The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox

Because I was such a magnanimous soul, I permitted Anthea to submit candidates for the location of the second Temple to the Kitchen God. (It helped that she knew South Serican geography better than I did.) Katu, naturally, had plenty of opinions, but it was Lodia who shocked us all.

I’d invited her to sit in on our meetings, assuming that she would hide in a corner and embroider while the rest of us fought. And, for the first several sessions, she did just that. She stayed as silent as a glove puppet, apart from the occasional breaks we took during which she’d show Anthea her progress and double-check the design or the shade of silk.

And then, in the middle of a fight over whether the next Temple should be in a port or inland city, Lodia spoke up.

It has to be a port, I was arguing. The Temple has to be close to the docks. Sailors from other parts of Serica will see it when they come ashore. They can make offerings before and after sea voyages to pray for or thank the Kitchen God for a safe journey.

Anthea snorted. “What sea voyages?”

What do you mean?

Different parts of Serica had always specialized in different resources. Maybe lychees had come north by express riders, but the best rosewood trees for furniture grew along the southern coast, and I was fairly sure that they’d come to the capital by ship. You could haul wood across or around the Snowy Mountains, but why would you risk the demon attacks and damage to the shipments?

However, when I pointed that out, Anthea snorted again. “Your knowledge is five centuries out of date. There is no sea trade between different parts of Serica to speak of.”

Would you care to elaborate?

“Not really.”

When I continued to stare at her, she heaved a pained sigh. You’d have thought I’d demanded that she roast her firstborn pup or her precious Jullie.

Or elaborate on economics and trade networks, I supposed.

Katu, naturally, was happy to oblige. “I don’t know how it used to be, Pip, but we learned in school that the Dragon Kings of the Southern and Eastern Seas charged such high tolls for using their waters that we gave up on sea voyages. I’m not sure about the Dragon King of the Western Sea, because nobody in their right mind would sail west.” He cast a nervous, apologetic look at the ex-demons from the west. “No offense.”

Far from following our discussion, the foxling had pulled her chair right next to Lodia and was practically on top of the girl, jealously watching each new stitch. She glanced at Katu and shrugged, the motion rippling the fur on her tails.

I clenched my beak and looked away, accidentally meeting the bright yellow eyes of Steelfang. The wolf grinned, baring his long teeth. I hoped they all rotted and fell out.

No offense taken, answered Stripey, and I gave a start. I’d forgotten that in this life, he too had come from the west. There are no good deep-water harbors to speak of along the western coast. The mountains just plunge into the sea in steep cliffs.

Aren’t you thinking of the northern coast? He could have been describing the seaside of my childhood.

I haven’t seen the northern coast. Only the western one.

Pallus shook his head, making his shaggy ruff fly around his face. “We do have some natural harbors and fishing villages in the south. The fish further north are much more fun.” He purred at the thought, rattling the table.

“Fun? Don’t you mean delicccious?” asked Bobo.

“No. I mean fun. They’re very feisty.”

What Pallus means, Stripey translated, is that the Western Sea is full of fish demons.

“All members of my clan must prove themselves by defeating a great fish and bringing its carcass back.”

I tried to imagine Prince Pouff dragging a rotting fish all the way from the beach into the mountains. Pallus was right: It was not a delicious image. I wasn’t sure it qualified as fun either, but it definitely wasn’t delicious.

All right, I said. So what you’re all saying is that trade and communications between South Serica and, well, the rest of Serica do not currently exist. But that’s all right. We shall reestablish them –

“When I reunify the empire!” blurted out the foxling. She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Forgive me for interrupting you, O representative of Lady Piri!”

I inclined my head, accepting her apology. Yes, exactly that. After the empire has been reunified, trade will naturally start up again, so in preparation, we must establish Temples in all the port cities.

“All the port cities?!” Anthea gawked at me. “Wait! Weren’t we talking about where to put the second Temple?”

You think too small. That will be your downfall.

“You think too big. That was your downfall.”

In the silent glaring match that followed, a tiny, trembling voice drifted from the back corner. “Um…maybe…we could put the Temple in….”

Lodia’s embroidery needle had stilled, and she was leaning forward in her chair to follow our arguments. She gulped when all eyes shifted to her.

“She talks!” howled Steelfang. “I was starting to think she was going to turn into a doll so we can put her on the altar next to that other doll!”

“Of courssse ssshe talks,” snapped Bobo. “And that’s not a doll. That’s the image of the Kitchen God.”

Lodia shrank back as if she wished she could melt into the shadows. Which would have been difficult, given that Camphorus Unus had set a bright, spelled lantern right next to her.

Yes, Lodia? I prompted. What were you trying to say?

“I was thinking….” Her throat worked, and she cast a pleading glance at Katu.

“We’re listening,” he assured her.

“Lychee Grove,” she choked out.

Lychee Grove?

“Lychee Grove?!” Anthea squawked. “That’s the last place we can put the second Temple!”

Lodia cringed, apologizing furiously.

