Vixen's Challenge

by Aron Lewes

  “I could ask you the very same thing!” the voice lectured. “Who are you, and why are you in my head?”

  Someone needed to break the cycle of mistrust, so Esha answered, “My name is Esha. Are you a kitsune?”

  “Am I a what?” cried the girl.

  “A kitsune. A shape-shifting fox. A...” Esha stopped himself and asked a different question, one she could easily understand. “Are you a human?”

  “Yes. Of course. Are you not a human?”

  “I'm... not.”

  “Oh dear,” the girl whimpered. “I'm communicating with aliens, aren't I? You're going to abduct me in the middle of the night and I'll never see my father again!”

  Esha responded with something like a chuckle, though laughter sounded different in his head. “I'm not going to abduct you.”

  Ignoring him, the voice in his head rambled, “There are worse things than never seeing my father again. I do think he loves me, but he isn't without issues... and I do think he'd be lonely if I was gone. I often wonder what life would be like if I didn't have to worry about him worrying anymore. Esha, are you still there?”

  “Still here,” Esha replied.

  “This is quite creepy. I think I must be imagining you, because nothing like this has ever happened to me before!” the girl said.

  Esha collapsed on his bed with a roll of his eyes. The girl was annoying, but she was a welcome distraction from the noises next door. “My lady... will you tell me your name?” he tried again.

  “Sara,” she said. “It's a really basic name, isn't it? I've never liked it. I once had a baby sister named Sardonyx, and that was unique.”

  “You had a baby sister,” Esha repeated the words that stood out to him. “Did something happen to her?”

  Sara's voice, loud and clear, replied in his mind, “Yes. She's gone now. So is Mother. I would tell you about the accident, but it's too depressing, and I would rather not delve into that.”

  Esha closed his eyes and tried to call an image of Sara's face into his mind's eye. With his powers, and with a strong enough link, he could almost see Larien sometimes, but images of Chika rarely trickled through. He thought he caught a glimpse of a girl, but she was gone before he could soak her in.

  “You know, I've often theorized that some humans have an aptitude for magic,” Esha said. “Crowded cities and a separation from nature eventually severs their connection to—”

  Sara's thoughts were so loud, they interrupted his. “Are you really not a human, then?”

  “I'm not,” he said. “As I said before, I'm a kitsune. We look human, apart from our ears and tails. And we possess powers that are beyond the grasp of most humans.”

  “Like what?” Sara asked.

  “Like shape-shifting. I can turn into a fox whenever I feel like it.”

  “I've never heard of a kitsune before,” Sara said. “It sounds lovely, though. I love foxes. They're one of my favorite animals.”

  “I'm also a telepath,” Esha continued. “I can initiate a long-distance communication with people who are nowhere near me. And yet... you've somehow initiated a long-distance communication with me. How did you do it?”

  “I didn't mean to!” Sara cried. “I couldn't sleep, and all of a sudden, I heard a voice thinking about sex! I assume that was you?”

  Esha squashed a pillow against his face and groaned. He wanted to hide, to lie, but there was no escaping the voice in his head. “I... wasn't thinking about sex,” Esha objected.

  “I think you were,” the girl insisted. “You were thinking you might never have sex because someone named Kylin got married to someone else.”

  A pitiful whimper emerged from Esha's throat. “Exactly... how long were you in my head?”

  “Only a few minutes... but it was long enough to hear some interesting things about you,” said Sara. “At first, I thought I was imagining you. I thought I was going mad. I might still be going mad and imagining you, for all I know. If you live in isolation as long as I have, a little madness is probably inevitable. Maybe I've invented you because I'm desperate for a friend?”

  “I assure you, I'm no invention,” Esha replied. “It seems far more likely that I've invented you, to cope with my own loneliness.”

  “Aww. Are you lonely?”

  Esha went silent. He was too embarrassed to own up to his unfulfilling life.

  “It's alright. I'm lonely too,” Sara told him. “While it is a bit terrifying to hear another voice inside my head, I... a part of me is enjoying it. I needed some company.”

  “How long have you been lonely?” Esha asked. He held his breath and hoped the question wasn't too personal.

