Chương 42: Fresh Air

The moment the council chamber doors closed behind her, Auri kept walking. She ignored everyone that had attempted to talk to her. A council member called her name but she kept walking. One of the attendants from the banquet offered to show her to a room but she ignored them as well and continued walking. Rather than returning to the guest quarters or one of the many meeting rooms, Auri left the complex entirely. The mountain air was cool against her skin.

She breathed in and for the first time in days there was silence. Wind was the only thing keeping her company at this moment. No nexus, no council, no humans, nothing to pull and prod and bother the fox woman. Auri walked out into the field at the foot of the cliff and lowered herself into the grass. The breeze caught her hair and carried lazily across her face and shoulders. She sat there and allowed herself the simple pleasure of existing.

"I had a feeling I'd find you here." She didn't turn.

"Go away, pony boy."

"No." Another voice joined the discussion.

"Nor shall I." Auri closed her eyes. Of course they'd both followed her. The hawk landed on Andy's back while the horned horse settled in beside her.

"You left rather abruptly." Andy said.

"Did I?"

"Indeed." Gustave sent. For several moments no one spoke. Finally Auri sighed.

"This has just been a bit much." Neither interrupted.

"I've spent the better part of two hundred years on my own. Then I adopt some weird horny frog""I wasn't a frog for very long. In fact, like literally the next day…"

"That's beside the point." Andy considered this.

"Fair." Auri continued, "Then before I know it there are four of us. Our home becomes a hotbed of human activity. Then the forest explodes and to top it all off it then mutates into some magical Nexus." She threw her hands in the air.

"And apparently the entire world has been waiting for eight hundred years for this to happen." She laughed without humor.

"The thing is, in it's current state we can't even live there." The smile vanished.

"We can't get into it." Her gaze drifted toward the horizon.

"We don't even know what's inside of it. What it became, or is becoming." She shook her head, "I mean maybe if we could get into the Nexus, maybe we could have a better understanding of what we're giving up. Instead everyone keeps making offers we don't even understand. I don't know the value of land or currency. What am I supposed to do with gold bars? An answer from a sphinx?" The silence stretched on.

"But the way they talked…" she continued quietly, "It sounded like we don't really have much of a choice."

"I know." Andy lowered himself to the grass. If we keep it, we're expected to defend it. If we don't keep it we have to decide who gets it." Auri laughed bitterly.

"Yes, exactly." Eventually Andy spoke again." You know, I don't actually have any attachment to the place." The fox woman whipped her head toward him in surprise. He shrugged before continuing, "I came from a lake downstream from that forest." A pause.

"Before that I got hit by a truck."

"You are weird."

"Very weird." Andy sent a faint smile to Auri.

"This trip is the furthest I've ever travelled. Before– well you know– before– I never even left my hometown." His gaze drifted toward the distant mountains.

"I think seeing more of this world may be nice." Auri raised an eyebrow.

"You? Leaving your precious horn kingdom?"

"I never called it that."

"Oh you certainly did. During one of your nature documentary narrations." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Well, fine, but I name a lot of things."

"Most of them badly." Andy ignored that "What I'm saying is…" He hesitated.

"Home isn't really the forest." Auri looked at him then at Gustave and finally at Barnacle. Paused and then smiled.

"I guess you're right. Home is where the people who annoy me are."

"That is the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Andy commented.

"Who said it was about you?"

"You can't take this away from me now. I am your home."

"I am quite sure Lady Auriana was referring to me." Gustave pitched in. Barnacle filtered. The three sat quietly for some time as the wind rolled across the mountain grass. Far up the hill the cave mouth sat quietly against the cliff face. Eventually Auri stood.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?" Andy asked.

"I don't know, I'd like to walk somewhere without a purpose for a while."

"Excellent." Gustave took flight allowing the wind to propel himself upward and into the air at speed. Auri and Andy (With Barnacle of course) took a meandering path through the valley while Gustave stretched his wings and disappeared into the evening sky.

