Sin Of Greed (Greedy Fox Book 2)

~~ FIVE ~~

I skidded to a halt. How in hell's name did he know it was me? No, it had to be an extraordinary fluke.

"Are you talking about the fox?" Gilthunder asked.

Hendrickson stepped towards me and I scuttled backwards, hissing, teeth bared in warning. He held out a hand as if to placate me. The audacity. He dared?! Static danced in my vision but my body gave a thrum of pain that cancelled the mana.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I've seen this fox before," he said, his eyes never leaving me.

"Before?"

"In a dream," he muttered. He shook his head. "I'm positive it's her. Do you know anyone else who can use flames as easily as her? Her magic signature might be altered but it still has essences of her woven in it. "

"But... she died in Liones. You killed her," Howzer said, face pinched with sadness. "We buried her body next to all the others."

The Mana throbbed again through the pads of my feet, drowning out the pain.

Exactly!

He killed me and now he stood here looking whole and healthy while I was trapped!

Acting all buddy-buddy with the others when I couldn't even talk to them!

As if he didn't try murdering everyone in Liones!

Static hummed in a frenzy around me and I launched forward.

"Perfect Shell!"

Smack!

Static discharged with my yowl, turning the inside of Griamore's ability into a blaze of gold. I turned a withering glare on Griamore, lips pulled back, when it all settled. The end of my nose throbbed from running into his stupid shield.

"Someone managed to put her soul in another living creature's body as a vessel upon her death," Hendrickson said.

"If what you said is true, how do we turn her back?" Howzer asked.

"Do you want to be turned back?" Hendrickson asked me.

"Of course I do! And when I'm human again, I'm going to rip your bloody throat out and I'm going to enjoy watching you die a slow and painful death."

"I take all that yipping as a yes I'm guessing," Howzer said with an awkward laugh. He crouched down before the shield, holding my gaze. "The others were so worried about you, Estra. They're going to be real glad to see you again."

I sobered at the thought of reuniting with my friends. I made eye contact with Griamore and he dropped the Perfect Shell. My muscles ached in holding back but I stayed where I was.

"How do you even know how to do that?" asked Gilthunder in barely more than a whisper. Everyone's attention fell on him. He'd been yet to speak this entire time. "Purge was my father's power. So how are you using it?" He clenched his fists, rage written across his features.

"Purge is the secret technique of the druids, to eradicate souls that are unnatural," Hendrickson explained. "Like me, your father, Zaratras, was born a Druid, known as the Sages of the Forest who worshiped the Goddess race above all others." Hendrickson's eyes got a whimsical look to them. "In all my life, I've never met anybody with a more virtuous soul. Dreyfus and I loved and respected him with all our hearts. He was a true Holy Knight Grandmaster."

Perhaps the Perfect Shell needed to be used on Gilthunder too. He had his hand in Hendrickson's shirt collar before the others could even react.

Anger stirred within me, a different type to the one I had directed towards Hendrickson. He's mine, Gilthunder. Don't you dare steal my revenge from me.