  “A long time. Too long. It's been years,” Sara said. “How long have you been—”

  The mysterious voice faded before she finished, and no matter how many times he called out to her, he heard only silence in his head.

  Chapter Four

  THE NEWLYWEDS RETURNED to the ship, where they discussed their upcoming mission. Kylin unrolled a scroll so long, it spilled across the length of the table and touched the floor below. The task ahead was so daunting, she clapped a hand over her eyes to get the scroll out of sight.

  Wilhelm studied the scroll on her behalf, and with a sigh, he summarized, “This is a list of three thousand and forty-seven Silenced on record, spread out across nineteen different cities. The king recommends that we start with the cities with the largest populations of Silenced and work our way down from there.”

  “Bloody hell. We're supposed to sail to nineteen different cities?” Vala squawked.

  Wilhelm replied, “It seems that way... although we'll have to tackle some of the journey on foot. The king's provided us with a small fleet, as well as a handful of sailors to replace our...” Wilhelm's throat suddenly felt tight, so he tugged on the collar of his shirt. It was a painful thought to finish, but he had to force it out. He tried again, “Larien's provided us with a handful of sailors to replace our Silenced crewmen. Naturally, we have to Unsilence our Silenced as well.”

  “Bloody hell!” Vala's fist pounded the table as she repeated her curse. “What doesn't His Majesty expect from us? I'd like to punch his pretty head for making so many demands of us.”

  Sighing, her brother said, “Like you, I've gotten attached to our Silenced, but... this is part of our job, unfortunately.”

  Kylin glanced across the table, where Esha was sitting quietly, his hands folded on his lap. He hadn't uttered a word since breakfast, well over an hour ago. She tried to warm him with a smile, but his melancholic expression was frozen on his face.

  “What the hell are we supposed to do with the Unsilenced Silenced anyway?” Vala asked. “Are we supposed to arrest them? Invite them for tea? Lop off their heads?”

  A voice, deep enough to put chills on her arms, replied, “You'll set them free. Getting Silenced is enough of a punishment for anyone.”

  A growl rumbled in Vala's throat as she spun toward Larien, who had appeared in the doorway behind her. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I've decided to go with you. This task is too important for me to neglect.” With a swish of his cloak, he swaggered closer to his sneering former paramour. “If you object to my presence, I could relocate to one of the other ships... but you'll have to see me eventually.”

  “Wonderful,” Vala mumbled—then she tried to sneak a peek of his perfect posterior beneath his cloak.

  “So... you're going to let three thousand and forty-seven criminals run free?” Wilhelm's eyebrow drifted to the middle of his forehead as he questioned the king's plan. “That sounds like a terrific idea, Your Highness. Nothing will go wrong, I'm sure.”

  “It might sound a bit risky, but having been Silenced myself, I know how terrible it is. No crueler punishment exists in this world,” Larien said. “There's nothing worse than having your mind, freedom and will stripped away from you at once. I don't care what they've done... these people have suffered enough.”

  Kylin
had Unsilenced two people—and one tried to kill her. She thought about sharing that information with the king, but she wanted to keep her job. She didn't want to give King Larien a reason to reconsider his plans.

  “Well then... we'll start with the Silenced on this ship,” Wilhelm decided. “Give me a moment to assemble them and meet me on deck.”

  Wilhelm departed, but not before planting a kiss on his new wife's lips. Though she smiled, a part of her was hesitant to kiss him in front of Esha. Her supposed Chosen looked so morose, after all.

  Wilhelm was gone, so Kylin had to ask, “Esha... are you alright? You've been quiet for awhile. Is something bothering you?”

  “No, not particularly,” he replied. “Perhaps I'm just deep in thought?”

  As they waited for Wilhelm to complete his task, Vala chugged three glasses of wine. When questioned by Kylin, she explained that it helped her tolerate the king's presence. Once she was sufficiently buzzed, they headed upstairs, where Wilhelm had gathered their entire Silenced crew.

  Kylin approached her first Silenced, a young man with honey-colored hair and vacant eyes. Before she tried anything, she threw a glance at Larien and said, “You know, I... I'm not entirely sure I can do this.”

