Inquest

by Emily Thompson

  Twist awoke in sunlight and blinked his eyes in the golden light. He was lying on a very thin but surprisingly comfortable mattress, bundled up under a thick and puffy duvet that was perfectly warm, back in the open pagoda room. Not wanting to leave his cocoon of comfort just yet, he nuzzled his nose under the duvet and closed his eyes again. A few tropical birds were twittering somewhere farther off, and he could hear the light, cool breeze play at the thin curtains at the edges of the room. For the moment, he didn’t really care how he’d ended up in bed, when he had no memory at all of leaving the heavenly spot under the trees last night.

  Finally, curiosity got his eyes open once again. He sat up and pushed the duvet away as he stretched his back. He was still dressed in his shirt and trousers, although someone had removed his boots and waistcoat. A quick glance over the nearly silent room revealed Jonas’s blond head peeking out from under another fluffy duvet across the room. He seemed fast asleep.

  On second glance, however, Twist spied a little black fox nose peeking out from under the edge of Jonas’s duvet, as if he was unwittingly holding the little creature in his sleep. Twist couldn’t see any other sign of Vane in the room and struggled to contain his own chuckling, imagining how cross Jonas would be when he woke up to find the fox in his arms. At least his angry shouts and threats wouldn’t wake Twist up too early this time.

  Myra lay on another mat-like bed not far from Twist, curled up on top of the duvet but still clearly asleep. The top of Skye’s ember-red head was unmistakably peeking out of another duvet near her, while Kali lay beside her on the tatami, stretched out on the mat and breathing softly in her sleep. Twist smiled to see his friends at such peace. After all of their recent ordeals, this quiet morning felt very well deserved.

  His attention returned to Myra as the light caught her just so. While Twist marveled at how beautiful her puppet looked when the golden sunlight glinted off of it perfectly, sudden inspiration struck him. Gripped with hope, Twist slipped carefully out of his bed and crept toward her as silently as he could. Not wanting her to see him if she awoke suddenly, he moved around her to approach from behind, between her and Skye, before he knelt down beside Myra on the quietly—infernally—creaking grass mats that made up the floor.

  He then reached out a single hand to lie gently on the back of her head, only letting the weight of his fingers fall one at a time to her wire hair. When she didn’t respond, he pressed his Sight gently deeper, reaching for her ever-elusive dreams. He bent all of his thoughts to the task, letting her formless emotions waft over him like sweet smoke. For the merest moment, his attention snatched up a half-formed apparition of a garden under brilliant sunlight before it vanished from his mind.

  Myra let out a soft tone and moved lazily. Twist snatched his hand away from her, holding utterly still and praying that she’d fall back asleep. Instead, her eyes fluttered open, and she turned to look at him as he knelt over her. Her sleepy eyes flashed with mild alarm and confusion. Panic tingled at the edges of Twist’s heart.

  “What are you doing?” she asked him, her voice soft, slow, and blurred with sleep.

  “Er…” Twist muttered as panic took hold. She began to frown. “I was just adjusting your hair!” he blurted out quickly, his voice far too high. He cleared his throat and forced his voice closer to normal. “You looked ever so lovely,” he added with a winning smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Myra smiled up at him, reflecting the sun. “You silly dear,” she said, sitting up and drawing her face close to his. “I don’t want to sleep if you’re awake. I’m glad you woke me up.”

  She kissed him quickly on the tip of his nose as he stared at her, stunned to have been believed. Twist laughed lightly, rubbing awkwardly at his nose. Myra giggled at him brightly and reached out to wrap him in her arms, giving him a squeeze and a blush of sparkling emotions. Twist hugged her back, letting out a relieved breath over her shoulder. He’d have to be quicker next time, and use a lighter touch, to catch her dreams.

  A sleepy tone behind him caught his attention. Myra pulled back from him and turned to look as well, to see Skye sitting up with a luxurious stretch of her back. Kali didn’t stir at all, but on the other side of the room, Jonas moved lazily in his sleep.

  A small furry shape shot suddenly out from under Jonas’s covers. The little black fox stopped a few steps away and turned to look back at Jonas with wide, nervous, black eyes, while most of its shining black fur stood on end. Jonas fell still again with a soft sigh. The little animal seemed to relax before it glanced up to Twist, Myra, and Skye.

