Her nose wrinkled at the smell of rot. A man looked like he was sleeping on the low cot. Black sores marred the young man’s face, and a bare foot dangled over the edge of the cot. The red uniform, slashed with white, was rumpled. Evelyn ignored the scent that clung to the canvas around her. A musket jutted from behind a small chest. She pulled aside a powder horn and found a pouch of round lead balls and paper wattle. More memories of Joseph fluttered in her mind. His strong arms encircled her as she placed the wooden butt against her shoulder. She could still picture his mussed brown-blond hair. The sound of thunder and the shock of the recoil running into her shoulder felt like it had just happened. Joseph’s laugh sounded in her mind.
He wanted you to be able to hunt if something should happen. He wanted you to defend yourself and our son.
Evelyn shook her head, clearing the memory. She ignored the musket and pulled the man’s long knife from the belt resting on the chest. She ducked out of the tent flaps. The horse still waited. Reins dangled as he watched her. She walked up and placed a hand on his nose.
“You were sent here,” she said. The horse tossed his head and puffed. Evelyn felt her stomach grumble. She could see supply wagons in the fields beyond. She guessed it was going to be a long journey. She doubted little Timothy would have gone to heaven in the fire. He was always giving the nuns trouble, after all. He would cause his mother trouble too. Her bad little boy was smart like Joseph. Only Joseph did not use his intelligence for jokes. Well, not too often, and never for mean-spirited pranks. She needed to find her Timmy. She patted the horse’s neck.
“I would know if he was gone. You are still here to help me find him.”
The horse puffed.
She swung onto its back. She knew how to ride and ride well.
That was something Joseph had taught her too.
* * *
Tera stood on one of the hills overlooking what was left of Honheim. She could make out a few stone structures, blackened bones of the once-bustling town. The cold wind held the smell of char, and the heavy clouds promised a short autumn. She gripped her habit. The fox had slipped away from her once again. The demon had her master’s luck. Tera had no doubts that she had escaped the fire. What could fire do to a creature of hell? Part of her wanted to go out searching—the vixen could not be far—but Tera had responsibilities.
Evelyn. Tera knew the woman was out of her mind but to do this…When Tera left the woman in front of the burning church, she wished Tera happiness. Happiness! As if happiness can be found after seeing so much. Evelyn’s lucid spells were more chilling than her usual madness. Tera could almost like the woman when she was sane. Of course the woman was alive. People reported seeing the Prophetess riding a horse around the walls of the town. When did Evelyn learn to ride?
Her fists shook. It wasn’t right that this happened. So many people gone. The demon that caused everything was free. Where was God? Where was justice?
The young nun turned and watched the people—her people—gather wagons, horses, and supplies together. Caroline, with her bent back, organized and directed. Nearby, a pennant snapped against the wind. Vyrin and several of the young men lifted children into a wagon meant for weapons. Tents and old cook fires dotted the hillside. People stepped around mounds of cloth. It would take time for Vyrin and the others to dig graves. The wind slapped Tera with cold fingers. There were too few blankets. How many people? Tera hadn’t had a chance to count. At least two hundred, she guessed. They were lucky Lord Heim’s men left the camp in a hurry and left behind what they did. Lucky that some died and others did not? How did God choose who lived and died? A group of children wandered near Tera.
“I am going back for Yuzu,” a boy, all knees and elbows, said. “She will be alive.”
A young girl tossed her soot-stained, golden locks. “No, Colt. Yuzu is with her. I know she is.”
The thin boy looked the girl in the eye. He looked older than she was, but they were about the same height. “How do you know, Mira? She could have taken a wagon ride!”
“Shut up, Colt. Yuzu is alive. I know it. You know it.” A boy with tangled brown hair towered over the pair. “Mira is right.”
“Hoss,” Colt whined, “I want to thank the red woman.” He took a few steps toward the town.
Mira looked at Hoss. “Maybe he should thank her. I want to see Yuzu too.”
Hoss shook his head.
