by Hickory Mack
Elsie’s hands balled into fists, but Martin presented another option. If she stopped all this fucking fighting, the aftermath wouldn’t cause her lover any more pain than she was already in. “Take me to the fox.”
Frida took to the air, and Frost bent obediently, letting her climb up onto his back.
“Wait, Chantraine,” Cross called from behind her as the wolf took off running in the direction of the flames. She couldn’t be bothered with him right now, and she couldn’t believe he wanted her attention in the middle of all this.
She held on to Frost’s fur and ducked low over his shoulders so the tree branches wouldn’t lash at her face and hair. Taking out her raven mask, she put it on and pulled the hood over her head. The wolf was fast, far faster than she’d ever realized, and trees whipped by in a blur of green. Now and then, she caught a glimpse of Frida’s brilliant feathers above them as she kept up with the wolf.
She wanted to scream in frustration. Everything had fallen apart so quickly! She was worried about Wren, and she wanted Saint by her side. Her stomach was in knots over the deaths that day, and she didn’t even want to think about Cross. It pissed her off that there had been no warning. She hadn’t felt any particular attraction to the man, nothing to indicate he could be her mate.
“I’m starting to think you’re the smart one, Wolfie,” she sighed, pressing her cheek to the back of his neck. “Stay in your wolf form and save yourself the heartache.”
He grunted at her and kept running.
Wren moved them far from the battle, staying within the southern border of the forest spirit’s territories while taking him away from the cause of his pain. As he attacked her, again and again, she quietly absorbed his anger. The poor creature was out of his mind with grief. One of his forelegs was injured to the point he couldn’t put weight on it, but he wouldn’t stop fighting.
‘Calm yourself, child,’ Wren sent to him, but it made no difference. He couldn’t hear her like this. The stag slammed into her again, and she gave ground. Not only was he bigger than her, but magically, he was stronger. This spirit held more earth magic than she’d seen in hundreds of years, and it had to be because of the Key. The spirit must have a close relationship with the girl.
She dug her hooves into the soil to take his next hit, but this time he threw magic at her as well, upending the ground underneath her and unsettling her balance.
‘You’re hurting yourself,’ she told him, wincing when she saw bone splintering through the skin on his leg. He wasn’t giving up. With a sigh, Wren closed her eyes and changed back to her human form. Opening her arms wide, she beckoned him forward, inviting him to attack her one more time. He accepted the invitation.
His antlers lowered at her face, and he charged forward as she drove her magic into the ground, giving her the strength to stand firm. Grabbing a tine in each hand, she used his momentum against him, flipping him onto his side where he landed with a heavy thud. Wren frowned, holding the broken end of one tine in her hand. His bright eyes looked up at her in a panic, and she tossed it aside, kneeling next to his head and pinning him in place with her magic.
“Be at ease, young one,” she soothed, stroking his neck. “Your mind and body must heal. Sleep until the time is right.”
Wren placed the palm of her hand in the middle of his forehead and let her magic seep into his mind, taking away his memories and easing his grief. He wouldn’t wake for some time, possibly even weeks, but she was doing him a kindness. The spirit would be safe here; the creatures of his lands would protect him. Sleeping would give the damage to his forest time to settle, getting him through the worst of the pain.
Forest spirits were born from the magic of their land, starting out as a tiny kodama, the child of one of their forest’s matriarch trees. Most of those kodama would forever remain little spirits who thrived on helping their forest grow. Every once in a rare while, one would evolve, taking on a higher power and cognizance. That one special creature would form a deep, unbreakable bond with its forest.
The healthier the forest, the stronger its spirit, but the link went both ways. The spirit felt the death of every tree, the loss of every bush and flower. As stewards of the land, they were in constant contact with every single life growing within their territories. It made some of them go entirely mad, and Wren feared that fate for this one. He’d suffered greatly at the hands of the hunters, and she wouldn’t forgive them.
