The cushion of the bed sunk only an inch when I sat down. It wasn’t the swankiest transport I’d ever been in, but it was the only one I had ever paid for myself. I started to bite into the sandwich but stalled, my hands halfway to my mouth.
A small head of silver fur poked out from underneath the seat on the left. Silver eyes stared up at my face and silently evaluated my person. Cute pointed ears twitched as I held perfectly still.
It was a fox.
The creature that had been stalking me on the beach had snuck onboard. And this train didn’t stop. Or, at least, I had no freaking clue how to turn it around.
I breathed evenly, searching its eyes for any sign of attack. I was stuck with the little beast until New City—more than five hours away.
I swallowed, and whispered, “Um…hello there.”
The ears twitched again.
Its eyes glanced at my sandwich.
My mouth bobbed. If it wanted my food instead of my arm to gnaw on, I was all for that. “Are you hungry?”
The animal kept his belly on the ground, dragging itself carefully out from under the seat. It peered at my sandwich again, and its tongue lolled outside its mouth.
I think it was smiling.
“All right.” I tore a piece of turkey off and tossed it down on the floor. “Try that.”
The fox stood up and ducked its head to sniff at the meat. It was a male with strong muscles under its coat. The little beast didn’t appear to be starving like most wildlife, his silver fur healthy and shining in the light.
He ate the turkey in one bite.
I tossed him another piece.
He caught it in the air and swallowed it whole.
Then he jumped onto the bed.
I skittered to a stand.
But all he did was trot to the end of the bed and lay down, curling his tail around himself. Then he closed his eyes. His breathing evened out…as he fell asleep.
“Okay, okay,” I muttered in shock.
The fox was healthy. He just wanted a nap.
I sat down carefully on the bed.
He didn’t move.
The sandwich smelled delicious, so I quickly took a bite and watched the fox for any indication that he was going to pounce. The little beast never even twitched. I eventually ate the rest of my sandwich and licked my fingers clean.
He still didn’t move, only his chest expanding with each easy breath he took as he slept on peacefully.
The thin mattress creaked as I attempted to situate myself on the bed, leaving the fox plenty of room below my feet. I rested my head down on my arms that I had tucked under my head, lying on my side pressed against the back wall. As an afterthought, I pulled one of my blades from its sheath on my thigh and held it close as I closed my eyes.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The dinging bell of the train woke me.
I tipped my head up and yawned. There was light streaming in through the window—a lot of light. It was mid-afternoon by the blinding sun pouring inside the cabin.
I had arrived in New City.
Or what history books used to call Lisbon, Portugal.
Either way, it was now part of King Central Province.
The fox was sitting patiently at the door.
I snorted and stuffed my blade away. “I take it you’re ready to get off this fun filled ride?”
His tongue lolled out, another grin.
I glanced at my bracelet.
I had overslept an hour. I only had two hours remaining before I needed to be at the Military House. At five o’clock in the evening, the Corporate Army shut their doors, no more entries for another six months. I would be too old then to enter—only ages eighteen to twenty-four allowed to sign up. I was turning twenty-five in two weeks. This was my official last shot to scrap an arranged marriage—the only way it could be done for a female.
There was one problem.
I didn’t have a clue where the Military House was.
Out of all the cities I had visited in my life, New City wasn’t one of them. My father avoided this place like it was haunted by demons. And, to him, people who worked for the corporations were demons.
I grabbed my bag, put the strap over my shoulder, and unlocked the door to the train. As soon as I opened the train’s door, the bustle of a thriving city attacked my senses. The clamor was more overwhelming than any city I knew.
The sun instantly warmed my neck while I stepped outside and walked down the stairs. I lifted my right hand to shield my eyes, even though the bill of my ball cap should have provided enough shading. Bright light still shimmered in my eyes, and I squinted and attempted to find the cause.
People strode by briskly, talking in groups or through their bracelets with little buds in their ears for privacy. I leaned to the left past an extremely tall man. My brows rose in shock at the view. There was an immense building that towered over all the structures, the very top of it with a curved decorative golden roof—a crown sitting atop the white skyscraper.
The sun reflecting off it burned my eyes.
“Good grief,” I muttered.
The fox sat down next to my feet and panted.
This place was unbelievable.
Ego and wealth even poured off the residents, their clothes made of the finest material, and their faces painted in makeup I had never been interested in wearing. Their attire was similar to the sweater I still wore of Godric’s, the stitching twice as nice and delectably softer than any soldier’s clothing in Port. It was a miracle my father hadn’t noticed the difference in my typical sweaters versus this one, now that I really thought about it.
“Where the hell do I go now?” I mumbled.
The port in New City was outrageously busy today.
I lifted a hand to an elderly woman walking by, her red hat sporting a purple feather. “Excuse me, ma’am. Do you know how to get to the Military House?”
She glanced up and down my person in a slow perusal. Then she sniffed in my direction and walked right past me without helping. The feather in her hat even tilted away from me in the salty breeze.
At least that wasn’t any different from other cities.