“It’s okay,” Beth said.
“No, it’s not! I want to make things right between us, make up for the way I’ve been treating you, and I thought I’d lost that chance. I…” Tears came to Michiko’s eyes. “I thought I’d lost you. When this is over, when we get home, I promise that I’ll make things better. I promise.”
Beth nodded and felt relief sweep through her as she returned Michiko’s embrace. “Thank you, Michiko,” she said softly. “Thanks for everything.”
“Thank you, Beth,” Michiko said. They pulled closer together, holding each other until Beth regained the strength in her legs.
When Michiko pulled back, she smiled as she wiped her eyes, and Beth couldn’t help but smile back warmly. “Should we get back to the others?” she asked.
“Yep!” Michiko walked towards where the group was waiting. “Let’s hope Merchant Sheng has some pizza hiding in his saddlebags!” Beth giggled as she followed her friend.
Chapter Six
The airship had come to a stop in mid-air, and its crew had all retreated below decks, the guinea pigs showing respect for their captain in a private moment. She stood astern, next to a rescue airship. “Must you go?” Beth said to the masked rogue Starling, who was in the pilot’s seat of the small airship.
The rogue nodded. “You no longer need me, Beth. You’re strong, you’re smart. I know there’ll be someone else for you.”
Beth shook her head. “No, there won’t,” she said. “I’m nothing special. Who else could care for someone like me?”
For the last time, Starling took off her mask, setting it on the passenger’s seat next to her. “You’ll be surprised,” she said with a sad smile, tears in her dark and brooding eyes. “Goodbye, Beth.” She leaned out of the rescue ship and kissed Beth on the forehead.
“Goodbye, Anneliese,” Beth said softly, not bothering to hide her tears. She watched the rescue ship slowly rise up from the deck and fly away, watched Anneliese leave her life again, and when the shaking started she thought it was just her heart breaking—
“Aaiyah!” Beth opened her eyes and saw Auntie Ting’s face hovering in front of hers. “Get up, wizard!” the priestess said with a grin, letting go of Beth’s shoulders. “We need to leave soon!”
“I’m not a wizard,” Beth muttered as she sat up, shaking off her dream. She and the others had been forced to sleep on the hard ground near the fallen rope bridge. Merchant Sheng did have a small tent, but it could only hold two, and Sheng and Michiko had insisted on giving those spots to Auntie Ting and Princess Jiao. The others had to make do with blankets and, in Beth’s case, a towel that doubled as a pillow. The night had been warm, and they had found shelter from the wind, so Beth had slept as comfortably as she could, even with her achy joints and shaky nerves from the night before.
“Good morning!” Beth looked at Michiko, who smiled as she leaned down and held out a hand.
“Are you sure it’s morning?” Beth said as Michiko helped her up. “It’s still dark.”
“We’ve done this before!”
“We have,” Beth said, “but when we did, there was coffee.”
“But there’s breakfast!” Michiko said.
“More like ‘leftover dinner’,” Beth muttered.
“And tea! It’s very strong, too!”
“I can tell you’ve had some already.” Beth grinned as she started after Michiko, but it faded when she saw Merchant Sheng. He was standing by the pack mules, getting something out of the saddlebags. Beth could see that the mules were acting up, backing away from Sheng, braying in protest. A voice in her mind said, This isn’t right! Those mules love him! but she ignored it as she followed Michiko towards the others, and breakfast.
“Merchant!” Auntie Ting snapped as the group made its way through the woods. “Are you certain that we’re going the right way?”
“I’ve taken this route a dozen times,” Merchant Sheng said calmly. “We’ll be fine.”
“Why am I not feeling that reassured?” Beth whispered to Michiko. The sun was still not quite up, and a morning fog still clung to the trail and the surrounding trees.
“Don’t worry,” Michiko whispered back. “Sheng knows his way around Nui like the back of his hand.”
“He’s not wearing gloves, is he?”
