Page 18

Dove

I carefully wrapped the threads around the handle, making an x pattern of purple and black. The handle and blade were longer than my katana.

The blade was a mixture of white and black, platinum and oxidized iron, patterns like waves rippling as the different types of metal melded together with the help of the heat of the Forgefire.

“It should hold its edge better with an alloy, little fox,”

Enko muttered as he observed with the others. He was just happy I picked iron.

“As long as she doesn’t try to fight another Tier V,”

Kairos whispered back.

I had been so distracted with the blade, they were all trying to get my attention and it was finally nearing completion.

“The metal should be strong enough this time,”

Rhys said.

“What matters is that she actually coats it properly. Does she even have enough blood in her little body to coat that large of a blade?”

Seven sniped.

“Oh my goddess,”

I sighed, “Do the four of you really have to stand over my shoulder?”

“Are you finished finally, Fated? It’s been over a week and I’m bored.”

I smirked, “Maybe go pray in the temple, then. Or hunt some demons before you get any ideas of punishing me, Seven.”

He struck me with a silent glare. The others didn’t know what had transpired between us, and I was keeping our delicious secret, reliving it.

“What’s going on between you two?”

Kairos asked.

Seven and I shook our heads and returned to looking straight on. We spoke at the same time. “Nothing.”

We walked into the shrine, where the goddess waited, her white stone face holding a sense of disapproval. “I should do this alone.”

An uproar of disagreement reached my ears, but one look silenced them all. The Holy Foxes were still bowing as my Fated males passed them back outside.

“Are you ready to begin the ritual, Dove?”

the monk asked.

I nodded, feeling bad for not knowing their names when there was a time I could name every weapon-user who even thought of coming into my old temple. But learning to kill demons was much more important.

Sana and another monk brought forth two flames of the Forgefire, lighting the torches on either side of the goddess. They extended the holy fire carefully, bowing and whispering the sacred prayers. When they finished, they backed out of the room in a bow, closing the door behind them and leaving me alone with the statue of the goddess.

“Don’t let this one break, okay?”

I joked with the goddess as I knelt before her, holding out the weapon for the statue’s inspection and completing my own set of prayers. “You gave me my Fated mates. Now grant me my revenge.”

The blade was perfect, everything in perfect proportion to my body, to my swings. I had poured all my energy into it for the last week. If the weapon proved itself, I would carry it for the rest of my life.

I stood up, giving one last bow to the goddess and slit open my hand. Blood, so the blade would know its purpose, so the weapon could carry my spirit as I carried it.

“More blood.”

I jumped, spinning around in a circle. The female’s voice had been loud, like she stood at my side, but I was alone in the shrine.

My eyes drifted to the statue of the goddess. Had she spoken to me?

Blood oozed from my hand, dripping to the pristine floors. Every drop was precious. I did as the voice commanded, cutting deeper along the whole length of the blade. My red dripped from my hand, and I tried to preserve as much of it as possible, cupping it to coat the blade.

“More,”

came the voice again. “Soak the blade in it.”

I did as commanded, going over the blade again. Then a third time and a fourth. Each time, the blade took the blood inward, absorbing every drop I gave to it.

Nine times I coated the metal, and by the end of it, I was feeling woozy.

The voice had probably come from a state of delusion from blood loss. Yes, that was it.

Now, shift, the woman’s voice demanded.

My white fox form took over, white light filling the room. My black clothes dropped all around me and once I escaped through my neckhole, my light pulsed with each heartbeat.

My paw healed after only several minutes in my fox form, but I stayed a bit longer as I stared at the goddess. When I shifted back, I continued to stare.

“Thank you, goddess.”

I bowed, feeling the tears form in my eyes the longer I bowed. Naked, I dropped to my knees into my own blood, pressing my head to the floor as I worshiped. Something I hadn’t done for so long. Breath came easier with each repeated bow. “Thank you for everything.”

Knocking pounded on the door behind me. “Dove! Who are you talking to?”

Enko barged in before I could respond, seeing me crumpled and naked before the goddess in the pool of my own blood. He immediately went feral.

He charged toward me. “Mine.”

Seven and Rhys grabbed either side of him, struggling against Enko’s strength even with the extra tails.

“Calm down, Enko,”

Kairos demanded, lifting my clothes from the floor and passing them to me as he averted his eyes. “Get dressed, Dove. And get that bandaged so it doesn’t reopen.”

Seven watched as I crossed the room and I smirked at him, lingering with the catwalk so he could get a good look.

The black medical bag sat next to the door, and I grabbed some of the cloth gauze from inside, wrapping it around my fresh wound that layered over the old one.

“There’s so much blood, is my little fox okay?”

Enko was gasping as I slipped into my clothes.

“I’m okay, Enko,”

I told him, approaching him.

“Dove, wait,”

Kairos ordered, giving me a stern look as he held onto Enko.

Enko threw Rhys and Seven off and charged at me, pulling me into his arms. “Are you hurt?”

The others prepared to pull him off me, but I stopped them with a simple command. “Let him hold me.”

Enko held me close for a long moment before gripping my arms and pulling back slightly to look over me and then returning me into his hug.

“What the fuck happened in here? There’s enough blood for it to be a slaughterhouse,”

Rhys demanded.

“I coated my blade.”

I mused into Enko’s chest, unable to free myself from his strength. “Nine times.”

“Nine times? Dove, that’s so dangerous, we should have been in here with you,”

Kairos said.

Enko finally released me enough for the others to check me, and they each rushed forward. But Enko’s hand remained around me the entire time, still not over his feral affliction.

“Dangerous? It’s insanity,”

Rhys sputtered. “She could have killed herself.”

Seven smirked, “Determined, not insane.”

“This blade will survive the next Tier V.”

My voice was hardened. The ritual done properly had left me more hardened than before.

As we left the room, the Holy Foxes bowed outside, glancing inward to see the bloodshed and staring at me in awe before they remembered their rudeness and bowed before me.