Black Dog(26)

“Yes,” said Alejandro, trying to believe it.

“What about the bars, though?” Natividad asked, seeing his distress and wanting to help. “If they leave us alone for a while, I could blood them for you. That would make you feel better, wouldn’t it, even if you don’t think we should really try to get out?”

“Do you think for one second they haven’t thought of that?” said Miguel

“They wouldn’t be able to tell,” protested Natividad.

Miguel looked at her. “Are you willing to bet ‘Jandro’s life on that? Remember Dimilioc’s always been associated with the Pure. Maybe they know more than you think about things like that.” Miguel turned to Alejandro. “I know you really, really hate being locked up, but if she bloods the silver for you and they find out, they might not take it out on her, but you?” He shrugged. “Estás chingado.”

“Language!” said Natividad, rolling her eyes. But she didn’t argue with her twin’s assessment. She swung her feet to the floor, holding up a hand to stop him when Miguel started to object. “I’m just going to look at it. I think maybe you’re right about Dimilioc thinking about that already – I think otherwise I’d have a private room right now, whatever I said.”

“Looking” at the silver meant running her fingertips along the wire, frowning, her eyes actually closed. She followed the silver wire up and down the bars of the door, reaching through them to touch the lock. Finally she said, still frowning, “We don’t need to worry whether they’d notice if I blooded this silver. They’ve done something to it.”

“Something?” Miguel, curious about anything new, wanted details.

Natividad shrugged. “Something to stop it being blooded.” She looked at Alejandro, lifting her shoulders in an apologetic shrug. “I think Mamá said something about this, but I don’t remember. I’ll have to think about it, ‘Jandro.”

“Yes,” said Alejandro. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter. I think Miguel was right – we wouldn’t have wanted to mess with their silver anyway.” He waited for her to sink back down on the cot and then tucked her in, ending by draping his jacket over her feet again in case she was still cold.

“Well, what I say,” Natividad declared in a very different tone as she settled back again, “is tomorrow can take care of itself. I don’t even care, as long as we don’t have to hike miles and miles through the snow. It’s just really disappointing to find out how hard it is to walk through. Why would anybody live here?” She waved a hand in theatrical disgust before either of her brothers could answer. “I know, I know, because Dimilioc’s always been here and black dogs like space and territory. Even so. No wonder Papá came to Mexico. He ought to have been glad to come south.” She made a face and tucked one of the extra blankets around herself. “Cold, huh. Who thought coming here was a good idea?”

Alejandro grinned despite himself.

“I’m going to sleep,” Natividad announced. “You can talk if you want, you won’t keep me awake. Wake me at…Wait! On second thought, don’t wake me.” She stretched out ostentatiously and shut her eyes. She was showing off how calm she was, Alejandro knew that, but she was also still worn to the bone. Her breathing smoothed out again almost at once.

“And you – you’re really alright?” Alejandro said to Miguel once he was certain their sister was truly asleep once more. “De verdad?” He held out a hand, inviting his brother to sit next to him.

Miguel nodded. He came over and sat down on the floor beside Alejandro. After a moment, he said, “And you… the silver…”

“No importa.”

“Right,” said Miguel. He added eventually, in a different tone, “It was not as bad as I feared – and also, in a different way, worse than I feared. You understand?”

“Oh, yes.” Alejandro touched his brother on the shoulder. It was hard for a black dog to touch anyone gently, but he made the effort, and Miguel leaned against him for a moment, a closeness they rarely shared. Then, aware that this kind of contact strained Alejandro’s control, Miguel straightened and rested against the cot instead.

“No está bien tartar así a la gente–” Alejandro began.

“Of course it’s not right to treat people so roughly, but if you wanted to find out about someone, human or black dog or whatever, about his control and strength, how else would you do it? You’re angry because your black dog is angry and also because you’re…” Miguel hesitated, then shrugged. “Because you’re embarrassed. So am I. It’s harder because Ezekiel is our age, nearly, isn’t it? But what else should they do but what they did? It was nothing personal, what Ezekiel did.”