea how he... I'm not a doctor. I let him do his job, he lets me do mine. That's how it works, Urko - you can't do everyone's job. And he's doing a fine job. The humans are recovering."

"You seen any of those healed humans? No?" He smiled at her embarrassed silence. "I want to speak to that doctor."

"He's in the quarantined zone," Kanla murmured. "He's not allowed to cross the demarcation line. A... a precautionary measure."

"You just told me he single-handedly cured your humans," Urko pointed out. "And if that fever is dangerous to apes, it'd only take me, right?" Now he allowed that smile to broaden. "And would that really bother you?" He rose. "Get that doctor here, Prefect, or I'll ride to that village and pull his sorry ass out myself. And while I'm at it, I'll bring my platoon and have them torch the place and every single human they can shoot. Just a precautionary measure, you understand."

He tapped the pipe out on her desk and turned to leave.

"If you lit a single leaf of grass, I'll have your ass, Urko," Kanla shouted after him. "This is my territory, you understand me?"

Urko walked on as if he hadn't heard her. But he felt his grin stretch until it encompassed him, encompassed earth and sky, stretching to the horizon.

Soon, he'd taste blood again.

The sun was already setting, copper light caressing the wooden beams of the barn and throwing a golden hue over the old cotton bedsheets, when one of Peet's workers came running into Galen's office, eyes huge in the pale face, his digger's cap crumpled in his fist. "There's a guard outside, doctor," he wheezed, "but none of ours! He wants t' see ya!"

Urko!

The thought slammed into Galen like a fist, pushing him into the seat. He exchanged a hasty glance with Peet, who had taken over from Alan as his assistant for the day, and found his panic reflected in the human's dark eyes.

Peet's nostrils flared for a moment; then the same panic that had frozen Galen on the spot drove him to his feet. "He wants to see the doc?" he asked the boy. "Why? Is he sick?"

The boy shook his head, then shrugged. Peet grabbed him by the shoulders. "This is important, Omi - did he say anything else?"

The boy shook his head even harder. "Jus' said he wants to see the doctor."

"Is it a chimp, or a gorilla?"

Omi frowned. "A chimpanzee. There's no gorilla officers."

Peet let him go with a huff and turned away. "Stupid, lucky kid," he muttered. "Tell the officer the doc is with a patient, an' he'll be out in a moment."

He didn't even wait for the light footsteps to fade. "Urko!"

"Of course it's Urko," Galen said faintly. "Who else would send one of his men into a quarantined zone?" And who but one of Urko's fanatical followers would go?

"Do you..." Peet's voice faltered for a moment. "Do you think he has Zana?"

Galen stared at the scroll on the desk before him. It was opened at the drawing of the plant that his humans called 'worm wood', and for a moment, he traced its stem and the outline of its leaves, forcing all thoughts of Zana in Urko's hands out of his mind.

"No," he said finally, when he was reasonably certain he'd have his voice under control, "I don't think he has her. He wouldn't be able not to brag about that fact - he'd come out here himself to let me know."

Peet drew a quick breath, a noisy in- and exhale, and nodded. "You're right. Yeah. He'd do that." He rubbed a hand over his face. "But why the hell send one of his men for you, then?"

Galen rose on wobbly knees. "I guess there's only one way to find out."

Peet stared at him. "You're going out there? Are you fucking crazy? What if it's the lieutenant - you know, the one who helped us to get Al out of that hole in Atlanta?"

During their weeks-long journey up North, Galen had told Peet about their efforts to find him, and how he and Zana had run into Nelva in the City's precinct. It had been Peet who had wondered how Nelva had escaped a very personal execution when Urko had found out that he had disobeyed his direct order to shoot them all. Whatever it was, Nelva apparently held a special place in the Gorilla's heart; it was entirely possible that it was him out there.

Then inspiration struck him. "Give me your hood - the one you wear when you're out in the marches."

Peet shook his head. "You really think that'll fool him?"

But he went to get it all the same. It didn't fit very well - human faces were flatter than ape faces - but it completely covered his head. Galen still felt shaky, and completely recognizable, but it was the best he could think of; better to meet the other ape now, on his own terms, before the officer barged in to arrest him in front of the humans.

The sun had vanished behind the horizon in the meantime; hopefully, the twilight would help to mask his features even more. Affecting a heavy limp for good measure, Galen hobbled out into the muddy main place to meet their nemesis.

