Memory Hunted (18 page)

Sunlight was streaming through the frosted window when
Timothy awoke. Breathing was still a chore, but at least it wasn’t as much of a
struggle. He shifted against the pillow. His right chest and shoulder throbbed.
Kyle sat in his chair reading. Kyle. Reading.

"Since when do you like books?" The words scraped his
throat.

Kyle looked up. "Since you decided to sleep for two more
days. I worried I would have to give you man-kisses again."

Timothy grimaced.

Kyle set the book aside, walked to a stand, and filled
a cup from a wooden pitcher. He crossed over and handed it to Timothy. "It’s worse
for me. You have sandpaper for lips. I don’t see how your wife can stand that."

Timothy took the cup and hestitated.

"It’s just water. You shouldn’t sleep too much longer.
I have a job, remember?"

Timothy took a long pull. He had to come up for air sooner
than he’d expected. It felt as if one lung didn’t want to work right.

"Where’s Kit?" he asked.

"She’s here, but she won’t see you. Don’t ask me why.
I never could understand women."

Timothy handed Kyle the cup. "Then I will go see her."
He forced his arms to work.
I feel weaker now than when I was back at Honheim.
His shoulder screamed, but he ignored it. He cast aside the sheet and noticed
he wore just his smallclothes. He shot Kyle a look.

"Hey now, don’t look at me like that. You are not that
attractive. You had blood everywhere." Kyle tossed a cloak at Timothy. "Wear this."

Timothy stood on shaky legs and donned the heavy cloak.
It pooled at his feet. He shuffled toward the door. Kyle hovered over his shoulder.
"Just what are you doing?" Timothy asked.

Kyle backed away a step and looked out the window. "You
had all of us scared. I wasn’t kidding when I said you died several times. You are
like a kid brother to me, you know."

Timothy swallowed.
For Kyle to say that…
"I made
it, and I promise I will leave the adventuring to you from now on."

Kyle looked at him and raised a finger. "Heroing. With
a wife like yours, each day will be an adventure. I don’t think she is ready to
see you yet, but you’d better go try anyway. It’s good to move. Helps you heal faster.
At least all the old soldiers tell me that."

Timothy shuffled through the door with Kyle for a shadow.
A fire danced in the hearth, and a desk dominated the room. Yuzu and Tell lounged
next to it. On the far side of the room, Kit leaned against the wall with her arms
crossed. Her fox ears slumped, and her tail drooped.

"It doesn’t matter that I am older than you, Telly,"
Yuzu said. She shot to her feet. "Timothy!"

Kit met Timothy’s gaze. Without a word she turned, opened
the door, and left in a swirl of frosted air.

"Sis…" Yuzu frowned. She stared after the closed door
for a moment before facing Timothy. "How are you feeling?"

Timothy frowned at the door.
I expected a punch to
my ribs and to my pride, not for her to avoid me.
"Tired." The short distance
left him wheezing. He shuffled toward Yuzu’s chair. She pushed the chair closer,
and he settled into it. "What did I miss?"

"Jan is dead," Tell said.

Yuzu planted her hands on her hips. "Don’t say it like
that. He was your father!"

Timothy noticed Tell’s ears. They stood up out of his
hair with the same white tufts and red fur as Kit’s ears. "You’re a fox?"

Kyle sat on the edge of the desk. "All of them are. Daeric.
Tredere. I guess the Inquisition wasn’t as thorough as they thought."

Yuzu smiled and mussed Tell’s right ear. "They are cute,
aren’t they? Show him your tail."

Tell blushed. "I—I don’t think—"

Timothy held up a hand. "It’s fine."
Tell’s a
fox.Maybe all this time that was what Kit smelled.
"What happened to Daeric
and Tredere?"

"I already told you that." Kyle crossed his arms.

"Sorry. I still feel stuffed with wool."
I hope I
won’t always feel like this.

Concern etched Yuzu’s face. "The Inquisitor and the soldiers
took Daeric and Tredere."

