Chapter 39
It was the dawn of a new year, the middle of winter, and plumes of smoke rose from the city of Avolar. Infernos blazed across the hillside city. Furious mobs marched through the streets, warring with each other as they screeched in fury. Soldiers, looters, and mysterious combatants in black armor held key positions in the city.
Avolar was in open rebellion.
Mina watched from a rooftop. The sun had long since set, but the city glowed brightly due to the endless sea of flames that washed through the streets and buildings.
Like Anceston, Avolar was closer to a large town than a city. Its population was in the thousands, rather than the tens of thousands. The streets ran along inclines, as the city was built into a steep hillside in the foothills of the mountains.
Given the time of year, snow covered the roofs, ground, and everything in sight that wasn’t on fire. Which was less than it should be.
Mina’s tails swirled in smooth patterns behind her as she monitored the city. Although she had subordinates doing this for her, she wanted to know what was going on herself. Trust didn’t come easily to her, given who worked for her.
She began to feel that lack of trust was justified. But she had directed it at the wrong people.
There were two foxes in Avolar. She was certain of that now. One of them felt so familiar to her that her stomach had transformed into a pit that threatened to consume her with guilt and anxiety.
Mina recalled Rys, and she dispelled all doubt. He hadn’t fired her after what nearly happened to Vallis. She would get through this.
The forces battling across the city had split into multiple factions. The Malus League had already left, and Gorgria only protected its own safe houses. While hundreds of angry people raged through the streets, they were a distraction.
Riots were a symptom of the chaos that Mina had caused. If she eliminated her political opposition, then they could be quelled quickly.
No, there were four primary factions at play. Three, really.
The least significant faction was that of the military—many soldiers and guards tried to defend the city without picking sides. There appeared to be little reason to deal with them, unless they got in the way.
The most important faction was that of Mina’s puppet. Hyrie, her chief succubus, had taken control of a powerful noble named Count Terraph. His supporters were the same as Mina’s, and she needed to put him in power.
Her primary opposition was the Kinadain who controlled the city. They had allied with the Malus League and fought against Rys. Rather than surrender, they had cracked down harder. Mina had instigated riots, leading to this result.
Finally, there was a faction she hadn’t expected.
Pharos.
Over a hundred soldiers clad from head to toe in black armor with masks covering their faces attempted to stop Mina from seizing the city for Rys. They fought with katanas, wakizashis, daos, and other bladed weapons from Pharos. Their armor bore no emblems, but Mina wasn’t stupid.
She recognized Imperial soldiers when she saw them. After all, she had fought alongside them during her own training. If she had become an adjutant, she would have been in command of them.
A wicked smile crossed Mina’s lips as she thought about what she would do to the traitorous foxes once she won. Her eyes gleamed as she stared out over the city.
“You appear to be enjoying yourself,” Leth said from behind her.
Mina nearly leaped off from the roof, but merely spun and glared at the suit-clad Haunt.
“I told you not to sneak up on me like that,” she hissed.
“Will that be your excuse when your throat is slit because you are paying too little attention?” Leth raised an eyebrow.
She glowered at him. Turning away, she gestured at the city. “This is going to be my first great achievement as spymaster. I’m allowed to enjoy it.”
“Oh, I wasn’t referring to that.” Leth’s laughter seemed to creep into every crevice of her mind, and she forced herself to stay calm.
The Haunts and succubi had orders not to use their powers on her. The reality was more complicated. Infernals knew that they would be punished if they were caught, or did something worth punishing.
Mina attempted to reinforce her mental protections, but doubted they meant much. Leth was in a different league from the rest of the Haunts. He could bring down Avolar by himself if he wanted to.
The only reason he hadn’t was because Mina needed to learn. He reminded her of Grigor and Fred, in a way. Ancient infernals who held back because they firmly believed in the ideal of teaching others to fish, instead of giving them fish.
Or, as Fred once told her, a demon who couldn’t slay his own enemy wasn’t worth protecting in the first place.
Until Mina was strong and smart enough to deserve the full capability of Leth, he wouldn’t lend it to her. Her saving grace was he hadn’t attempted to sabotage her. Yet.
“Is Margrim ready to move on the Kinadain stronghold?” Mina asked.
“Yes, but that’s not why I am here.”
“I had wondered. We’ve been using mindspeak so far. What’s happened?”