The Chimp was still on horseback and didn't look as if he was going to dismount any time soon. Judging by the look of disgust on his face, there was a good chance he wouldn't want to soil his boots with mud just to arrest him, Galen thought - not if he could give him a justifiable reason not to. He had brought a second horse with him, a detail that Galen found worrying. "What is it?" he asked sharply. "Don't you know this area is under quarantine?"

The Chimp knew it, and wasn't happy about being here, that much was obvious. "The Chief General has been called to this prefecture to decide over what's to be done about the humans," he said. "He wants to talk to you."

Galen stared up at him for a moment, too shocked to reply. So Urko wasn't here by chance - he had somehow gotten wind of this prefecture's plight, and had decided to ride up North and deliver his own brand of medicine. Galen remembered Touba - his father had voted for sterilization then, too. His mother had been vehemently against it; it was the only time he could remember his parents fighting.

The officer was still staring down at him. "I already sent my report to the prefect," Galen snapped. He had waited for Tilan to turn up at the plague willow to give him that scroll. The Chimp had a very regular routine that saved him from having to shoot humans, who knew his route by now, too, and easily evaded him. "It's all in my report. I don't have time to drink tea with the Chief General. So if you'd excuse me..." He turned to go.

"The general insists, doc." It was said calmly, with only the slightest hint of 'don't make me come down and get you' in it.

Galen didn't bother to turn around. "Then the general and you will have to wait until my consultation time is over." He hastily limped back into the barn.

Peet was awaiting him directly behind the door. "The old devil came up here because of the fever?" he hissed. "What the hell?"

Galen tore the hood from his head and took a deep breath. "Join me in the office." He hurried to the back of the barn, Peet in tow.

"Urko wants to see me," he yelped, as soon as they had slipped behind the curtain.

"You know, this curtain ain't soundproof," Peet said in a low voice, and Galen let go of the fabric with a huff. The human's face was an indistinct pale blob in the dusk, but Galen thought he could detect a slight tremble in his voice. "You can't go. Urko knows you."

"I can't not go! We can't just run away, not while Zana is still in that town!"

"He'll arrest you as soon as you poke your ugly head through the door!" Peet snapped, and now Galen was certain that the human's voice was trembling. Unsteady. "An' then he'll torture you until you tell him where Zana is! An' then he'll hang you both, in the town square!"

He didn't mention himself and Alan, Galen noticed; whether it was because Peet was sure that they would just be shot like rabbits, or because he didn't plan on waiting around for Urko's baboons, Galen couldn't tell.

He drew a deep breath. Think. Think logically.

"As I said, I can't refuse," he began. "Urko would get even more suspicious, and probably send his whole platoon here. That wouldn't end well for the humans here."

"It won't end well for them either way," Peet muttered. "You know what that menace thinks about humans."

Galen spread his fingers, wordlessly acknowledging Peet's assessment. "Perhaps I can buy us - and them - some time. The illness is in retreat; once that is undeniable, Urko will find it hard to sterilize this village. Kanla won't cooperate either way, we just need to give her-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Peet held up a hand. "Sterilize? What the hell are you talking about, doc?"

"What do you think it means?" Galen snapped, cursing himself for his gaffe. "Help me think about how to prevent it, will you? That officer won't wait around forever!"

Peet turned away, rubbing his face with both hands, and raking them through his hair. He was greatly distressed, Galen translated silently; he was still not too sure of human body language, but this gesture was something he had memorized - maybe because Peet showed it so often. "Okay, so - you gotta disguise yourself somehow." He gestured towards the hood in Galen's hand. "You could wear our digger uniform, tell him it's to prevent contagion. That limp was also a nice touch."

"He'll still recognize my voice," Galen cautioned.

"You need to disguise your voice, too." Peet worried his lip, thinking. "Talk in that accent of yours, that drawl."

"I don't drawl!"

"You do when you do your 'Dr. Kova' impersonation."

Galen raised his brows. He had never realized he drawled when he slipped into the persona of Dr. Kova, and considering how long he had been wearing it now, whatever accent he had affected at first had probably vanished in the meantime. He wasn't sure he could find it again, especially since he didn't know what to look for. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Mumble, talk through your nose, stutter - anything that'll conceal your natural voice. Oh, wait!" Peet's voice sounded excited all of a sudden. Galen frowned - that was always a worrying sign. "I have an idea!"

