Page 128 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
FIFTY NINE
Beasts
As his mind reeled through strategies and outcomes, Argent grimly acknowledged that the Hightip sisters could be subtle when it suited their purposes. Otherwise Nona never would have attained a place among the Five. And Senna never would have cornered him in a snowy courtyard.
“How did they find us so quickly?” asked Tsumiko.
“Foxes have any number of ways and means.” Keeping a close watch on the vixens, he moved between them and his mistress. “A well-placed sigil. A Kith watcher. I am certain if we asked, they would happily tell us. In exhausting detail. With an extravagance of self-congratulation.”
“Can you fight two of them?”
“Doubting my abilities?”
Tsumiko poked his side, where his mended skin was still sensitive. “You drove her off last time, but at considerable cost. And blood loss.”
“That was before.” Argent started to pick her up, but she stiffened at his touch. Although every instinct warned him not to let her out of reach, he paused. “Is there a problem?”
“Don’t you need to transform in order to deal with them?”
“My first responsibility is your protection.” He gathered her up and backed away. “And Kyrie is not a morsel for greedy gullets.”
Tsumiko cuddled the little one close. “But can you fight like this?”
“I am a fox. Brute force is not our way.”
“Are you certain?” With a pointed look at their twofold threat, Tsumiko said, “Because this is the second time Lady Nona has attacked.”
Argent’s lip curled and he raised his voice to carry. “And for the second time, she will fail.”
Senna coiled to pounce, and Tsumiko gasped. “Please, not here. Don’t let them damage the school!”
Which neatly decided matters, for obedience was his only option.
Rising skyward, Argent slowly tightened his hold on Tsumiko’s soul, dimming the lesser shine of a warded beacon until her presence winked out. Hidden. A first step in eluding Nona and Senna.
Tsumiko asked, “Can we outrun them?”
“No need,” he said softly. “Now hush. Let me think.”
As she lapsed into tense silence, Argent gave his full attention to formulating an appropriate ruse. Leading the vixens away from Saint Midori’s put him in an ironic position. How many times had these two tried to lure him into the sky? Tonight, he would initiate the chase.
“I will lead them away,” Argent murmured against Tsumiko’s hair. “Shall we add an inducement to follow?”
She promptly lifted her wrist. Canny as ever.
“If you please,” he acknowledged.
“Are you sure?” she breathed. “Won’t they be able to steal strength from my soul?”
“Remember your lessons. They can sense, they can want, they can drool vast puddles, but they cannot take what is not freely given. And this is not a trust-building exercise.” Argent scanned the unfamiliar cityscape, intent on finding the right props for his plan. “I only need you to get their attention. So be dazzling.”
Tsumiko unclasped her ward, and Argent counted backward, then dropped his own hold on a brilliance that—at least from an Amaranthine’s perspective—rivaled the moon and stars. Like Soriel of the dawning, like Auriel of the Golden Seed, his mistress blazed with a glory to rival Midori of the Heavenly Lights.
For the space of three heartbeats, he allowed Nona and Senna to look upon his lady. Long enough to whet appetites. Long enough to stir ambitions. Long enough for the two vixens to forget about the one thing they should not. Him.
. . .
Argent shot over the wall and skimmed along rooftops—running, leaping, flying. Keishi spread before them, a maze of residential streets, office parks, and shopping districts. Historic buildings, hilltop shines, and quaint parks flashed past as Argent sketched an arc through the city center.
