Tomas Kyriel's Arc

Chapter 5 of 7

Tomas marched Reginald down from the ice steps. The old man stumbled, his bound wrists cinched behind him. Elara walked ahead, watching the frost for guards who might still hide. They needed shelter to rest before the long road to the king. A rounded snow den sat low against a drift, its mouth hung with icicles. Tomas pushed Reginald toward it. Then he stopped. The white fox stood inside the den's dark entrance. Red marks covered its fur like painted runes. Tomas knew this animal. Days ago it had touched him and Elara, and after that touch he no longer needed the curse to want to stay near her. Now it sat still, watching Reginald. Something in Tomas's chest pulled tight, the way it did before a storm. Magic. He could feel it stirring in the fox, but he could not read it or steer it. "Get it away from him," Tomas said. His hand went to where his sword should hang. Empty. He had dropped it on the steps. "I can't tell what it wants," Elara said. The fox stepped out of the den. It did not look at Elara this time. It fixed its red eyes on Reginald and walked straight for him. Reginald went pale. "Keep that thing back." His voice dropped low and precise, the way it did when something cut close. "I don't like how it looks at me." Tomas grabbed the old man's shoulder to pull him clear. But the fox had already reached him. It pressed its nose to Reginald's bound hands. Reginald screamed. He thrashed against Tomas's grip. "It burns. Make it stop." Tomas held him up so he would not fall. The fox stayed pressed against the old man's skin. The red marks on its fur glowed brighter. Tomas felt the magic peak, sharp and hot, then break like a snapped rope. The fox stepped back. Reginald sagged, breathing hard. Elara knelt in front of him. "Say it," she said. "Break the binding." "I will break nothing." Reginald's mouth moved, but his eyes were wide with fear. "I told you. I would rather—" He stopped. His jaw worked. No more words came. He tried again and made only a choked sound. Tomas stared. "What did it do to him?" Elara reached out and touched Reginald's brow. She pulled her hand back fast. "It didn't break the curse. It sealed his voice." She looked up at Tomas. "The fox punishes hate. It heard him refuse. Now he can't speak the words to free you, even if he wanted to." Tomas looked at the man who held his chains. The only mouth that could unmake the binding was shut. He felt the curse hum in his chest, steady and unbroken. The fox turned and slipped back into the den. Reginald knelt in the snow, silent, useless to them now. "Then we can't take him to the king," Tomas said. "We have to find a way to open his mouth first."