Chapter 1
Are you all right?
The unspoken question etched Kit’s face whenever Timothy glanced at her. Her brow furrowed as she watched him from the other opposite side of the wagon. She’d kept her distance since that night. He wanted her to berate him. Her silence cut deeper than any of her sharp words.
Timothy sighed and shook his head.
He watched the brown-clad man riding a short distance ahead. The man’s bandana streamed behind him. Yellow today. Yuzu stared at Daeric Rhine’s back from her seat on the wagon. She held the shaggy mule’s reins tight. The wagon jerked under Timothy’s hand, and Yuzu groaned. Walking over the exposed rocks and roots looked better than riding on that hard seat.
How could I be all right? We buried my mother three days back. He frowned. It is strange how only now I can think of Evelyn using that word. Mother.
Snow fell from clouds that reminded Timothy of a ewe’s belly. He pulled his wool cloak tighter. At least the trees cut the wind. The road they followed skirted the evergreen forest. The ragged dirt ribbon divided the pines from their bare sibling maples. The pines’ low skeleton arms thrusted from their peeling trunks. High overhead, their green needles collected some of the falling snow. Timothy peered into the dark recesses. He doubted any snow could have made it through the tangled needles. The sight reminded him of a smaller grove where he used to weather a storm when he was still a shepherd. Those days of watching sheep and reading books felt distant. There was no going back sometimes. His mind drifted over the past, over memories of Kyle and Aunt Mae. Of Kyle pushing him to dance with girls during festivals. Of Aunt Mae’s stern lectures. I hope Kyle is well. Will I ever know what happened to him? Timothy hoped Aunt Mae was well, too.
Kit had changed everything. Despite it all, he felt grateful for the first time he’d looked into Kit’s meadow eyes. He glanced at her now and opened his mouth. She looked away.
He sighed.
Daeric guided his horse. "We should camp here for the night." He gestured at a section of evergreens shorn of their lower branches.
"You don’t need to tell me twice." Yuzu snapped the reins and turned the mule toward the clearing. Timothy trudged behind.
So much has happened. Kyle is likely married to Henrietta by now. Cat is gone. It is funny how I miss that little lamb. I almost died, and Evelyn is gone. He still felt weak whenever he pushed himself. His chest burned for air faster than he remembered. He held up his hand. A few round scars whitened patches of skin. If it wasn’t for Kit, he wouldn’t have gotten sick. But if it wasn’t for Kit, I also wouldn’t be alive right now.
The clearing smelled of pine needles, and the ground sprang against Timothy’s feet. Yuzu fell from the wagon and rubbed her bottom. "Sister, you will take that hard seat tomorrow." She glanced around. "Timmy, where’s Sis? She was right there a moment ago."
Daeric wheeled his horse. "Do not worry. I shall see to her." He galloped off.
Yuzu planted her hands on her hips and frowned at Timothy. Her black hair fluttered in the cold wind. "What is wrong with you?"
Timothy blinked. "What—"
"Do you want Daeric to steal her away from you?" Yuzu stalked toward him. "Don’t tell me you can’t see how he looks at her."
Timothy leaned back and grasped at his shattered thoughts. "I…I’m—"
"She’s worried about you. You haven’t talked since that night. You are not the only one to lose…" Yuzu shook her head and took a deep breath. "Daeric is going to swoop in if you wait too long."
"I am not worried about Daeric."
Yuzu punched him in the shoulder. "You should be. You—"
Timothy crossed his arms. "What about you? You spend all day making ewe eyes at him."
"I need someone to practice on, and you haven’t been exactly fun to be around with your moping."
"Moping? Kit killed my mother." Timothy rubbed his forehead.
"While she was saving you from her." Yuzu clenched her hands. "Are you—"
Timothy held up a hand. "I’m not angry at Kit. She did what she needed to do. I…I just need time to think."
Yuzu sighed. "If you are not mad at Kit, tell her. She is worried about it."
Daeric galloped into the clearing with Kit riding sidesaddle behind. She wore a grimace.
"You mustn’t wander like that." Daeric dismounted and lifted Kit from the horse. "These woods are full of bandits." His hands lingered on her hips after her feet were on the ground.
