Vulpine Summer

The entrance to the Tower’s sewer was very easy to find along the outside of the Tower’s confines. It wasn’t magically locked either and the grate had an old lock, one Bull picked in seconds, which made Fox a little nervous. Clearly the Wizards weren’t bothered if someone hopped into the sewers; there was enough defences inside.

With some effort, the pair of them managed to haul the heavy grate open and dropped in with Absolon drifted eagerly after them, jiggling the whistles still in his stomach. Inside stank far worse than it did outside. A oppressive stench barrelled up Fox’s nose and squeezed into his stomach, making it churn in protest. The sludgy water cradled in a trough was the culprit, and Fox glared at it from the safety of the path he stood on.

‘Right, the Spirit is up ahead.’ Bull said as she turned on the light strapped to her forehead and glanced over the instructions Lithgow had given them. ‘We just need to play with it and win.’ She scowled down at Fox. ‘Don’t annoy it.’

Fox snorted and strode onwards along the thin path, going deeper into the sewer.

Nothing was in here, bar the few rats that scuttled away down holes or swiftly swam through the sludge. Very little was heard; only their own footsteps and the odd droplet of water echoing in the chamber. Murky darkness gathered in and not even their lights could break into it easily and the unpleasant stagnant just got worse with every step.

They said nothing, not until Bull indicated to turn right. Fox turned and saw a gaping tunnel, one of many he was going to encounter. Despite them having not entered the maze, it felt like he had already. Surrounding him was darkness and walls and nothing else.

Bull took the lead, sweeping her light over the slim-covered brick. Rats scuttled by here and there and lazy flies, bogged down by the warmth, bumped into Fox’s face lazily. Even when he swatted them away, they were so dopy they’d just swing by again. It irritated him. Absolon didn’t seem to mind and whistled to every fly that whizzed by.

‘How much further?’ Fox asked tightly after several minutes went by.

‘Not far, now don’t nag like a five year old.’ Bull retorted.

Fox scowled at her back. He didn’t like how it felt like she was holding a grudge against him for attempting to fulfil his orders over the Eye. He knew very well she never treated Dupont this way. He sighed heavily and readjusted his goggles. Thinking of Dupont just made his chest tighten with worry. He kept thinking about how scared she must be, how alone and broken, and it infuriated him. He just wanted to be with her already and getting her out of that mess, but first they had to play with a Spirit and run through a maze. Getting to Dupont was a while off yet so he just to just ignore the thoughts that kept popping up in his head, her face, smiling and glowing, that flickered in his mind’s eye.

Bull suddenly came to a stop, making Fox gently bump into her.

‘What is it?’ Fox asked in alarm, readying his glove to defend himself.

‘We’ve found it.’ Bull muttered and pointed ahead.

Further along the path was a glowing white bundle. Fox squinted, trying to make out its features but having no such luck. It was too bright.

‘Magic?’

‘The Spirit. It has to be. The airs suddenly become a lot cleaner around here.’

The air indeed had become a lot less oppressive and nauseating, that’s true, but Fox wasn’t one to trust glowing balls so easily; not when they were trying to enter the Tower.

‘Absolon, check it out.’

Surprisingly, Absolon did as Fox asked without hesitation. Normally the Sprite would sing and ignore him irritatingly but he swung away, swooping through the gloom and coming to a rest above the strange object. A wriggling arm slithered out from Absolon and he gently touched the ball, petting it and whistling. Slowly, a pair of ears pricked up, and then a cat unfurled itself elegantly. It yawned and stretched, twitching its puffy tail.

And then it was in front of them, floating about in the air and gazing at them with piercing blue eyes.

‘What brings the humans to this one’s domain?’ The Spirit purred softly.

‘You’re the Protection Spirit?’

‘This one is known as Lord Bulwark, human. This one protects the sewers from intruders to the Tower above. Are the humans such intruders?’

‘We’re not here to steal.’ Fox said as Absolon drifted towards them again. ‘But we want in.’

‘A lass is going to die for something she didn’t do. We are trying to rescue her.’ Bull said softly.

Lord Bulwark’s ears twitched. ‘A human girl. This one has heard the woes of one such girl. It claims it murdered someone, yet she lies when she says it. Why is this?’

‘Magic has altered her memories. She believes she killed her own aunt because the memories in her head tell her she did. She didn’t.’

Absolon whistled and sang sadly, his tone drooping. The Spirit listened intently, not uttering a word until Absolon had finished.

‘The Bloxham Sprite.’ The Spirit murmured. ‘This one knows that name. Rumours have reached this one about her plight and the Spirits that have been rising to the occasion. She has failed her quest.’

Fox’s fingers twitched and rage spate. ‘She ain’t failed anythin’ yet! We’re gettin’ her out!’

Lord Bulwark yawned. ‘But the red haired human must get through this one. While this one is curious to see how the humans rescue the Bloxham Sprite, this one must do its job.’

‘We have to play a game with you.’ Bull said, folding her arms firmly.

‘Yes.’

‘And you’ll really let us pass to rescue the lass?’

‘Yes. This one will not ruin the attempts of this one’s brethren to help the Bloxham Sprite.’

‘Then just let us through.’ Fox grumbled impatiently.

Lord Bulwark smiled, sharply revealing his pointed needle-thin teeth. ‘This one must do its job, as already stated.’

Fox scowled irritably as Dupont pressed in his head. Urgency to get to her was begging to burn in him. He had to get to her. He couldn’t let her die.

‘What game do you want to play then, Lord Bulwark?’ Bull said patiently, the exact opposite of what Fox was feeling. He didn’t understand how she could be so calm and collected about this. If they were too late, Dupont was dead.

Dead.

The thought made his stomach twist.