  “Was he just…?” Skye whispered to Twist and Myra, pointing to the fox.

  The fox rushed closer to them, bursting soundlessly into a cloud of smoke for an instant as it moved. Vane’s human form materialized from the cloud as he knelt quickly beside them and held a finger up to his lips.

  “Oh, please, don’t tell him!” he hissed fearfully. “He’ll try to kill me again.”

  Twist gave a sigh and shook his head. He kept his voice low as he spoke. “Vane, why the devil do you insist on doing things that will make Jonas want to kill you?”

  Vane gave a shrug. “I’m only a one-tailed fox,” he muttered sheepishly. “I can’t help myself. I’m sure I’ll learn to be mature someday,” he added with a hopeful smile. Twist tried to process his answer but couldn’t quite manage it.

  “But…” Skye asked, leaning closer to keep her voice low, “why do you keep trying to sleep in his bed? What’s wrong with your own?” she added, gesturing to the unused bed that lay to one side.

  “Jonny’s all warm,” Vane whispered with a smile. “And I like his scent. Twisty, why don’t you ever try to sleep in his bed?” Skye looked at Vane with obvious confusion.

  “I’m not going to answer that,” Twist said, giving Vane a stern look. “Reasoning with you is like trying to teach a rabbit how to bake a pie.”

  “Vane?” Jonas asked, his voice cold, tight, and warning as he now sat up and frowned down at his duvet. Vane’s eyes went wide again as he turned back to look at Jonas fearfully. “Why is there black hair in my bed?”

  “Twist was sleeping with you!” Vane said instantly, jumping to his feet and pointing to Twist. “I saw it!” Twist looked up at him in disbelief, while Myra and Skye laughed at Vane’s absurd attempt.

  “Vane…” Jonas growled, getting to his feet. Vane let out a frightened sound and backed away a few steps.

  “It’s not my fault that you smell nice!” Vane whined pitifully.

  “Right. That’s it!” Jonas bellowed, lunging for him.

  Vane yelped and turned to run, while the women laughed again brightly. Twist couldn’t help but chuckle too, watching Jonas and Vane run circles around the room. Kali blinked her eyes open and watched them run with a lazy fascination. Vane was far the faster and kept Jonas well at bay, until Jonas suddenly changed direction when the fox wasn’t looking and bolted across the room to intercept him. To Twist’s shock, Jonas managed to get a hold of Vane’s bushy tail. Vane yelped and burst into smoke as Jonas tumbled to the floor, still clinging tightly to the tail.

  The black smoke cleared into the shape of the little fox, but Jonas never lost his hold. The fox struggled for a moment as Jonas tried to get a grip on him and then burst into smoke again, only to pop back into his human form. Still holding the tail, Jonas managed to pin Vane down on his chest, his arms out uselessly. Jonas paused, panting heavily, holding him in place with a knee on Vane’s back and one hand on the back of his neck, while still clinging tightly to his tail with the other.

  “Ow! Ow! Let go!” Vane whimpered, wriggling uselessly.

  “I’ve got you now, you bastard,” Jonas grumbled angrily.

  “Let me go!” Vane whimpered pitifully. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Just let me go!”

  “You’re not sorry yet!” Jonas growled, a wide smile on his face. Twist and the others watched, all struck dumb with shock and curiosity.

  “No! I am! I promi
se!” Vane cried. “Let me go!”

  “Are you going to stop trying to sleep with me?” Jonas asked coldly. “Or am I going to have to teach you a lesson?”

  Twist noticed suddenly that Jonas had no reason to threaten Vane at the moment. He’d already threatened him countless times before and now had the perfect opportunity to carry out his threats. And yet, he was stalling. Twist could only deduce that Jonas honestly meant the irreverent fox no real harm at all. All of his promised violence was nothing more than a bluff.

  “I’ll stop, I promise!” Vane whimpered, clearly not seeing what Twist had. “I swear it! Just let me go!”

  “Swear on your fluffy tail, or I won’t believe you,” Jonas snapped. He was still clutching Vane’s tail tightly in his hand but didn’t seem intent on doing anything to it.