“We have a guest who wishes to meet you. There is a great desire to feast on her, given what she looks like.” Leth’s smile broadened.
Mina stared at him in confusion. Her tails flickered behind her.
Then it dawned on her. One of the foxes she had been tracking had moved.
“Don’t touch her!” she snapped. Then she echoed the order through mindspeak. “I’ll be at headquarters soon.”
She leaped off the roof, pumping magic into her limbs as she fell. Their headquarters was a shrine of the Kinadain’s, and she charged across the city to it.
Hyrie stood in the center of the stone shrine, surrounded by carved wooden statues. Another succubus stood beside her, along with two demons. A dozen humans stood guard nearby with vacant expressions.
The hall was large, but simply built. The pews looked rough and uncomfortable to sit on. Old-fashioned cloth torches blazed on the walls, leaving much of the shrine in darkness.
The only other occupant of the hall was a single white-tailed fox, who looked almost identical to Mina.
“Sarae,” Mina said.
Her sister gave her a brittle smile. Fear filled Sarae’s eyes, and her tails and ears flattened when she saw Mina.
Mina hated the feeling of satisfaction she felt. Sarae had formally recognized Mina’s power by lowering her tails.
If Mina wanted to, she could have her sister killed—or worse—with a click of her fingers. The looks on the faces of the succubi made it clear that “worse” was on the table. Not that Mina would let that happen.
“You really are King Talarys’s spymaster,” Sarae said, meeting Mina’s gaze. “I had thought it was some sort of game, and that you were just pawing him up. Or maybe he was indulging you because you were cute. But these devils defer to you.”
“We defer to Lord Talarys, not this child,” Hyrie said.
“Shut up, Hyrie,” Mina snapped. “I need you to take care of the Kinadain stronghold. Support Margrim.”
Hyrie’s face contorted in rage, but she bowed despite herself. Then she and the other succubus left. Most of the dominated human guards left with them.
Sarae took a deep breath. “Are you sure this is the right path?”
“Does it matter? I’m Rys’s spymaster.” Mina narrowed her eyes at her sister. “Nia covered for you. She didn’t even tell me that you left the village.”
“I slipped out under an illusion. Mom covered for me.”
“Bullshit.” Mina cursed several more times. “This is my fault. Fara and Nia both warned me not to rely so heavily on the Garrote Clan, because I shouldn’t rely on a faction outside my own. Is this a test by Nia or…”
She rounded on Sarae. “Or does Nia have orders to cover for you? You’re working for someone. Those are Imperial soldiers out there. They’re working for the Imperial Court. This goes beyond a scheme by the Gold Clan. What branch are you in now, Sarae?”
“Does it matter?” Sarae said, refusing to meet Mina’s eyes.
“Are you an idiot? I’m the person who gets to decide if Rys rips your tails out and uses you as an example.”
“You’d do that to your own sister?”
“I’d do that for Rys.” Mina glared at Sarae, whose eyes widened in shock. “He gave me everything that the clan promised me, but stole away. You don’t understand, Sarae. I’m happy that you got your fourth tail and a job in Pharos, but I didn’t.”
“Liar,” Sarae muttered. “You hate me.”
Mina gulped, but refused to look away. “You have everything I wanted. Everything I trained for, Sarae. And you’re trying to say that I’m in the wrong?”
“You’re the one threatening to kill me.” Sarae laughed, but it was strangled. “This doesn’t matter, anyway.”
Reflexively, Mina checked her surroundings with her tails. She didn’t sense any approaching trap.
Behind her, Leth shrugged. Whether he was making this encounter worse with his abilities was beyond Mina, but she didn’t care.
Seeing Sarae hurt made her feel good. She hated that feeling, but it was the truth.
“Why not?” Mina asked.
“Because I’m here to help you. Those are Imperial soldiers, but they’re not under orders from the Imperial Court. This is a Gold Clan scheme, and it’s time to shut it down. That’s why I’m here.” Sarae finally met Mina’s gaze.
Slowly, it dawned on her what was happening.
“You work for the Imperial Court,” Mina said, all emotion leaving her voice.
One of the most desirable placements for a fox. Mina had spent a few years in the Imperial Court during her adjutant training, under a six-tailed fox named Souma from the Pride Clan. He had taught her everything she knew about politics and politesse. Her ability to serve Rys adeptly was due to that one fox.