Yuzu elbowed Timothy and lifted an eyebrow.
"I was lost in my thoughts, Master Rhine," Kit said. Her cheeks held a hint of red.
"It is good that a true man like me is around then." Daeric included Yuzu in his smile.
"A real man knows what he values," Kit didn’t look at Timothy, but he felt the barb.
Daeric flourished a bow. "You and Sunflower are priceless. I will see you…home."
Yuzu glanced at Timothy and rolled her eyes. "And you don’t see this as a problem, Timothy? Not even Allen would be that dumb." She shrugged and raised her voice. "At least make yourself useful, and help us set up camp."
"While you do that," Daeric loosened the straps on his stallion’s saddle, "I will secure the area."
Of course he will, Timothy thought. He met Kit’s gaze and glanced away. He knew he couldn’t avoid Kit forever. How can I face her after I broke down like that?
Darkness overtook the little camp soon after the tents were up. Timothy huddled in a blanket next to the small fire. Snow drifted at the edge of the firelight. Yuzu drowsed in her cloak and blanket beside him, and Kit sat facing the night. Daeric hadn’t returned. Kit insisted he would have followed them if she didn’t hire him as a guide. The hungry look the man aimed at Kit suggested she was right. Could Daeric know she was a fox? Timothy didn’t doubt that possibility. Far too many people wanted a fox for a trophy. No. Daeric also looked at Yuzu in the same way. It was probably just Timothy’s imagination. For all I know, Kit could have hired Daeric just to get back at me for something. Either way, Timothy didn’t trust Daeric. He didn’t need Kit’s nose to dislike the man. Daeric strutted worse than Trent had back at Honheim.
Honheim. So much changed in that town. He watched Kit’s back. Her hood flexed as her fox ears moved under the fabric. Kit turned her head and caught his gaze. We can’t avoid each other forever, Timothy thought. He opened his mouth.
Daeric burst into the camp and kicked out the small fire, plunging them into darkness. "We have trouble coming."
Yuzu jerked awake. "Wha—"
Daeric snatched the reins of the horse and the mule from the tree. "We have to move. Knock down those tents. We can only hope we are far enough off the road."
Kit stood. Her eyes gleamed in the darkness. "Do as he says, Timothy."
Timothy’s eyes adjusted to the wane light. Kit stood stiff, and her hood tented over her ears. "Men are coming."
"Don’t just stand there," Daeric said. "Get those tents out of sight. We can only hope they won’t see the wagon. Hurry."
Yuzu stumbled toward the tents and kicked out their supports. Daeric disappeared between the skeleton pines with the mule and horse in tow. Timothy swallowed and knocked down the other tent.
"What is going on?" Yuzu’s eyes were wide.
Kit hissed and laid a hand on each of their shoulders. "Men are coming. Hurry."
She pushed them into the trees and down to the ground. The dead needles dug into Timothy’s hands. Several moments passed. Kit lay beside him; her hand moved in small circles on his shoulder. Shouldn’t I be trying to calm her?
Timothy heard boots crunching the snow. "Who would be traveling at night?" he whispered.
Kit shook her head.
Lanterns cast yellow light between
the pines. Men marched in file. Their breastplates reflected the light. Halberds angled over slumping shoulders. Their red-and-white-striped uniforms marked them as papal soldiers. The men gazed into the night beyond their lanterns’ glow.
Kit’s hand squeezed.
The men marched past in a steady pace. Timothy counted close to fifty soldiers. One man strode behind the columns. His black robes absorbed the light from his lantern.
"Balwar?" Kit whispered.
The Jesuit trudged past, looking as tired as the soldiers. The pines engulfed the light. Timothy remained where he was. Kit would let them know when it was safe to move. What is Balwar doing here? Timothy thought. The last time he’d seen the Jesuit, Cat had died saving them from the heretic Tahd. Timothy frowned. Could Balwar be hunting Kit?
Kit stood, leaving a warm spot where her hand had rested on his shoulder. Timothy and Yuzu followed.
"Who’s Balwar?" Yuzu wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
"A Jesuit." Kit tilted her head. "Daeric is coming."