  Vane paused. “Can I swear on something else?”

  “No,” Jonas said knowingly. “Say it, or I won’t let you go!”

  “All right, all right, you bully!” Vane spat at him, pouting like a child. “I swear on my fluffy tail that I won’t try to sleep with you anymore! There, are you happy now?”

  “Yes, actually,” Jonas said with a pleased expression on his face, releasing Vane as he stood up.

  Vane scurried away from him instantly and then gave a mournful tone and dropped to sit on the floor again. A light chuckle drew everyone’s attention to Inari, who sat inexplicably on her toes, at the very edge of the room, watching them all with a smile. Twist was startled by her sudden presence, before he remembered that she was far from ordinary. Surely alighting onto fourth-story ledges was one of her magical and bizarre talents. Vane, a picture of dejection, looked to her.

  “There, there, sweetie,” Inari said, rising to walk closer to him. She leaned down and patted his head as she smiled at him gently. “You’re very lucky your friend doesn’t really want to hurt you, you know.” Vane looked up to her with wide, hopeful eyes.

  “Well…” Jonas said, drawing a hurt look from Vane. Jonas chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t mind me,” he added with a smile and a dismissive wave of his hand.

  Vane let out a sigh. “You don’t have to be so mean,” he muttered softly. “I only want to be close to you. I can’t when you’re awake, because you hit me if I try.”

  “I don’t ever want you close to me,” Jonas scoffed instantly.

  Vane gave another sigh. “I wish I was Twist…”

  While Jonas and Twist each shot Vane a glare and Skye shook her head with a smirk, Myra spared the fox a piteous tone. Inari watched Vane thoughtfully for a moment.

  “Are you feeling regretful?” she asked him softly. Vane looked up to her quickly, his expression suddenly taut and anxious.

  “Am I?” he asked breathlessly.

  “That’s not a trait of a one-tailed fox, you know,” Inari said with warm smile. “You may be closer to growing up than you realize, little one.” Vane’s face paled as he looked to Jonas, suddenly silent and thoughtful.

  “Wait, what?” Twist asked. The others looked to Inari as well for an answer. Inari turned to Twist with another sublime smile.

  “We are making good time, approaching your destination,” she announced. “We will be landing on Mauna Kea in a few hours. Would you like some breakfast in the meantime?”

  “Oh, yes please,” Myra said happily. Jonas gave her a curious glance, knowing full well that Myra never ate. “You know how Twist can be when he skips breakfast,” she offered as explanation.

  “Ah, yes. Good point,” Jonas said earnestly.

  “How can I be?” Twist asked, frowning.

  “We’ll need our wits about us when we get there,” Jonas said with a smile.

  Twist’s frown turned darker; he wished there was some way to clear his reputation of his frequent fainting spells.

  “I’m hungry, too,” Skye mentioned. Kali, who had been lying casually on Skye’s bed, got up and stretched her back in a long, deep arch while her furry jaws opened into an enormous but quiet yawn.

  “Was that tiger always here?” Inari asked, looking at Kali in confusion.

  “She’s my tattoo,” Skye offered flippantly.

  “I see…” Inari toned uncertainly. “Well,” she added with a smile, seeming to forcibly put Kali out of her mind, “come with me. You can all share our morning meal.”

  The foxes had set out a collection of small, low tables in a grassy clearing near the center of the village. Each table bore a few little plates filled with artfully arranged bits of food, and a small bowl heaped with moist white rice. Many of the kitsunes were already seated in groups on the soft grass, chatting together as they ate. Twist and his companions were invited to take a few of the empty spaces to one side.

  Twist sat on the grass at one of the tables and looked over the offered breakfast. A narrow, rolled omelet sat on one plate in a pool of sticky dark sauce, while a grilled fillet of a white fish sat on another plate. There was an array of brightly colored vegetables as well, and a few tiny dishes filled with sauces and thin, curling slices of a translucent white food Twist couldn’t begin to identify. A few kitsunes arrived to fill the newcomers’ handleless teacups with a fragrant green tea. Twist took the lid off of a covered bowl on his table to find a murky-looking soup inside it.