Foxes rotated through the Imperial Court in ten-year placements. It was unheard of to get a position with less than six tails, as it was so competitive. Souma was the deputy to the Pride Clan’s Chief Enforcer, and he still had to fight for his position at the Court.
Sarae refused to look at Mina again.
After taking several deep breaths to steady herself, Mina said, “Fine. We can work together. I serve Rys. If you help me deliver Avolar to him, I don’t care.”
Sarae finally smiled, but it was the smallest smile that Mina had ever seen on her sister’s face.
“That’s right,” Sarae said. “I’ve been posted here to… minimize contravention of the Emperor’s decree of non-interference with foreigners. The Gold Clan’s decision to help Avolar against the Kingdom of Kavolara violates that decree. I can help you stop them.”
That sounded a lot like Sarae worked for Imira. Mina made a note to follow up on that later.
Right now, Mina wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t shriek at her sister like a banshee.
Her sister might be working for a fucking Archon. Mina knew that she had lucked out with Rys, and would do anything to keep him onside, but her sister had everything that Mina had originally dreamed of.
Mina suppressed the envy boiling inside her. She remembered the feeling of Rys’s fingers inside her. Of what it had been like when he kissed her the morning that she had gained her fourth tail and become an adult.
That did the trick. Her face reddened, and she swiftly looked away. Her head filled with endless thoughts of Rys, and nothing other than him.
Sarae gave her an odd look.
Leth coughed. “We understand that there is another mystic fox active in the city. They are leading the Imperial soldiers?”
“A Garrote Clan handler sent here secretly by the Gold Clan. I haven’t confirmed her identity, and doing so is important as it will confirm that the Gold Clan intentionally deceived the Imperial Court,” Sarae said.
“I want her,” Mina said.
Sarae frowned. “I only need to confirm her identity, but the Alliance will want her body. Her head and tails will need to be put on show due to her betrayal.”
“Is it betrayal if she followed the orders of the Gold Clan?” Mina muttered.
“Ha. No. But I can guarantee they will attempt plausible deniability. You don’t need to worry about the politics, Mina.” Sarae grimaced. “Let’s just go deal with her. I doubt she’ll fight to the death. We’re trained not to, after all.”
Sarae told Mina where they were going—the mansion of a Kinadain lord named Lord Winter. When Mina relayed the location to Leth, the Haunt stroked his chin.
“Curious. I am certain that is actually Lady Hyrie’s headquarters,” he said.
“I thought she was using Count Terraph?” Mina said.
“He is her puppet, but staying with him was dangerous given the Magus League presence. She used a different lord to hide herself, in case any mages found her,” Leth explained.
Mina stared at Sarae, who shrugged.
“I’m certain she’s hiding there,” Sarae said. “Maybe your succubus is as dumb as she looks? All her development might have gone to those huge tits of hers.”
“Fuck you, Sarae. I know what you’re trying to say about me,” Mina spat.
Her sister smirked at her, and Mina pushed out her substantially larger chest in a show of dominance.
After ordering Leth to provide cover, Mina and Sarae left.
They leaped over rooftops together, landing in snowdrifts next to each other, and competing in a race over who could reach the mansion the fastest. Mina’s muscles burned with magic as she pushed herself to her limits to keep up with Sarae.
Her sister raced along gutters, glided on top of piles of snow, and bounded over fences so easily that Mina felt like she had two tails again and was watching her naturally talented sister show off.
But Mina was thirty years older now, and had trained under some of the most experienced foxes on Pharos.
More importantly, she had been training with Fara almost daily for months now. What Mina lacked in raw ability, she made up for in training.
She avoided obstacles and slopes. The fences? She slipped around them, instead of pointlessly jumping over them. Snow? Mina melted it instead of trying to dance over it or around it. Her tails never stopped moving, and she sometimes propelled herself forward with her magic.
By the time she stood outside the mansion, Mina felt a slight drain on her reserves. But her tails swiftly refreshed her. Her muscles were tense, but no worse than they were after a training session with the demons at the palace.
Whereas Sarae came to a stop almost thirty seconds later, and nearly doubled over. She gasped for breath.
“How… How do you go so fast?” she gasped out, amber eyes staring up at Mina.
