"Is the fox truly your master?"
My head whipped around. Zarah stood near the front of the crowd, her expression hard, her words edged with suspicion.
"Master?" I echoed, frowning. "What do you mean by that?"
It was the first time I'd heard anything like it.
Zarah's lips pressed into a thin line as she stepped forward, eyes flicking between me and the fox. Slowly, she began to explain.
"I went to your quarters earlier," she said, her tone heavy with disapproval. "And there it was—this fox—curled up right beside you, as if it belonged there. When I questioned it, it spoke. Claimed it was your new master, and demanded we bring it food."
Her gaze sharpened, accusation flashing in her eyes. "When we refused… it tried to take it itself. Nearly devoured half of our stock."
My eyes flicked to the fox.
She sat calmly, tails swaying slowly behind her, gaze locked on me as though daring me to do something about it. I didn't like that one bit.