Timothy wheezed a laugh.

"What’s so funny about that?" Tell asked.

"History."

"History? Are you sure you are all right, Timothy?" Kyle
asked.

"The same thing happened with Tahd Valador. We—Kit—faced
him, and it took an Inquisitor—Balwar actually— to save us."

"That seems to be a trend. Sis had to save you from your
mother." Yuzu twirled a finger around Tell’s ear. The young man shivered. "All
right. Enough of that. I am going to get Sis." Yuzu shot to her feet and darted
out the door.

"So tell me, what’s this business with your mother?"
Kyle asked.

Kit’s breath frosted the air. "Why am I running away
like some foolish little girl?" She grimaced. "Stupid."

But he’s alive. After I saw him lying there,
dead, somehow he’s alive.
She wrapped her matted tail around her
legs and shivered.
Once before he got sick because of me and almost died. This
time he did die—or as close as you can possibly get. The third time will…
She
hugged herself.
He would be better off without me. I should go. I need to go.
For his sake.

"Sis! Ah, there you are." Yuzu rounded the corner of
the building. "Why did you run off? It’s not like Timothy is some kind of ghost.
Well, I don’t think he is. Even Kyle isn’t sure."

Kit turned away. "Leave me be."

"He wants to see you. He didn’t say so, but it’s obvious
enough even Tell will notice."

"He will be better off if he forgets me." Kit began to
walk.

"You’re his wife. You can’t just walk away."

"I’m not…that. I never was."

"What do you mean?"

Kit rounded on her adopted sister. "It’s all a lie. A
story we told to help me avoid attention."

Yuzu raised an eyebrow. "Doesn’t look like a lie to me.
Go see him."

Kit whipped around and stalked away.
I can’t. I can’t
endanger him anymore.

It was time to leave.

Timothy managed to shuffle a little farther each day.
Gradually, the feeling of suffocation lessened. Cold stole his breath whenever he
ventured outside. He took to wearing a scarf Yuzu found over his nose and mouth.
Kyle found a thick, warm shirt from a chest a soldier had left behind. Timothy’s
right arm refused to lift high enough to don the shirt properly, so he wore it
on one arm, with the other sleeve empty. He had Yuzu bring him sticks of charcoal
from the hearth and worked at lettering on a thin slab of stone. He used more
of his shoulder to write than he would normally, but he refused to let it lock
up. It seemed to help. Each day his shoulder loosened a little more.

Kit remained elusive. Whenever he would catch her eye,
she would dart away like a spooked lamb.

On the eighth day, he asked Yuzu about Kit.

"She’s being stupid." Yuzu thrust a bowl of stew at him.
"Eat, and don’t worry about her. I will bring her around."

Kyle spent most of his time with Timothy. When Kyle left,
Timothy’s throat was dry from all the talking. Kyle wanted to hear about every adventure
they’d had after the events with Treblin. When Timothy told Kyle about Big Al, Kyle
vowed to meet the man. Yet for all his usual antics, Kyle was worried. He hovered
and asked if Timothy needed anything. He egged Timothy on—to walk farther, to push
a little harder.

Snow clung to Timothy’s scarf. He leaned against the
palisade after making two circuits. Kyle had left to pack. He needed to leave before
he was considered a deserter. The thought of Kyle’s eventual departure slumped
Timothy’s mood.

Timothy caught a flash of red in the corner of his gaze.

"Kit?"

Tell appeared and shook his head. "It’s me. I…Yuzu and
I were talking."

Timothy pushed away from the wall. "Let’s walk. What
were you talking about?"

Tell’s tail wagged. He noticed Timothy watching, and
his tail froze."My tail doesn’t bother you does it? Jan never liked me showing
it."

"It’s not that. I had thought Kit was the only fox
left. To discover there are others is a little unsettling. But in a good way."

"Daeric spent a lot of time talking about how few of
us there are," Tell said. "I couldn’t imagine an entire town of people like me."
He paused. "It would be hard to think you were the last one of your people."