She stroked his fur for several minutes, then kissed his face and stood, taking stock of the different injuries spread across his body. The bone looked the worst, so she’d start there and work on the other smaller wounds when she was finished. The antler… Well, he’d have to deal with that on his own. It could grow back, but he had to do it himself. The antlers of a magical creature stored immense power, and his were huge, even bigger than her own.
“I wish we could have met at a better time. We would have been friends,” she lamented, then bent to the task of setting his bone properly.
It was absolute chaos. Body parts were littered everywhere in great swaths of red. Frost bound through it all without hesitation, but he let her feel how troubled he was by what he saw. The wolf wasn’t happy not knowing what had happened while he was sleeping.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Elsie promised.
“Demon incoming!” a man yelled, and she looked around quickly, only to realize they were talking about Frost.
“Stand down!” she ordered. “Which direction to the fox?”
The man looked up at her in a daze as though he was unable to process what he was seeing. He lifted a hand and pointed, and Frost leapt into a run. Frida stayed above them, sometimes circling around so she didn’t get too far ahead. Elsie had told her to stay safe in the truck, but the alebrije had decided to listen to Wren’s directions instead.
“Holy crap, Precious, look at the destruction,” Elsie breathed. There was a huge steaming crater in the ground where there weren’t even the remnants of trees or bodies. On the outer edges, debris was spread out as far as she could see. This must be where the fox had counter attacked.
They continued forward, following the tracks of trucks, finding a few catatonic soldiers along the way. If they weren’t treated soon, they could die of shock. Claw marks in a tree were far above her head, even perched atop Frost.
“Where is that fucking reaper?” somebody shouted up ahead, but Frost had come to a stop. A massive demon lay to the side, his body torn to shreds. One of the Demon lLords the hunters had enlisted was dead, but it didn’t look like it was the fox who’d killed him. The demon was so disfigured she couldn’t make out what it had been in life. Frost sniffed at it then carried on.
Frida led the way, her brilliant tail feathers floating behind her like a beacon. A few minutes later, they arrived. A giant lion demon sat on his haunches in front of them, facing the opposite way. Beneath his massive paws was the head of the fox, pinning him down. Frost eased his way around the cat to get to a better angle, so they could see everything.
The fox demon was immense, his six black tails lashing furiously, but he could do nothing with the harpoons in his skin, tethering him to the ground, and a huge cat on his head. His almost all black pelt was covered in brightly colored darts, and Elsie figured that must have been the dampener Eustone was talking about. The demon’s eyes were so bright that he didn’t look sedated to her, so it wasn’t immediately obvious what the darts had done.
Looking at his coloration, a memory nagged at the back of her mind. This wasn’t some random fox! He was a legend. The devil’s black fox. This creature was said to have killed millions of people.
The strength went out of her muscles in fear, and she had to fight back with hard resolve. It was too late to chicken out now. If she were to fail and he got loose, they were all dead.
She’d never been more grateful for her mask than in that moment. He was awake, and as she climbed down from Frost’s back, his brilliant sunfire eyes followed her every move. His lips curled in
to a snarl as she approached, pursing her lips as she decided how she was going to get this thing into the truck they’d backed up next to it. She didn’t want to untether him, and the lion wouldn’t be able to hold him forever. His muscles shook with the strain of holding him down. It was clear that the fox was the superior demon.
Elsie walked a full circle around the fox, Frost at her side, while dozens of men screamed at her to get the fuck out of their way. Frost growled at them, snapping at anyone who came too close, giving her the space she needed to think. This was where giving her more information to start with would have benefited everyone. If only the idiots in charge hadn’t been such stubborn assholes...
“What do you think, Frosty?” she muttered. “I can contain him, but I don’t have the power to move him.”
Frost snarled when one of the fox’s tails lashed against his paw. He reached down and grabbed the fox, yanking the tail and pulling him several feet back, making his wounds bleed anew. Elsie patted the wolf on the shoulder and turned to the soldiers.
