by Tim Susman
“I asked that of the librarian. He said that some cultures used to take the blood of lesser sorcerers, and others simply don’t talk about it at all, so they assume they did it but were ashamed. And then in the Dark Ages, all that was lost until the Calatians came along.” He had hoped that there might be an alternative to using Calatian blood, but it turned out the likely alternative was using human blood, which he doubted the sorcerers would embrace.
“Kip! Kip!”
The young female voice came from beyond the gates. Kip turned his head and saw Alice Cartwright, her slender form in a green dress, gripping the bars with her black paws. “Let me in!” she called.
The fox got to his feet. “I’ll be right back,” he told Malcolm, sliding his arm out from his friend’s fingers.
The peppermint tingle in his nose grew stronger the closer he got to the gates. He addressed the air. “Halla. She’s a guest of mine. You may open the gates.”
The demon didn’t appear, as Corimea usually had, but the gates swung open. “Hallo,” Kip said as Alice rushed forward. “Has your father found another engagement?”
“Never mind father,” she said. “I want to marry you. I’m fifteen now and you’re a fox and a hero, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be married. Father’s gotten three responses and he’s written back to them even though I’ve told him not to, so that’s his worry.”
“I’m not saying no, but we’ll have to work it out with him.” Alice had grown since January, it seemed; her head now came up to his chest, and as he put an arm around her shoulders, she hugged him back, but pushed away again.
“That’s not why I came up here. Look!”
She said something in a sing-songy voice. It took Kip a moment to recognize Farley’s magic-gathering chant, sounding as lovely as Alice made it, but when he did, his eyes widened.
Turquoise sparkles danced along Alice’s paws. Her eyes shone as she looked up at Kip. “What do I do now?”
Acknowledgments
This book, like the previous one, has been some seven years in the making, because it was originally conceived as a single story. Unlike the first book, The Demon and the Fox has changed significantly from its original conception.
Instrumental in the re-imagining of this story have been my fellow Unreliable Narrators: Ryan Campbell, David Cowan, and Watts Martin, whose advice has been helpful in most of my writing over the last decade; my fellow Comets: Alisa Alering, Don Allmon, M. Milks, Kodi Scheer, Dayna Smith, Brooke Wonders, and Becky Wright, who helped plot out what this story became; Malcolm Cross, who is always available to talk about 19th century London and the inhabitants therein; and Jim Worrad, who provided helpful comments on an early draft. The encouragement of everyone who read and appreciated The Tower and the Fox also helped me greatly in putting this book together.
Once again, I am delighted with Laura Garabedian’s fantastic artwork both on the cover and at the head of each chapter. And Mark and Grant from Argyll again deserve thanks for their help and for believing in this series.
And of course, Mark, Jack, and Kobalt are an integral part of every book I write. Without their love and support, this would be a much harder journey.
About the Author
Tim Susman started a novel in college and didn’t finish one until almost twenty years later. In that time, he earned a degree in Zoology, worked with Jane Goodall, co-founded Sofawolf Press, and moved to California. Since finishing Common and Precious, he has attended Clarion in 2011 (arooo to my Narwolves!) and published short stories in Apex, Lightspeed, and ROAR, among others. Under the name Kyell Gold, he has published multiple novels and won several awards for his furry fiction. You can find out more about his stories at timsusman.wordpress.com and www.kyellgold.com and follow him on Twitter at @WriterFox.
About the Illustrator
Laura is an illustrator of weird and whimsical work primarily of a fantastical bent. Her weapons of choice when assaulting her canvas include watercolors, ink, oil, or pencil, and her subject matter is as widely varied as walking trees, bleeding flowers, or dancing gryphons.
The niece of an illustrator, Laura grew up knowing that art was in her blood and took every opportunity to decorate her schoolwork, clothes, and skin with drawings, but was torn between Veterinary school or a career in the arts. Laura's current work often attempts to bridge that gap, incorporating her love of animals and anatomy into every piece that she creates.