Timothy nodded.
How does Kit feel about this? It
has to be a relief to know she isn’t the only fox left.

 
They walked for a time
before Tell spoke again. "Yuzu and I…she is talking to your wife right now."

Timothy waited.

"We…we want to come with you. Both of us." Tell blushed.

"I don’t even know where we are going."

Tell hesitated.

"I think, perhaps, you and Yuzu are meant for a different
path."
Not to mention Kit may be tired of having Yuzu around.
"You know,
it would give you and Yuzu some time alone."

Tell blushed to his hairline.

"Besides, Kit and I still have to go to Belafonte."

"She’s been there already. We found her there."

"She went without me." Timothy frowned.

Tell nodded.

They neared Timothy’s building. Timothy’s sour mood
deepened.  "You tell Kit she’s not getting off so easily. I didn’t come all this
way just to turn back. Tell her if she doesn’t take me to Belafonte I will track
her down and swat her rump for being a child."

The young man’s eyes widened. "I am to tell her that?"

"Word for word." Timothy opened the door. Welcome warmth
rushed out. "Tell her I will wait until tonight. After that, I am coming after her."
Timothy closed the door in Tell’s face and settled in to wait.
Avoid me, will
she? I won’t play that game again.

The door opened not long after he began to practice his
writing. Kit shuffled in with her arms crossed. Anger and an expression Timothy
didn’t recognize warred on her face. On anyone else he would say she looked
shy, but not on Kit. She was anything but shy.

He pretended to ignore her and practiced while he watched
her from the corner of his eye.

Kit’s ears quivered and slumped. Her tail was still tangled.
That isn’t like her,
he thought.
Especially now that she doesn’t have
to hide her tail.

 
Kit opened her mouth and
closed it. She turned toward the door and put her hand on the handle.

"You went to Belafonte without me." Timothy set his nib
aside and folded his hands on the desk.

Her hand dropped, but she didn’t turn. She remained silent,
but her tail wagged.

"It looks like without me you can’t even take care of
your tail. Just what am I going to do with you?"

Her shoulders quivered like a lamb facing shears for
the first time. She whirled, tears on her face. "How dare you die on me, Timmy?
Did you know what that was like? What it did to me?"

Timothy leaned back, aware of his labored breathing.
"It wasn’t exactly my idea. I wish our first kiss was on better circumstances. Funny
how I had to die to get you to make the first move."

Kit blinked, and her ears fluttered. "First…move?"

Timothy shrugged his stiff shoulder. After that walk,
he needed to sleep. "We were to both go to Belafonte."

Kit skewered him with a glare. "You were kind of dead
at the time."

"I’m not now. You owe me for Kyle’s man-kissing. You
and I will go there together."

Kit’s ears wilted, and her tail wrapped around her legs.

How does she stand the cold with only those
leggings and blouse? They are not that warm. No. She’s shivering.
"Why
aren’t wearing anything warm? Are you trying to catch your death?"

She whispered something.

He waited, stifling a yawn.

She looked up and glanced away. She hugged her tail.
"It’s my fault. It’s all my fault."

I’ve never seen her like this. I…I’m not
sure what to do. This isn’t like her at all.

She looked up. "Normally a man would offer comfort
at a time like this. Not that I want to have your scent all over me one last
time."

He frowned. "Is this another game?"
 
He stood
and walked around the desk.

She glared and shook her head. "No. It’s not a game.
It is good-bye. One last argument before I go." Her attempt at a smile failed.

"Go? You know you are not the only fox now. There is
no more need to run. Besides, do you think I will let you go just like that?
What about your memories?"

"There isn’t anything more for me to remember. Yes,
we got all the way out here and nothing. There is nothing for me here. It would
be best if you never had…it’s my fault so much has happened to you."

"We could stay."

She frowned at him.

"We could stay. I had been thinking about it. The
Vatican got want they wanted. They have no reason to return now that the last
of the foxes have been found. We would be safe, and you wouldn’t have to hide
anymore."