Vulpine Summer

Esme patted Frangag’s earthy finger, smiling widely up at the giant. ‘Thank you for carrying us so far.’

She bowed her large bald head, shaking loose pebbles and moss. ‘Anything for the Bloxham Sprite.’

‘You can return to your sisters now. Fox and I should be able to make it from here.’

Frangag said no more. She rose, her body creaking like churning rock, and began go back the way she had come. After a couple of steps, Esme couldn’t feel the tremors anymore and the giant was giant a smudge on the horizon.

‘Well, I could’ve slept better.’ Fox yawned and buried his face in his arms, curling himself into a small ball in the roots of a large sycamore. Absolon took the opportunity to rest on his head, something Fox wasn’t having and shooed him away irritably.

Esme hunkered down in front of him, gazing at him with warmth. He was still battered and bruised, his nose swelling and lip torn but alive and strong. They’d survived again and Esme was glad of it, glad she was still with Fox.

Since her epiphany, her view of Fox had changed. She no longer found him confusing, although she still felt a little overwhelmed when he looked at her a certain way or gave her a smile; instead she loved looking at him and being close beside him. She embraced that happiness he was unintentionally causing and she was going to make the most of it now. Who knows what was going to happen once they reached Granite Tower.

Fox seemed to be noticing the change in her attitude towards him and was growing a little suspicious. His vibrant green eyes narrowed and glittered.

‘What?’

She knew what he meant but she steered the subject away from her gazing. Ogling was still something she tried to avoid doing, no matter how much she wanted to gaze at his broad shoulders, sloping neck and lines of his jaw. It was un-ladylike.

‘How are you pains?’

‘Hurtin’. At least I had enough water to wipe away the blood. Bruisin’ aches though.’

‘Nothing is broken?’

He shook his head. ‘Luckily.’

That was a relief to Esme and she stood up, reluctantly pulling herself away from him. She took a few steps up the hill and over its peak to gaze at their surroundings.

Further down, belching out smoke from its numerous chimneys, was a small mining facility. Beyond that, a massive city sprawled. Hornfel City. Hundreds of miles in length, the city rose and dipped like a wave as the buildings shifted in height. Blimps hovered about like gulls and hundreds of roads slipped in and out, letting the city’s traffic flow like blood through veins.

Esme however was fixated on the singular massive spire in the centre of the city. The Granite Tower. It had been so long but she was close now. She’s find Lithgow, gain his help and then she’d prove she didn’t kill her aunt. She’d prove it was Suellen Denver.

‘We’re goin’ to Badger next.’

Esme flinched gently. She hadn’t noticed Fox’s approach but he was suddenly beside her, touching his bruised nose cautiously. She gazed down at his head, ignoring the urge to wrap him up in her arms. He was so tiny.

‘Another Fence?’

‘Goin’ to need the Fingers a lot to get to the Grantie’s Grand Wizard and avoid death.’

Esme frowned as she stared at the city swallowing up the horizon, speared by the Granite Tower in its heart. The place was going to a hive of danger, she knew that. While she was close to Lithgow, she was still so far.

‘There should be Fingers down in that mining factory. Warbler and Doe had told me they’d been alerted and to go there. They’ll smuggle us in and get us into the city and with Badger.’

She didn’t like how he winced when he moved his head and the bruising was looking worse now she could see it in the sunlight. It seemed he was hiding how much pain he was in and suddenly she was worried that something could be broken after all.

‘Will Badger be able to sort out your wounds?’

Fox shrugged. ‘Don’t matter if he doesn’t.’

Esme’s brow snapped down. ‘It does. He must sort out your wounds.’ He waved his hand, brushing aside her concern, but she wasn’t having it. ‘Fox, I will not leave Badger until you are tended to. I won’t have you running about bruised, battered and cut up like this. You are just lucky you were punched a few times.’

Fox’s eyes narrowed at me. ‘What you bein’ so concerned for?’

Esme flushed, her heart humming and her stomach exploding into butterflies. Because I love you and don’t like seeing you so hurt.

‘Because I refuse to let you die here when we’re so close.’ She said instead, swallowing her words and locking them away. There was no way she was going to tell him. She told herself it was because she didn’t want to risk him being uncomfortable around her but she knew, deep down, it was because she didn’t want to face the heartbreak of having him rejecting her. She was okay with things being like this, even if it was only for a few more days.

Fox grunted and rubbed the back of his neck before marching of. Esme assumed she had won for now.

Gesturing for Absolon to follow, they made their way down the slopping hill, trying to avoid slipping on the loose cobble and clumped, dry earth. The closer they got to the factories, the more clogged the air became. Noxious smoke and hot air began to churn with the fresh scents of grass, forcing Esme to cover her mouth lightly and grimace at the stench. She didn’t understand how the workers coped with it but, as they drew into the confines, she noticed they wore cloth masks, protecting themselves from the worst of it. She coughed, trying not to breathe it in, even Absolon was miserable and buried his face in the back of her neck. Her discomfort seemed to agitate Fox though as he swiped his hat from his head and pushed it against her nose roughly.

