Foxheart

Chapter Seven

When Esme saw the pamphlet, her fragile whole world fell apart. Not only had she witnessed her aunt's murder but she was being framed for it. Suellen Denver hadn't simply done nothing in the hours Esme vanished into the River Oak, she'd been spinning her own lies and webs, getting the Tower and the police into her hands. It suddenly all made sense why Esme had been turned into a fox too. If someone's mind and body had been turned entirely into something else, like a fox, the mind and memories were open to manipulation. And it would be easy for a Wizard of Suellen's level to erase Esme's true memories of the event's of the Grand Wizard's murder and replace them with what Suellen wanted; Esme recalling how she murdered the Grand Wizard herself and admits guilt. Not even truth spell would wheedle out this manipulation as it would be Esme's new truth. She'd remember murdering Cassandra and her guilt would be real, even if it didn't happen. This now made going back to the Ivory Tower an awful idea. Esme had no friends there in power and giving herself over to Suellen would open up the chance for Suellen to finish what she started. To convince Esme that she murdered Cassandra and have her admit guilt.

So Esme, as she followed the blasted thief more desperately than before, had no idea what to do. No one could be trusted in the Tower, not with Suellen whispering lies to all and sundry. The police couldn't be trusted either. They'd simply arrest her, lock her up and make it very easy for Suellen to come find her and complete the shape-change curse. There was only one person in a political position she trusted and that was Logan Lithgow, the Grand Wizard of the Granite Tower all the way over in Hornfels. He was the only man Cassandra ever considered to marry and he had been in Esme's life regularly before the Granite Tower recalled him to take up the Grand Wizard position when she was eleven. He'd help lift the curse on her and ensure she was safe against Suellen's magic and plot when Esme faced her. But the Hornfels were so far away. How was she going to get there without being caught by Suellen? She couldn't trust anyone and she didn't want to put the few people she did in danger.

Her mind was filled with thoughts, trying desperately to come up with some kind of action plan other than just staying beside River Oak forever, as she followed the thief. She kept hidden, not wanting to be seen as she was well aware she wasn't acting very fox-like, until he stopped. She listened intently as the thief spoke with a friend, someone who appeared to be just as criminal as himself. She wasn't expecting to hear anything of intrest so when they claimed to be members of the Fingers, she was taken aback.

The Fingers? Cassandra told her of them and there were enough rumours and newspaper articles about them that Esme was very aware they were a group of thieves. They could get into any building and take anything they wanted. Nothing could stop them and anything, no matter how big, would just vanish into thin air when they were involved.

As Esme stared at the boasting thief she hated so much for taking her Grimoire, a crazy idea came to mind. She wasn't sure how it was going to work until the thief showed what he had stolen; a very expensive jewel. It seemed very important to him and his position within the Fingers. That could the key to making this plan work. The plan to make herself disappear from Lakeside.

Esme's mind was so full of ideas, trying to piece together how on earth this crazy idea of her's would work, that she completely forgot to hide herself when he started moving again. The thief gazed at her and, for the first time, Esme got a good look at the crook.

She couldn't tell how tall he was, everyone looked like a giant to her, but she had a feeling he was short compared to how high the brick and wrought iron walls were. His hair was a vibrant red, fluffy and styled in the lower class fashion with thick sideburns and no facial hair. His face was annoyingly pleasing to look at; bright eyes, warm smile and general well proportioned face. A face she imagined the men having in her romance novels. It annoyed her. She didn't like how he smiled at her kindly either, as if he had a heart. He didn't. He stole her Grimoire and made an already terrible and impossible situation so much harder. He had no care that he had left her incredibly vulnerable against a murderer who was trying to frame her. But she had a plan for him to make it up for her now.