“When’s the last time you raced Auntie Nia?” Mina asked.
Sarae stared at her. She opened her mouth to respond, then frowned. “She has like seventy years on us.”
“Do you think that matters on a battlefield? Do you think any of the infernals under me care that I’m a thousand years younger than them?” Mina asked.
Her sister didn’t answer.
“Fara is entirely focused on her training and increasing her strength. I might be entirely devoted to my new job, but it’s because I can’t afford to do anything else,” Mina said. “If I want to be Rys’s spymaster, I need to prove that I deserve it. I need to be fast enough, strong enough, smart enough, and cunning enough to stay ahead of anyone else he could replace me with. I can’t just coast and rely on his good will.”
Sarae looked away. “I feel you’re taking a pot shot at me.”
“You could have easily beat me here,” Mina said quietly.
“I should have beat you here,” Sarae said.
They fell silent for several long seconds.
Then Leth told Mina over mindspeak that he had instigated several brawls nearby. Mina heard the shouts and screams of fighting break out nearby.
The mansion appeared to be abandoned. The wrought-iron fence that surrounded it glowed dully with magic.
A slash of Mina’s tails blew the gate apart. She strode through, Sarae at her back. As they entered, Mina checked her surroundings with her tails.
Besides the brawls outside, Leth was nearby, along with Taras, a pair of Ashen, and some demons. Mina had backup if she needed it.
The moment the foxes entered, Mina knew something was wrong.
This was Hyrie’s domain, but nobody was here. Mina scanned the area with her tails and sensed nothing.
A moment later, she heard Hyrie’s voice in her head, “What are you doing in my demesne, little fox?”
“Is it always this empty?” Mina asked, ignoring Hyrie’s question.
A long pause. “What do you mean? There should be four women in the foyer, where you are right now.”
Mina didn’t ask how Hyrie knew where she was standing.
Instead, she said, “There’s nobody in the entire mansion, Hyrie. Not even corpses. I’m here because there’s a mystic fox hiding here.”
This time, the pause lasted nearly a minute. Sarae poked around the mansion itself, casting arrays in an attempt to find where their target was hiding.
“Pharosian spiritualism,” Hyrie howled. “She’s slain them all! That horrendous fucking slut! I’ll…” She cut off suddenly, and resumed a moment later. “The basement, little fox. There’s a hidden entrance on the second floor, behind the farthest bookshelf in the library. The password likely won’t work.”
A chill ran down Mina’s spine.
The way Hyrie talked about their target made it sound like she knew about her, and where she was hiding.
Mina wanted to accuse her, but stopped herself. Rys had warned her that the infernals would make attempts like this. If she found clues, then she would use them against Hyrie.
More importantly, this was the second time today that Mina had learned that one of her intelligence sources was unreliable. Hyrie had either been deceived or was actively working against Mina. Auntie Nia had lied to her because the Imperial Court had ordered her to.
Amusingly, only Leth had been loyal so far, despite being the most powerful and capable of her subordinates. If anyone could replace Mina, it would be him.
Truly a career minion. Mina promised to do something to make him and the Haunts feel valued. Like letting them ruin a political movement. They’d probably enjoy that.
Mina ordered Leth and the other infernals to move in, but to keep their distance. She wanted Leth to hide their presence from Sarae.
Then she told Sarae what Hyrie told her.
“Sounds like your succubus wasn’t as dumb as I thought,” Sarae commented.
They found the hidden entrance. The ward was familiar. Both of them had been taught it while on Pharos.
Mina blew it apart. The moment it went down, she felt a surge of magic from below the mansion.
Their target knew they were coming.
Mina and Sarae charged down the claustrophobic spiral staircase that led to the basement. Down there, they found the corpses of Lord Winter, his wife, daughters, and presumably his servants. All their bodies appeared to be preserved with magic, likely to prevent them from rotting.
The room had a strange sense of stillness. The air didn’t seem to move. Mina breathed in, and her throat felt raw afterward. She cast a cleansing array on herself, then one that supplied air. The room might be full of toxins.
Maps, weapons, torture instruments, figures, and reams of paper covered tables and walls.
A single mystic fox stood in the center of it all. She had five white tails and looked like the stereotypical Garrote Clan fox. Mina didn’t recognize her.
The fox whirled on them. Her tails began to move, automatically casting arrays.