Yuzu rubbed her arms.
Daeric emerged from the woods with the animals behind him. "They are going to the garrison."
"Garrison?" Yuzu asked. She hopped from one foot to the other.
"Would you stop hopping?" Kit said.
Yuzu met Kit’s gaze and continued bouncing on her toes.
"The Church keeps a garrison near Belafonte." Daeric hung the mule’s and horse’s reins on a tree. "I guess they fear the memories of this place."
Timothy looked at Kit. Her smooth face told him just how anxious she felt. "Is it okay for us to stay here?" he asked.
Daeric moved toward the collapsed tents. "For them to travel at night without scouts…we will be fine here for tonight." He began setting the supports. "The tents will be warmer."
"Not with you." Yuzu bent to the second tent. "Why would anyone risk traveling at night?"
"Who can say?" Daeric’s voice was distant.
Kit snatched Timothy’s arm. "He smells like he anticipates something. Be careful," she whispered.
"I thought we weren’t speaking? Besides, bringing him along was your idea." Timothy said.
"We are not speaking. I told you we didn’t have a choice. We had to take him. He smells unlike anything I’ve encountered." She frowned. "It is familiar and yet—never mind. We are not speaking."
He grabbed her hand. "We can’t keep avoiding each other."
"I would have never guessed that, considering we are traveling together." Kit pulled her hand free. "Just be careful until I figure out what Daeric is. He almost doesn’t smell human."
"What he is? What do you mean he doesn’t smell human?" Timothy asked.
"I said almost. It could just be all the smoke from Honheim messed up my nose. Well, since you look ready to talk, let’s talk." She snatched his hand and began pulling him toward the pines ringing the camp.
"Wait, Kit. You—"
"You are the being sheep-stubborn, and I am done being patient with you." Kit dragged Timothy away from the camp and into the tangle of bare branches.
As they walked deeper in to the shelter of the pines, Kit’s stride shortened, and her shoulders slumped. Her hand felt clammy. She stopped and let his hand fall. The trees were quiet.
I should say something. She is waiting for me. She probably thinks me weak after I broke down on her like that. What man would cry like that? Timothy thought. She had to carry me out of Honheim! How can she expect to rely on me?
She took a deep breath and lowered her hood, revealing her slumped fox ears. A pale strip of moonlight caught her eyes. She didn’t look at him."There is something I was wondering."
"Obviously." Timothy cursed his tongue.
Kit glared at him. "You are not making it any easier." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you…hate me?"
Timothy blinked. That was not the question he was expecting. "What? No! How could I?"
"I killed your mother."
Timothy froze. That is what she worried about? He shook his head. "You saved my life. I…I rely on you." He turned away. "I rely on you for everything. I am useless. Why did you choose me? I couldn’t even save my own mother."
Kit walked around to face him. "So you don’t hate me?"
"How could I?"
Kit punched Timothy’s ribs hard enough to make him grunt.
"What was that for?"
"For your moping. For being an idiot. For making me worry these last three days." Kit’s ears quivered. "For making me think you hated me for…for what I did."
"I don’t—" Timothy said. Kit punched him again. "Would you stop that?"
"At least your bony ribs no longer cut me. See? Salted ham does well for adding meat and muscle." She jabbed a stiff finger in his chest in time with her words. "What. Is. Bothering. You?"
Timothy looked away. "I…am not much of a man."
"This again? Do you need me to check?"
"I broke down on you. I…cried on you."
"And I killed your mother." Kit grabbed his coat. "How do you think I felt when you cried on me?"
"Put upon?"
Kit tugged him close. "You are a muttonhead. I felt terrible. Afraid. Guilty. And…" Her brow furrowed. She tightened her grip on his coat. "And you need to stop being a woolbrain. I told you before when you moped about Trent—"
Timothy grimaced. "That was bad."
"I’m sorry." Kit’s ears drooped. "I have been terrible to you, after all you’ve done for me."
Timothy felt awkward. She really is worried about me. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I don’t blame you for what happened."
Her shoulder quivered. "You say that."
