The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox

Chapter 53: How to Blackmail a Cat

So now that we had our blackmail material, we just needed someone to carry out the deed. Bobo squirmed in terror that we'd nominate her until I assured her that she was needed to babysit Taila. For obvious reasons, it couldn't be me either, although I did intend to hide nearby to supervise, and Stripey declined to get the duck demons that involved. So that left Mistress Jek.

I was avoiding the cottage these days, especially after I learned that Boot was investigating "Mr. Turtle," so I had Bobo tell Mistress Jek to meet me by the well. Normally it was the bamboo viper who drew the water, but I hoped that neither Floridiana nor Boot would be too suspicious if mistress and servant swapped chores, and Mistress Jek confirmed my guess.

As she took her time lowering the bucket, she mumbled, "How can I be of service to you, emissary?"

I poked my head out of the dandelions at the base of the well. I have found a way to get the mage and the cat out of your house.

Mistress Jek's eyes widened, and the bucket paused in its descent. I could tell she wanted to pick me up and shake the information of me, but she made the correct response: "That is too kind of you, emissary."

I rewarded her by continuing. Intelligence about the pair has come into my possession. Stripey hadn't wanted to let Mistress Jek know about the ducks' or rats' involvement in the acquisition of said intelligence, and I saw no particular reason to reveal the source of it, so I simply gave her the result. Both Floridiana and Boot are outside agents. Spies, I added, just in case she hadn't understood.

"Spies? In Claymouth? But why? There's nothing here!"

Since that echoed my thoughts, I harrumphed portentously. Nothing – except for a child favored by the goddess....

The bucket splashed into the water. "You think they're here for Taila?!"

Keep your voice down. But yes. They are.

Well, to be more accurate, they were here for me – the reason that a family of farmers had suddenly begun to affect the manners of nobles from five hundred years ago. But their ultimate goal was to learn whether this strange behavior posed a threat to their master, and we couldn't know if said master would consider a goddess-favored child to be a threat until we knew who he or she was. So what I said wasn't a complete lie.

"What do we do, emissary? Should we hide her? Send her away? Call on the goddess? What do we do?!" Forgetting her act, Mistress Jek dropped to her knees before me.

I prefer not to trouble the goddess except in the last extremity. (Not the least because Flicker had been no help last time – possibly the opposite, if he'd set off so many alarms that Aurelia had had to step in.) This is not that.

My words calmed Mistress Jek somewhat. She gulped, closed her eyes, nodded, and nodded again. "You said you found a way to make them go away."

Yes. However, it will require you to do something that you may find difficult and distasteful. For your daughter's sake, will you do what it takes?

"Yes! Of course!"

Good. Now listen closely. Here is the plan.

That evening, after the family cleared away the supper dishes, Mistress Jek casually suggested to her husband that he take the children out to Caltrop Pond to look at tadpoles. I'd sent a duck demon to alert the dragon king beforehand, so he knew what was coming. If I knew Taila – and, believe me, by now I did – he had a lot of "Mr. Dragon!" squealing in his near future.