At the top was written, ‘Excellent—A+’ in a red pen. Canyon flipped quickly through the rest of the papers, reading all the answers to the first question, 1. When Khain comes for me, I will ____________. The answers given were:
run
run and hide
hide
go dim
spit in his eye
run really fast
insult him
tell him a yo mama joke
outsmart him
outmaneuver him
kill him
This last one was slashed through with red ink and written at the top, was:‘0%. Foxen cannot kill Khain and to think that you can is a foolish death sentence. Nothing can kill Khain, not even thevodvod.’
What the fuck’s a vodvod?Canyon asked.
“You’re a fucking vodvod,” Timber told him, smacking him in the chest with a booklet.
It was titled VODVOD ROSTER. Canyon opened to the first page, which showed official police headshots of nine males.
“Hey that’s Trevor,” he said, surprised into speaking out loud. “This is all of us—the KSRT.”
The next page had more pictures of them, full-body shots surreptitiously taken while they were working or walking around Serenity. The page after that had detailed drawings of all theirrenquawith their full names, birthdates, and even their addresses. The next page had pictures of Troy and Trent as wolves, and one of Graeme as a man. The last page showed a picture of Ella, heavily pregnant, walking into a restaurant, hand in hand with Trevor. There were no pictures of the young.
Canyon didn’t know what to think. Timber handed him an entire stack of similar booklets, and Canyon worked his way through them. They were in chronological order, and he flipped back year after year until he found the year he’d joined the KSRT. He pulled this booklet out, noticing someone had written on his picture. He looked closer. Just below the nametag WHEELING on his shirt, someone had written in tiny letters,SW <3 CW,with small hearts surrounding the print. Canyon ran his thumb over it. He looked up to see if Timber had seen it, but Timber was already across the room at the books. Canyon folded the booklet in half and shoved it in his back pocket.
At the books, Timber had pulled outConversations with Rhen, no author noted. The book was arranged with a short essay on every page, in alphabetical order, according to title. Timber leafed through it, reading the first bit of a few essays at random, with Canyon looking over his shoulder.
THE BONDSERVANT TETHER
Rhen says the Bondservant Tether is not a punishment or a sentence, but rather a natural consequence of the actionsof the demon. Rhen says the Tether will be broken and reparations will abound, but even Rhen cannot say when this will happen. She saysfoxenmust help themselves.
FOXENORIGINS
Rhen saysfoxenare her children as surely aswolven, bearen, andfelenare, and we may be even more special to her, as we are the children of her children, whom she loves fully and in all ways. She says Khain has taken what he had no right to take, but the act did not create evil or lower creatures, and those who suppose so are misguided and mistaken.
THE POISONING
Rhen says the mass poisoning could have been avoided byallifallhad listened to the warnings given.
RENQUA
Rhen says allfoxenhaverenqua, and those who do not have one at birth will develop it over the course of their lives. She says to joyfully think of it often, look for it always, and never give up hope. She says a faint renqua is not a sign of weak character or weak love from Rhen, but rather a natural occurrence, just as some stars are brighter than others.
THE VAHIY
Rhen says theVahiywill come to pass fully, although all of the signs may not. Rhen says theVahiyis protection, an assurance of an ending of some sort, whether it be for good or for evil.
