A Blaze in the Dark (A New Dawn #1)

Chapter 43 - Fox (Part 1)

There is no justice, nor the mercy of a quick death. Those who ask questions are forced iron down their throats. And those who are obedient serve as slaves for the Goddess of Lust, who reigns from sunset until the break of dawn.

He and Katla stood by helplessly as Leo let out a string of curses, dooming the Greenlander King to eternal life in the Seven Hells. Two more planks cracked under the weight of his lethal fists, the racket causing Doe to stumble down the stairs.

"What's all this racket?" she grumbled, her voice thick with sleep. "The Antler isn't open yet."

The tall warrior stopped attacking the woodwork. His face was entirely red, including his tear-stained eyes. "Panthera is dead, Doe. Felix has a terribly high fever. It's an attack on the crown, on this very kingdom."

"No." Doe gasped, bringing her two hands to her mouth. "This must be a joke. This..."

"But we're gonna save Felix," Fox assured her. "Katla and I will use magic to bring his fever down. I promise. He won't die."

"Actually..." Katla touched his beard, twirling the black hair around his fingers. "I think it's better if you stay with Doe, Fox. I don't think you can be of much help."

Fox pouted. "But Leo came to ask me."

"I'm sorry, lad," Leo mumbled. "If I can have your master, I'd rather take him. He's still the best Fire Magician in all of Moondale."

"But it's not fair!" Fox's lip trembled. "I want to help too."

Now that Katla was better, he wanted to spend time with him, make up for all the lost winter hours. The Gods of Patience and Greed were taunting him. They had given him a bit of Katla, only to take it away again.

"Hey." Katla bent towards him. "There's a very sick little boy who urgently needs help. We're not gonna fight over this right now, are we?"

"No, but..." He let out a large moan as he couldn't think of anything to say.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Katla ruffled through Fox's hair. He briefly touched Doe's hand, muttering a quick 'thank you'.

Then he and Leo disappeared, and it was as if spring hadn't come at all.

The day dragged on endlessly while waiting for Katla to return. It took Fox twice as long to scrub the floor of The Antler because, with every passerby, he dropped the mop to look out the window. After lunch, he didn't go out to catch rats, but stayed inside, too afraid that he would miss Katla.

Slowly but steadily, the Antler filled with customers. The news about Princess Panthera and Prince Felix had spread fast, and people knew Doe's tavern was the best place to be for information. Luckily there were a few common faces too: Mallard, Corbin, and Falcon.

To keep up with the orders, Fox helped to serve pints of ales and bring bowls of soup. As a reward for not dropping anything, Doe gave him the first piece of her freshly baked apricot pie. A woman with sunken cheeks and raggedy clothes stared at him as he sat on the ground by the fire to eat it.

He gestured at the flames to increase their intensity, then he took some marbles out of his pouch and let them float in between his fingers. At first, there were just three balls dancing around his hand in circles, then three, and finally four. 

"You look like a natural." She curled her hair around her thumb. "Are you an Air Magician?"

"Fire Magician." He kept one eye on the marbles, the other one his pie. "But I've been practising."