The Night Itself

by Zoe Marriott

  “Anyone who, by accident or design, stumbles through one of our portals ends up in fox form. That way we can safely round them up and shove them back where they belong without worrying that they’ll learn or steal anything or manage to convince anyone that what they experienced was real. Normally it’s easy. But normal humans don’t run from the smell of magic. They don’t know what it is. And when you panicked, Jack bolted too.”

  “And you didn’t warn us about this?” Shinobu’s voice was icy.

  “Dude, do you think I’d bring a bunch of humans here if the ward was operational? The king disabled it before I left. It shouldn’t have been an issue!”

  Shinobu heaved himself up onto the roof slope beneath the trees. He crouched down to give Hikaru his hand. Hikaru clasped it and sprang lightly up to stand on the narrow ledge which, in the real world, would have been the guttering above Jack’s bedroom window.

  I gritted my teeth harder. I wasn’t going to be springing anywhere. Every muscle I had was twitching with the strain of clinging to the rock. Clearly PE three times a week wasn’t doing as much for my upper body strength as I might have hoped. I found another handhold and pulled myself up, swallowing a groan of effort.

  Shinobu reached down towards me just as my fingers slipped off a slimy chunk of moss. Both he and Hikaru yelled in panic. Desperate hands seized me before I could fall. For a minute I was dangling in midair, with Hikaru clinging to my left wrist and Shinobu gripping my right elbow. My bad arm didn’t like that at all. Grey things nibbled at the edges of my vision.

  Between them they hauled me over the edge of the wall. I sat down with a bump and put my head between my knees, taking deep, slow breaths and waiting for the grey nibblers to fade.

  “Would the king change his mind?” Shinobu asked. His hand found its way to the centre of my back between my shoulder blades, long fingers sliding under my shinai carrier and spreading out there. I sighed, my tension easing a little.

  “Not a chance. He gave you the right of safe passage, and that stands until he’s spoken to you himself.”

  I lifted my head. I was so dirty that if I decided to lie down flat here I’d be perfectly camouflaged. There wasn’t a green smudge or a fleck of dirt on Hikaru’s white leather coat, and his hair was still perfectly braided, but that neatness just served to emphasize the suppressed fury glittering in his green eyes. For the first time, I thought he looked like he might be capable of using the weapons that littered his outfit.

  “Can you explain that safe passage thing to the noobs, please?” I asked.

  “It means he gave you his word that you could travel here unharmed. And he doesn’t go back on his word. Ever.”

  “Apparently someone doesn’t know that,” Shinobu said.

  Hikaru flashed his fangs. “Are you trying to suggest something?”

  “Would you like me to suggest something?”

  They stared at each other.

  Warning: Testosterone levels reaching critical.

  I held up my hand. “What did you mean about getting to Jack before something else does? Isn’t this Kitsune territory?”

  Hikaru shook his head. “The Kingdom of the Kitsune is underground. We’re on common land now, which means anything could be drifting around here looking for lunch.”

  Oh, lovely.

  “Well, then let’s find her quickly, OK?”

  “Fine.” He got to his feet. “Follow me. And if you hear the trees whispering to you, ignore them.”

  The trees … what?

  He strode away through the gnarled trunks, his white leather coat snapping out behind him. I glanced at Shinobu. He gestured for me to go ahead of him, casting a wary look around us. Guarding my retreat again. I nodded and went after Hikaru.

  There was no sign of any fox, let alone a Jack-ish one, among the trees. Big, waxy, red petals showered down on me as I walked, and I shook them out of my hair, noticing that none were falling on Hikaru or Shinobu. When I rested my hand on the trunk of the nearest tree, it shuddered like an animal, sending more petals spiralling into my hair. Just when you think things can’t get any weirder… A thin, silver snake curled around a branch overhead. Its flickering tongue was black. I hurried past.

  “Where is she?” Hikaru muttered. “Jack? Jack!”

  “It’s no good,” I told him as I caught up. “She can’t understand you. I don’t know if you can normally understand English in fox form, but I couldn’t. You just sounded like you were mooing.”