Before Galen could say anything, Peet had vanished. He returned a short while later, a leather roll in his hand. "Guess what that is?"

Galen eyed the package. "I couldn't say in this light."

He heard a soft thud as Peet let the package drop on his desk to light a candle. "A greeting from home, buddy - that's your dad's tobacco. You don't smoke, do you? At least I've never seen you smoke..." He bent down to dig for something in the lower shelf.

"No, I don't smoke," Galen said slowly. "How did you get hold of my father's tobacco?"

Peet straightened; he held a low, wide earthen bowl in his hand. "Nabbed it from your house when we were there the first time. After you and Zana broke us out of the institute. Thought we could use it for barter, an' then forgot about it. Good thing Zana kept my backpack while I was... away." He put the bowl on the desk and nestled at the leather string that held the roll together.

"And what do you want with it now? As I said, I don't smoke." It was strange to see something from his home here, all of a sudden. Not a greeting, as Peet had said; more like a memory of someone else's life.

Peet looked up with a grin. "Until now, doc, until now." He went to the tea oven and scooped some coals into the bowl, then returned to the desk with it. "I noticed you apes smoke pipe. No appreciation for a good cigar, it's a shame. Anyway, you just puff a pipe - you don't inhale that smoke. Well, except you do - you'll bathe your throat in that sweet perfume, so that you'll sound like a bag of rocks afterwards." He seasoned the coal with tobacco; a sweet, heavy scent filled the room.

... sunny mornings with his father reading the paper, and his mother urging him to eat up his vegetables... Galen swallowed.

"C'mon, buddy, we don't have much time, said it yourself." Peet waved him over to his chair. "Now you just hold your head over the fumes, and breathe in..." He stopped when Galen started to cough, and cough.

"I... I c... can't..." A new wave of coughs wracked his body. Eyes streaming, Galen pushed away from the bowl.

"Sure you can," Peet encouraged him. He gently, but firmly pushed him back towards the bowl. "Think of Zana, doc. You're doin' this for her."

Galen tried again, but the smoke was thick, and oily, and scratched in his throat as if someone had pushed a chimney brush into his chest and was vigorously scrubbing away the lining of his voice box.

Well, that had been the thought behind it, right? He wiped his eyes and tried for a third time.

This time, the coughs wouldn't die down, and when they finally subsided, Galen felt so wrung out that not even the thought of Urko waiting for him could upset him anymore. "That's it," he croaked, "that'll have to do." His voice was brittle and maybe a tiny bit deeper than before, and he had to fight the urge to constantly clear his throat.

Or maybe he shouldn't fight that urge - it might be annoying enough to divert from his actual voice.

Peet accompanied him outside and helped him on the horse. "Be back soon, doc," he said. "People here need you."

Galen just nodded - since he had talked to Urko's man before his smoke inhalation, he didn't dare to let him hear his changed voice now. His horse didn't have reins, he realized; it was tied to the officer's saddle horn like a pack horse. No chance to suddenly bolt and escape into the darkening marches.

The officer turned his horse and led him away in a swift trot. Galen turned in the saddle to throw a last look at Peet, but the human was already gone. He had the distinct feeling that Peet was preparing for battle.

He prayed to the Mothers it wouldn't be necessary.

There was one clump of straw under the blanket that pressed into Virdon's back, no matter how he shifted his body around. The drilling pain in his hip had finally subsided into a dull ache, running down the length of his leg and making his toes tingle. Under the thin veil of sleep, he could hear the other humans shifting and sighing on their cots, as restless as he was. Thoughts floated through his mind like leaves on a river.

There were still so many people ill... they would have to go out and collect more wormwood... Pete's grin, his brows climbing into his hairline, when Omi had shown them their secret distillery... Pete was a bit better, lately, not so grim anymore, except when he had to dig graves... he really got along great with that boy...

Someone was falling into him all of a sudden, and he jerked back with a gasp. Hands grabbed his shoulders. "Tamas, wake up! Wake up!" An urgent hiss, almost a shout.

