Page 156 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
“Where’s Harmonious?” asked Hisoka. For he was the only one missing.
“Is he even necessary?” drawled Lapis.
Hisoka smiled softly. “Be nice.”
Naroo-soh crossed to the nearest window and lifted the sash, letting in a rush of cold air. His piercing whistle was answered by a cheery bark. Catching Argent’s eye, Gingko slowly counted the seconds on upraised fingers. At seven, Starmark bustled into the room, smelling of winter and pine and overflowing with humble apologies.
Decent speed. Decent fellow.
Argent eased into a more guarded stance when Hisoka came to his side. If the cat noticed, he was too polite to say as much. Argent asked, “How did Michael’s little experiment go?”
“Your lady has a clarion-clear sense of self.” Hisoka’s gaze slipped out of focus for a few moments. When he refocused, it was with a wistful expression. “She is a welcome surprise.”
“Already weaving her into your plans?”
He shook his head. “My vision of the future has been unraveled and rewoven. Her plans are good. I will support them. And you.”
“Tsk. If this works.”
With a light touch to Argent’s wrist, Hisoka raised his voice. “Shall we?”
Naroo-soh whisked Kyrie away from Lapis and joined Gingko on the hearth while the Four solemnly moved into their positions. The usual polite hold every Amaranthine kept on their essential self slipped free, filling the room with darkening wildness. The very air seemed to snarl and lash and sing as it thrummed. And this time … yes,thistime Argent dared to hope for success.
Tsumiko took her place at the room’s center, and he swiftly joined her. By mutual agreement, she did not speak. One word amiss, one misbegotten phrase … he shuddered.
Cold fingertips touched his face, and he met her imploring gaze. He had worried her.
Bending to press his cheek to hers, he urged, “Courage. This is not an insurmountable mystery. It is a sigil—well-crafted, but crafted nonetheless. And what has been made can be unmade. If this languid dragon does not solve the riddle first, the cat’s paw will surely strike, and this damnable construction will dissolve, leaving nothing but the bonds of our choosing.”
He felt her nod.
And then hands were pulling them apart.
Starmark and Adoona-soh flanked Tsumiko, making her seem quite small by comparison. But their silent posturing pleased Argent. The wolf looked like a mother with her cub, defying any who might intend harm, even the moon itself. And Harmonious had dropped his playful guise, revealing a deep-seated capability. Here was a dog of war.
Their strength would become Tsumiko’s shield.
“Languid?” At his elbow, Lapis murmured, “Shall I show you my true fervor?”
“Stick to the plan, lord dragon.” Hisoka’s order held the tang of steel. “We are ready when you are, Michael.”
And then Argent himself was being pulled apart, pried open, and plucked like harp strings under a tuner’s fingertips. He responded well enough to Michael’s familiar delicacy. Their trust ran deep. Stranger—yet strangely compelling—was Hisoka’s careless domination. Like waking to a purring cat on your face.
Lapis acted with a swiftness that belied his dilatory manner. He was far from the most powerful of the Four, but in the intimacy of their circumstances, Argent decided that he was perhaps the most compassionate. No, that wasn’t quite right. Although Lapis had yet to realize his potential, the dragon had betrayed a startling capacity. Given the chance, he would surely be the most loving.
As the bond loosened, it lashed out. Once again, Argent found it necessary to retreat into himself, trusting all else to his companions. At every moment, he feared that needles would enter his soul, punishing him for his desires, warning him that Tsumiko was suffering. But then a hand found his shoulder, gently kneading taught muscles.
“All is well. She is safe,” Twineshaft promised. “See how she shines?”
Argent risked a peek and slammed his eyes shut. Now was not the time to indulge in awe, but he stood by his initial assessment. By the ninth tail, her soul was staggering.
Michael’s revised plan was an adaptation on the ploy they’d used to coax Kyrie away from his mother. By combining their considerable strength, Harmonious and Adoona-soh were hiding Tsumiko, erasing her brilliance, tricking the bond into thinking him already unfettered, presumably by death. Meanwhile, Lapis attacked the sigils, destroying the anchors that had enslaved a fox to the Hajime line. Argent could hide nothing.
“This is heinous,” Lapis hissed. “How many generations …?”
“No questions,” Hisoka reminded, though none were needed. Every layer a lifetime. All they had to do was count.
Hisoka’s outrage took a practical form; he was soon working in close tandem with Michael, whose hands wove through endless patterns. The baby whimpered. The crystals hummed. Power vibrated against Argent’s sternum, and every hair seemed to stand on end.