Anthea, don’t scare her! I snapped. Lodia, keep going. Why do you think we should put the second Temple in Lychee Grove?

It took multiple encouraging nods from both Katu and Bobo to induce her to open her mouth again. “It doesn’t have to be the second Temple…. It’s just – you were talking about sailors making offerings before and after journeys….”

This time, when she stopped, it was Anthea who waved at her to continue. The raccoon dog had cocked her head to a side in a “thinking” pose.

“It’s just that – that lots of traders come to Lychee Grove. To buy our lychees. And that’s kind of like sailors and ships, isn’t it…?”

“That’s brilliant!” exclaimed Katu. “So the traders can give thanks to the Divine Intercessor when they arrive, and they can pray to him again for a safe journey before they leave!”

“Mmhmm! And I was also thinking, they go everywhere in South Serica – the traders, I mean – so maybe they’ll tell people they meet about the Divine Intercessor and the Temple. And maybe those people will be interested in coming to visit one of the Temples or maybe even build their own….”

Yes! I cried, so excited that I launched straight into the air. Yes! That’s exactly it! Lodia – I mean, Matriarch – you’re a genius!

“I – I am?”

“Yep! You are! You’ve always been!” Bobo assured her.

“Hear hear,” agreed the foxling, but her eyes were still fixed on Lodia’s embroidery, as mesmerized as if she were staring at the peacock chieftain’s tail.

Yes! We’ll send priests along with the traders so they can spread word about the Divine Intercessor and how he saved Goldhill!

Stripey tapped a wingtip on the table and said, While you’re at it, you might as well hand them images of the Kitchen God that they can set up wherever they want.

“And copies of the divine text,” said Katu, who had labored long and hard with Floridiana over aforementioned text.

Yes to all of those! Yes! This is brilliant! You’re all brilliant! This is going to work! This is how we spread the Temple over all of Serica!

“And there she goes again,” muttered Anthea. “Putting her plan before her treasury. Pi– Pip, before you get carried away any further and fly off, have you already forgotten our biggest problem?”

Ugh, was she going to complain about finances again?

Queen Jullia, said Stripey.

“Jullie,” confirmed Anthea. “She’s already concerned that the Temple will challenge her hold over this kingdom. How do you think she is going to feel when you set up a power base for the Temple right in the heart of a fief that only pays lip service to her authority?”

Oh. That was a semi-good point. But it was Lodia’s idea, and I loved the image of lychee caravans spreading both delicious fruit and Divine Intercessor Temples throughout Serica….

“No, it will work,” said my loyal foxling. “Didn’t you convince Jullie – ”

“That’s Queen Jullia to you,” snapped Anthea.

“ – that Lodia would be a good choice as Matriarch because Jullie can influence the Temple through you through Lodia?”

The girl emitted a strangled noise that was halfway between a gasp and a squeak. “I’m supposed to be the Queen’s tool?”

Oh. I guessed no one had told her about how she had obtained and then retained her position as Matriarch.

“Of courssse not!” Bobo hastened to reassure her. “Nope nope. That’s jussst what we’re letting the Queen think.”

“Oh, but…but…I saw what happened to my mother. I’m not sure I want to get between the Queen and what she wants….”

You won’t, I promised. Because so long as we convince her that what she wants is also what we want, there’s no problem.

Good luck with that, muttered Stripey.

The foxling cleared her throat in the most obnoxiously passive-aggressive manner. “Anyway, as I was saying, we can make the same argument as before for why we should build a Temple in Lychee Grove. Anthea just has to convince Jullie that she’s establishing a royal institution there to counter the Lady of the Lychee Tree. Done!” She bounced out of her chair, swished her crushed tails, and beamed at all of us. “And I want that dress.” She pointed at the one Lodia was embroidering.

Anthea bared her teeth. “You can’t have it.”

“But I want it, and you’re only the adviser to the queen of South Serica while I’m the empress who is going to reunify all of Serica. So I take precedence.”

“Pir– Pip, control your demons!”

Oh, I don’t know, I think she has you there.

It was Lodia who broke the standoff. “Um, Fox Queen, this won’t fit you.” She held up the gown to demonstrate that it was cut for a much shorter, dumpier figure. “But I would be happy to make another for you.”

“Wonderful! I want orchids on mine! No, cherry blossoms. No, maple leaves. No – ”

We left her to her fantasizing.

The rest of us had work to do.

And that was how we ended up establishing the second Temple to the Kitchen God in all of Serica in Lychee Grove.

Lodia convinced her grandmother and father that being Matriarch had been her choice and was what she wanted, and they in turn convinced the Lady of the Lychee Tree to grant permission to set up a Temple. We made plans to purchase a townhouse that we could renovate into a miniature version of the Goldhill Temple. That would provide the local craftsmen with much work and the local economy with an influx of gold and rice, which would in turn make a good first impression on the residents. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, either, to have a secondary Temple where we could send our new priests.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

But with the Temple on solid footing and in good hands, I was starting to get bored of the tedious logistics. Surely there was something more exciting I could be doing!