The Fox's God Read Online Free PDF Page B

Akakiba’s cheek with a finger and tried to copy Jien’s baiting tone. “Heyy, Aki.”
    No “don’t call me that” reply arose.
    Yuki turned and poked the other man present. “Jien, wake up!”
    “Whuh?”
    “Akakiba left his body.”
    “He what? Oh, the spirit thing?” Jien sat up, yawning. “Nothing we can do but wait for him to come back.”
    “He went looking for the demon,” Yuki said glumly, watching Akakiba’s too-still body. “He could be in trouble right now.”
    “He probably is. But he’ll probably get out of it fine, too.”
    Neither of them made a move to lay back down. They could sleep after Akakiba was back safely; in the meantime, they’d watch over his body.
    A glowing golden fox suddenly materialized and head-butted Akakiba’s body. Yuki jumped, but didn’t go for his sword. He recognized that spirit.
    Charm , Akakiba said as he pawed at his own body, Get the charm off!
    Something else came in. Akakiba bounced out of the way, turning round to snarl at it. Ah, that had to be the local troublemaking demon. Jien took a wild stab at it, handling his spear awkwardly in the cramped space.
    Yuki snatched the charm. “It’s off!”
    As Akakiba dove inside his body, Yuki immediately put the charm back on for fear the demon might try to follow him in.
    Akakiba rolled to his feet sword in hand. “Where is it?” he snarled.
    “Gone,” Jien said, looking out the door. “I don’t think it likes my spear.”
    That didn’t stop Akakiba from doing a circuit of the area, scowling at shadows as if to frighten them into revealing where the demon had gone.
    “Curse it,” Akakiba said as they went back inside, closing and blocking the door. “We could have had it and been done with this.”
    “At least we know who’s the best bait now.” Jien’s voice sounded like he was grinning, though the grin itself was lost to the dark.
    Akakiba grunted. “The orphan girl told it to kill me. I doubt she understood who I was.”
    “The girl? Is she bonded to it? Aito says he has four familiars because they’re weak ones. Someone with only one must have a strong one.”
    “Could be. She calls it ‘Mother’ and seems to think it’s a ghost.”
    “Not possible,” Jien protested. “By definition, a ghost is a spirit that’s forgotten it’s a spirit and thinks it’s human instead.”
    “She wouldn’t know that.”
    Yuki’s thoughts were going in another direction. He interrupted the ongoing conversation with, “Why is it killing children, if it obeys her?”
    Akakiba said, “She’s an orphan who doesn’t get along with the other children. They must be cruel to her. It’s protecting her.” He lay back down and rolled on his side to face the wall. “We might as well wait until morning. She’s in no danger from it, and it knows now it can’t take us on.”
    Reaching out, Yuki slapped the back of Akakiba’s head.
    “I said I wouldn’t shift, and I didn’t,” Akakiba said.
    “You also said you’d quit leaving me behind.”
    “You couldn’t have come, even if you’d approved.”
    “It’s the principle of the thing. You can’t go on acting like you’re alone and nobody would care if you disappeared. It’s not fair to us. Right, Jien?”
    “Yeah, what he said,” Jien said cheerfully. “You’re really going to regret it when Sanae finds out.”
    Within moments of lying down on the ground, Yuki felt his body begin to shiver. Traipsing outside hadn’t helped his temperature. The cold wasn’t so bad he couldn’t have endured it, but why waste a perfect excuse?
    He poked Akakiba between the shoulder blades with an insistent finger. “Turn around.”
    When Akakiba did, making a noise that seemed to invite an explanation, Yuki snuggled up to his chest as if it were completely normal behavior. After a beat, Akakiba moved to accommodate him and settled his chin in his hair.
    “Is that how you express anger at people, Yuki?” Jien inquired.
    Oh, right. The fact they weren’t