Ehme. Virdon struggled to sit up. It was Ehme, shaking like a leaf as she climbed onto his cot, and into his arms. "Oh, you're awake, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." She threw her arms around him, and buried her face in his neck. "They'll kill us, Tamas! They'll kill us, oh Mothers..."

Virdon's tongue was sticky and swollen, and his throat felt dry and itchy. He cleared his throat. "What are you... what happened?" He was hugging her back, he realized. "Who is killing whom?"

"The apes," Ehme whispered against his throat. Virdon felt something wet against his skin; she was crying. "I just heard your friend talk to your master. The general has come to kill us all... because we're sick."

Urko.

Virdon's stomach clenched, and his heartbeat picked up. He drew a deep breath, now wide awake. "What did they say, exactly?"

Ehme turned her head a bit, so that she wouldn't talk against his skin, for which he was grateful; but her arms were still hugging him tightly. He could feel her soft breasts through the thin cloth of her dress.

Urko. Urko was planning something vicious. He had to focus. "Tell me exactly what they said."

"I... I didn't hear everything," Ehme confessed. "I didn't mean to listen in, but the office is only separated by a curtain, and your friend was a bit loud sometimes... he said something of, of arrest, and torture, and that it won't end well for us. And then the doctor went out to talk to the officer, and rode off with him, to see the general-"

"What?" Virdon took her by the shoulders and broke her clutch, holding her at arm's length to make eye contact. Ehme's eyes were huge in her face, dark with fear. She wiped her face with her palms, trying to dry her tears, but they were steadily rolling down her cheeks. "He... he rode off?"

He started to rise, but Ehme clung to him. "Where do you want to go? They left shortly after sunset - you'll never catch up to them." She cupped his face with both hands. "And even if you did, what could you do? The officer would just shoot you." Her eyes filled with new tears. "They'll shoot us all, and then burn our bodies, so the illness doesn't spread."

Virdon remembered his conversation with Galen - either the apes' method of containment was universally known among humans, or Ehme had really snatched up part of a conversation between Pete and Galen. And with Galen being as good as arrested...

Something was brewing.

He had to find out what was going on, but first he had to calm down the young woman. If a panic broke out in the village, the situation would quickly get out of control. "Shh, Ehme. I'm sure the doctor will convince the general to let him complete his treatment." He gently rubbed her arms. "And by then, y'all will be healthy again, and there'll be no need to shoot anyone. Have you... have you told anyone yet?"

Ehme shook her head. "No. I came to you first."

Virdon suppressed a relieved sigh. "That was the right thing to do. Don't tell the others yet, they'll only panic. Let's wait for what the doctor says when he returns."

Ehme stared at him. Virdon couldn't see her face clearly in the weak light of the moon that filtered through the open doors, only the dark shadows of her eyes. "And what if he doesn't return?"

Then we have a problem.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Ehme," he said. "We'll deal with problems once they exist, anything else is just a waste of energy."

Ehme sighed shakily and nodded. "I'll... I'll try. But I don't want to die." She wiped her eyes again. "This life is hard... But when I get up in the morning, and the sun has just risen, and the world is silent... and everything is glowing in that early light..." She smiled wistfully. "Then I feel so wide and happy inside. I want to spread my arms and embrace the world. It's so beautiful. I don't want to leave all that behind yet. I want to get old. I want... I want to have children. I want a good man, one who is... gentle and loving, and..." She laughed an embarrassed laugh, "... good looking..."

"You'll find that man, Ehme," Virdon said gently. "And you'll live a long and happy life."

He saw Ehme clench her fists in her lap. Then she looked up with a sudden jerk of her head. "I think I already found him." And with an equally sudden determination, she grabbed his neck and kissed him.

It was a hasty kiss, no more than a pressing of her lips on his, and she fled immediately. Virdon stared after her, his lips tingling.

Then he heard Pete's amused cough. His friend was sitting on the edge of one of the patients' beds, helping a little boy to sit up and drink some water or medicine.

"How long have you been watching us?" Virdon wanted to know. He strained his eyes to detect Ehme, but she had vanished into the shadows.

"Long enough to admire your skills at consoling her," Burke grinned. He gently helped the boy to lie down again and got up to amble over to Virdon. "Though I can't say you calmed her down, exactly."

"I didn't... she kissed me," Virdon felt compelled to point out.

Burke laughed. "Face it, buddy, you're not just being hunted by apes anymore."