"Here we see the elusive kitsune in her natural habitat." Andy began in his best narration voice. Auri groaned.

"No, don't ruin it."

"Her keen senses allow her to locate sources of annoyance from remarkable distances. She appears to be particularly perturbed by horned varieties.

""Andy."

"Despite her fearsome reputation, the kitsune's diet consists primarily of berries and rabbits. Most surprising is her weapon of choice."

"I am warning you."

"Reserachers have concluded that over eighty percent of her psychic damage comes from cutting words and snide remarks." Auri picked up a rock.

"Notice the defensive display as the Kitsune feels threatened."

"Threatened?"

"By facts." The rock missed by several feet.

"Kitsune's are not skilled at throwing."

"I missed on purpose."

"Even more remarkable. The fabled warning shot. Often talked about, not often seen. The specimen appears agitated.

"The specimen is considering murder."

"Murder is a common courtship ritual among fox-kind." Auri stopped walking and slowly turned. This time the rock came considerably closer. Gustave reappeared coming in hot. Andy stopped narrating.

"What do you thi–"" Something is very wrong." Gustave sent.

"What is it?" Andy asked, coming to attention.

"It's too still." During their banter they had missed it. The lack of noise and movement. Auri's expression hardened as a figure came into view. Torchlight illuminated polished armor. The Torchbearer. Auri shifted her stance glancing behind her at the cave, or the direction the cave had been. They were an hour or twos walk away from it and it was no longer in view.

"Lady Auriana, what a surprise to run into you. And so far away from home."

"I could say the same to you," Auri said, her words clipped and overly polite. Another figure emerged from the darkness. Then another and another. Andy turned. They were stepping out from behind them as well. From behind trees and rocks. The ridgeline. Soldiers were everywhere." Gustave." Andy sent." Go get help. Now." Gustave stopped circling and immediately headed back toward the cave. More soldiers were pouring out. This wasn't the battalion of seven men. There had to be fifty soldiers surrounding them.

Six staves rose, each bearing the same spiraled horn at the top as before. Andy's vines immediately went limp. The fresh growth at his sides became nothing more than foliage. Life magic ceased to answer and for one terrifying moment Andy felt empty. Barnacle's glass jar tumbled to the ground.

"No." Dozens of foxes appeared across the valley. Illusions sprinting in every direction. The soldiers didn't react. The staves glowed absorbing the illusions into themselves. Auri staggered. Color had drained from her face. The torchbearer nodded.

"Now." The army moved in closing off any exit for the two. Andy looked between Auri, Barnacle on the ground and the encroaching army. Crossbows rose and Andy charged. The first soldier flew. Followed by the second and the third. He hit their formation like a runaway truck. Bodies scattered. For one perfect moment it looked like the line might break. Ropes were cast across Andy as soldiers hurried to stop the mad horse. More and more ropes stopped him from moving in any direction.

Andy reached for his life magic but nothing came. The torchbearer, across the field, grabbed Auri by the wrist.

"I told you. The Harness is expecting you. He doesn't like to be kept waiting." Darkness at the corners of Andy's vision took hold and spread as he bucked wildly throwing soldiers flying. He made it a step closer to Auri. And then a second. Another rope strung across his chest as he attempted for a third. Andy felt the pressure building in his head. Behind his eyes. There would be no release. His magic was cut off. The pressure continued to build anyway. A sneeze that refused to leave your nose. Auri screamed.

A rope wrapped around his neck. Another at his hind legs. Andy roared and surged forward. The ropes snapped. Three soldiers were thrown from his back. He was moving toward Auri. A crossbow bolt struck him in the side. The darkness closed in All he could see was the Torchbearer dragging Auri away. [WARNING] [CATALYST EVENT IMMINENT] The pressure became too much even for the staves to hold back. Fire erupted from Andy's horn as he screamed. A wall of heat slammed outward. Screaming filled Andy's ears.

The smell of burnt grass, leather, hair, flesh filled his senses and then the world went black.