Page 52 of Feathered Thief

The fox bared his teeth. “What were your exact words?”

Well aware that she had no protection from those fangs, she still answered boldly. “I told her to be free. No sentient creature should ever be caged or enslaved without cause.”

With a vicious snarl, the fox paced the cell floor. “What makes you think it was free of guilt?”

“What crime did she commit?”

The fox whined, trembling with fury. “The bird’s crime is not the point here! You disobeyed my direct command. And you failed to inform me that you are a mage, of sorts.” His lips curled back even as he said, “Nevertheless, I shall offer you another chance.” He turned his tail to her. “Climb on.”

“I won’t go anywhere without Papa Hrabik.”

“That old man? If he has any sense, he is well on his way back to Trinec by now.”

Shivering inwardly, Lenka attempted a laugh. “Nice try. Where is he?”

The fox snarled again and snapped those white teeth, his yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. “You must come with me.”

“Master Lech goes nowhere withoutme.”

At the sound of that familiar voice, Lenka nearly burst into tears.

“You can’t lose me that easily, fox,” Papa Hrabik warned. “I know enough about castles to locate a gaolhouse. Where my master goes, I go.”

Vexation fairly oozed from the fox, yet he crouched and extended his tail. “Climb on.”

Papa and Lenka stepped over and sat at the same time, now with Papa in front and Lenka wearing the unwieldy pack. She wrapped her arms around his thick middle just in time to sense the strange magic again. Wind whistled past without so much as ruffling their hair. The fox seemed to flow—or fly?—over the ground, and she could see nothing in the darkness.

When the fox stopped, Papa and Lenka climbed off together. Before the beast could speak, Papa said, “We will sleep now. It is much too dark to accomplish anything, and my young master needs rest.”

The fox grouched but didn’t argue. “Do nothing and go nowhere until I return.”

After he slipped into the underbrush, Papa Hrabik laid down one tarp and somehow suspended another from surrounding shrubs to keep off the dew. “You sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

Bundled in a dry woolen blanket, Lenka slept hard and dreamlessly.

At first light, Papa brought out a packet of dried fruit and nuts to share, and they both drank from a rivulet splashing over rocks on a hillside. “Are you strong in spirit, my Lenka?” he asked.

Still chewing, she paused, then nodded. “I feel stronger today. No matter what follows, I’m glad Solara is free.”

“That is the bird’s name?”

“Yes, I remembered as soon as I released her.”

“The bird who stole the apples and gave up a feather.”

“Yes.” Lenka met his gaze squarely. “She asked for truth and mercy to prevail.”

“I remember.” He smiled. “She does glow like the sun.”

Moments later, the fox joined them in his subtle way, slid his gaze over them both, then ordered, “Follow me.”

The humans shouldered their sacks and followed the fox until he cautioned them to keep to the shadows. Ahead, on a flat hilltop surrounded by tree-dotted lawns fenced into pastures rose a square red-brick castle with towers at each corner. To Lenka, it looked more like a manor house than a castle. Such a pretty place!

The fox turned to face them, his expression calculating. “Prince Szymon is lord of Plock Castle and has a large family. Like Baron Aleksy, his principality is a vassal state to Ostrów. He raises fine horses.” He spoke in a near-monotone, focused on Lenka. “His greatest treasure is a horse of pure gold. The stable block is located behind the castle. The grooms will not wake unless you make a foolish mistake.”

Lenka nodded, but her exhausted spirit and body struggled to focus on the directions.

“Listen closely, boy: only you, not your servant, must enter the stable and lead the golden horse outside. You may speak aloud to the animal, giving it orders. One more rule of primary importance: place on the golden horseonlythe bridle and saddle of leather,notthe golden ones hanging nearby. If you ignore my directions again, things will go badly for all concerned.”

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