Virdon lowered his voice. "About that... she told me Galen got arrested."

Burke instantly became serious. "Not arrested. Not yet. Urko wanted to speak to Dr. Kova. I guess... I've no idea why. Guess he's pissed because your medicine is curing these people before he can torch them."

"Urko knows Galen," Virdon whispered.

"He put on our digging gear, you know, the KKK outfit. Like a chem suit, 'cause we don't want to accidentally infect the dear general, nosir, an' he put on his Dixie apeish... you know, that drawl," Burke explained when he noticed his stare. "Don't worry, Al, I prepared him, not even his own mom will recognize him now."

Virdon squeezed his eyes shut and furiously rubbed his forehead. He suspected that Burke had left out some additional preparations, but he didn't dare to ask. "Why didn't you wake me?" he said instead.

Burke shrugged. "Was no need to. We had it under control. An' you need your sleep."

Virdon fought down a wave of irritation. Yes, his leg was still troubling him, but he wasn't an invalid. He rubbed his hands over his knees. "We need to prepare the evacuation of these people. Just in case."

"Evacuate where? Urko and his goons will happily open hunting season in the marches," Burke pointed out. "Only instead of ducks, they'll shoot humans."

"Still. We can do a lot more damage out there than we could here. Or do you want to wait for them?"

Burke leaned back against the barn wall with a sigh. "No. 'Course not. But in that case, he'll have Galen. Maybe even Zana. Any ideas how to prepare for that hostage situation?"

"There are only two options," Virdon said grimly. "we run, and leave them to their fate, or we try to free them. Under no circumstances can we give ourselves to Urko - he'd just kill us all."

"You do know that freeing them would mean to kill the bastard?"

"Yes." He still hoped it wouldn't come to that. Urko was too far up in the hierarchy for his death to be ignored. Even the gorilla's enemies would join the hunt - humans killing the Chief General would set a precedent for humans everywhere. Virdon didn't want to imagine what kind of example the apes would make of them.

"Not saying I'm hoping for that piece of shit to get his hands on our girl," Burke said slowly. "But if he does, I'm all set for freeing her." His voice sounded thoughtful. "Damn monkey still has my knife."

"Don't do anything rash, Pete," Virdon warned him.

"Don't worry, Al, I'm all sensible an' calm." Burke rose and stretched.

Virdon wasn't fooled. "Where are you going?"

"Preparing," Burke said slowly. "You prepare that evacuation, Al.

"An' I'm gonna prepare everything else."

"Take off that mask. I want to see who I'm talking to."

Urko was a hulking black shadow in Kanla's darkened office. The flickering light of the candles on the prefect's desk made his face waver in and out of focus, like a heat ghost hanging over a lonely road at noon time. They were said to suck the blood out of lonely travellers. Galen had no doubt that he'd bleed out on the wooden tiles if he took off the mask.

So he ignored the Gorilla's growl as he slowly limped to the chair and sat down with a huff. "Ah can't dew that," he grunted, trying to draw out each word as long as possible. "Can't risk contahgion."

He saw Urko narrow his eyes, and felt the urge to swallow, but when his throat constricted, its irritated lining began to tingle instead, and he coughed. It was a wheezing, whining sound, and Urko jerked back slightly in his chair. "So you admit it's contagious to apes?"

"Nah," Galen wheezed, and wished for something to drink. But then he'd have to lift his mask. "Jus' in case. A..." he coughed again, "precaahshon." His accent sounded fake and overdone in his ears. Nobody sounded like that. He just hoped that the cloth over his mouth, and the sack of gravel in his throat, would muffle it enough for Urko to dismiss it.

He flapped his hand in Urko's general direction. "Ah don't wanna kill you, General. So ahm cautious."

Urko made a low sound in his throat, a growl or a hum, and unrolled a scroll. His report, Galen realized. "So, in here you write that the mosquitos are responsible for the fever. That's a rather unorthodox theory. I wonder how you came by it... Doctor."

"I sat in some of Professor Zoran's lectures as a student," Galen said, his mind racing. "His theories are rather unorthodox, it's true, but this village was the perfect opportunity to test them - after all, it was already under quarantine, and it's just humans, right?"

"Humans in close vicinity to apes," Urko slapped his hand on the scroll. "And you thought you could endanger their lives for your little experiment? I'll have none of this! These creatures and their nests will be sterilized!"

