The Sister had begun to shake. She clutched the Librarian as though he were the only thing keeping her upright. He had to nod for both of them.
A ripple of power passed over them. For a moment, all was silent. Then the Sister gave a choked cry and drew off her eye patch. The empty socket below was gone. Two dark, dancing eyes gleamed in her face.
Beside her, the Librarian was staring at his hands. No more were they twisted knots of meat. Each one was fine boned and strong, graceful as a bird’s wing. He turned them this way and that, as though the tapering fingers held an invisible brush. Tears traced his cheeks.
The Judge said, slightly stiffly, “I am glad you accepted. I will find great pleasure in your brother’s return to painting. I was, in times gone by, a collector of his work.”
The siblings stepped back. Emma was sure they had not moved with such ease before.
“I don’t pretend to speak for all of the fox maidens here.” Saskia’s voice rang out. “But this is what I want. For my debt to the Night City to be forgiven, so my service in the House of Foxes is paid off. Not to be made to do drainings, or have my salary taken as dues by some Lower House before I’ve even seen it. I want to be a free citizen. To choose my profession.”
The Judge steepled his fingers. “That would be acceptable,” he said at last.
“Then that’s what I want too,” another fox maiden burst out. A clamor rose, all of the fox maidens calling their agreement in shrieks and barks. Jasper had covered his ears again.
“Then the House of Foxes will fall, and be no more.”
“Oh, but no,” came Nancy’s soft voice. “No, your lordship, that won’t do at all.”
“Indeed?”
Nancy shook her head. “It’s been my home. Why destroy it? We could make it better. This isn’t me asking as my reward. I still want my debt forgiven, and that’s that. But you need the House of Foxes. If the Boars’ve gone bad—well, worse—then there’s a right old gap, isn’t there? No soldiers. No guards.
“Let me lead the House of Foxes and change what it’s for. No more hunting mortal folk to collect what the City’s owed. The fox maidens could be guardians of the Night City, in the outer world. We know the streets up here better than them in the Court. We can pass among mortals without them noticing—or running away screaming if they did, which is better’n you could say for the Boars.”
Emma saw the slight quirk to the Judge’s lips that, she was almost sure now, passed for a smile.
“Your friend is idealistic,” the Judge said, looking at Emma. “What do you think?”
“Me?” Emma shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the room. “I—Well, Nancy would be the best choice for a head of house. She’s practical, too, it’s not just ideals. I think you—the Night City—could work with her. You should.”
The Judge sank into thought. “Fox maiden, I can grant only the stated rewards at this time. But I will take your proposal to theNight City. If it is found acceptable, you will receive terms for a bargain.” He looked closer at Nancy. “You are the one with the unusual path, are you not? You seem to be using your opportunity well.”
“What does he mean?” One of the twins tugged Nancy’s sleeve.
“Oh, well. That. The rest of you were human mortals, before you were turned to fox maidens. I—” Nancy paused, with a mischievous smile. “Well, I was a fox.”
“You werewhat?” Saskia, for once, looked anything but self-possessed.
Nancy’s sharp little nose wrinkled in amusement. “We’ll get you there, love. Later. His lordship hasn’t finished up yet.”
“Indeed. Now the last. So, Emma Curran, with what remains of your reward, do you want to live as your sisters shall? Or will you return to your mortal life instead? The Night City is generous. You have but to ask.”
Emma heard Saskia’s gasp. She felt, rather than saw, Nat’s smile warm her face. But she couldn’t raise her eyes from her feet.
“To choose one or the other would be a path you could not alter,” the Judge intoned.
It should have been simple. It was all she had wanted. To return to her mortal life. To hug her mother. To study science, and see what she was meant to become. A life where she got to make the choices. How could she give that up?
But how, now that she had seen another world, could she give that up either? The Night City was bound into her bones. She had changed her skin for the fur of a fox. She had walked in shadows and felt the heat of magic in her veins. Could a gray mortal existence ever compare with a world of blood sisters and adventure?
“You could,” the Judge interposed delicately, “be granted the right to walk in both worlds.”
Emma lifted her head, hope beating a pulse in her ears. “How?”
“You are the first in the records of the Night City to break a mark laid by the Turnbulls. Considering your unique position, if you were willing to pursue the matter further…”
“Pursue it further?” Emma repeated stupidly.
