The Fox's God Read Online Free Page A

doesn’t want to go home. She wants to buy a house and hire servants to tend to me as if I were a prized horse.”
    If Sanae still had a human body, she’d have burst into laughter at his dejected expression. As a spirit, it wasn’t overly difficult to metaphorically press a hand to her mouth to keep the mirth inside. Men were prickly. If you laughed at them, they were unlikely to believe anything you said after, even if it was good advice.
    You deserve no less for tricking her , she said. You led her to believe your condition almost killed you; it’s normal for her to worry. Either tell the truth or be quiet and let her take care of you.
    “You don’t understand. The rough types she gambles with may not have an overabundance of wits, but they’re bound to catch her cheating eventually. If we get a house, we’ll be easy to find. I don’t want to have to explain why we’re always throwing unconscious men out the door.”
    I see how it would be troublesome. Tell her what happened and apologize.
    “Perhaps.”
    That didn’t sound like “perhaps.” That sounded like “I know you’re right, but I will continue to cling to my lie until the situation grows dire.” Men and denial…really.
    Domi put his empty cup down and rose. “I’ll leave the two of you to your business. I need to ensure I haven’t acquired a house and servants yet.” After he closed the door, his footsteps retreated down the hall.
    Toshishiro re-filled his cup with fresh tea. “I’d offer you a cup,” he said, “but it would seem a little silly. Tell me, how goes the god hunt?”
    The ship landed, but nobody’s killed—or seen—any god yet. I can confirm there’s something over there, but I don’t know what it is. It feels hungry so I’d rather not get too close. I’ll leave it to the boys to investigate.
    She didn’t like thinking about it, but it was an inescapable fact that she wouldn’t be able to accompany her brother and his friends all the way to their destination. Whatever was up there in the north, god or something else, it ate spiritual energy. Since she currently existed as a spirit, a being made of spiritual energy, she wouldn’t survive getting too close. She’d follow her boys as far as she dared, but after a certain point she’d have to wait and hope.
    Toshishiro smiled, eyes crinkling. “It can be difficult to be left behind, but trust them to do what’s needful.”
    I can trust them to do what’s needful, but I can’t trust them to go about it in a sensible way or without endangering their lives! It was time for a change of subject before her mood grew worse. Worrying didn’t help. Have you told the temple’s higher ups? About our god-slaying expedition in the north?
    “What they don’t know can’t hurt them. If I told them, they would attempt to interfere. Aiko and Jien will do well enough without a senior monk trying to control their actions from afar. Isn’t it so, my dear?” He wasn’t talking to Sanae anymore, but to a spirit she could see twirling about his head. The answer, if there was one, was audible only to him. “Oh, you’re quite right.”
    Sanae took her leave; she had others to visit before she could dash back north to see if her brother had managed to stay out of trouble. This far away, she couldn’t sense Akakiba, his life spark lost amidst countless others.
    Next stop: the clan house. With her superior travelling method, it was right next door.
    A tiny altar used to mourn lost family members was tucked in the corner of the first room she entered. In the very middle of the altar stood a painted portrait of a short young woman with vivid red hair. Her parents had placed the portrait there when they’d thought her gone forever, but hadn’t removed it after she resurfaced as a spirit. Sanae couldn’t discern what her feelings were on the matter. Should she be hurt? In a way, the girl in the portrait truly was dead. Sanae could barely remember bearing that face.
    Turning away, she