“Secure the fox! Wrap those chains around him so he cannot struggle free.”
They moved as fast as they could, maneuvering the chains under the demon’s belly, careful not to knock any of his other entrapments free. Elsie tested them herself, then bent down close to the demon’s head.
“I am sorry about this. I don’t have any other choice.”
‘There is always a choice.’ His deep voice echoed around her mind. Even after everything he’d fought through, the force of his mental strength was staggering. For the first time, her mask didn’t feel like enough to keep her anonymity. This demon could see her. She wanted to hide in a corner where those fiery eyes couldn’t find her.
“Not this time,” she denied, standing. “Frost, if you and this cat drag the fox into that box, we’ll be able to leave and go back to the base. Meaning, the sooner he’s in there, the sooner we can meet the mage.”
Anger touched her mind. He didn’t like that she was manipulating him into doing this for her, but he did it anyway. Growing in size until he was even bigger than the lion, Frost grabbed the fox’s back leg and dragged him across the ground with the cat digging its teeth into its neck to keep him from fighting back.
The wolf awkwardly backed into the truck, pulling and wrestling the struggling and snarling demon up into the box. Once the demon was secure, he leapt down, knocking the lion out of the way, ignoring its yowl of indignation.
Frida landed spectacularly at her side, and Elsie raised the Staff of Sanaia. The little alebrije began to glow, letting her ethereal magic bolster Elsie’s strength. Envisioning what she needed, she enveloped the inside walls of the truck with the outer boundaries of a new dimension. She added all the most comforting things she could think of. Nice smelling flowers, soft grass, a cool breeze on a gentle summer day. If she was going to imprison this creature, she wanted to make it as pleasant as possible.
“I am sorry,” she whispered, and the doors to the truck slammed shut, trapping the fox in the dimension she’d made just for him.
Chapter 29
Elsie rode on the top of the truck. Holding the dimension together with the demon bound inside wasn’t as difficult as she’d worried it would be after she’d triggered the containment spell. The hard part was not having a panic attack at the pure rage and hatred seeping out in spite of the enchantments in place.
Frida sat snuggled up in her lap, Frost keeping pace from the ground, while a platoon of heavily armed soldiers surrounded the truck on three sides. They kept giving the box wary looks and had to veer back toward the truck every few minutes as their bodies naturally continued drifting away.
Their weapons didn’t hold bullets, just more of the dampening darts. Elsie watched them curiously, wanting to get her hands on one to try to figure out what was in them. It took over an hour to maneuver the truck through the paths they’d cleared and back to where Martin and Eustone were.
“Where are you?” Elsie muttered as they approached. Every minute Wren didn’t appear made her more nervous. If the spirit didn’t show up soon, she’d go looking for her, and she didn’t care what Martin had to say about it. She spotted Cross standing a little way outside of the encampment. He looked stressed, and the bond tugged at her, but she hardened herself against going to him. She was still pissed at the witch.
Eustone and Martin came to meet them, big smiles on their faces as they clapped each other’s shoulders. They were so pleased with the outcome it made Elsie feel physically sick.
“Congratulations!” Martin called, then waited for the truck to stop so he could hit them with the full effect of his planned speech. “Today we have achieved an unprecedented victory against demon kind! Each and every one of you should be very proud of your accomplishments. The capture of this demon won’t just benefit the people of Colony Nine, where his killing has gone on for far too long. His capture will further research into weaponizing demonic power against the demons themselves!”
Elsie frowned, lost to her own thoughts. What the fuck was he talking about, weaponizing demon magic? That sounded like an impending disaster to her.
“We know that this demon fox has many servants at his disposal, so we must not linger. We’ll be pulling out immediately,” Eustone instructed, and a pair of soldiers immediately started packing up the radio equipment. Elsie petted Frida, watching everyone scramble to do as they were told, then looked down at the soldiers surrounding the truck. What were they going to do for security?