‘A guessing game. Answer all three riddles correctly and the humans will be free to pass.’ Lord Bulwark smiled. ‘Shall this one begin?’

‘Yes.’ Fox snapped. ‘Just hurry up.’

‘Impatient, is the red one!’ His smile widened. ‘Very well. This one gurgles but never speaks, runs but never walks, this one also has a bed but never sleeps. What is this one?

Fox was stumped. Riddles and the like had never been his strong suit. Yes, he wasn’t exactly stupid, he did get through the most basic of education with the Doe hounding his every step, but his strengths was in planning, reactions and wriggling out of trouble through quick thinking and charm, not problem solving.

‘A river.’ Bull answered, popping Fox’s frantic thoughts.

The cat whirled through the air, purring loudly. ‘Correct. Now, for the next one. This one is buried when alive but dug up when dead. What is this one?’

Once again, Fox was stumped. He desperately thought, trying to think of an answer, but nothing came to him. And the more he struggled, the more Dupont bustled into his head. The pressure of answering correctly to get to her grew, making him grow increasingly frustrated and unable to think. All he could think about was her.

‘A plant.’ Bull answered.

Lord Bulwark purred loudly in approval. ‘Correct. And now for the last one. Sometimes this one walks in front of the human. Sometimes this one walks behind the human. It is only in the dark this one leaves the human. What is this one?

Fox didn’t even bother to figure it out and just watched Bull as she closed her eyes and folded her arms. She looked calm, patiently going over the riddle in her head. Then she slowly opened her eyes.

‘Your shadow.’

‘Correct. The humans may now pass to steal away the Bloxham Sprite. This one will not hinder you anymore.’

Bull gave Fox a sly smile. ‘Glad I’m with now, eh, lad?’

He felt his neck flush. Frustration and embarrassment blossomed. He should’ve been able to answer those questions. Dupont depended on him to but he failed.

‘I’m teasing, Fox.’ Bull laughed then marched onwards.

Fox closed his eyes, sucked in the rank air and then moved to step forward only to stop sharply. Lord Bulwark floating in front of him, his whiskers twitching and blue eyes glimmering.

‘What?’

The Spirit said nothing, just blinked, so Fox grunted and moved passed him. Absolon latched onto his head as he dove after Bull, following her light that swung ahead. Fox didn’t need to look behind him to know the Spirit was following, floating through the air like a fish in water. He could feel it and refused to ask why. It was unlikely Lord Bulwark would even answer. So Fox, Bull and Absolon made their way deeper into the sewer’s catacombs. Rats and flies grew in numbers and tunnels splitting off into various directions began to multiply. Fox was beginning to wonder if they had stumbled into the maze until he remembered it was the dungeon itself that was charmed.

Eventually Bull came to a stop beneath a small stairwell reaching up into the world above.

‘This is it.’ She said as she stuffed away one map and brought out the list of instructions and odd purple key. ‘Now we’ll see if Lithgow’s been a lying bugger all along.’

‘Spirit Lithgow never lies.’ Lord Bulwark announced indigently.

Bull shot the Spirit a light smile before she hauled herself slightly up the rungs. Fox watched as she hauled herself up into the hole above, paused as she toyed about with the weak magical lock that was followed by an eerily rusty creak. A few moments later, she signalled Fox and vanished.

Finally, thought Fox. It was getting to the point when he could actually do something. So far, Bull and Lithgow had been doing all the work.

Fox scuttled up the ladder silently, with Absolon still attached to him tightly and the Spirit trailing after them like a phantom. Then Fox popped his head above ground and tasted fresh air for the first time in an hour. Dim lights met him, lining the old bare brick walls. No windows were visible and neither were there doors, just a long corridor. It was heartening to see a change in scenery. It meant he was closer to her. Closer to getting her out.

Bull was standing by the manhole and her mask and goggles were firmly in place of her face, obscuring her expression. But by her stance, she was unsettled.

‘What’s the problem?’ Fox whispered as he slipped out of the hole and carefully replaced the cover.

‘You can’t feel that, lad?’ She muttered as she placed the purple key on the cover and turned it clockwise. The cover clicked, indicating the spell was back in place.

Fox titled his head. At first, he didn’t notice anything weird, then, very slowly, it creeped up on him. The silence. It was deathly quiet. No running pipes or cables, no footsteps, doors or voices. Nothing.

He glanced at her. ‘We’re in that maze, right?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Right.’ He muttered then pulled down his goggles and adjusted them firmly over his eyes. ‘Let’s get through this. Should be easy, right?’

‘So long as the humans do not make a single mistake, the spell will not be reset. They will not know when they do, however, thus may forever be befuddled in their positioning and make the wrong turns, despite instructions.’

‘Would be nice if you gave us advice.’ Fox hissed.

‘This one is meant to stop thieves from entering the Tower, not aiding.’ The Spirit pointed out, offended.

‘Then why’re you followin’?’

‘Curiosity. This one feels something in the red one; raw passion for this criminal act. This one is compelled to see if it’ll save the Bloxham Sprite.’

Fox felt his neck burn again and he tried not to think of what kind of ‘passion’ the Spirit was feeling. It unnerved Fox a little with how desperate he was to get to her, how much dread and fear it instilled in him at the thought of her being shipped off and shot. And it dawned on him then that it wasn’t Denver and her plot that was worrying him; only Dupont’s death and the thought he’d never see her smile again.

‘We go this way.’ Bull said uncertainty.

‘Sound like you know, Bull.’

‘It’s magic. Magic isn’t my thing. Now, c’mon. Let’s get this lassie out.’

Fox hauled himself onto his feet and rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to shake away the fear in his gut as he faced the magic-induced maze. He’d get her out. He’d see her honey eyes and honest smile again. He’d hold her hand again. He had to. Just had to.