The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox

Chapter 100: Invasion

"Shh, shh, we've been through worse," Floridiana murmured to Dusty.

She ran her hand over his neck, feeling his skin twitch and then settle under her palm, the way she had so many times in the past, before he awakened and she turned into a schoolteacher. A schoolteacher, of all things.

As if seconding her disbelief, the horse blew out a long snort.

"We'll be fine, we'll be fine," she chanted, the way she used to when it was just the two of them (and sometimes a North Serican cat spy) on the road. Together, they'd faced down bandits, hostile guards, guards who moonlighted as bandits, demons, and everything in between. "We'll be just fine, Dusty."

Unlike those past times, though, her horse could talk back now. "How do you know we'll be fine? Have we ever been conscripted by a freaking army?"

Did the taskforce and that not-even-half-baked, last-minute plan to fight Lord Silurus count? "Yes, in fact. And we made it out just fine. We haven't even been conscripted this time, just...temporarily detained. We'll be fine. You'll see."

How long had it been since the ambush? It felt like forever, but then again, time moved in strange ways when you were surrounded by soldiers who could shoot you or stab you or bash in your skull whenever they pleased. That pangolin raiding party leader had even taken her seal. Just ripped it off her belt and walked away, tossing it up and down in his hand as he left.

He claimed he'd return it "after it's over," but without her seal, she felt naked. Without her seal, she couldn't do anything. Without her seal, she was just another weak, ordinary, middle-aged human woman. "We've been through worse," she kept telling Dusty, but she knew they hadn't.

For one thing, they'd never been betrayed by a demon before. Why and for what, she had no idea, but there was no doubt in her mind that The Demon had led them straight into the ambush.

Pawing at the ground, Dusty asked, "Where's Bobo? Where's Rosie?"

"Shh!" Floridiana darted a glance around them, but the soldiers were busy checking their weapons or listening to reports from scouts. Hardly moving her lips, she whispered, "I'm sure they're getting help. We'll get out of this soon enough, you'll see."

"I don't like it, I don't like it." His eyes rolled in their sockets, and he tried to rear again.

She grabbed his reins and dragged him down. "Maybe you don't remember, 'cause it was before you awakened, but we've faced bandits and demons on the road before. Just because there are more of them this time doesn't change a thing."

"Oy! Keep it down!" snapped a soldier.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, sir," she apologized. Moving closer to Dusty, she stroked his nose. "We've seen worse, we've been through worse, and I've gotten us out of it every time. When have I failed you? We'll get out of it this time too, I promise."

In the very worst case scenario, she'd offer her services to the army as a mage. Whatever they were up to here, a little magical assistance never hurt.

"Rosssie, Rosssie, we have to sssave them!" Bobo gasped, so loudly that I was sure the pangolins would hear her.

Shh! They have good hearing!

"But we have to do sssomething," she hissed in a lower voice.

I know! You don't have to tell me that!

At the foot of our tree, Floridiana seemed to be taking her captivity with surprising calm. She unhitched Dusty from the wagon, stroked his neck, and spoke to him in a low, soothing tone. I caught bits and pieces of it: "Shh, shh, it'll be fine," and "We've done this before, remember?" and "We'll get through it all right." I'd known that the life of a travelling mage must be full of bandits and demons, but I hadn't realized until this moment just how dangerous it was. Good thing I'd twisted her arm into settling down in the Claymouth Barony.