  “I know.” Larien gave her a smile that might have been reassuring, had Vala not been making silly faces behind his back. His former lover stuck out her tongue, crossed her eyes, and pushed the tip of her nose to resemble a pig's snout. Kylin was choking back laughter, for reasons unbeknownst to the king. “Just try. That's all I can ask of you,” he said.

  Kylin drew a breath until her lungs were close to bursting, and as her eyes turned red, she shouted, “Return to us!”

  The Silenced young man staggered when he woke, and grabbed Kylin's arm to steady himself. Wilhelm smacked the boy's knuckles with the flat of his sword and barked, “Don't touch my wife.”

  The Unsilenced's face blanched as he released her. “I-I-I'm sorry. I'm just... very confused. Where am I?”

  “You're on a ship, docked at Thebes' port,” Vala told him. “This young lady brought you back from a Silencing.”

  “Oh. Right. That was my punishment for...” His mouth snapped shut when he spotted the king. “Wait, are you...?”

  “I'm King Larien, yes. I'm surprised you recognized me. I'm not out in public as often as I should be.”

  “King... Larien,” the young man whispered. “I used to work in the castle, but you were a prince back then. How long was I Silenced?”

  Vala's shoulder popped into a shrug as she replied, “No idea, son.”

  Tears filled the boy's eyes, so he closed them and breathed deeply, filling his nostrils with briny sea air.

  “What's your name, lad?” the king asked.

  “Christopher, sir. Christopher Brookes.”

  Larien captured and shook the young man's trembling hand. He said, “I don't know what you were accused of, Christopher Brookes, but... welcome back to your life. Don't squander your second chance.”

  When Vala thrust a thumb at the ship's gangplank, encouraging him to go, Christopher babbled, “I-I-I-I don't understand. I'm... free to go?”

  “You are absolutely free to go,” Larien said. “Stay out of trouble, be well, and best of luck to you.”

  Christopher bolted down the ship's gangplank, flustering the birds that loitered there. The seabirds warbled as they fluttered away, but even their wings couldn't carry them as fast as Christopher's feet carried him.

  “Damn, that boy could run,” Vala remarked. “It's as if he expected you to change your mind or something.”

  “Let's hope he doesn't stab someone before the day's end,” Wilhelm said, tossing a dubious glance in the king's direction.

  “Says the man who stabs people for a living,” Larien countered. “You're the last person who should criticize my choice to free these people.”

  Kylin ignored their debate and focused on her next Silenced: a doddering old man with a thatch of cottony hair on his head. Wilhelm identified him as one of their best cooks and muttered curses, most of them directed at Larien.

  As her eyes changed color, she laid a hand on the old man's chest and whispered, “Come back. Please come back.”

  Thirty seconds passed before the light returned to the old man's eyes. Turning to Wilhelm, he asked, “Where am I?”

  Wilhelm explained that he spent his last few years as a Silenced chef, making delightful meals for a pair of assassins. The old man raked a liver-spotted hand through his thinning hair and gaped.

  “What's your name, sir?” Larien asked, offering a hand to the perplexed senior.

  “I'm Garn. Marcus Garn.”

  “Welcome back to your life, Mr. Garn,” Larien said. “You are free to leave the ship whenever you'd like.”

  “Leave? I ain't got nowhere else to go!” Marcus cried. “M'wife's dead. My children abandoned me. I'd like to stay, if you'll have me.”

  Clapping a hand on the older man's shoulder, Wilhelm said, “I would love to have you... assuming you can still cook?”

  Wilhelm promised to pay a monthly wage to his favorite chef, and Marcus marched away with a sprightly bounce in his old knees.

  As she watched him walk away, Vala muttered, “Lock your doors at night, everyone. If we're keeping Unsilenced criminals on our ship... things just got a lot more dangerous.”

  Chapter Five

  A DAY LATER, THEY ARRIVED in the thriving city of Vagia, where hundreds of spectators had gathered to witness Kylin's first mass Unsilencing. Some were protesters, so Larien made sure she was surrounded by soldiers, even though Wilhelm insisted he was the only protection she needed.