"I mean it. She had both hands around the knife, remember? She could have stabbed herself."
"You better not be lying."
"Kit, do you think I would tolerate your abuse if I hated you?"
She smiled. "Well, you do like that type of attention."
Timothy rolled his eyes.
"No more brooding." She shook a finger at him.
‘"I’m not brooding. I am just worried. Worried about what we will do when we get to Belafonte."
"I worry about Belafonte too. Don’t look at me like that. Of course I worry. I don’t know what to expect. I fear all of this will be for nothing. That I won’t remember anything when I get there. That there won’t be anything to see or to remember." She patted his cheek and suddenly pinched his cheek—hard. "We should have talked days ago." She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. "Get some sleep, manly man, and I don’t mean that sarcastically."
Timothy sighed. "A man who cries."
Kit grabbed his hair and pulled him close. Mischief gleamed in her eyes, and her fangs caught the moonlight. "I told you to stop. Do you really think that makes you less than a man? Does being one mean you have to think with your chest hair?"
"I…don’t—"
"I can’t believe your moping is going to make me say this."
"Wha—"
She pulled him so close their noses touched. "I felt special when you came to me. Trusted. It takes a strong man to let himself feel and to show it. You are finished with your moping now, aren’t you?"
"Kit…"
"Aren’t you?"
Timothy sighed. "Yes, Aunt Kit."
Kit released him and patted the top of his head. "Now be a dear, and go to sleep."
The wagon creaked beside Timothy. Daeric rode ahead, scanning the forest. Kit insisted Timothy should walk. Never mind how she traded place with Yuzu every few miles. Kit now strolled beside him. A layer of thin snow blanketed the ground and covered the boot prints from the soldiers who had passed the night before.
Timothy pulled his coat collar tight. He had long ago lost his sense of direction beneath the monotony of the trees. People complained about pastures looking the same. At least rolling hills topped with groves of trees had variety.
Pain yanked him from his thoughts. Kit smiled at him. "Will you stop that?" Tim
othy rubbed his bottom. "We should be looking for more soldiers."
"I am glad you are back to your old worrying self." Kit adjusted her hood.
Yuzu chuckled behind her hand. "He does blush," she said. "I don’t remember Allen doing that."
"Timothy is a special boy, Yuzu." Kit held up a finger and patted Timothy’s back with her other hand. "This type makes for the most fun. Some think you offer what you do not. Timmy would rather run away than do that."
"As if I could run away," Timothy said.
Yuzu frowned. "Allen and I were too young to worry about that."
"How old were you?" Timothy asked.
Yuzu picked at the checkered blanket covering her legs. "Allen died over five years ago."
Timothy scratched his stubble. "I…I’m sorry."
Yuzu shrugged and wiped an eye with the back of her hand. "We grew up together. His family took me in when Da…" She shook her head. "Allen and I were always together until the accident. I was at the market when it happened. One of the houses fell into ours and…." She sighed. "I did odd jobs and had a small room with a seamstress until she got sick. I found Hoss and Mira when I left. What about you, Sis?"
Daeric twisted in his saddle. "My heart rends for your tale, Moonflower. I, for one, am glad you were at the market that day."
Yuzu blinked. "Uh, thanks."
Daeric bobbed his head. "Please carry on. You are safe with me on watch." He turned back to the road.
"Sis?" Yuzu asked.
"I’d rather not talk about it."
"I want to know all about my new sister," Yuzu said. "Timmy, why don’t you tell me then?"
Kit frowned.
"I haven’t known Kit all that long." And yet it has felt like much longer.
"And yet you are married?" Yuzu asked. "Was it arranged?"
Kit snagged Timothy’s arm. "It was love at first sight. For him, not for me. He kind of grew on me, like a wart." She smiled. "I still wonder if I should have him removed."
"Don’t let her fool you. She fell for my charm at the outset," Timothy said. The banter felt nice.
"Oh yes, the smell of wool and musty books is just so attractive." Kit sniffed.
Yuzu’s smile slipped. "I really miss them—Allen. Hoss. Mira. Colt. I…it is okay to move on, right, Sis?"
Memory Hunted Page 1