  “Mooing?”

  I dodged round a tall, jagged rock outcropping that looked like an ancient standing stone. It corresponded to one of our chimneys. “Yep. And your magic really stinks too.”

  “Great,” Hikaru muttered. “You know, my grandmother always warned me that my weakness for pretty faces would do me in one day. I’m really pissed off that she’s going to be proved right.”

  We found Jack standing on the very edge of the peaked roof. Her nose was pointed at the flat roof of the building next door, which, here, was a wide, grassy area. It was as clear as day that she was thinking of jumping. The gap was about three-feet wide. The drop was thirty feet at least. Jack had been on four paws for all of twenty minutes. A quick glance at Hikaru’s face told me what he thought her chances were of making it.

  She was paying no attention to us at all, apparently not deeming us a threat. But I knew how quickly that could change.

  “Ideas?” I asked softly.

  “Try talking to her,” Shinobu said in whisper. “She might not understand what you’re saying, but maybe she will recognize your voice.”

  “Just don’t make any sudden movements,” Hikaru advised. “One slip, and—”

  “Yes, thank you.” I cut him off before he could terrify me more and crept slowly towards the fox Jack.

  She was beautiful – slender, compact and muscular. Her pelt was dark red, with no white at all, and her paws, the tip of her tail and her ears shaded to chocolate brown. I thought she was bigger than a regular fox, but I wasn’t an expert on the species. She still wasn’t big enough to make that jump. Typical Jack, biting off more than she could chew.

  “Hey,” I said quietly. “You’re kind of cute as a fox, you know. You’d get such a kick if you could see yourself.”

  One of Jack’s large ears quivered a little, but she didn’t turn her head. I left the shelter of the last tree and froze, unable to force myself to walk any further. It was just too scary out there in the open. I got down on my hands and knees and crawled up to the edge of the cliff.

  “I wonder what I looked like. I’ll have to ask Shinobu later. This is definitely an experience, right? Maybe not one to share with the grandkids, though, unless we want them to think we’ve lost our marbles and ship us off to the old folks’ home.”

  Jack tilted her head slightly. She lifted one paw, and I tensed.

  Don’t, don’t, please, please, don’t jump…

  She put the paw back down.

  I sighed. “Jack, you know what would be really awesome? If you’d make this easy on me and just come over here. Because I’ve got to tell you, I think I’m developing a bit of a thing about heights, and you aren’t helping.”

  Lying flat, I inched my leg up and over the roof peak, sucked in a deep, calming breath and then sat upright with one leg on either side.

  For the first time, I saw the landscape that Jack was gazing at.

  London spread out in front of us, every bit of it green and shining and growing. Where home had skyscrapers, the spirit realm had verdant green mountains, cloaked in mist and topped by gargantuan trees that must have been taller than my house. Where home had roads, the spirit realm had white, winding paths, glinting rivers and waterfalls. Home had parks. The spirit realm had forests that stretched as far as the eye could see. A gust of warm, green-scented wind made me teeter, but I was too spellbound to care. Spirit London moved with the wind. The mists shifted and shredded and reformed, the waters rippled, the trees bowed. Golden pollen and leaves and petals g
linted in the air.

  “Mio,” Shinobu said urgently.

  I tore my eyes from the view and saw Shinobu crouched in the trees behind me with a white-knuckled grip on the rock in front of him, as if he was only just restraining himself from grabbing me and pulling me away from the edge.

  “Sightsee later!” Hikaru hissed.

  Oh, right. Rescuing Jack now. Get your head in the game, Mio.

  I gave the guys an apologetic look and then eased myself a little closer to Jack. The rocky edge of the cliff was biting painfully into my rear end.

  “Jack,” I said gently. “Jack.”

  She kept ignoring me.

  “Hey, Jack!” I said a little more sharply, ignoring Hikaru’s frantic head shake. “Is it too much to ask for your attention for one minute, or what? Come on, snap out of it.”

  Both Jack’s ears flicked back, and she danced in place. I held my breath. She backed up a step and turned round. Her yellow-brown eyes regarded me with a puzzled expression that looked really out of place on a fox face.