Michiko giggled. “He’s studied every map he could find, and he always brings—”
Auntie Ting glared back at them. “Monkey Queen! Wizard!” she snapped. Beth bit back her reply as the priestess continued, “Stay alert! We need to be—”
A rustling noise came from a nearby clump of trees. Michiko dropped into a defensive stance, staff at the ready, as Prince Yun and Merchant Sheng reached for their swords. “Whoever’s there,” Michiko said, “come out.”
Beth felt her heart racing as everyone waited. Then, the underbrush parted.
A fox walked into the clearing. She, and Beth couldn’t explain how she knew the fox was female, was mostly orange, but with white highlights on her fur, white paws, and a beautiful bushy white-tipped tail. “Seems friendly for a fox,” Beth said.
“Kitsune!” Auntie Ting screamed.
“Huh?”
“Demon spirit! Monster! Cast it out!” The fox seemed to cringe at the priestess’ words and started to back away. Beth saw the fox limp as she moved, saw the pleading in her eyes.
Michiko scowled and started to walk towards the fox. “Leave it be, Monkey Queen!” Auntie Ting shouted. “It will only be trouble!”
“I can’t,” Michiko said as she looked down at the fox. “Whether or not she is a kitsune, even if she bears us ill will, she’s in pain. I have to help her.” She dropped her staff on the ground behind her and knelt by the fox.
“Wizard!” Auntie Ting snapped. “Go talk some sense into your friend!”
“I’m not a wizard,” Beth said. “And Michiko’s right.”
She walked over to Michiko, who was examining the fox’s right forepaw. “Beth?” she said. “Did you bring your first aid kit?”
“Yeah.” Beth pulled a tin box from her pocket and handed it to her partner.
“Can you hold her still?”
“Hang on a sec.” Beth took off her jacket and knelt next to Michiko. She wrapped the jacket as best as she could around the fox; she could feel the animal trembling as she held her.
“Hi!” Michiko said to the fox. “I’m the Monkey Queen, but my friends call me Michiko. That’s my friend and partner, Beth.” Michiko dug into a pocket as she continued, “I don’t know if you can understand me or not, but we’re going to help you.”
“I’ve read about kitsunes,” Beth said. She could feel the fox shudder in her arms. “What’s the real story?”
“They come from Toyotoki.” Michiko opened the first aid kit. “The older ones are very wise and pious, but the younger ones can be a bit wild and capricious. And they all have some magical tricks.”
“Is there any way to tell one from your everyday fox?”
“Not unless they want you to.” Michiko stared at the fox. “Looks like you cut that paw on a rock or something. It’s getting worse, and it might be infected.” She opened an antiseptic towelette. “This is going to hurt a little. I’m sorry.”
She started to clean the wound. The fox started to wriggle in Beth’s arms. Instinctively, Beth softly said, “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. She’s here to help you.” She could feel the fox settle down, though she jerked as Michiko finished the cleaning.
The Monkey Queen took a small jar of salve from the box. “This,” she said, “is from my Grandmother Fox. It will help with everything—speed the healing, fight any infections, reduce the swelling.” She applied some salve to the fox’s paw, gently massaging it in. Beth could feel the fox relax in her arms as the salve took effect.
Michiko quickly bandaged the paw. “There!” she said with a smile. “Now, you really should find a safe spot and rest for a few hours. Okay?”
Beth set the fox down and unwrapped her jacket. The fox
looked back at her, then over at Michiko. She slowly walked away from them and the others, into the forest and the fog, still limping slightly.
Merchant Sheng shook his head. “I still say that was a kitsune. Can’t trust them.”
“What’s done is done,” Auntie Ting said with a scowl. “Let’s get going.” She started down the trail, with Merchant Sheng, the prince and the princess following.
Michiko repacked the first aid kit and stood up. “I did the right thing, didn’t I?” she asked herself.
“Yes.” She looked over and saw Beth, smiling as she put on her jacket. “Even if no else thinks so, I know you did.” Michiko smiled back as she and Beth hurried after the others.
The fog had faded as the day went on, but the forest had thickened, the trees taller, and it was still dark along the faint trail. “Sheng?” Princess Jiao asked. “Are you certain this is safe?”
“I’ve taken this route a dozen times,” the merchant said calmly. “We’ll be fine.”