  “Is this hard on you?” Wilhelm whispered to his wife as the first Silenced subjects were led toward her. “It doesn't drain your energy or... or affect you in some adverse way, does it?”

  “So far, I haven't felt drained,” Kylin said. “But I've only done this a few times, so I... I can't say for certain that there won't be any long-term effects.”

  Kylin had heard stories about kitsune healers whose lives were allegedly shortened by overuse of magic, but it was only a theory, and such cases were rare.

  “If you start to feel some sort of side effect, I'm calling this off,” Wilhelm said. “I'm not going to let my wife exhaust herself.”

  Wilhelm's worries were unfounded. Kylin Unsilenced twenty prisoners in a row, never once breaking a sweat or feeling fatigued. Most of the time, it wasn't even difficult. She only had to whisper, “Come back,” and the souls returned to their bodies. Sometimes, the Silenced needed extra time or a light touch before they returned, but Kylin never failed. One by one, the Silenced were freed from their mental shackles and restored to life.

  Kylin's favorite Unsilenced was a man named Miles, who kissed her hand and called her a goddess. He was reunited with Sally, his wife, and the seven-year-old daughter he had never met.

  “I've missed you,” Sally murmured between bursts of smothering kisses. She caressed his cheeks and laid her forehead on his, dampening him in tears. “I never stopped believing you'd come back to me. Mum said I should remarry, but I knew! I knew you'd come back to me one day, and it'd be the best day of my life.”

  Kylin's own eyes were full of tears as she watched the Unsilenced father wrap his arms around the child he never knew. If not for her, they would have never known each other. She was making a difference in the lives of others, and it made her heart tingle with pride.

  “You'll be the most famous kitsune in the world for this,” Esha told her. “Perhaps you'll earn our people the respect they deserve?”

  “Or... I'll be the most hated kitsune.” She bowed her head at the few protesters in the crowd—men and women who didn't want to give up their Silenced slaves. They wielded signs that said, PRINCE LARIEN: FALSE KING and GIVE UP THE THRONE.

  “It seems their vitriol is aimed at Larien, not you,” Esha said. “Larien is used to it. He's been hated since the moment he was born.”

  “That's... sad.�
��

  Kylin's grief doubled when a Silenced child, no older than five or six, toddled up to her. Gasping, she asked Wilhelm, “Who would Silence a child? What could possibly be his crime?”

  “The Silenced are usually criminals... but not always,” Wilhelm explained. “In some of the more twisted cities, parents who can't pay their taxes will have their children taken from them. I've also heard stories of families selling their children for profit.”

  “And those children were Silenced?” Kylin clenched a fist so tight, her fingernails almost penetrated her skin. She was hot with rage at the thought of it. “Suddenly, my work seems even more important.”

  Kylin Unsilenced the little boy, whose eyes were full of tearful panic when he was resurrected in the middle of a crowd. He was led away by Esha, who insisted on personally escorting the child to Vagia's orphanage.

  At the day's end, Kylin was a bit drained, but she kept the truth from Wilhelm. She only smiled and insisted she was fine. Even if her life was shortened by her work—and she doubted it would be—the lives of thousands depended on her, and she refused to stop until they were free.

  ESHA SMILED WHEN THE little boy reached for his hand. The child had yet to speak, but the gesture of trust said more than any words.

  “What's your name?” Esha asked. Still, the boy said nothing, so Esha tried a new tactic. “My name is Esha. What are you called?”

  “Owen,” the little boy said, then he stuck a thumb in his mouth. He was probably too old for sucking thumbs, but Esha didn't judge him. If he was Silenced at a young age, the child must have had a traumatic life.

  “Would you like some sweets?” Esha asked, but he couldn't hear the boy's reply because it was muffled by his thumb. Esha assumed it was an affirmative answer, so he popped into a fudge shop and bought a box of chewy, chocolaty treats. Owen's eyes lit up, then he tore into the fudge with a fervor.

  “I'm going to leave you in the care of some very nice ladies,” said Esha. “At least... I hope they're nice.” He pilfered a piece of Owen's fudge and popped it into his mouth. “You don't mind sharing, I hope?”