Foxheart

Chapter Fifteen

Esme held up the shirt before her, splaying it out in the sun so she could decide whether or not it was safe to put on. As she twisted it, squinting her eyes in judgement, she found it was covered in suspicious blood stains and stitching was coming loose. It was no good. She tossed it away with a stifled sigh and grew increasingly irritated when she reached to tug at a lock of hair only to be reminded it was blond and very short.

While the air was muggy and warm, being naked wasn't ideal, especially in a stranger's home. But finding clothes she felt weren't going to make her feel like a sewer rat was difficult. Most shirts were either ancient with old smells and stains still clinging to them, piled in a corner ready to be washed or sitting in the laundry tub filled with cold water and grey suds.

There had to be something somewhere for her to cover herself. She didn't want to be parading about with all her assets on display, especially with the only window, which had to be open or she'd die of heat, facing onto a busy street. She didn't like how the thin curtains flapped in the gentle breeze and how they sometimes got a little too close to revealing her nakedness to strangers.

'I dislike this Absolon. I once had a variety of dresses made from velvet, satin and chiffon and Cassandra was always there to help me pick out the best ones.' Esme muttered to the dozy Sprite. 'Now I am stuck in this dreary dump, sifting through age old shirts, most of which appeared to be unwashed.'

He squeaked awake from his place on the bed at the sound of her grumblings and blinked slowly before he began to sing. She smiled at his attempt to make her feel better; a smile which vanished within a second when she heard the door handle rattle.

Esme, for just a second, stood stark naked and very still, like a deer caught in headlights. Then very quickly began to scrabble for the ancient scratchy blanket as her heart hammered and her skin grew pink. SHe barely managed to clutch it to her chest as the door flung open and Fox barrelled inside.

She stared at him, red faced and wide-eyed, as he slammed the door behind him and, not only locked it, but bolted it and rammed a chair under the doorhandle. Breathing heavily, Fox's shoulders slowly sagged and he turned to Esme.

Instantly he looked a little taken aback and she swore a flicker of interest flashed over his features. She didn't like that expression, especially when felt her heart skip a beat in excitement and felt briefly attractive. She tightened her grip on the blanket and stood tall, getting rid of the embarrassed and vulnerable expression on her face and replaced it with something haughty.

'What is it?' She demanded defensively.

Fox shook his head, as if trying to rid thoughts from his mind, and tossed a paper-brown parcel over to her. 'Get dressed. We're leavin'.'

Esme frowned as she very carefully knelt down, making sure the blanket remained wrapped tightly, and picked the parcel open.

'What has happened?' She asked as she pulled out the clothes. She wrinkled her pale nose in unhappiness. Men's clothes again.

'They're comin'.'

'Who?'

'The Hunters. They're sweepin' the District. So we need to leave.' Fox said and waved his hands impatiently. 'Now. So get dressed.'

Esme's heart sunk. The Hunters? They were now loosed? Suellen's sighting her and being so close must've been the push to get them released. She had the evidence she needed to say Esme was still in Lakeside and the Spirits defences showed Esme was a magical threat, despite everyone knowing she was useless with magic. It wasn't going to be very long now, not long before she was caught. They could sniff out whatever they needed so long as they had the hair, blood or name and, with access to the Grand Wizard's apartments and Esme being well known, there was no way they were going to miss her.