The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox

Chapter 51: Taila's New Dancing Tutor

"I...see...." The traveling mage scanned her surroundings, as if hoping that one of the adults would miraculously return early from the fields. When she spoke again, her voice was firm. "I will wait here, then. In the meantime, we're going to work on your dance. Show me your routine. From the top."

Oh no! I pulled all four limbs into my shell and hoped as hard as I'd hoped for anything in this life that Taila and Nailus would have the good sense not to run through the entire Dawn Dance.

No such luck.

The children were delighted to have a new audience, especially such a captive, attentive audience. They took their starting positions, babbling all the while about how there were supposed to be six more dancers, but they didn't have that many dancers, so they just pretended that there were three other couples here and here and here, so she should pretend that they were standing on one side of a box.... Floridiana listened and nodded along and asked occasional questions that indicated that she, too, had received formal dance training. I'd guessed as much when I first saw her years ago, but the confirmation was still satisfying.

Less satisfyingly, the cat got bored not even halfway through. It leaped off Floridiana's shoulder and started slinking its way around Honeysuckle Croft. It batted the top of my shell and, when I didn't stick my head out to snap at it, crept closer to sniff me. I stayed hidden inside my shell, and eventually it lost interest, bounded onto the windowsill, and vanished into the cottage.

Floridiana didn't even call it back. Some guest manners!

By the time Taila and Nailus stumbled their way to the final bow and curtsey, Floridiana's mouth hung open as wide as Lord Silurus' maw. I thought it was their limping performance that had horrified her past words, but then she exclaimed, "Why are you starting with something that hard? Who's your teacher?"

"It's Mi– " began Taila.

Not trusting her to remember our cover story, Nailus broke in, "Mistress Bobo! Bo– Mistress Bobo taught us!"

"Mistress Bobo?"

Puffing up, Taila explained, "Bobo's a snake spirit. She dances at Caltrop Pond aaaaaall the time."

"Does she...?" Floridiana raised her eyebrows. "Well, that's a ridiculous thing to teach you. At your age, you should be starting with the basics, not jumping into something that was designed to test adults' skill and stamina. Here. Why don't I show you while we wait?"

And, to my everlasting shock, she started teaching a beginner dance lesson.

To my even greater shock, she was actually not a bad teacher when she wasn't posturing for an audience. She was firm and methodical, yet patient, and she seemed to enjoy mentoring small children.

Taila, on the other hand, was smart and energetic and could use a mentor who was firm, methodical, and patient, and held a job that paid far better than tenant farming, had far more social prestige, and took her far away from Black Sand Creek.

All right, new plan: I was going to apprentice Taila to Floridiana.

The mage's friendliness vanished as soon as dusk fell and the older Jeks returned from the fields. An arrogant mask dropped over her face, and she adopted an imperious pose that I decided to call "The Empress Awaits." Her right hand, hidden from their view by her skirts, dropped to the bronze seal that swung from her belt, and she clenched it. Huh. Was she actually nervous?

But however she felt about the meeting, she couldn't have been as nervous as the Jeks. Their casual conversation cut off when they saw the ramrod-straight figure in the gloom, and all four of them sped up.