3

Dove

The secretary puckered her lips, gesturing for me to take a seat as she picked up the phone and frantically whispered into it.

Without sitting, I strode across the room, causing the secretary to panic as I went straight into the office. Elder Peter barely glanced up from his paperwork, letting out a sigh. He wore the white robes of all Holy Foxes. The red belt that marked him as an Elder hid behind the desk.

The secretary grabbed my arm, preparing to drag me back out— this wasn't our first meeting —but Elder Peter raised his hand.

"It's fine," he said, letting out an annoyed sigh as he continued to sign one of the papers. "You failed, Dove. There's nothing more I can do."

"I killed those demons faster than most of the other applicants! And I got a perfect score on the written exam," I argued. "How did I fail and not them?"

Elder Peter's pen stopped moving, and he set it down. "Speed is not the only factor in scoring. We need our recruits in top physical condition; Foxfire Academy is more demanding than your typical demon slayer academy. We're the best in the country, arguably the entire world. Demons will exploit any weakness and a break in our frontline would be catastrophic. We need our warriors to trust each other, watch each other's backs. Not concerned with protecting the weak."

"I didn't pass because of my burns?" The realization stole the breath from my lungs.

He failed my physical exam before I'd even taken the test. If I had enough magic or money, I would have already made it in. The rage boiled up inside of me and I shoved it back down. If the Elder suspected I lacked control of my emotions, it would be yet another reason to reject my application to Foxfire Academy.

"The healers informed me of your condition." He frowned, his eyes moving back to his paperwork. "And with no fox form to speed up the healing..."

"My injury will heal, Elder." I couldn't hide the desperation in my voice.

He cleared his throat as he met my gaze with indifference. It was oddly comforting compared to the constant pity from others who knew my history. "Dove, the goddess has denied your fox form for good reason. It is best to go to the temple, beg for her forgiveness. Take up the robes once more and perform your duties. She will bless you, if you deserve it ."

I'd heard this spiel thousands of times from a dozen mouths. I had been abandoned at the temple shortly after my birth like most foxes without any magic. My white hair signaled the scarcity of my magic from the second I entered the world. I'd spent twenty years believing I would be chosen to be blessed, until demons attacked Hawthorn.

I'd learned a lot in my first year out in the real world, away from the sanctuary of the temple. But arguing with an Elder was never a wise choice so I kept my voice calm. "The academy has accepted other students that can't shift."

After their first tail, usually around puberty, a kitsune gained access to their fox form and their magical abilities. Killing demons increased that magical power. After killing enough demons, one could grow up to nine tails.

It wasn't unheard of for kitsune to take longer to shift their first time. But most kitsune had their first tail by the time they were thirteen, when they would get their blood tested for Fated matches. But I was twenty-one, the youngest age accepted at Foxfire Academy.

Demons bred like rabbits. Our population was hardly sustainable at the current declining rate. Kitsune needed to find their Fated to get pregnant. It was the reason why our numbers were dwindling to the demon hordes, who fucked anything with a pulse.

Elder Peter frowned. "You've trained hard since the attack at your temple. But you would not stand a chance in such a weakened state. And without any magic!" He laughed, throwing his hands up in the air as if asking the goddess how someone could be so stupid. "Perhaps you should try again next year."

"Next year? There has to be something. My blood test—"

He smiled pitifully. "Once it comes back from the lab, we both know what will be confirmed. Now, I've given you the chance you begged for so desperately. I am sorry I must do this, but I have to ask you to collect any of your belongings and leave the premises."

"I will make a petition with the Archfox," I threatened.

Elder Peter remained unconcerned, his pen swirling in a signature. "He's not here. The Archfox doesn't deal with the trifles of admissions, anyway. He has more important matters at hand."

"Demons killed everyone I knew," I growled, holding back the tears. "Everyone. And you expect me to do nothing?"

He let out a long exhale, his frown contorted with annoyance. "Service to the goddess is not nothing. What happened at Hawthorn was a tragedy. I am saddened by all the recent attacks on our temples."

"The demons outnumber us, and they're winning. I can help fight—"

"Without magic, you're more human than kitsune. You may be able to see demons, but that doesn't mean you are fit to fight them. One wrong step and your death is on the academy's hands. Let the stronger foxes handle this fight, Dove."

Elder Peter gave an exasperated swish of his hand, dismissing me. His finger hovered over a small black button that would call security, as though I would go that route again.

I left, striding toward the fresh air of the outdoors. A stone path led to the tents for applicants. The midday sun sat behind the massive castle of Foxfire Academy. Dark gray towers cast long shadows over the smaller buildings around the campus.

Students lounged on the benches under the yellowing autumn leaves, sprawled out on the green grass, dipping their toes into the bubbling fountain. With the new year starting tomorrow, they enjoyed their last hours of freedom.

Fated couples hugged and kissed openly. All kitsune technically had a Fated mate, their other half and soulmate. The blood tests found and confirmed compatible matches.

My fingernail chipped at the dried demon blood on my blade as I walked. The unnatural black blood warped and discolored the metal. I'd need another set before long. The dagger and knives weren't my ideal weapons, but it was the best I could afford before the test.

Two Holy Foxes, monks with white belts, stood guard in front of the huge academy shrine. The weapons within the campus were far more numerous and famous than the ones I had grown up around. Inside, weapons crowded around the dusty statue of the goddess, disrespecting her magnificence.

Why did I care? It's not like she ever helped me.

Adjacent to the shrine, a dozen temporary tents housed the applicants. Brynn, the woman in the cot next to me, should be starting her exam any minute now. We'd been practicing and studying together for the last couple days. I should have gone to watch, but I hesitantly scribbled down a goodbye with my phone number.

I pulled out my bag from underneath my cot. I grabbed a fresh set of black clothes and headed for the communal showers in the shrine, finding them mostly empty. I let the hot steam pour around me.

My hand brushed against the angry upraised scars on my back as I lathered the soap. They covered the right half of my back, hellfire burned deep into me. The mirror showed me the angry red scars, wrapping around me exactly as the hellfire had. The dark char lines connected the lengths of scar tissue like black lightning.

Humans had found me under the rubble, barely alive the morning after the massacre. The sole survivor. They called it a freak accident, a fire gone rogue. They called me lucky. A miracle.

It felt like a punishment.

They did the best they could in their hospital. I probably would have died without them. But they didn't have what was needed to heal hellfire and sealed in the char, leaving me in debilitating pain. The human doctors said there was no damage shown on the x-ray. Now, a constant sting of pain remained, flaring up whenever irritated. I couldn't tell if the pain had dulled, or if I'd just gotten used to it.

I was stuck in the human hospital until I could make my way to a Life kitsune—foxes with the magical ability to heal others. She tried. She said if only I'd gotten there sooner, that I should pray to the goddess, so she may bless my skin to be healed.

Instead, I trained for what really mattered. The war against the demons.