“He says that a lot!” Michiko said to Beth.
“Sounds like one of those ‘It’s quiet. Too quiet.’ moments,” Beth said softly as they brought up the rear. “Are you sure Sheng is right about this trail being safe?”
“Usually, yes.” Michiko scanned the trees and brush along the trail as they walked. “But by now, Lord Hong has to know what we’re up to. Stay alert.”
Beth pulled out her magic wand. “Michiko?” she asked. “You had mentioned that there had been some history with you and Lord Hong?”
Michiko grinned. “I’m sure he had a crush on me.”
“A crush?”
“He did propose to me.”
“Oh boy.”
“It wasn’t too hard to say no. He only wanted me as a trophy, something to show off at court.” Michiko shook her head. “He wouldn’t have been worth it.”
“Was he at least cute?” Beth asked with a grin.
Michiko stuck out her tongue. “Not even.”
“You’d rather kiss a kitsune, huh?”
“Well…” Beth glanced at Michiko and was surprised to see her blushing. She wondered why, but before she could try to guess, Michiko said, “Beth?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever…thought about your future?”
Beth stopped and glanced at her friend. “Huh?”
“I know what I’ll be doing. Saving the world.” Michiko stopped next to Beth and grinned. “What about you?”
“I…” Beth shook her head. “I never really figured it out beyond college. Maybe I’ll teach, or try to write, or something.” She stared into the distance.
“Oh,” Michiko said, sadly and too softly for Beth to hear.
“The main reason I chose Cooper College was because it was the school with a scholarship that was furthest away from my parents. Even with the new extension opening soon, I’m still pretty much stuck with my English major.”
“Why did you want to get away from them?” Michiko said. “They’re your mom and dad!”
“Yeah, but I wanted them out of my life.” Beth tried to swallow away her anger. “They didn’t want me around anyway. I was always an afterthought. My brother was the golden boy, and I was just there.”
“Why would they treat you like that?”
“Because they thought I’d never amount to anything.” Beth kept her voice flat, emotionless, somehow. “They didn’t think I was special.”
“Oh, Beth,” Michiko said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Beth stared at the ground. “It only hurts when I think about it.”
Michiko nodded and placed her hand on her partner’s shoulder. “Beth…I…”
Beth looked up and smiled warmly. “Thanks, Michiko. It’ll be okay, really. We should try to catch up with the others.”
“Okay.” Michiko turned away and walked quickly down the trail, too quickly for Beth to see her biting her lip, the disappointment in her eyes.
Beth started to follow her, but paused when Michiko stopped, peeking around a bend, holding up her hand. “What’s going on?” Beth said.
“Trouble,” Michiko said softly. She waved her partner over.
Beth moved next to Michiko and looked down the trail. She saw that Princess Jiao and the others were being led away by six large creatures carrying spears and chains. “Oh crap,” she said. “Ogres?”
“Good guess,” Michiko whispered. “It may be a good thing we got separated. It gives us time to figure out how to rescue them.”
“And it looks like everyone’s okay,” Beth said.
“Until dinner time.”
“I didn’t think ogres were cannibals.”
“Here, they are,” Michiko said. “If they’re working for Lord Hong, they won’t eat the princess, but if they are, they’ll eat her first.”
“Eat her…” Beth stopped and took a deep breath. “Michiko? Remember that time with the troll?”
“I do! Are you pondering what I’m pondering?”
Beth grinned. “I think so, Michiko, but I hope you brought the Grey Poupon.”
“Unhand me!” Jiao shouted as the ogre snapped the heavy shackles in place around her wrists.
“Gladly.” The ogre smiled as he set the princess down. She tugged at her chains, only to see that they were attached to a stake that had been driven deep in the ground. “You don’t need to worry,” the ogre added as he walked over to the edge of the clearing, where Prince Yun, Merchant Sheng and Auntie Ting were all shackled together and gagged. “Lord Hong will pay nicely for you, after all.”
“What about the others?” the princess asked.
“Lord Hong doesn’t want us to leave evidence,” the ogre said. “And our food’s been running low, and the merchant’s pack mules got away, so…” He licked his lips as Jiao shuddered.