  I curled the fingers of my left hand into the dirt and slowly reached out with the other.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Now will you please walk towards me? We’ve been at this for a while and we really need to go and get help for Rachel.”

  Jack took a hesitant step towards me, ears swivelling.

  “That’s right, Rachel. Remember Rachel? Ace cook, bossyboots, sort of OCD? Your one and only big sister. Rachel is counting on you right now. So get your furry butt over here.”

  Jack took another step forward. She was so close now that I could see her cute, little blackberry nose twitch as she scented me. One more step and I could grab her. My fingers were visibly shaking – it was an effort to keep my arm straight – but I didn’t dare move it, or think about the fact that my left arm, my bad arm, was the only thing holding me on this roof.

  Come on. Just one more step…

  There was a low bird call from the mantle of red blossoms in the trees behind us. With a sound like thunder, a flock of long-necked, white birds took flight, passing over our heads.

  Jack’s muzzle jerked up and her back paws slipped on the moist greenery. She skidded, front legs scrabbling for traction.

  I lunged as Hikaru did. I managed to dig the fingernails of one hand into the thick fur on the ruff of Jack’s neck while hanging onto the roof with the other. Hikaru snagged her tail with both hands. For a blink, both of us were clinging to a panicked, snarling, wild animal.

  Then suddenly Jack – human Jack – was lying there, awkwardly twisted and gasping for breath.

  I had hold of her coat collar. Hikaru was lying right on top of her, his head practically on her belly button, both hands clamped on her upper thighs. He stared down at his hands for a second. I saw his Adam’s apple bob. Then he carefully released her and sat up.

  “All better,” he said with forced cheer, dusting his hands together.

  “What – I was – was I—?” Jack spluttered.

  “Yep,” I said, unclenching my fingers from her coat with an effort. “A fox. So was I, for a little bit. And you had great fur, in case you were wondering.”

  Shinobu had appeared behind me in one of those silent, lightning-fast moves of his. He took hold of my shoulders and carefully guided me off my precarious perch. Shaky with all the adrenaline and panic, I let myself lean on him for a second.

  Jack was gasping. Her wide, incredulous eyes travelled over all of us. “The hell? Someone explain this!”

  “It was a spell,” Hikaru said, wearily. “A defensive spell on the entrance to this world. It should have been uninvoked – it was uninvoked – I watched it happen.”

  Jack sat up slowly, running her fingers through her hair. I decided now was not the time to point out that she was leaving mushy, green streaks in her white-blonde do. “Dude. I don’t think you watched closely enough.”

  If the Kitsune had been in fox form, his ears would have been drooping.

  I took pity on him. “Hikaru says he saw the spell closed down, and I believe him. Someone else must have reactivated it later, without the king knowing. Who would want to do that? And why?”

  “It could be anyone,” Hikaru admitted, crossing his arms across his chest. His voice was even, but the anger was still burning in his eyes. “There was a lot of resistance to my request – but there’s always resistance to anything new. Going behind the king’s back this way is something else. Whoever did it could be charged with treason, if what they did was proved, and that means they’re dead serious about getting rid of you. The fact that they were able to reactivate the ward themselves means they also have a lot of power.”

  He looked down, seeming to struggle with himself. Grudgingly, as if the words cost him serious effort, he said, “I’ll do my best to protect you, but … as far as Kitsune go, I’m pretty much the bottom of the ladder. The safest thing – for all of you – might be to go home.”

  “No way!” Jack cried out. “Rachel needs us. You guys don’t want to give up, do you?”

  I shook my head. “Hikaru, getting your people on our side might be the only chance we have of getting Rachel back safely. How would you feel if it was your sister? As long as Jack is willing to risk it, I think we have to go on. Shinobu? What do you think?”

  “I will follow wherever you lead,” he said. The words were a vow.

  Hikaru regarded all of us for a minute. Gradually, a new emotion filled his eyes. Respect. “All right. I’m in.”

  “Great,” said Jack. “Now let’s get down off this fricking roof and go see ourselves a king.”