Tera stepped forward. No use allowing these children to put themselves in danger. “Your older brother is right. Your friend is probably with us right now.”
“No, she isn’t. I would have found her,” Colt said.
“She is with—” Mira stopped, wrapped her thin arms around herself, and shivered. “Cold.”
“You need to get some blankets,” Tera said. “It is getting cold. The…red woman is probably looking with Yuzu for you over there by the wagons. “
“No, she is not!” Colt stamped a bare foot. A few disease marks scarred his legs. He was one of few lucky ones, Tera guessed.
Hoss took a threatening step. “Colt. If you don’t—”
“You want to see Yuzu too!” Mira shielded the knobby boy.
“I do. Kit too, but we don’t know where they are. Or if they are,” Hoss said.
“They are alive!” Colt and Mira said together.
Tera blinked. “Wait. You said Kit?”
Hoss froze and nodded. Mira bounced. “You know Kit?”
“Red hair, freckles. Green eyes. Strange ears.” Tera bent with her hands on her knees. “It is with a brown-haired man with a nice smile. It had—”
“That is Kit. But I don’t know about a brown-haired man, and I didn’t see her ears,” Mira said over Colt. “She was looking for someone. Yuzu disappeared with her after she helped Colt get better.”
Colt nodded and grinned, gap-toothed.
“Yuzu wanted to help Kit to repay her for helping Colt,” Hoss said. “It was then that everything happened with the fire. We ran out here but didn’t see them.”
“Wait. The dem—Kit helped Colt?”
“I was real sick. Wagon ride sick.” Colt crouched and plucked at the grass. “I was going to see Mom and Dad, but I didn’t want to go yet. The red woman—Kit—helped Yuzu make me a tea that took away my fever.”
“I drank it too,” Mira bounced on her bare toes. “It was yucky.”
Tera glanced at Hoss. He looked her in the eyes and nodded once. Tera wondered just how old the boy was. The demon helped the boy? It was obvious Colt had been sick, deadly sick. His skin was almost transparent. Bones stretched his skin where there should have been softness. His eyes were too big for his thin face. Why would the demon do that? It had to have been Timothy.
“Are you sure there wasn’t a man with her?”
“No. Yuzu went with Kit to find him.” Hoss looked over at the wagons.
Tera shook her head. It wouldn’t surprise her if Evelyn had Timothy. She did want to mother him in her own way. Still, a demon like that vixen helping these kids?
“I miss Yuzu,” Mira said.
Tera’s people pulled more wagons together. The mules and horses seemed happy to be put to work. What would Mother Mae say when she arrived with all of the people? A village full of people at the abbey. Kit didn’t matter. These people mattered. Maybe, just maybe, Timothy was changing the demon if what these children had said was true. She had never heard of such a thing, but what was that saying—“God works in mysterious ways”? Besides, Tera had her responsibilities. It pained her to admit it, but she couldn’t leave these people. They were more important than chasing a single demon, no matter how evil. She couldn’t spare anyone to go out searching for her. With so many children and weak people, she needed as many able bodies as she could gather. A few were still sick or recovering.
“I know they are well. How about a wagon ride? A good wagon ride to my home. We bake bread everyday for people and make honey cakes too.”
The three children lit up. “Really?” They said at
once.
“I have a large home with other nuns like me. Now you will have to work a little. Weed the garden. Cut firewood. Help cook. But you are more than welcome to come with us. There are many old ladies to tell you stories, and they need your hugs too.”
“Honey cakes?” Colt jumped to his feet and wilted. “I wish Yuzu could go too.”
“More for us if she doesn’t,” Hoss said, watching Tera. The boy was far older than he looked.
“I want some too!” Mira jumped up and down.
Tera shepherded them toward the wagons. Vyrin stood up in a driver’s seat and waved. Young, old, and middle-aged faces smiled as she passed.
“Bless you, Sister.”
“Thank you, Sister Tera.”
“We are ready to leave whenever you are,” Vyrin said. A bruise marred his cheek.
