Illus thrashed in the water, reaching every which way for something to hold. His sister’s screams disappeared beneath the river’s roar. With all sense of direction gone, dizziness swelled through him.

Amidst his panicked attempt to swim, something underwater curled around Illus’s leg. Something tugged the rope around his waist and slowly the water ceased pushing him away.

He was too exhausted to resist the pull, too weary to fight the current, and too shocked to look away from the wave of blue mist swirling on the opposite side of the river.

A blue rose broke through the water before Illus’s eyes. It curled around his shoulders and under his arms, pulling him ashore. More vines collected him, dragging him further up the hill, to the edge of the labyrinth of roses. The last thing Illus heard was the woman’s voice. His arms fell slack, legs released from hold, and mind disappeared into darkness.

----------------------------------------

Blaring horns echoed in the distance, the continental trains departing early this gray morning.

A boy of eight years with short white hair and pale gray eyes darted through the smoggy alleys of a brick industrial complex. The thick air slogged through his lungs, but a wide smile spanned his face. A younger girl with long pure white hair and dark eyes trailed behind him. She held a jagged lead pipe, dragging it along the sooty cobblestones as she ran.

“I’ll smack your face off!” The young girl chased her brother, who taunted the slow seven-year old with a mischievous grin and waving hands.

As his eyes turned away from where he was running, he failed to notice an older man fresh out of his assembly job. Young Illus slammed right into the man’s stained tawny suit coat and stumbled back. The man’s angry gaze scared Illus to run around the man, but a hand grabbed Illus and the man leaned down, his rotted teeth and sweaty face grimacing. He reeked of soot, coal smoke, and foul body odor.

“Who d’ya think yer runnin’ into kid?! Ah?!”

The man’s saliva spatted Illus’s face as he tried pushing off.

Then a loud clank rang through the alley. The man dropped Illus in light of Tyza whacking his shin with the lead pipe.

“You li’l gremlin!”

The man grabbed Tyza by the scruff of her coat and then whacked Illus against the alley wall. He dragged them both toward the street. They thrashed to break free, but that only led to the man slamming them together, heads bonking off one another every time they resisted.

After a dizzy drag through the streets, he threw Illus and Tyza onto the mucky floor of the local police station.

“These hellions have just assaulted me with a lead pipe! I want ‘em thrown away!” The man raised his pant leg to show an apathetic officer the nasty bruise Tyza gave him.

“He hit himself!” Illus yelled to the officer. “He just hates us because we’re living next to him! He wants us gone but we’ve done nothing, honest!”

“You lyin’ bugger!” The man whacked the back of Illus’s head and Illus played it up, falling to the floor and crying.

Tyza faked a limp to Illus and broke down next to him. “Please! Help us, policeman!”

“Oy,” the malnourished policeman tried getting their attention, “oy, oy!” He blew his whistle, piercing everyone’s ears and stopping the man from grabbing the kids again.

Two more policemen rushed over and threw the man out, then carried Illus and Tyza into a cell.

“What are you doing?! He attacked us!” Illus’s facade fell away at the shock of the metal bars locking them in.

Tyza broke down crying for real this time.

“You kids have a mum and dad we can bring to get you?”

Illus lied with ease. “My dad hopped a train and never came back. Her dad took our mum on a different train and never came back.”

The policeman raised his bushy eyebrows at them and sighed. “Ronny said he saw two snowcaps last week, said their mum and pa jumped on a ship and never came back after he helped them away from a woman screaming about them. Wyatt said another two o’ yous told him a load of bollocks about a bear eating their parents after he saved them from an angry beggar. And now you think I’m dumb enough to believe you?”

“We have a lot of parents, honest!” Illus couldn’t help his anxious smirk, caught in his lie.

“Right, and Papa Christmas is my grampy, you just never seen him.” The policeman chuckled. “If you’re saying ‘honest’ like that, you’d best be saying something believable, kid.”

Tyza hugged her brother and cried, “I don’t wanna go to jail, Illus!”

