Page 35 of Foxes of Legend

The door closed and then opened again, the three of us still bowing. I glanced to my side to see Seven enter, looking more surly than usual. His eyes flicked to mine and I prayed he wouldn’t tell the Archfox I was looking anywhere other than the floor. Seven didn’t bow. He merely glared at the Archfox, referring to him in a most unholy way. “What the fuck do you want with her, Rhys?”

The Archfox’s voice didn’t react to the impudence. “My ears perked when I heard the news of Dove.”

Seven growled. “That doesn’t answer my question. What do you want with my Fated?”

“You rejected me,” I spat. “What business do you have calling me yours?”

The entire room fell into silence, and I wished I could see what was going on instead of the stupid floor.

“You rejected her?” the Archfox asked, but no answer came. “You can stop bowing,” the Archfox said, but as I pushed myself up from my knees, he laughed and continued, “No. Not you, Dove.”

He said my name like he knew me, maybe he did. The Archfox had files on all the temples and students of any academies. Any information he wanted about any kitsune, he could get. I imagine he found out who I was soon after my impudence in the shrine.

My forehead pressed hard against the carpet; it would be indented when I was finally allowed to rise.

“You need to work with your Fated and her mates, Seven. Kitsune always have the greatest chance of survival when working together with their mates. Especially one so powerful as Dove.”

Seven snorted, “Not this one, Rhys. She’s more likely to get us all killed. Untrained, naive, impulsive.”

“That’s enough, Seven,” the Archfox barked.

“You think you can order me around now, Rhys? Want me to bow and stumble all over myself trying to appease you like the others?” Seven laughed.

The Archfox ignored him. “Enko, Vince is in a coma, the healers are uncertain if he will awaken. Thankfully, you left him alive. His family has accused me of favoritism despite your reported attack on Dove. If I am to appoint the three of you to command my armies, I need you to fuck up less.”

“Why don’t you heal him, then?” Enko asked. “If he survives—”

“Absolutely not. You think I want him leading an army instead? I’ll leave his fate to the goddess.” The Archfox let out a chuckle. “You three may go. I must speak with Dove alone.”

“Alone?” Kairos asked in shock, though the position of Archfox required a person of virtue and honor. He was as close to the goddess as we would ever get here on Earth.

“Go,” the Archfox ordered harshly, and a few seconds later the door closed and we were alone.

22

Dove

The Archfox remained silent. I could feel his eyes watching me. “I’m sorry, Your Holiness. I didn’t know it was you in the shrine. I would have never…neverdisobeyed an order from the Archfox.”

An execution for my disobedience would not have been out of place for other Archfoxes in the past. I could only hope that we had advanced a little in the past hundred years.

“I promise I’ll never let it happen again, please forgive me for the insolent way I acted.”

He remained silent through my ramblings, never responding as I groveled before him. I heard the scratch of pen on paper, as though he worked with me bowing there. It was a fair punishment, and I knew he could do much worse, so I quieted myself.

How long was I there? Were Enko and Kairos waiting outside?

My knees and back ached from the low bow.

“Dove, you may rise,” he said after a long time.

I rose from the floor, remaining slightly bent forward despite the pain in my back.

“Take a seat.” His hand outstretched to one of the chairs in front of his desk. My eyes shot back down and moved forward, sitting, but still not looking up at him. “Where did that fierce kitsune go? The one who snapped at me earlier and called me old?”

“I’m so sorry about that, Your Holi—”

“Thoseare the kitsune who will win this war for us. You are not this meek fox, so stop acting like it. Or maybe I’ll start to believe what Seven said about you.”

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