  Twist realized quickly that there were no utensils with which to eat. There was only a pair of smooth, tapered sticks lying on the edge of his table, their points on a porcelain rest. He turned to comment on this to Jonas but paused when he saw his friend picking up a glistening brown mushroom from his plate between the points of his own two sticks. Jonas easily popped the morsel of food into his mouth and searched for another with his sticks.

  “What the devil are you doing?” Twist asked him.

  Jonas eyed him, somewhat startled. “Eating breakfast. What the devil are you doing?” Skye, sitting at her own table nearby, was digging out a lump of rice with the ends of her own two sticks as she glanced up to him.

  “These are for eating?” Twist asked, reexamining his twin sticks as he held them up, one in each hand. Jonas laughed and leaned closer to him while Skye sniggered and ate her rice.

  “Here,” Jonas said, taking the sticks from Twist, “let me help you.” Jonas took Twist’s right hand and fit the sticks into his fingers, shaping Twist’s grip around them. Twist watched this with a frown but did nothing to stop him. “There,” Jonas said, apparently finished, as he picked up his own sticks again. “Now, you move the top one like this.”

  Twist tried to copy his friend’s motion, though his fingers didn’t respond as smoothly as Jonas’s did. Beside him, Myra plucked an unused pair of sticks from a nearby table and tried to copy Jonas’s example as well. Vane—who had been sipping his soup from the side of the bowl—put down his own food and propped his chin on his hand as he watched Jonas and Twist with great interest.

  “Now, look,” Jonas said, moving slowly to pluck a slice of carrot from his plate. “It takes a little practice, but it’s not so hard,” he added, popping the carrot slice into his mouth.

  Twist attempted to pluck a slender mushroom from his own plate, but the sticks slipped out of his grasp at the last second, flinging the mushroom onto another plate. Vane sniggered. Twist shot him a glare.

  “Just keep trying,” Jonas said, his voice patient and only slightly colored by a grin.

  “What’s wrong with a fork?” Twist grumbled.

  Jonas laughed. “This is just the way that people eat in much of Asia.”

  “We’re not in Asia…” Twist muttered to himself, mounting another attack on his food.

  His next few attempts to get some of the food into his mouth were less than successful. Determined not to be defeated by uncooperative bits of cutlery, Twist continued to struggle—spying glances at the technique of the people around him—until he managed to begin to feed himself. He found that Vane’s tendency to hold the rice bowl with one hand and practically shovel lumps of rice into his mouth worked a treat for him as well. The others fell
into conversation easily, thankfully not paying much attention to Twist’s progress.

  “Oh, look!” Myra said suddenly. Twist turned to see her holding up a curling, thin slice of the translucent white thing between the tips of the sticks in her hand. “I think I figured it out,” she announced with pride. The next instant, it slipped away from her, falling into the disarray of uneaten food on the plates before her. “Oh…” she murmured unhappily.

  Twist instinctively craved to dispel her pout. “It’s tricky, isn’t it?” he asked her with a comradely smile. Myra smiled back and nodded before trying to pick up something else, apparently forgetting her momentary failure. Pleased with his ability to change her mood, Twist returned his attention to his meal as well.

  “Would anyone like more tea?” asked a kitsune with youthful, handsome features who approached them with a teapot. His hair was rust colored and speckled with gray, but Twist was startled to find that the kitsune’s eyes were each a different color, one emerald green and one a rich blue. The charming young man knelt beside Vane, his three rusty-gray tails curling at his bare feet, under the orange-colored robe that he wore.

  “Yes, please,” Vane said happily, offering his cup.

  “You’re the little cub that everyone’s talking about, aren’t you?” the kitsune asked, smiling slyly at Vane as he filled his cup. Vane shrugged and sipped at his tea bashfully. “You’re just as darling as they say you are,” he said, reaching out to pet at Vane’s fluffy black hair. Vane smiled and closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the attention.

  “So…” Skye said, turning to Jonas, “he only looks like an adult, then? Everyone keeps talking to him like he’s a child.” The rusty-haired kitsune looked to her curiously.

  “Don’t ask me,” Jonas said, shaking his head. “I’ve lived with him off and on for months and still can’t make heads or tails of the man.”

  “You would think that would be easier,” Myra said seriously, “considering he actually has a tail.” Jonas smirked and nodded.