The policeman wiped his bushy mustache, not sure what he wanted to do. “You kids must live in an orphanage then, huh?”

Neither of the kids responded.

“A workhouse?”

Illus nodded, fear slowly overshadowing the awkwardness of getting caught. His mind thought about going to jail, about being separated from Tyza in a juvenile facility.

“When was the last time you ate, kid?”

Illus meekly replied, “two days ago.”

“You have a safe place to sleep there?”

Illus shook his head.

“I’ll be a minute.” The policeman walked away.

The cold concrete, iron, and sobs of his sister chilled Illus to his core. He had no clue what the future looked like, but he didn’t want it to be in a cell.

The policeman produced two forms with lines at the bottom. He crouched down and looked Illus and Tyza close in the eyes. “Do you kids want a safe bed and three meals a day?”

Illus fervently nodded, and so did Tyza.

“Do you think you can put up with a little hard work to get that?”

They both nodded again.

The policeman passed the papers through the bars to Illus and Tyza. “These papers are from the military. If you sign those, you’ll have everything you need to live, but life isn’t going to be easy. Probably better than what you have now, though.”

Illus took the papers, the squiggles and lines meaning nothing to him. “How do we sign it?”

The officer handed him a quill wet with ink. “Draw your mark on that there line. I’ll send these to my higher ups, and they’ll be here to pick you up in a few days. We’ll take care of you until then.”

Illus took the quill and drew a squiggle through the line, holding the paper upside down. Tyza drew a stick-figure dog on the underside of the line.

The policeman took the papers back and rubbed his forehead, hoping he was doing the right thing. “Life will get better for you kids, but when you get where you’re going, there can’t be no stealing, no lying, none of that stuff that gets you in trouble. They’ll kick you out quicker than that man brought you to me. And they won’t give you another chance.”

Both the kids nodded.

“Oy, kids, you hafta say ‘yes sir’ where you’re going. Can you do that much?”

“Yes sir,” Illus muttered.

“Yes sir,” Tyza whimpered.

They waited in the jail for two days. The policemen fed them breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even though the meals were small, it was the most food Illus and Tyza had seen in a long time. At the dawn of the third day, they were collected by a young officer with warm brown eyes and shaved blonde hair. His size and perfect posture were imposing, but his face was kind and reassuring. Captain Uthman. He was a clean cut man in his early 30s who used his family wealth to develop a youth military corps for children who needed it.

Illus stood there, staring blankly at him.

“Hello.” Captain Uthman said to Illus.

Illus didn’t respond.

“Hello?” Tyza said from his side, except she was older now.

He turned back to Captain Uthman, and he was gone. The streets were a forest shrouded in haze. Thunder clapped and rain poured around him. Tyza was next to him, screaming in his ear.

“Hello?! Hello?!”

----------------------------------------

Illus opened his eyes ready to shoot up, but he couldn’t move his core. His entire body ached, dull jolts of pain every time he tried to move. He was mostly dry, beneath a granite roof, his hands tied together on top of him. His feet were also tied, laying on a blanket on the ground next to a bench.

He glanced toward the door of the shack. It was secure.

Pop.

Water dripped into a pool of water in the brazier at the center of the room. His eyes followed the dripping upward to a long tail of soaked blue hair, then a fox mask gazing down at him from the chimney cap.

“Hello.” She said in a soft attempt for his attention.

Illus pulled his arms and legs in shock, trying to adjust but only hurting himself more by struggling. His breathing quickened, the reality setting in that he was still in the ruins, caught by the rainy season.

It was only for one moment, one pull of the rope that he struggled before he caught his breath and swallowed. “Hello.”

“The more you struggle against the rope, the tighter it will get, you know.”

Illus nodded and groaned.

She smirked at him and slowly fell to the tile floor, landing like a leaf. She retrieved his canteen and tossed it onto his stomach. “If you pull your feet up, you can reach your mouth.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

He wondered why she wasn’t helping him, then realized she probably helped him get to where he was. “Thank you for saving me from the river.”

