As it probably would not surprise you, the bamboo viper took the revelation of my true identity the best out of anyone. After Stripey and I barged into her bamboo stand, we summarized what we'd learned about Floridiana and Boot up to the point where Mistress Jek called on the goddess. Then I lowered my voice into a conspiratorial super-spy whisper, and Bobo leaned in close with her eyes shining.
I need to tell you a secret, I murmured, just loud enough for her to hear me over the rustle of bamboo leaves in the wind. My true name isn't Rosette or Rosie or Mr. Turtle. It's Piri.
To my dismay, her reaction wasn't fear or awe or even shock.
"Piri," she mused, turning the name over on her tongue. "Piri, Piri, Piri...I've heard that sssomewhere...."
Well, I would certainly hope she had.
"Where did I hear it...oh! Oh oh! From the 'The Emperor and the Fox Demon'! The fox demon in 'The Emperor and the Fox Demon' is called Piri!"
A children's tale wouldn't be the best record of my deeds, but it was better than nothing, I supposed.
Yes, I said, and waited.
She blinked a few times. "But that's just a ssstory to ssscare little kids. I don't know how much is true – wait, that's really you? You're that Piri?"
Yes, I said again, modestly. Again, I waited.
"That's ssso cool! I'm friends with a legend!"
Stripey made a strangled duck sound. "A legendary villain."
Bobo froze as she reviewed the tale's depiction of me. I didn't know the specific version of events in "The Emperor and the Fox Demon," but I'd be willing to bet that it painted me as the greatest villainess in Serican history.
Bobo cocked her head from side to side, studying me. Did she see pride in the way I lifted my chin? Inevitability in the way I planted my feet? A glint of demonic intent in my eyes?
The bamboo viper flicked the tip of her tail. "Okay! Ssso then what happened? Did the goddess come down to Earth herssself?"
Lady Fate? Well, yes, of course she'd come down to Earth herself to speak to me. That should have been in the tale – oh. Bobo meant Aurelia. She was more interested in the events of today.
It was not the reaction that either Stripey or I had expected, although, in retrospect, we probably should have.
Stripey did try. "Uh, Bobo, she just confessed that she's a coldblooded serial killer. She's the real Piri."
Bobo studied me from head to tail again. For a moment, I thought she was going to recoil and slither away hissing, and for some reason it made me feel a little – I didn't know – wistful, maybe? Regretful? No, no, that wasn't it....
Before I could pin down the feeling, Bobo shook her head. "Nah. That was a long time ago. Like, hundreds of years ago. Ssshe's Rosssie now."
Stripey heaved a long, long sigh.
As for me, I felt another fleeting...something that skittered out of reach. I couldn't put a name to it, but it was akin to the sensation I got when I first awakened, when I stared at a mountain that soared into the clouds, or a cataract that crashed down from the peaks, or an autumn river set ablaze by scarlet leaves....
It might have been...humility?
I shook it off.
Whatever it was, it wasn't going to help me carry out my mission, which meant that its name was unimportant.
YOU ARE READING
The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox
FantasyAfter Piri the nine-tailed fox follows an order from Heaven to destroy a dynasty, she finds herself on trial in Heaven for that very act. Executed by the gods for the "crime," she is cast into the cycle of reincarnation, starting at the very bottom...