Tera tried to push the demon from her mind. The demon died in the fire, she told herself. For all she knew it was the truth. It is over. These people are my concern now. She was responsible for these people. She could not leave them. She would have to trust the fox to God’s justice.
“Are the honey cakes sweeter than Mom’s?” Colt asked.
Tera ruffled his hair. “Mother Mae makes the best in the world.” She smiled. Who knew responsibilities could feel so light?
Chapter 9
Kit coughed and spat out ash. Her legs burned and almost gave out from under her as she stood up. Gray ash and soot coated one side of her. She felt the stuff in her shoes. Much of it still danced in the air around them. Timothy groaned and tried to raise himself behind her. The man was still heavy even if he looked like a hairy skeleton. That beard just had to go. Later. Heat still billowed from the blocked gate. The fire’s hands tried reaching for them through the ruined opening. Kit knew stone didn’t burn, but the fire burned so hot that she wouldn’t be surprised if it started to melt like wax. Somehow the ash had gotten up her skirts. She moved her tail and frowned. She hadn’t been able to wash and comb her tail properly for days, and now it felt as if she had half the town stuffed in the fur. She bent over to help the shepherd stand and almost joined him on the ground. Her arms trembled. She could still feel his arms pressed against her chest.
“I told you not to grab,” she said.
Yuzu sat on the other side of Timothy, breathing hard and staring at the conflagration. Kit looked at Timothy’s wan face. He needed more food. They needed supplies if they were going to get back on the road. At least they were on the eastern side of the town.
Timothy offered her a grin. His teeth gleamed against his blackened face.
“What am I going to do?” Yuzu asked “Hoss is strong, but with Mira and Colt…They couldn’t have gotten out. We almost didn’t.” Tears slid down her face. The fire reached closer to them.
“We are going east,” Kit said.
Timothy’s eyes widened. “Still?”
Kit looked around. We have to gather supplies. Maybe a cart. I can’t lug him until he has his strength back. Pennants sagged on the crest of the far hill, and military tents dotted the area. With the light fading, Kit doubted any of her human companions could see anything beyond the light of the flames. Should we brave the soldiers? Not like we have much choice. “Where else can I go?” she asked.
Timothy wiped his face with a shaking hand.
Kit touched his shoulder. Fool man still worries about his note. Maybe I was too hard on him. “I have to see for myself. I need to remember more than I do.”
He nodded.
Yuzu stared at the fire with her lower lip quivering. “They are all gone. Allen. Mira. What am I going to do now?”
Kit bent over and hooked Timothy’s arms over her shoulders. “Do what you want. We’re leaving.”
Timothy sighed and clambered back onto her back. Kit’s hood, plastered to her hair, tugged. Somehow it had remained on her head through all of that. The fabric smelled burned though. The scent of books and wool, his scent, sneaked through the sooty corruption that drenched the air. Darn nose causes me no end of trouble. Fool shepherd had better be worth this effort. Kit’s thoughts skirted around a dangerous thought. No. I don’t feel that way toward him. Not at all. “It’s your fault,” she said over her shoulder.
His arms loosened around her chest. “I know. I should have told you.”
Kit shook her head and started across a field strewn with discarded clothing, furniture, and other memories from people who managed to escape Honheim’s madness. Yuzu hesitated, glancing between Kit and the blackening stone walls. She smeared her cheeks with a hand, stood, and followed.
“You can’t let it go, can you?” Kit forced her legs to work. It wouldn’t help her image as a heroine if she dropped him in the dirt.
“But I—”
“I hurt you too,” Kit said. She took a deep breath, pressing his arms against her chest. “That makes us even.” Her hood rustled with his head shake. I wonder if the fabric melted to my head. She moved her ears. It almost felt that way.
The air cooled as they increased their distance from the fire. Kit felt grateful that the hill had a gentle incline. So tired. But she refused to show it. Her shepherd needed her.
“Where are the soldiers?” Timothy lifted his head from Kit’s shoulder. Wagon and tent silhouettes broke the hill’s crest. Waning moonlight slivered around their edges.