  CHAPTER 17

  THE UNDERGROUND

  It took us nearly forty minutes to get off the cliff that looked like my house. I was, frankly, knackered as well as being in pain, and Jack was having trouble adjusting to two legs – which made no sense, since she’d had paws for less than half an hour. But it was hardly the strangest thing that had happened in the last couple of days. If it hadn’t been for Shinobu I’d have been a Mio-pancake three times. I resolved to start doing Ojiichan’s strength-training exercises again as soon as I got back home, and maybe get some weights too.

  If I got back home.

  “This has sucked up too much time,” Hikaru fretted as I collapsed at the base of the cliff to catch my breath. “His Majesty doesn’t like being kept waiting.”

  “It’s not like it was our fault,” Jack said, leaning her hands on her knees. “He can’t blame us for getting turned into foxes.”

  “Again, I think you’re forgetting the ‘can fry you to a crisp from a hundred yards away’ aspect of this situation.”

  “Is this guy really that bad?” Jack asked, straightening up.

  Hikaru winced. “Please, whatever you do, don’t refer to His Majesty as ‘a guy’ within anyone else’s hearing.”

  “We’d better take that as a yes,” I said, rotating my neck carefully. The series of crunches from my vertebrae weren’t encouraging. Strength training and a chiropractor’s appointment. “We should probably get going.”

  The alley Hikaru lead us to was filled with huge swathes of yellow-green vines, and there wasn’t enough room for all of us to walk together. Jack ended up in front with Hikaru, while I walked behind with Shinobu.

  “You’re different than I pegged you when you first turned up,” Jack was saying to the fox spirit. I thought she was trying to make peace after the way she’d snapped at him up on the cliff-roof. “You seemed like one of those guys who flies by the seat of his pants and causes trouble for fun. But now here you are, looking after us all.”

  “When I first turned up, I didn’t know you,” Hikaru said dryly. “It’s easy to treat everything as an adventure if you don’t give a crap. The minute you actually start caring, it stops being fun.”

  “Ooh, does that mean you like us?” Jack asked teasingly.

  Hikaru cleared his throat, turning his face away. “You’re growing on me.”

  We emerged from the alley into a cathe
dral-like space where dangling vines entwined in a thick canopy overhead, turning daylight to a sort of emerald twilight. A dusty trail took the place of the road I knew in my world. Hikaru’s head snapped up and he inhaled deeply through his nose. He gestured for us to stop, putting a finger on his lips.

  Something’s up. None of us said it, but I think the sentiment was pretty universal. I hooked the back of Jack’s coat and pulled her over to stand with me at the same time that Shinobu stepped forward, putting himself in front of us.

  Three foxes trotted into view on the trail. They walked in a triangle formation, their legs moving in perfect synchronization, as if they were marching. The trio caught sight of us and came to a perfectly timed halt. Each of them plonked their behinds down on the dust at the same moment.

  The air around them shivered, and then there were three people standing in the road. The lead fox had become a woman, tall enough that she could look over Hikaru’s head with ease. Her long, dark hair was streaked with grey and bound back neatly from her pointed face. She wore a grey hakama – a short kimono and pleated split pants, a bit like a kendogi – and the traditional wrist guard and three-fingered glove of an archer. A quiver on her back was filled with grey arrows, and the top of a bow nearly as tall as she was protruded over her left shoulder.

  She had four tails.

  The two people behind her – one male, one female – seemed a lot younger. The girl looked a few years older than us. She was extremely pretty and was dressed in a red-and-gold kimono with a gold comb twisted into her elaborate hairdo. She had two tails. The male next to her could have been a kid from my school; he looked around fifteen, wore a grey hoodie and a pair of jeans, and had short hair gelled into a spiky quiff. Only the three tails poking out of a hole cut into the seat of his trousers gave away the fact that he was an ancient, powerful fox spirit.

  The woman’s face was neutral, and the boy looked at us with interest. But the girl’s face was marred with a look of disgust and – yes – shock.

  She expected to find foxes here, not humans.