She nods slightly, still in disbelief, but I don’t have the time to explain further. I replace my mask and step out through the ruined wall of the house. The ox demon snorts, nostrils flaring. He’s waiting for me.
“I could smell you a mile away, human,” he says with a vicious smile. “You’re fooling no one.”
“Good thing that was never my intention.”
“I’m going to eat you, and then the two lovely morsels I can smell behind you.”
I bare my fangs. “I dare you to try.”
He charges and swings at me with hefty fists, pounding at my skull like he expects it to shatter. The demon tears at my fur, yanking out tufts. When he grabs one of my tails, sending electricity crackling up my spine, I snap at him with my teeth, sinking my canines into the bitter flesh of his arm. We’re equally matched, neither of us giving the other an inch. What in the nine suns am I supposed to do?
A thought occurs to me.
When the ox demon rears back to take another swing, I quickly tear off my fox mask. I shrink down to my normal height—well out of his reach. Unable to stop mid-strike, the boar demon loses his balance. He stumbles forward and falls flat on his face. Without hesitation, I reach for the Maskmaker’s paintbrush and rush the boar, climbing over him like a hill. I knee him in the back of the neck, pinning him in place as I paint several quick strokes against the back of his bare head in lieu of a proper canvas.
The magic takes effect, the boar’s massive form suddenly squeezing down into the body of a helpless little mouse. Before my opponent even has a chance to blink, I replace my fox mask,open my jaw wide, and snap him up in a single bite. He tastes particularly foul—like dirt and week-old milk—but the triumph that fills my chest is nothing short of exquisite.
A howl rips itself from my lungs—a fox’s cry. Loud and sharp enough for all of Longhao to hear it. I want the Maskmaker to know. I’m still here, still alive—and he should be afraid.
Behind me, timid footsteps padding over rubble. The mother and daughter carefully emerge from their ruined home, giving me a wary nod before running off toward the outer walls of the city. With any luck, they’ll be able to escape with their lives.
I sniff the air, trying to pick up the Maskmaker’s scent, but something shatters my concentration.
A scream, much like the one I just unleashed. My hair stands on end, a shiver slithering through my veins. It wasn’t an echo, of that much I’m sure. This call belongs to someone else. Another fox.
My heart stutters.
I know of only one other fox demon in existence, but… it can’t be.
The howl comes again, and I know. Iknow. I can feel it in my blood and in my bones. As sure as the sun rises and the moon waxes and wanes. I turn in the direction of her voice and set off in a mad run to find her.
44
She traveled across the lands alone, searching for signs of the Maskmaker. She spent her mornings thinking of all the creative ways she might dispatch him and her evenings wondering whether or not to devour him fast or slow. But first, she needed to find a way to break her oath without suffering the consequences.
Many years passed, but not once did her burning hatred waver. If anything, it kept her warm. Yue was sure to find him. Until then, she’d continue her search.
She knew she had to be clever. Watching humans—studying them—was the wisest thing to do. The fox understood she couldn’t risk being caught before she achieved her quest for revenge. She only ever took one meal at a time; she never went after children, nor the sick and elderly, for they only upset her belly. The best meals were the ones who wouldn’t be missed. The ones whom even their fellow humans would be glad to see disappear.
One such meal was the madame at the local brothel. Yue had never met a crueler soul, save perhaps the Maskmaker himself. When one of the servant girls under the madame’s care dared to speak out of turn, she had her tongue ripped out as punishment. Yue cared not for the way the madame laughed, or how she left the servant girl to bleed in the streets.
“This will teach you, Sooah,” the madame huffed. “Never disrespect me again.”
Yue returned later that evening, donning her beautiful mask as she passed in front of the madame herself.
“You there,” the old woman crooned. “My, you’re a beauty. I could use a girl like you. I bet all of Longhao will be begging at my doorstep to spend a night with you.”
What a phenomenal example of how truly horrific humankind could be. Nevertheless, she had taken the bait.
“Let’s take a walk,” Yue said. “We can negotiate.”
The madame’s eyes twinkled, no doubt imagining the mountain of coins she’d earn with this new girl on her payroll. She didn’t think twice as she followed Yue around the corner into a dark, winding alley.
There was no time to scream. Yue devoured the woman in two bites and carried on her way.
She wouldn’t eat for another moon, but a pattern was beginning to emerge. Yue stalked the streets for her prey, listening carefully for signs of unrest. On one such occasion, she was attracted to the sound of a young woman crying by the canal. Beside her stood a rather unfortunate-looking man with a crooked nose and ears too large for his head.
“I don’t want to marry that man, Wen,” the woman sobbed. “I don’t care how wealthy he is. My parents know he’s an angry drunk, but they won’t rescind the match.”