“Well done, Chantraine,” Eustone said as he and Martin came closer. She didn’t respond, just stared back at him, waiting for him to say something of importance. Martin gave him a well-natured elbow to the ribs.
“Eustone here wasn’t confident you’d be able to pull it off. You didn’t exactly engender trust back there.”
“What was I supposed to act like?” she asked, loudly enough for them to hear over all the noise. “I wasn’t given enough information to know what was happening until it was actually happening. You gave me nothing to go on, no heads up. You didn’t even tell me we were hunting the devil’s black fucking fox.”
The smile froze on Martin’s face. “We would appreciate it if you did not use his title among our soldiers. We wouldn’t wish for you to cause them any undue stress. Everyone has a long trip home to endure.”
“I don’t care what you’d appreciate. How many of them will be returning?” she asked, her voice flat. She noticed Cross coming over and gripped her staff, thinking of what would be the best weapon to beat him with. Something that would leave long-lasting bruises sounded good.
“We do not have numbers yet. We’ll have a better idea of what to expect when we return to the nest,” Martin said, his eyes cold.
“I’m not going anywhere until Wren returns. And when we do leave, I need to maintain contact with this truck at all times. If he gets loose in there, things could get difficult.”
“Who is Wren?” Eustone demanded.
“The creature she’s been traveling with, sir,” Cross answered for her, and Elsie glowered at him. She didn’t need him to speak for her.
“It can catch up.” Martin waved his hand dismissively. “We cannot put your demon above the safety of everyone else.”
“If you want, I can leave this box here with you while I go find her. We’ll catch up together, and then no one is inconvenienced,” Elsie said. Both Martin and Eustone gave her sharp looks, but Cross looked amused. Frost came around from the other side of the truck, staring the men down, his hackles raised in a silent threat.
“Or we can leave you here alone, tethered to a tree with a big sign stating you’re the one who stole their master,” Martin said brightly, ignoring Frost entirely. Cross’ mouth firmed into a thin line, but Elsie wasn’t surprised. She’d known they’d start pushing back against her demands soon enough, and Martin had no stakes in keeping her happy now that she’d given him what he wanted.
She set Frida on the roof and stood before jumping down to be
on their level, proud of herself for not falling on her face. She strode forward to stand before Martin, hating that she was forced to look up at him.
“Threatening me was a mistake,” she hissed, setting the tip of her staff on the toe of his shoe and pressing down. “I can let that monster out of there at any moment, and he’ll know damn well who is responsible for what happened today. Who do you think he’s going to believe? The reaper setting him free or one of the piece of shit hunters who’ve been harassing him for years?”
Frost stood at her shoulder, offering his strength and support, and after a moment, Martin backed down. His fierce gaze faltered, and he looked away, his straight stance softening a bit as he shrank slightly away from her.
“Reapers are such pains in the ass,” Eustone muttered, and she leveled him with a hard stare. Her retort was cut off when the air next to her rippled, then Wren was there. She looked awful.
“Wren,” she breathed, wrapping her in a hug.
“Oh good, it’s here. Let’s get moving then,” Martin said, stalking away with Eustone on his heels.
“What happened?” Elsie asked, but the spirit buried her face in her shoulder without an answer. Whatever it was, she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Elsie stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head, glancing up to see that even Frost was worried.
“We should get her onto the truck,” Cross suggested, and she glared at him.
“There is no we,” she growled at him.
“We’re going to have to talk about this.”
“Now is not the time.”
“At least agree to have a conversation with me later,” he pursued. “Let me explain myself. I wasn’t trying to trap you into anything, I swear.”
“Don’t you know anything about women, young man?” Hasprey asked, coming up behind her. Elsie peeked at him over her shoulder, strangely relieved that the old guy had survived. “Whatever the hell you did wrong, feed her or give her space while she’s mad, both if you’re capable.”