“What soldiers?” Yuzu asked from behind.
“Last time, I…was watching people trying to leave and there were soldiers surrounding the town. They…shot at people.”
“It doesn’t surprise me.” Yuzu’s whisper touched Kit’s ears.
Kit topped the rise and paused for breath. The faint, onion scent of disease and of fear lingered. She lowered Timothy to the grass and looked at the dark-haired girl. “If you are going to stay, be useful and see if you can find food, blankets, and other supplies.”
“I can help,” Timothy tried to stand.
“You stay put and let me handle it,” Kit said. He grimaced and sat back.
“I…I don’t know what I should do. Everyone is gone. I…I am alone.” Yuzu shook her head. “They couldn’t have made it out of that, could they?”
Kit sighed and tugged at her hood. The ash cemented the fabric. I bet it could stand on its own. I must be tired to think about this! “I don’t know. You know them better than I do, but I doubt many made it out of that.” Kit hoped the fool girl would leave.
Yuzu frowned into the darkness.
“Make yourself useful while you think.” Kit moved toward the tents.
It didn’t take long for the scent of decay to pull at her nostrils, but compared to the town, the rank smell didn’t bother her. Inside the larger tents, men filled cots or lay where they had collapsed. Kit guessed each of the camps surrounding the town looked the same. She found a couple of large, oiled leather packs and stuffed them with whatever food she could find. She moved between the tents, gathering what little food and supplies she could find. Inside another small tent, free from bodies thankfully, she peeled off her cloak and proceeded to make herself a little more comfortable. She found a clean kerchief and tied it over her ears. It wouldn’t do to have Yuzu see me. The girl is going to be a pain if she doesn’t leave. While she worked, her mind wandered.
The entire detour to Honheim had almost proved disastrous. Timothy had almost died, and Kit had learned little more about her home. Belafonte’s location still remained vague: in a forest somewhere to the east. She learned that it was guarded by papal soldiers. That alone meant someone still lived there—why else would the Church station troops there? Timothy’s dusty book was likely wrong, but the possibility of being the last of her kind frightened her. Where did she fit in if she was the last fox? She had to know, yet the idea of knowing terrified her. Not that she would admit it. Not even to her shepherd.
She dug through her memories as she dug through the fallen soldiers’ belongings. She remembered feeling safe, as safe as Timothy made her feel. Trees. Tall trees and old. There was a bubbling riv
er too.
Screams, fire.
Her breath caught. Those were new.
She remembered running. The heat of the fire seemed like a hand trying to grab her. A man with red hair pulled at her hand. She didn’t know why he didn’t pick her up. Her short legs had to take three steps for every one of his. He carried a sword. That was why. A sword glistened red in his other hand. It glistened with more than reflected flames. Kit looked behind her. A tall woman with streaming red hair offered a terrified smile. A grand crimson tail, touched on the tip with snow, streamed behind her. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Black steel blossomed on her chest, and she plunged to the ground. Kit wailed in her mind. The red-haired man grabbed her then. Tears slid down his cheeks.
Kit rushed back to the present. The memory left her shaking, and she swallowed dryness. Were those my parents? She shook her head. Not now. I have to take care of Timothy. She smeared her damp face on her sleeve and left the tent. She dragged in two overstuffed packs and thumped them beside Timothy, startling him from sleep.
She dug a strip of jerky from one of the packs and handed it to him. “Eat.” She shoved another strip into her own mouth.
He took it and squinted at her. “What’s wrong, Kit?”
Now of all times he decides to see. “Nothing. Just tired.” She slumped onto the grass beside him, realizing her strip of salted meat was gone already. When did I last eat? She pulled out another strip, a pair of hard biscuits, and a water skin. She hoped the food didn’t pass the disease, but they had to eat something. Timothy needed to eat before he skewered her with his ribs.
Kit tensed at the sound of footsteps. Yuzu approached with a single, drooping pack. She tossed it to the ground and wiped her cheeks. “W…where are we going?”
Shepherd Hunted Page 10