"No!"

A second voice cried out along with him, and with a jerk, a shadow pushed away from the wall behind Urko.

Kanla.

For a moment, Galen could only stare at her, too stunned to think. Kanla had met him before - without the limp, without the accent, without that gravelly, tobacco-damaged voice.

I'm dead.

Her eyes seemed to bore into him through the mask, burning with a cold fury that made Galen's hand twitch. The guard had discovered and taken away his knife. But he hadn't looked into his boot, where a second, smaller knife was hidden, a suggestion from Peet, what an irony-

"You wrote that the humans are recovering. Isn't that true?"

It took him a moment to realize that Kanla had asked him a question. He just nodded; he was still dazed.

Kanla turned to Urko. "They are recovering," she snapped. Then she tore the scroll out from under his hand. "You had your audience, General. The humans will be fine, and if - if! - the sickness spreads to apes, we'll know how to treat it. So I'd say Dr. Kova's experiment was successful, and now get out of my chair."

To Galen's surprise, Urko rose - slowly, deliberately. "The results of this... experiment are completely open," he said to Kanla, in that soft, amicable tone that made every hair of Galen's fur stand on end. "If just a single ape dies of this fever - just one - I'll burn those vile beasts myself. You," he pointed to Galen, "will lose your head, and you ," and now his face was only a finger's breadth from Kanla's, "will lose this prefecture. Mark my words."

Galen didn't dare to move in his chair; he just listened intently to the sound of heavy boots moving towards the door.

Then the steps fell silent. "You have three days to present me a healthy den," Urko's deep voice sounded directly at his left ear, and Galen jumped. "Three days, or I'll light a bonfire under all your asses."

The door fell shut and Galen allowed himself the first deep breath since Urko's guard had shown up hours ago.

And had another coughing fit.

He stumbled to his feet. "I... I'd better go, Prefect. I'm sure the General has already started counting..."

"You."

His eyes were watering. Kanla was a blurry shadow sinking slowly down into her seat. But her voice was as clear and sharp as the edge of a knife.

"Sit."

"I'm sooo bored!"

Forla sat on Zana's bed, kicking her legs and looking as bored and unhappy as only little children can look. It was hot outside - too hot to go out and play, too hot even to do homework, and most apes were dozing the day away, but children had too much energy for that; Zana remembered her own days of hot, angry boredom, before she had discovered that she could hide away in the secret world of story scrolls.

"Do you want to play keppa?" she asked. It was a simple strategy game, but it was aesthetically pleasing, and variable enough to keep both children and adults entertained for hours.

But Forla shook her head and kicked her legs even harder. "Why don't you come down to eat with us anymore?"

She sounded sullen, and for a moment Zana debated not answering and simply sending her to her mother instead. Then she thought again. Children were like mobile slips of the tongue; they repeated their parents' private conversations to whichever ear was available.

"I wasn't feeling well," she explained to the girl. "Didn't your mother tell you that I'm going to have a baby soon?"

"Yes," Forla said slowly. "And she also said I mustn't come up here and harass you. But I'm just sitting on your bed!"

Zana smiled. "That's alright, I don't mind you being here."

"But can't you come down with me for dinner?" Forla pleaded and looked up to her with huge, moist eyes. "It's always so boring when it's only mommy and daddy and the baby. Mommy is always fussing over him!"

Zana pressed her lips together to hide her smile. "Your brother or your father?"

Forla huffed. "Both!"

Now Zana couldn't suppress a laugh. "Well, if it's really just your family... visitors are just too exhausting for me, all that polite conversation..." ... and all the ugly ways those conversations could end, if they recognize me from the wanted posters...

Forla hopped from the bed and grabbed her hand. "It's really just us tonight! Daddy said he's too tired for having guests over, too! He's been tired for some days now..."

She continued to babble the whole way from Zana's room to the kitchen, where Inta was preparing a tray with food. "Oh Mila, what a nice surprise! I was just on my way to you..."

"Forla persuaded me to come down," Zana said, feeling guilty all of a sudden, "since you don't have guests tonight." She took her tray. "Here, let me help you..."

Inta snatched the tray out of her hands. "You just sit down. In your state, you shouldn't be running back and forth like that." She ushered her to the table, where Tilan was already sipping his tea.