Another ogre walked up to him. He wore a bloodstained apron and was brandishing a large rusty carving knife. “Who’s on the table tonight, chief?” he asked.
“That priestess, maybe?” the first ogre suggested. “She seems dangerous.”
“Her?” the cook said. “See how old she is?” He ignored Auntie Ting’s muffled curses. “And tiny! Not much there.”
“So what do we do with her?”
“Dry her out, season her, slice her up.”
“Jerky! Excellent idea!” the chief said.
“Thank you.” The cook smiled.
“What about the merchant?”
The ogre cook eyed Sheng. “He’s a walker,” he said. “A survivor. Tough. Stewing meat.”
“But that’ll take all night!” the chief objected.
The other ogres gathered around their leader. “Are you sure we can’t eat the princess?” one said. “She looks so tender.”
“No!” the chief said. “Hong will only pay if she’s alive and intact.”
“And part of that,” the cook added, “is going to replace this.” He pointed to his knife. “Those rust stains aren’t coming out.”
“So, it’s the prince?”
The chef eyeballed Yun, who stared at him defiantly. “He’ll have to do,” the ogre finally said. “Maybe if we boil him for an hour or two first—”
“I’ve got a better idea!” The ogres all turned to see Michiko, standing where the woods met the clearing, hands on hips. “How about me?” she said.
The ogres stared at her. The chief said, in a dry-throated voice, “You?”
“Yep!” Michiko grinned. “You guys probably eat faeries all the time, but I’ll bet you’ve never eaten an Earthling before!”
“Earthling?” The cook sized Michiko up as the other ogres started to drool.
“Young, fresh and tasty!” Michiko pirouetted, and one ogre moaned with hunger. “And not an ounce of fat on me! All lean meat!”
“No!” Princess Jiao yelled as she watched. “Get away, Michiko!” Near her, the other prisoners all shook their heads and shouted through their gags.
“Not an ounce of fat on her.” Auntie Ting looked over her sho
ulder and saw Beth, holding a skeleton key wrapped in brass wire. “Gee, thanks for reminding me.” She tapped the priestess’ shackles with Mec’s gadget, and they sprung open.
Auntie Ting slipped off her gag. “Wizard!” she said with a smile.
“If I were really a wizard,” Beth said as she moved over to Merchant Sheng, “I’d magic away these last ten pounds.”
“She’d be perfect,” the ogre cook said through a mouthful of saliva.
“Of course!” Michiko said cheerfully. “And healthy! Just roast me up with a nice selection of organic veggies!”
“Sounds…delicious.”
“Oh! Speaking of organs! There’s a little trick you can try with my gizzards!”
“Your…gizzards?”
“Yep!” Michiko grinned. “Just boil my heart, lungs and liver in my own stomach!”
The chief and the cook exchanged glances. “That could work,” the chief said.
“Of course it will! Just imagine eating Monkey Queen haggis!”
“I’ve never had haggis…” The chief stopped and stared at Michiko. “Monkey Queen?” he said as his face contorted with terror.
“Sorry, guys, but I’ll have to pass on dinner.” Michiko stretched out her right arm, and her staff flew out of the woods and into her hand. “I’m a vegetarian.” She swung her staff and hit the chief in the head. As he staggered back, the cook thrust his knife at Michiko; she parried the blow and struck the ogre in the side.
“Stop her!” the chief shouted. Two ogres charged Michiko, growling as they raised their clubs. She swung her staff at them, but they jumped back as another ogre moved behind Michiko and kicked her in the knee. She fell, bumping her head on the hard ground, dropping her staff.
“Michiko!” Beth shouted as she freed Jiao. The princess jumped to her feet and ran towards the ogres, reaching for her fans as Beth pulled out her wand.
Four ogres blocked Jiao’s way as the ogre cook stepped on Michiko’s stomach. “I think we’ll just have you raw,” the chief said, raising his axe and smiling as Michiko stared defiantly at him. “Start with the legs, keep the rest of you alive for tomorrow…”
A Tiding of Magpies Page 7
