Vixen Hunted (14 page)

A grin slid across his
face at the spark of an idea. She kept him off balance. Now was the time to flip
the sheep. "There are many different ways a hero can make a memorable
exit."

He grabbed Kit, twirled
down into his arms, and looked into her eyes as any storied hero would. Her
ears twitched and her cheeks colored. He leaned in close to her lips. He could
feel her warm breath.

Then he flicked her
forehead with his free hand.

He stood her back up
and bowed in a way that he hoped looked suave. "Until tonight, my
dear." He went out the door, leaving her rubbing her forehead and
twitching her ears.

The two nuns flanking
the door jumped. He bowed like he imagined a hero would and sauntered down the
hall before either could say a word.

Chapter 8

The Inquisitor leaned
against a tree, his gaze spearing the clear sky. Tera wondered what those eyes
had seen in service to the Church. She shivered. The late summer promised a
cold winter. Her cheek throbbed from the gouge the demon had left her. She
hoped it left a scar. She had wrestled with a demon. What nun could say that?
Well, Sister Grace, of course. And Nika, Abby, and Rebecca.

But they didn't do all
that much.

Tera had to hurry.
Sister Abby watched the demon, and Tera knew Sister Abby all too well. She was
likely dozing somewhere to avoid the work. Why couldn't the abbey have locks?
Tera had to take the watch over, and Sister Grace could watch during the night.

"The abbess—"
Tera said.

"Do you know what
the worst part about hunting is, sister?" The Inquisitor followed a hawk
with his finger.

She blinked.
"What? Killing—"

"I remember my
hunt on the southern continent. I tracked a fabled white rhinoceros for more
than a week. Do you know what a rhinoceros is?"

"I…I don't
know."

"It is a great
beast with iron hide and a single horn it uses to skewer men. The white is the
rarest and meanest of all." The hawk circled over the forest.

"I found a white
after a month in those parched, God forsaken lands. He led me on a merry chase.
The beast trampled to death one poor sop. Another broke his leg trying to get
out of the way. Even a musket could barely penetrate its hide. But I finally
cornered the brute. I was down to just a halberd, but the white was wounded and
housed a devil. He came at me with that single great horn as large as my
arm."

"What
happened?" Tera imagined black blood streaming from wounds. Demons really
did take any form, but they all had black blood. Tera knew the fox did too. She
was certain
.

The Inquisitor touched
the scar on his cheek. It made Tera's wound look like a pitiful thing.
"The hunt ended. The worst part about hunting is how it is over in just a
single moment." The hawk dived into the trees.

He smacked his thigh
and Tera jumped. "Just like that. All those days and weeks of tracking and
matching wits finished in a blink. All a hunter can do is savor each moment and
prolong the hunt as much as he can without letting the prey escape."

Images of a white beast
charging at Tera flashed in her mind. Could she stand against such a thing? Her
imagination split the scene. The horn skewered her. She cut the demon's head
off in a single slash of a sword. A nun with a sword?

"The abbess wants
to speak with you," she said. She could be the first nun to wield a sword.
Anything was possible for a young demon hunter.

"But every hunt
must end." The Inquisitor stood up. The Seal of the Inquisition caught the
light. "We shall see if today ends this hunt. With luck, it will
not."

Tera took the lead. She
enjoyed swellings of pride as she passed her sisters working in the gardens and
the hall. Pride did not become a sister, but she puffed out her chest with it
anyway. She had done something important for the Church. She helped the poor,
but there were always more important things to do. What good did feeding the
poor do when demons roamed to kill them? Tera, the female Inquisitor. It
sounded good.

Sister Nika ran down the
hall. "Tera! Tera! I can't find Evelyn. She isn't in her room! I brought
her meal, and she wasn't there!"

"Evelyn?" the
Inquisitor asked.

Sister Nika squeaked
when she noticed the man, but Tera didn't have the time. She knew Sister Abby
had shirked her watch. "I will tell the abbess. I am on my way there now.
Keep looking. I am sure she isn't too far. She is probably scrubbing the dirt
in the garden, knowing her."

"This quiet abbey
isn't so quiet," the Inquisitor said.

"Especially
lately," Tera muttered. "Here is the abbess." She knocked on the
worn wood. "I will have to be going."

"Come in," a
voice said from the other side of the door.

The man laid a hand on
the door's iron handle. "It is best to be wary when the prey is
cornered."

Tera didn't wait to see
if the abbess needed anything. She jogged down the halls, not caring that such
was unbecoming the dignity of a nun. She raced past Timothy. The sooner this
business was done, the sooner the boy would be freed. She rounded the corner to
the demon's cell.

Sister Abby and Rebecca
flanked the door. Tera was certain they would have been off somewhere.

"Sister, the demon
hasn't tried to escape. But—" Sister Abby said.

"I need to speak
with it," Tera said.

Tera's slippers whisked
across the stone, and she wrenched the door hard enough to make the old hinges
squeal.

