The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox

Chapter 169: The Oddest Defenders

"What? A little birdy?" One bored swipe of the oystragon's tail knocked me backwards.

I crashed into the wall of water, which really was as hard as a wall, and plummeted towards the seafloor. A black-and-white form swooped beneath me to catch me. Stripey! But I was too busy gasping for breath to thank him.

You alive back there? he asked, soaring up and out of the oystragon's range.

When I could breathe again, I pushed myself back onto my claws. Searing pain ripped through my side, as if someone had plunged a dagger into me. It was the same side that I'd injured when I'd fallen out of the air during Den's dance. I screamed.

Rosie! What's the matter?

Ohhhh, I think he broke a rib, I panted.

Hang on. I'll get you to shore.

No! I spread my wings and flapped them, testing if I could fly. Pain ripped through my side again. Gods curse it all, I'd been a demon for a thousand years. Something as trifling as a cracked rib would never have stopped me then. Where was that spirit strength and stamina when I needed it most?

Gritting my beak, I flapped my wings again. This time I steeled myself for the pain, so it didn't catch me off guard. It was bearable. In short, jerky bursts, I took to the air.

I'm – fine. Let's go.

Stripey rolled one dark eye at me. If you say so.

The pain was like a veil over the world, or a sea of honey that I had to push through. It took nearly all of my concentration to block it out, and still it distracted me, clogged my thoughts.

Lodia's head was in the oystragon's mouth. His jaws were closing, muffling her screams. In a second, they were going to snap shut, and his teeth would pierce her neck and sever her blood vessels and windpipe and spine and it would all be over!

No! She's mine! I roared again. Don't you dare kill her!

What was his weak spot? He had to have a weak spot. The grooves between the plates on his underbelly, but no way could I make it all the way under him and wedge my beak in fast enough. Also, my beak was so short that it would feel more like a pebble in your slipper than a fatal sword thrust.

His throat? No, same problem. What I wouldn't give for a spear! Those spears carried by the shrimp guards in Black Sand Creek would be perfect for my size! I'd even stashed away two of them, back when I was a turtle. I remembered exactly where they were. I could picture the crevice I'd tucked them in. But they were on the far side of Serica and useless to me now.

The oystragon's tail swatted at something behind him. He grunted as if he were being harassed by a fly, but he did pull Lodia's head out of his mouth. Her hair was matted to her scalp with his saliva, and her eyes were squinched tight. Blood beaded like a pearl choker around her neck where his teeth had punctured her skin.

"You have the oddest defenders, human girl," he growled.

Lodia's eyes cracked open. "Pip! Stripey!" I thought the next words out of her mouth would be, "Save me!" but instead, she croaked, "Go back! Too dangerous!"

Eyelids slid over and back up the oystragon's bulbous eyes. I guessed she'd surprised him too. He held her out at arm's length and examined her.

In a rush of wings, Stripey swooped around the oystragon's horns and lunged at his eyes.

His eyes! Of course!

I launched myself at them too, but the oystragon was too fast. His tail swept around and sent Stripey sailing through the air. Clawed fingers closed around me and squeezed. Thin sparrow ribs crunched. I screamed as the pain exploded through my body, consuming my soul.