Zana sank into her seat and tried not to feel like a dirty liar; she was certain that Inta had been on her feet until the last day of her pregnancy. She poured herself a cup of tea, stealing a glance at Tilan, who had greeted her just with a tired smile. "How are you? You look... exhausted."

The Chimp set down his mug with a thud. "Must be the heat. I've been riding patrol around the plague zone for weeks now." He shrugged. "There's a point when it just catches up with you, I guess."

Zana had a different theory. She leaned forward, careful not to be overheard by Forla. "Are you feeling hot and chilly?" she murmured. "Aching joints? Just... feeling ill?"

Tilan stared at her with something like fear in his eyes. "Nah. I'm fine. That's a human sickness, apes don't get it."

"We don't know that yet," Zana insisted. "And you've been in the marches a lot, riding patrol. If one of the-" She broke off when Inta appeared at the table with the food. "This looks delicious," she said with a smile, and Inta beamed.

For a while, dinner went on under a blanket of Forla's excited chatter, and the exchange of polite niceties between Inta and Zana. Tilan didn't say anything; Zana noticed that he was just picking at his food, not really eating anything, but Inta was fussing over their little son, and was completely oblivious.

Tilan needed Galen's medicine, Zana decided. But the town was crawling with Urko's men now, and they seemed to be everywhere. "Is it just me, or are there a lot of black uniforms in the streets all of a sudden?" She kept her gaze on her plate, carefully cutting her meat. "Is there a reason why Trion's police force is so strong? The roads are safe, aren't they?"

"Yes, they're safe," Tilan hurried to assure her. He cleared his throat and poured himself another tea. "They're not ours. They came with the Chief General, and they'll leave with him, soon."

"I don't like them," Forla muttered. "They don't let me pet their horses."

Inta sighed. "You can't just pet every animal you see, Forla."

"Why not? I like animals!" Forla turned towards Zana. "I'm gonna be a veti... veta... an animal doctor, like your doctor, when I'm grown up!"

"That's a good plan!" Zana said encouragingly. "You know what they say - Chimps think fast. We're the best doctors and scientists. And the animals need our help, because they can't help themselves."

"And then I can pet them," Forla nodded. "Because I have to see what makes them sick."

Tilan coughed around his tea. He and Zana shared a look over the rim of their cups, eyes sparkling with mirth. Zana put her mug down. "It seems that this is a win-win situation for everyone in your practice." She turned to Tilan. "Do you know why the general is here?"

Tilan sighed. "It's because of them sick humans. The general is worried it might spread to the apes."

Zana frowned and speared a piece of meat. "That's strange, though," she said, chewing. "Isn't he the chief of police? Or is he now also chief of the ministry of health and public hygiene? I thought Minister Zorvan is responsible for containment measures and things like that."

She busied herself with the steamed vegetables, and pretended not to notice the glance that Tilan and Inta exchanged. "I don't know," Tilan said finally. "The general isn't... isn't really someone I want to ask these questions."

"He's a Gorilla, isn't he?" Zana asked innocently, and Inta's face clouded for a moment with annoyance, but Tilan just shrugged.

"He is," he said, "but he whipped our forces into shape, you've gotta grant him that. Gave us better equipment, better weapons, every officer has his own horse now..." He sighed and rose. "Sorry for being a bad host, but... I'm not hungry. I'll catch a nap... I'll see you later, Mila." He tousled Forla's hair and shuffled out of the kitchen.

"Is Daddy not feeling well?" Forla asked in a tiny voice; she looked very young all of a sudden.

Zana sighed and picked at her food. "It's just the heat, Forla. Your daddy got home from a long day of riding in the sun. Don't you worry, he'll be fine after his nap."

If only she could find a way to sneak out of town!

"Sit."

Galen dropped back into the chair as if somebody had kicked his legs out under him. He pulled his hood off - there was no point in keeping up this masquerade in front of Kanla - and wiped his runny eyes with it.

He heard water gurgle. "Here, drink something," Kanla said gruffly. "What in the white wastes have you done to your throat?"

Galen downed the glass in one go. "We, ah, we're burning herbs to drive the mosquitos away," he said, too embarrassed to tell the Chimp about Peet's ingenious method of changing his voice by inhaling pipe smoke. "It is rough on one's throat..."