"Honestly, sister.
Do you not know how to knock?" The red devil stood by the window. Those
evil, fluffy ears swiveled. Tera made the sign of a cross. Could fox ears write
curses on the air?

"The Inquisitor is
here, demon. You will not be able to escape God's justice for your deeds."

"And what deeds
are those? I don't own any land or even a house."

Tera blinked. What was
it talking about? No. Focus. Who knew what a demon could do? "You will not
escape. I will make sure you will see justice."

"What is this
justice you speak of, sister?" The creature's voice dripped venom.
"Is it just that people call me 'demon' and 'creature' because I look
different? Is it just that people want to cut off my ears and tail?"

"You made the pact
with the devil. You are hell spawned and can't deceive me."

"So certain. Did
you read it in a book or hear it in a sermon?" The creature locked eyes
with Tera. "I know it does no good to tell you I was born this way. I
cannot help being born a fox any more than you can help being born human. I say
again, is it just that I am hunted just because I was created with a
tail?" The creature raised her face to the ceiling and spread her arms.
"Thou art truly a grand God to create the beasts of the field, worms of
the soil, birds of the air, and me, a vixen with a tail. I pray thy works will
teach thy children compassion. I ask in your Son's name. Amen."

"You mock the
Lord! I will have none of it."

"I do not mock. I
merely pray in my own way. If I was hell spawned as you say, do you think I
could pray without being struck down?"

Tera hesitated.
"The devil is the king of lies."

The demon sighed.
"Seriously, shepherd, I tried. I can't be patient with these people
anymore. I am just not as good natured as you. I don't know how you do
it," she muttered to herself.

"I—"

"Yes, yes."
The creature's tail slapped the air. "You will not let me escape, blah
blah. As if you could stop me if I wanted to leave. But I will indulge your
delusion for now. I made a promise to your abbess. But, I am almost out of
patience. Now leave." The demon crossed the room. Tera tensed.

The creature grabbed
Tera's shoulders, spun her around, and kicked her bottom hard enough to send
the sister sprawling into the hallway. The door closed off a strange sad look
on the demon's face. The nun guards squeaked.

"Are you all
right?" Sister Abby asked. She offered a hand.

"Well, that wasn't
what I was planning." Tera mustered her dignity and rubbed her sore rump.
"I'm fine. Be vigilant. The fox is a trickster. Do not listen."

"Sister, what
shall we do with Vespers? We can't miss…sister?" Sister Rebecca asked.

Tera ignored them. The
fox's lies rang in her ears, and exhaustion and excitement fought each other.
What she did mattered. She mattered more here than in her tiny village.

She needed to walk lest
the demon got a hold on her mind. "I will be back," Tera said.

The lies wiggled and
tried to cast their spell. Tera paced the halls until her thoughts slowed and
she found herself outside. How would her mother react to know Tera had helped
end the fox problem for all time?

She slumped onto the
bench. She yawned and groaned, her jaw and cheek aching. She yawned again. Her
father would…her thoughts drifted away.

Timothy turned the
corner and bounced off Sister Rae's plumpness. The old nun carried a pair of
leather packs.

"There you are!
Where are you going in such a hurry? No matter. You are coming with me."

"I am—"

"Your meeting with
the girl went well?" Sister Rae said. "You kissed her? No? Well you
should have. I remember…never mind. No time. Come along now." She herded
him away.

"I really need
to—"

The nun herded Timothy
outside. "Yes, you need to leave. The abbess told me everything. Always
the troublemaker." Sister Rae laughed. "Did you really think Mother
would turn over your lovey? Please." Sister Rae dragged Timothy across the
empty courtyard. Rain misted as the nun continued to chatter. She dragged him
by the wrist, and Timothy felt as if he were caught in a prank.

Cat greeted the pair
inside the stable. Hay and manure assailed Timothy's nose.

Sister Rae shoved the
overstuffed leather packs into Timothy's arms. "Stay put." She
disappeared into the mist.

Raindrops pattered on
Tera's face. The sound of late summer night chirped and serrated, mixing with
the growing pitter-patter of rain. She had fallen asleep! She staggered to her
feet and out of the rain. It was late, past Vespers. The demon! Tera was
supposed to take over the watch hours ago. She dashed into the abbey.

Timothy sat on a crate
with the packs balanced on his knees. What trouble would Aunt Mae face with the
Inquisition? Rain pelted the stable roof. Timothy wasn't sure why it insisted
on raining whenever someone traveled. Clouds took special delight in soaking travelers.

Cat yawned and the
minutes stretched.

Footsteps.

Two shadows filled the
entrance. Timothy tensed. One shadow moved. Soft light from a shielded lantern
bathed the stable.

Kit wore an oiled cloak
with its hood down. A few red locks plastered themselves to her cheeks. Aunt
Mae held the lantern.

"You look so
surprised, Timothy," Aunt Mae said.