Mina and Sarae responded in kind.
Force blasts exploded on each other in the air. Papers were shredded, and the room turned into a mess of ribbons and flying figures.
The three foxes glared at each other. Thirteen fluffy tails stood on end, ready to cast arrays.
“The traitor and the pawn,” the five-tailed fox spat. She held a bamboo cylinder in her arms, but it was open.
A message canister. She had been preparing an instant transmission for whoever she was working with—presumably the Gold Clan.
“The Alliance will judge who is the traitor,” Sarae said coldly. “You’re Aochi, aren’t you? I recognize you now.”
Mina scowled. So much for “not confirming her identity.” Sarae knew exactly who had been working against Rys.
“And you’re the youngest children of the worst thing to happen to this archipelago,” Aochi said. “The Alliance should have wiped out your traitorous family decades ago.”
Mina glared at Aochi. “You’re betraying the Alliance, the Garrote Clan, the Imperial Court, and even Archon Imira, while claiming that it’s my family that’s the problem?”
She was going to enjoy watching Rys murder this bitch. Mina bit her lip and tasted blood.
“I’m betraying nothing. You understand, Sarae. The Archon will support me once she knows what this King Talarys truly is,” Aochi said.
Silently, Mina ordered Leth to move in. There must be another exit from the basement, given Aochi was preparing to leave when they entered.
Sarae rolled her eyes. “Uh, yeah. Archon Imira knows all about him. You’re missing the part where she doesn’t give a fuck, because he’s not on Pharos, and you’re violating a decree of the emperor.”
“You don’t know her. She will—”
“I have my orders. Surrender, or I’ll be sending your head and tails back to her on a boat,” Sarae snapped.
Aochi’s tails began to move.
This time, Mina didn’t waste time on a force blast. She tried to disrupt the spell using her training with Fara.
It half-worked. When Aochi cast her force blast, it fizzled. Sarae’s blast slammed into Aochi, but bounced off a force barrier that their opponent had cast simultaneously.
The three foxes froze again.
“Two children cannot beat me,” Aochi declared.
“Maybe not. But they can.” Mina pointed behind Aochi.
The elder fox refused to turn around. Instead, her tails moved.
Or tried to. Meaty red hands reached out and grabbed them. Aochi screamed, her eyes widening.
Reflexively, she struck at the demons. Her empowered fists practically obliterated the arm of a demon.
The other demon tried to hit Aochi in return, but her tail suddenly puffed up into a ball of spikes. Howls of pain echoed from the demons as their hands and arms were transformed into pincushions. They tried to free themselves, and Aochi attempted the same.
She hadn’t realized that the demons were strong enough that they wouldn’t simply die from having their entire arms and bodies pierced with foot-long spikes of rock.
Then Aochi collapsed to the ground with a series of sickening cracks. Mina’s and Sarae’s tails stopped moving, as they both finished casting their force blasts at the same time. They had shattered Aochi’s ribs and many other bones.
“Enough,” Mina snapped, as the demons attempted to finish off the fallen fox. “I want her alive. Strip her, tie her up—including her tails—and package her up for transport. King Talarys wants her.”
The mere mention of Rys’s name sent the infernals into paroxysms of terror. The demons and other new arrivals rushed to aid them.
A figure swathed in black appeared behind Mina. He bowed.
“Spymaster Mina, I have confirmation that we have crushed almost all resistance,” Taras informed her.
“I’ll tell Hyrie to move onto the next step. It’s time to establish Count Terraph as Duke Terraph, and for Rys to take control of Avolar,” Mina declared.
Sarae looked between the two of them with a raised eyebrow. “You had the infernals here the entire time?”
“I’m a spymaster, Sarae. As fun as coming here with you was, did you really think I was going to do this alone?” Mina asked her.
Sarae frowned. “I suppose. Who’s this, then? I didn’t know you had ninjas working for you.”
Taras puffed up with pride. The Malakin had a weird obsession with mystic foxes and Pharos. Mina found it useful, in a manipulative way.
“I am Tarasu,” Taras declared, lying about his name as always. “I command Lord Talarys’s elite contingent of ninjas.”
That was a new one. Mina felt no need to correct him, however. She had always wanted to command an elite contingent of ninjas.
Plus, Rys’s face when he found out about Taras’s latest lie would be amazing.