Nestled near the Rocky Mountains, Laura draws inspiration from the inspiring vistas, her goofy noodle-dragons, Isis and Baku, the small plot of land that she is curating for vegetables, and the local wildlife. You can find her work at http://www.fairytaleswithtails.com.
Also by Tim Susman
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Breaking The Ice: Stories from New Tibet (editor) - On a hostile ice planet, survival is guaranteed to nobody.
Shadows in Snow (editor) - More stories from the unforgiving ice world of New Tibet.
Common and Precious - A kidnapped heiress comes to sympathize with her desperate captors, while her father discovers the limits of his power in trying to rescue her.
* * *
The Calatians
Book 1: The Tower and the Fox - Kip and his friends encounter prejudice and mysteries in their first few months at Prince George’s College of Sorcery.
Writing as Kyell Gold:
Love Match
Love Match (vol. 1, 2008-2010) — Rocky arrives in the States from Africa and navigates the treacherous worlds of professional tennis and high school.
Love Match (vol. 2, 2010-2012) — Rocky begins his professional career, at the cost of his family and romantic relationships.
* * *
Out of Position (Dev and Lee)
Out of Position – Dev the football player and Lee the gay activist discover how to navigate their relationship. (mature readers)
Isolation Play – The continuing story of Dev and Lee, as they contend with family and friends in their search for acceptance. (mature readers)
Divisions – As Dev’s team fights to make the playoffs, Lee fights to keep his sense of self. (mature readers)
Uncovered – The playoffs are here, and Dev needs his focus more than ever. So when Lee becomes too distracting, something has to give. (mature readers)
Over Time – Dev and Lee try to plan their future while dealing with crises all around them. (mature readers)
* * *
Dangerous Spirits
Green Fairy – A gay high school senior struggling through his final year finds a strange old book that changes his dreams and his life.
Red Devil – A gay fox who fled his abusive family in Siberia seeks help from a ghost who demands he give up his gay lifestyle.
Black Angel – A young otter struggles to understand her sexuality as her friends prepare for post-high school life and dreams of women in other times plague her.
* * *
Argaea
Volle – The story of how Volle came to Tephos, a spy masquerading as a noble, and the first adventure he had there. (mature readers)
The Prisoner’s Release and Other Stories – The story of how Volle escaped from prison, and the story of what happened after, plus two other stories following characters from “Volle.” (mature readers)
Pendant of Fortune – Volle returns to Tephos to defend his honor, but soon finds himself fighting for much more. (mature readers)
Shadow of the Father – Volle’s son, Yilon, must travel to the far-off land he is meant to rule, but he will have to fight treachery to take the lordship. (mature readers)
Weasel Presents – Five short stories from the land of Argaea, including “Helfer’s Busy Day” and “Yilon’s Journal.” (mature readers)
* * *
Forester Universe
Waterways – The full stor
y of Kory’s journey to understand himself and what it means to be gay. (mature readers)
Bridges – Hayward seems content to set up pairs of his friends. But what does he really need for himself? (mature readers)
Science Friction – Vaxy never took sex seriously, until he found out the professor he was sleeping with was married… (mature readers)
Winter Games – Sierra Snowpaw was an unsure high school student when someone he thought was a friend changed his life. Now he's fifteen years older and still looking for answers. (mature readers)
The Mysterious Affair of Giles – A servant in a British manor house tries to solve a murder.
Dude, Where’s My Fox? – Lonnie chases down a fox he hooked up with at a party as a way to get over his breakup. (mature readers)
Losing My Religion – On tour with his R.E.M. cover band, Jackson mentors the new guy in the band as his own life falls apart. (mature readers)
The Time He Desires — A Muslim immigrant struggles with the betrayal of his son and the dissolution of his marriage, as well as his own long-past trauma.
* * *
Other Books
The Silver Circle – Valerie thought the old hunter was crazy when he warned her about werewolves—until she met one.
In the Doghouse of Justice – Seven stories of superheroes and their not-so-super relationships. (mature readers)
Twelve Sides — Twelve short stories about side characters from the above books. (mature readers)