"And I bet you fell over a bedpan to acquire that limp of yours," Kanla said dryly, "but how do you explain the accent?"

"Uh, I, ah, fall back into my home dialect under stress?" Galen stuttered.

Kanla regarded him for a long moment; so long, in fact, that Galen began to shift in his seat. "You and the general," she said finally. "How do you know each other?"

"We... met back in the City. He wants to kill me," Galen said simply.

"Why?"

"I helped some humans he wanted to kill." It was even the truth, come to think about it.

"History repeats itself, hm?" Kanla rolled out his report and smoothed the paper with her palm. "Are you a veterinarian, Kova?"

"I studied medicine, yes," Galen said cautiously. "But my name wasn't Kova then."

"I want to see your approbation certificate," Kanla said evenly.

"That approbation is for Dr. Kova," Galen pointed out.

Kanla leaned forward. "What about your real approbation?"

Galen clenched his jaw for a moment. "I'm not going to give you my real name, Prefect. I'm sorry."

They locked eyes, and Galen forced himself to hold her gaze. Every single sentence had been the truth, on its own. He had no reason to avoid eye contact. If the prefect chose to knit a story from those facts that suited her needs, well, that was her doing, not his. Galen had learned long ago that the most powerful lies were those that people told themselves.

Of course one could suggest certain connections by how one arranged the presentation of one's truths.

"Very well," Kanla said finally, and leaned back. "How are my humans doing?"

"Exactly as I wrote in my report," Galen said, and refilled his glass. His throat was still itching, and talking made it worse. "The tincture is working, but of course people aren't going to be well with a snap of the fingers. The fever is breaking, we have no new cases, and in three days..." He cleared his throat. "In three days, the humans will be better, but not completely healthy again. And I think the general knows that." He eyed Kanla's inscrutable face and decided to gamble.

"It seemed to me that he was pretty eager to find a reason to take that prefecture from you. Maybe he already has someone waiting to take your seat? Someone who doesn't... disagree with him."

"And what makes you think that?" Kanla's voice was as expressionless as her face.

"The kind of reshuffling I saw happening in the City." Galen emptied his glass. "Did you know that Urko has put Council Eldest Zaius under... protection... by his own troupe?"

"No," Kanla said slowly.

"Well, I'm not really interested in politics," Galen lied, "but it seems to me that you should watch your back, Prefect. The general doesn't deal gracefully with dissenters." He rose. "I really need to go back to the village now. My orderlies are doing what they're told, but they can only go so long without supervision. Humans, you know."

Kanla didn't move. "I'll have one of my officers take you back. Don't forget to put your hood back on, doctor." Her voice was dry. "We don't want anyone to catch... that illness, right?"

Galen forced his lips into a tight smile. "No, under no circumstances would I want to catch, ah, anything." He put the hood back on and turned towards the door.

"Kova."

The prefect was leaning forward, elbows propped on the table, fingers laced over the scroll. "Does this illness jump from human to ape?"

"According to my... my understanding of this illness, no," Galen said slowly. "But there is no reason why apes can't catch it independently, too. We're better protected from mosquito bites by our fur than the humans, but our hands and face are as naked as theirs, and if a mosquito bites there..." He shrugged. "I strongly suggest you make drying out those marches your top priority in the coming years, Prefect. That will take care of this problem. In the meantime," he gestured towards his report, "you have that list of countermeasures to keep it under control somewhat."

Kanla nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." She reached for the speaking tube that was hanging from the end of her desk. "Send up Elpo."

Galen hesitated. "As for the general... thank you for not blowing my cover."

"Consider it payment for your services. I'd be grateful if you didn't let yourself get caught by Urko," Kanla said dryly. "But if you do, I have no idea you're not Kova."

"I understand," Galen said softly. "I don't intend for him to get me alive."

They waited in silence until Elpo knocked at the door.

"Escort the doctor back to the village," Kanla instructed him. "Under no circumstances will you hand him over to one of the general's men, or the general himself, understood?"

Elpo looked from her to Galen with big eyes, but saluted. "Yes, Prefect."

"Marinate them in your tincture, Doctor," Kanla said. "And maybe we'll all be able to part on friendly terms in three days."

"May the Mothers hear your plea," Galen muttered as he followed Elpo outside.

But somehow he doubted it.