Outfoxed (The Fox Witch #1) - R.J. Blain Page 0,54

smile.

I couldn’t, not while knowing Carl hadn’t died because of Mother Nature’s whim but rather the will of someone else. When nature killed, it was part of the relentless cycle of life and death.

Carl had been murdered, as had so many others.

If I wanted to get down to the truth of the matter, I needed access to Asylum—and I needed access to knowledge. Two people might be able to help me, and if I had to choose between a black market operator and a bounty hunter, I’d choose the bounty hunter.

Sandro understood ethics, showing me his integrity in a life-or-death situation.

Noah owed me nothing, not anymore.

The longer I thought about it, the more I realized I was thoroughly crammed between a rock and a hard place. With more problems than any one woman needed, I fought to keep my chin up, focusing on helping Batbayar deal with the onslaught of questions from terrified parents and children hoping to find some sort of salvation within Asylum.

He had passes for the students.

He couldn’t guarantee passes for the parents.

Chilled over the reality of their situation, I lingered until Batbayar ordered me away, and I did the only thing I could: I headed for City Hall to discover what new disasters waited for me.

Eight

I feared too many held hopes of sheltering within the safety of Asylum.

Monday, May 4, 2043.

Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Alley.

* * *

Batbayar decided to join me on my trek to City Hall, which meant all of the students and their parents did as well. I appreciated I could hide within the crowd, but I also hated how easy we were to spot on the lengthy hike to the center of Inner Tulsa. It took us two hours, and I questioned if we’d be able to find shelter before the evening storms hit.

I feared too many held hopes of sheltering within the safety of Asylum.

We weren’t the only ones at City Hall, and I worried the warning about riots would become reality. The crowds had an odd mix of vagrants and Asylum residents, who I could identify from their suits and more formal attire, all of it clean without evidence they’d been working in the stricken parts of the city.

My clothes, despite having been in a rather new state, had already seen better days. I wore a disconcerting amount of blood from clearing debris and helping to move bodies, and it would take a great deal of scrubbing to remove the grimy feeling from my skin. By appearances alone, I would be among the last considered for residency in Asylum rather than someone with a note from some Asylum bigwig and two passes.

A young woman in a short skirt, blazer, and pristine white blouse approached us, and I spotted a pin on her lapel, which matched the ones I’d seen on the guards at McCoy’s. After looking over our group, she focused on Batbayar. I tensed, wondering if she had picked him because of his ethnicity or because he wore unusual apparel.

I flattened my ears, and my tail twitched.

Batbayar patted my shoulder. “You cannot let such minor things bother you, Jade.”

Like hell it wasn’t minor, but I remained quiet and nodded. From the beginning, I’d learned he disliked wasted energy on things he viewed as unimportant, and if others wanted to be bothered because his face was not like theirs, that was a reflection of them and meant nothing to him.

I sometimes wished I could adopt his outlook on life, but he lived in a different world from me. His gender gave him an advantage, and his martial arts transformed him into a weapon, allowing him to glide through his life with a sense of security I might never obtain.

I refused to be jealous or resent him for his accomplishments, however.

He’d earned everything through his hard work and effort, and I respected that.

Had I not, perhaps such minor things wouldn’t have bothered me so much.

Batbayar approached the woman, and he greeted her with his customary bow. “I am Batbayar, and I have come to address the matter of passes for my students and their parents for dormitory access. My students cannot thrive without their family, and Asylum has requested my teachings. This is a fair exchange.”

According to the guard’s expression, she disagreed, but rather than argue, she gestured towards the government building. “The fox stays.”

“Jade is my assistant, and she has double qualifications for her pass and a note from one of Asylum’s ministers.”

Alastar was a minister? At first, I struggled to think of