Saturday, May 28, 2011

An Excerpt: Meet Kita, the kitsune

The sun had set. The fox awoke and approached the pagoda. She stopped at the entrance. The fox stood on her hind legs and grew, morphing into a young Japanese woman. The kitsune opened the glass door and, as the pulchritudinous young woman entered the building, she left behind a fox’s reflection on the glass.

The director of the Japanese division of Nosferatu, Inc. had her back to the kitsune, as she perused a handful of typed papers. The vampire appeared to be an attractive Japanese woman in her late 20s. The kitsune knew better than to trust appearances. The taller, elegant woman turned and addressed the kitsune. “It is done, then?”

The kitsune, hands clasped in her lap, bowed and nodded. “Yes, Chiyoko. I have tracked down the baku that was responsible for the disturbance and constrained it. It is locked away in a hutch in my lair in the Dreamscape, where no mortal or kyuketsuki shall ever find it. I have fulfilled my part of our bargain, Chiyoko. Now it is time for you to keep your promise. I want safe passage to America for myself and my beloved. ”

“You have my word of honor, kitsune. No harm shall befall you or your breather.” A slight smile crossed Chiyoko’s lips. “Tell me, does your mortal know your true nature?”

The kitsune looked away.

Chiyoko laughed. “Always the deceiver. But that’s your affair. Truly, I wish you a fortuitous life in your new den, little fox.”

The kitsune bowed and departed. Chiyoko poured a snifter of freshly warmed blood from a heated decanter on her credenza. She sipped the life-renewing elixir and gazed out the window of the pagoda, affording her an expansive view of a portion of the Kyoto Prefecture. For a moment, she pitied the ancient creature, so powerful, yet made so vulnerable by such a foolish emotion as love. “I doubt the Western world will be to your liking, little fox, once your lover has learned the truth and spurned you.”



Halos & Horns: Book 2 - And A Child Shall Lead Them ... It's always better the second time around!




Softcover edition. 362 pages.