“How do you know I saved you?”

“Well, I can hardly imagine it was the fox that fished me out. Or… do you not control the roses?”

She tossed a dried fish onto his stomach. “No, but we get along quite well. They see a courageous young man falling to the fox’s whims and lend him a vine. I hear them save him, and I lug him up here.”

Courageous. Illus’s face fell, a weak laugh escaping at the thought. “I’ll be sure to thank them too, then.”

His mind spun over the past day’s events as he forced himself to sit up, wrenching against his tired muscles’ pleas to stay still. The canteen was empty before he noticed, then the fish a pile of ones in the brazier. All the while his mind lingered on Tyza, Sator, and Anilee. Anilee who he terrified into running from him. Guilt panged for being glad she wasn’t with him, the selfish thought. Not because she would have been stranded too, but because he would have been responsible to care for her, even in his current state.

Then he thought about Tyza and Sator. He wondered if Tyza thought he was dead. It would be foolish to assume otherwise. Tyza and Sator would have to lead Anilee back to civilization, but they would be grieving him right when they had gotten everything they ever wanted. Right when they had a stroke of luck. But in the same way, he realized they wouldn’t need him anymore. It struck him with a bittersweet feeling that they would now be well, but he may never get to see them prosper.

His sister had been everything he ever cared for, and Sator relieved him of that duty. Then there was Anilee, his everything over the past five years in tandem with his position in the military. Now, nothing.

Illus wouldn’t admit it to himself, but it was freeing. In a way, he was glad to be free of Anilee, glad to have pushed her away, glad that he might be able to get out of the ruins if he survived until the next dry season.

“You seem to be deep in thought,” the masked woman pried.

Illus blinked, moving his lingering eyes from the fish bones to her mask. “Is there a way out of here once the rain clears?”

She frowned. “I have been honest. These ruins are sealed from when the river floods to when it dries.”

“How long?”

“The end of the summer, about two weeks where the threshold is open.”

He paused, lowering his head at the thought of needing to survive for a year here. He raised his head, discouraged but optimistic. “I’ll try not to intrude more than I already have.”

“That is entirely up to you.”

“Then, Enae, is it? I hope-”

She casually cut him off. “No.”

Illus froze, staring at her. “You’re not the woman from the mosaic?”

“No,” her manner remained casual, maybe a bit passive aggressive. Her mask made it hard to tell.

“Um, I hope… I didn’t offend you.” Illus was a bit confused at the situation, starting to realize why he was tied up so securely.

“Everyone does it. It’s fine.”

“Well, um,” Illus was losing his train of thought, “if I’m going to be living in these ruins… you’re not going to kill me, right?”

“That is entirely up to you.” She bit into a fish of her own.

Illus nodded, a little afraid. “Is the fox going to kill me?”

“Quite possibly.”

“Will the fox be open to an agreement… of sorts? It’s intelligent, I know that much.”

She chuckled. “I would advise against any agreements with the fox.”

Illus sighed. “Alright. Uh, my name is Illus, if you need to get my attention for any reason.”

“I know.” She continued eating her fish, the mask staring directly at him.

Illus waited for a moment as she finished chewing, but she didn’t say anything else. “May I know your name, or am I overstepping some boundaries? Apologies, I’m uneducated on the matters of… magical beings like yourself and the fox.”

“Oh, you’re overstepping no boundaries by asking questions.”

Illus got a little irritated at the lack of answers he was getting. “I apologize for calling you the incorrect name. I mean no offense, honest, but…” Illus sighed and stopped talking, deciding to simply sit in silence. He noticed as he was hunched, the ropes got more slack, loosening around his wrists and ankles.

“May I undo my binds?” He politely asked the woman.

She snorted, covering her mouth to not spit out food.

“I’m your prisoner.” Illus declared, a bit indignantly.

“Prisoner? I told you how to undo them.”

