Foxheart

Chapter Thirty

'Billy!' Fox bellowed.

No one answered. Gritting his teeth, Fox pressed his ear against the door. He could hear Billy's voice and a strange noise, like whining metal.

Fox slammed the door. 'Billy!'

Again, nothing but Billy had fallen silent. What was he doing? He had to get in there quick.

Fox was on his knees and pulling out a couple of lockpicks, setting to work quickly. The sound of the lock being toyed with seemed to get Billy's attention and the bizarre noise stopped.

'Fox, go. Leave this to me.' Billy said through the door.

'Billy, shut up. Just open this bloody door now and stop attackin' Dupont!' Fox snarled.

Billy went silent and the whining began again, this time louder and with fewer intervals. Fox worked faster and soon had the door unlocked. Twisting the handle, Fox tumbled inside, his face twisted with fury the moment he realised his instincts were right.

Billy stood before his sofa, knife scraping against some kind of shield Absolon had erected. The poor sprite was shaking from fatigue as he tried to keep Billy away, signing miserably. He couldn't see Dupont though.

'Billy!' Fox snarled.

Billy glanced at him for only a moment, pausing on briefly in his assault on Absolon, before he continued. He raised the knife and slammed it against the shield, pushing all of his weight down to try to break through. Absolon whimpered under the strain and his body flickered.

Fox felt his anger grow. It bubbled inside him, mixing in with the stinging pain of betrayal. Fox switched his glove on, readying it.

'Billy, put the goddamn knife down.' Fox snapped.

'Why?' Billy said, not pausing once in his attempt to wear down Absolon. 'I'm doin' this for you.'

'For me?' The words just rubbed salt in the wound and made his anger bubble into rage. 'For me? I need Dupont alive! She's got my bloody Eye!'

''S why I'm gettin' it back.' Billy grunted. 'Grab the fox, wear out the Sprite, then everythin' will be good. You get your Eye and title and won't get blackmailed anymore. I get my money so I can buy a nice place for Grammy and me. The murderer will get shot. Everythin' will be good.'

Fox stared at Billy's back. His head told him this was true. If Billy wore out the Sprite enough, he wouldn't be able to hold the Eye any longer. It would tumble free and he could leave. Dupont would then be taken by Billy who would get the money he needed. Dupont would be taken by the Tower and longer causing great stress in his otherwise peaceful life.

But Fox found himself repulsed by the thought. He found himself unable to think of chucking Dupont to the wolves, of abandoning her. He just couldn't, not after seeing how bad her magic was and giving him doubt of her supposed magical prowess. She was going to die the moment the Tower got hold of her, regardless of guilt.

The side that Elenore warned him about, the side of moral justice and protecting damsels in distress, won over his sense of self-preservation.

'Billy, you're a moron.' Fox said.

Billy paused, turning to Fox with confusion in his well-meaning eyes. 'What? This is for the best. You get free of the bitch's claws and I get free of this dump. All's good.'

'No, it's not all good.' Fox clenched his fist and squared his shoulders. Never in his life had he ever thought he'd fight Billy but here they were. 'Back off.'

Billy lowered the knife, his pocked face bewildered. 'Fox. It's me. I ain't goin' to betray you. The Eye is yours. I ain't takin' it.'

'Billy, your betrayin' me now.'