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“Yes, ma’am,” he admitted. “Miss Mercy threw me out of the sickroom. ”
“You ain’t sick no more. ”
“Sure, but I didn’t have noplace else to go. ”
She stopped beside a half-open door. “Here—this room over here ought to be fine for the fox, for now. You didn’t see anybody else around? Not that I think anyone’d need the space, but you never know. ”
“No, I think I’m the only one down here. But we can always shut the door and … um … and put a sign on it. ”
“Not sure how much good that’d do. ” She pushed the door open with her hip and backed into the room, drawing the cage and Rector along behind her. “Half the folks down here can’t read. But if the idea of a snarling fox who’s all sick with Blight doesn’t keep ’em out, they deserve to get bit. I’ll pass the word around upstairs. ”
Rector accompanied her to the far wall, where they deposited the fox.
Angeline drew the blanket back all the way, and the light from the corridor cast a wide shaft into the room. She scared up a lantern, lit it, and drew it close enough to the animal so she could get a better look.
Rector said, “That’s about the most pitiful thing I ever saw. ”
“I have to agree with you there,” she nodded.
The fox’s ribs stuck out through its patchy fur, and its eyes were glassy and gold. They had an odd orange tinge to them—something unnatural and unhealthy, like the crows … except the fox did not appear otherwise well. Its tongue lolled, its eyes bugged, and its ears drooped sadly.
The princess put her hands on her hips. “First things first, then. I’ll get it some water and some food, and we’ll see if it don’t improve. ”
In half an hour they’d managed all of these things, and even arranged the old blanket into something like a bed. It’d be more comfortable than the metal mesh, at any rate, and when the door was closed the room was dark and quiet. Once the fox was as comfortable as its human handlers could make it, Rector turned to Angeline and asked, “If it does get better, how long do you think that’ll take?”
“Don’t know. But Zeke’ll be pretty patient with it. That boy’s still finding his way. He’s trying to decide who to be, and how to become it, and that’s a difficult thing for anybody … but he’s got a kind heart in him, and that’s more than a lot of people start with. ”
Rector scratched at his wrists, which still smarted dully from the Blight burns. “Well, he got picked on a lot, on the outside. It might’ve made him a little soft. ”
“That’s not always how it works, you know. Or maybe you and I have a different idea of what soft means. Soft don’t always mean weak; the trees that bend are the ones that weather the storm, after all. You’re a boy from the Sound. You ought to know that. Now come on—let’s leave this little fellow alone and hope for the best. Maybe he’ll take that food and water, and maybe the air down here will clear him out. ”
“It don’t work on people. ”
“That fox ain’t people. ” She ushered Rector out of the room and shut the door behind them both. “Peace and quiet, that’s all we can do for it. ”
As if on cue, Houjin came bounding down the corridor, shouting. “Rector, are you down here? Rector?”
“Shh!” Angeline hissed.
Houjin drew up short and stopped himself with a skid. “Sorry, ma’am. I was looking for Rector. ”
“So I gathered. What do you want with him?”
“It’s not me, ma’am … it’s Yaozu. He wants him for outside work. Since he knows some of the people out at the tower, and all. Besides, he says he’d rather give Rector a job than wonder what he’s up to. ”
Angeline laughed, which surprised both boys. “I never said the man was a dummy, did I? You two run along and make yourselves useful. ”
As the two boys ran down the hall to the stairs, Houjin asked, “What was all that about? What were you doing down here?”
“Setting up a room for myself,” Rector said. “And while I was at it, I ran into Miss Angeline, carrying that cage we put out. She caught the fox. We gave it some food and water, and left it in that empty room with the door shut. ”
Houjin shook his head and reached for the stair rail. Up he climbed, and he said, “Waste of time. But it’s nice of her to try—and Zeke’ll be glad she caught it. It can be his project, when he gets finished up at Decatur. ”
“Why aren’t you up there? Why’d you leave with Yaozu? Is that air captain boss of yours scared of him, or what?”
“Cly’s not scared of him,” Houjin snapped. “The captain’s trying to do what’s best for the underground. Zeke can carry things and move things up at the fort as easy as I can; but he can’t make things like I can. ”
“What are you making?” Rector asked, partly because he was curious, and partly because he didn’t feel like managing Houjin and his bad mood.