He loosened the rope and slipped wrists and ankles free, stretching his arms out, the stiffness of sleep beginning to wear off. He noticed the way she was sitting, hunched over, tired, similar to him but a bit on edge. She tensed every time he moved, especially when he stretched his arms. Seated next to the door, soaked from the rain with her feet planted firmly. She was ready to scramble out at the drop of a hat.

Illus scanned the room, noting the old cookware, jar, the bench, Sator’s beaver skin bag, his canteen, Anilee’s bag of clothes, Illus’s gear, the rifle, tent, everything. All sopping wet except for Anilee’s bag. As he moved around, he noticed a strange popping noise emanating from woman, like droplets of water in quick succession, masked by the rain outside.

“Thank you, masked woman, for collecting everything, for saving me. Were you watching me from up in the roof that whole time?”

“You’re welcome, and… no.”

Illus glanced down to the pool of water in the center brazier, and the cover which was not leaking water into the brazier now.

She quickly spoke, seeming to be aware of where his train of thought was. “It was not very long I waited.”

“No, you collected everything. Everything-” he paused, struggling to not laugh at the dry backpack. “You- you took Anilee’s bag before it even started to rain.”

The woman became more on edge. “I-”

Illus burst out laughing, clutching his aching chest. “Thank you, she may have stopped amidst the storm to bring it back, and I don’t know if I could have held my composure with her any longer.”

She eased, though a bit confused at his reaction. “I was going to return it. I figured being forced to live in the same clothes for a few days would do her well.”

“They’ll probably fare better with you. She has never worn any of those to my knowledge and I presume it has been quite a while since you last revitalized your wardrobe.”

She held a finger up to her mouth in thought. “Not to be presumptuous, but does everyone of your era wear such impractical clothing? Not a one of those has any use outside of ornamental wear. Why are the clothes so heavy and with so few pockets?”

“Oh, no. Anilee is from an incredibly wealthy family. They have butlers for carrying things.”

“I’ll say so. I thought you were her butler until your little spat in front of my sister.”

“Yes, it’s-” he realized the woman in the mural- presumably Enae- was her sister, but then that she had been listening. “That was a… she was a lot of effort. Well, I ought to-”

Illus pushed up off the ground roughly and stumbled back at the flash of blue before him. She was already in the chimney cap.

“I am very sorry,” Illus put his hands by his shoulders, eyes wide, “I have no intention of harming you. I need to wash off a bit and treat my wounds. It’s highly unnecessary for you to be up there getting soaked for no reason, so what say I wash off out there, and you can come back in and dry off? Maybe put on a… less soaked… posh new wardrobe item?”

She tilted her head at him and frowned. “Thank you, I appreciate your words and hope them true. As I exit, the fox will likely be close to enter. I will leave you here with a warning. Never attack the fox and pay close attention to your emotions if you wish to live in harmony with it, much less think you can strike a bargain.”

She crawled up through the hole and disappeared into the rain.

The door squeaked open. “She gossips my secrets and then away lets? Away she hides, to where she resides. This prison of haze is a circular maze.” The fox poked its head in the front door with a gnarly smile.

Illus grabbed the rifle and pointed it straight at the fox.

The fox’s face frowned in an accentuated way that foxes should not be able to move. “Can I not be a friend? Shall we make this your end? Your sister she ought, and hit me on the spot. Then returned I from haze, to lead her in the maze. What justice have you, to pierce me through?”

The fox’s eyes didn’t match its frown. Hungry, enthused, as if begging Illus to take the shot for some nefarious reason.

Illus wanted to kill the fox more than anything. It separated him from his sister and Sator, and it did something to Anilee. It scared her into trying to kill them- succeeding had the vines not intervened. Illus gritted his teeth. This wily little fox was the cause for everything.

But to what end? Was that why the woman said not to attack the fox? And to watch his emotions?

Illus breathed out, finger on the trigger of the rifle, and shot.

Click.

Illus pulled the trigger, but it wouldn’t fire. He sighed. Why would it, having been freshly fished out of a river?