‘Just hang tight.’ He grumbled and marched off hurriedly, grabbing the nearest worker.

Esme remained where she was, pink faced as she held his hat to her face. It was filled with his scent, a scent she liked very much and made her heart pummel that much faster. She smiled stupidly to herself as a swell of pure bliss swallowed her, making her unaware of Fox’s return until her wacked her shoulder.

‘Oi, focus. This here is Alan. He’s goin’ to take us through.’ Fox gestured to a huge burly man sporting a very thick moustache with pure muscle lining his arms that strained his shirt.

‘This mining facility is Fingers owned; Badger runs it. We had word you were on your way but you got here fast. Two weeks too fast.’ Alan said in the thick, gruff accent Esme was becoming accustomed to. He raised a huge hand and pointed to one of the many tunnels leading into the depths of the hills. ‘One of the tunnels is directly tied to Badger’s den. I’ll take you through it, but we need to stock up on water and oil. Gets dark and warm in there.’

Esme wasn’t sure how it could be any warmer than were she stood; warmed by the sun above and the billowing furnaces that coughed out heat.

‘Wait here. I’ll get you and Vixen through.’

Alan didn’t wait for Fox to respond and lumbered off, leaving them alone. Fox sighed and hunkered down, grabbing at Esme to do the same when she didn’t follow suit.

‘Keepin’ low will help a little.’

Esme hummed, keeping close to Fox and enjoying the feeling him brush against her. As much as she wanted to watch him to her heart’s content, she chose to observe the workers as they lumbered coal about and lumps of rock.

‘How long until we get through?’

‘Couple of hours.’

Esme wasn’t overly keen on being stuck underground for two hours but she had little choice. She was so close to Lithgow now, she wasn’t going to give up.

Before long, Alan returned, arm to the teeth with equipment. His back was adorned with a bulging rucksack with a pickaxe, lantern and shovel attached to it and his head crowned by a hardhat with its own little light. He held out two extra hats, urging Fox and Esme to take them.

‘Nothing should happen but best to be safe. Tunnels, no matter how safe you make them, are unpredictable.’

Fox was quick to get his on, clipping it into place, while Esme gazed at it curiously. She’d never seen one before and she kept fiddling with the light, turning it off and on.

‘Vic, stop muckin’ about.’ Fox chided and snatched the hardhat from her.

Esme was about to complain until he removed her trusted hat and plonked the foreign hardhat on her head. She didn’t like how, simply have her close and feeling his long fingers brush her face, sent her stomach into an explosion of butterflies and turned her skin a vibrant pink. She didn’t like how the urge to kiss him grew as she gazed at his face so close to hers and squeezed her eyes shut to block it all out. She had to keep herself under control. She had to treat him as her guide only, nothing more.

He cupped her face and gazed at her deeply. She hated our her heart twisted and her face burned. His hands felt so good to the touch, so rough and large, holding her gently.

‘It sitting good for you?’

Esme nodded nervously and cast her eyes down to stare at the dirt. She flinched at Fox patted her cheek lightly.

‘Now come on.’ Fox said roughly and stood up to follow Alan who was already a few steps ahead of them.

Esme sucked into the smoggy air, trying to calm her heart. While she understood why she was reacting like this to Fox, she still wasn’t used to it. Being in love was still all new to her.

‘Vixen!’

She scrabbled to her feet, hiked up her bag and pulled Absolon into her arms then legged it, running in her gangly way to catch up to them.

Alan gestured to a tunnel on the far right. It yawned before her, its tracks dusty and the no entry sign slapped in the middle covered in cobwebs. She assumed this was the way to Badger.

Alan raised a gas-lantern and stepped beyond it, waving his hand for them to follow. While Fox obeyed, Esme hesitated. She gripped Absolon to her chest, staring into the hole. The darkness was whole and thick, swallowing up anything it touched. Even Alan’s little lights didn’t stand too much of a chance. She had to go into that; walk through it for two hours. It made her stomach twist with dread.

‘Dupont.’

Esme flinched and glanced down at Fox’s scruffy, beaten face. He was watching her curiously, his eyes dark with concern.

‘You scared?’

Esme scowled, not wanting to voice it but not finding it in herself to lie either. Instead she remained quiet. Fox sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before reaching up to switch the light of her hardhat on.

‘It’ll last.’ He said. When that didn’t seem to appease her, he scowled and snatched up her small hand in his. She blushed instantly at the feeling of how his hand swallowed hers, how strong he felt, how masculine. ‘I won’t let go so don’t be.’

She bit her lip and glanced at the floor. ‘I’m not.’ She stammered.

Fox snorted in disbelief and dragged her after him. Before she knew it, she was in the depths of the dark and the sunlight was very rapidly being left behind as nothing more than a small dot. Soon only the echoes of the footsteps and the rustling of disturbed dirt could be heart.

But Esme didn’t mind so much. Fox still held her hand, warm and reassuring. She was still with him and Lithgow was just ahead.

Soon, this whole mess would be sorted out.