The fox smiled, not understanding the mechanisms of the rifle. “Launch fire ahead, surely I’ll be dead.”

Illus lowered the rifle in frustration. “Be sure if I find a way, it will be done.

The fox’s smile became a growl, a grimace, pure hatred for Illus. “No shot? No fire? You’re hot. Such ire. Oh, a neighbor I’ll be, taking every shot at thee. Shots by the beavers, shots with all fevers, shots in a trap, shots just to scrap. I’ll find you out with the moon, so enjoy your stay with Ciun.”

“If she speaks true, all I have to do is nothing?” Illus found himself enthused at the fox’s manner of speech. “Then I will do nothing.”

The fox’s eyes shot wide open, bared teeth, borderline hissing. “This fool! My rule! Your words have no tune, you’re the same as Ciun.”

“Ciun,” Illus mocked, getting a little fed up with the antics, “who in the blazes is-”

Illus paused, his tone shifting in realization.

“Oh! The masked woman, she’s Ciun, isn’t she?”

The fox paused, its face setting to a blank stare before a single “Hah!” burst free. Then another. It erupted into a geyser of laughter before it whirled up onto all fours and pointed at Illus. “Utter fool! This jewel! Not luck’s stroke! He’s a bloke!” The fox continued to cackle at Illus before it finally raised its head without a chuckle more. This new fox seemed a completely different animal. Even its tone was more cordial. “If you make me laugh, I’m kind as a calf. I await your next quip, lest my mask flip.”

The fox darted off, leaving Illus in a vat of confusion. He had a lot to consider but at least he didn’t have to worry about Ciun coming back. If what the fox said was true, then this shack was probably more of a shed, and she lived elsewhere.

Illus laid back, taking in the granite ceiling of the shack, the pillars, the treebranch walls, and the shoddy door. It was all holding up in the storm, bound tightly by natural twine as if somebody had nothing to do for a really long time besides build a shed out of heavy twine and sticks.

He tried to stand up, but was in incredible pain the whole time. His legs burned like they were ripped and torn from the water sweeping him away. He wasn’t aware of how his new neighbors would take to him, but the searing pain took over his train of thought.

Illus grabbed the bag of dresses, shoved his face onto it, and screamed in agony until he was satisfied, weeping some private tears into the fabric of the bag so they might not ever drop from his face. Then he forced himself up with the rifle as a walking stick, gathered his belongings, and tended to his wounds with the remains of his first aid.

He used that time to think, to plan his survival. Ciun seemed to have ways of getting fish and he still had some rations in his pack for the next week. With most of his first aid supply exhausted, he would have to be careful. The only current dangers to him were the elements and the fox, but the fox seemed to be manageable to a certain degree. From what he could tell, Ciun held power over the fox, but not completely. Yet she was afraid of Illus, so her abilities were limited, unless that was what she wanted Illus to believe.

Illus figured his best bet for surviving until the river dried would be to have amicable relations with Ciun and to keep the fox as far away as possible. If Ciun could show him the ways she fed herself and survived, then he would have a shot at seeing his sister and Sator again.

Or would they be coming back with a larger military party? Anilee would surely report the findings back to her father, it only made sense to him. Either way, survival was the priority until the river dried, and the fox would be the one thing standing in his way of that.

“Pay close attention to my emotions and don’t attack the fox,” Illus said to himself. “She lives elsewhere, and this is… a prison? Her prison? The fox’s prison?”

That thought perturbed Illus. For what reason were the fox and Ciun imprisoned here, and how were they alive after so long? He knew nothing of what kind of beings they were, the extent of their abilities, or who they were. These ruins had claimed every last visitor, else they surely would have been recorded. If he learned those secrets, he would learn his key to survive.

Key.

“The Key to Ciun,” Illus mumbled and retrieved the poem they found on the stone. His key to survival, if it wasn’t a trap in itself. He studied the poem awhile, spending the day in quiet recovery, the rain pattering away on the ruins.