The+Fox's+Backstory

(It's 6 pages long, single spaced. You have been warned).

Reynaldo Vulponi lounged on the verandah of his parents' villa, BellaVista. The villa overlooked the sparkling Topaz Sea and the whitewashed buildings of the town below. Rey reclined in the shade on a chaise lounge, his long legs stretched out in front of him and his arms behind his head. The late afternoon sun hit the walls of honey-stone, lighting them from within with a golden glow. The unbleached linen curtains stirred slightly in the warm breeze. To his left rested a small table on which sat a bowl of olives, a basket of crusty bread and some soft cheese. A silver pitcher, sides glistening with dew, held chilled fruit-wine. A goblet of the wine sat untouched next to Rey. He was deep in thought, although to the casual observer, he would appear to be half-asleep. Rey was seldom what he appeared to be, however.

Rey was waiting. The day was hot, especially for the Dying Time. Something was coming. Rey could feel it in his very bones, but he also knew that he had to wait until the time was right. So he busied himself with other things. Smaller, less important things. He read, he studied maps, he gathered reports. The waiting was making him uneasy. Despite appearances, Rey was a man of action. He was not suited to waiting. During the night he checked on his contacts, he practiced, he gathered information like a squirrel gathered nuts for the winter. Last night had been particularly busy, so Rey was relaxing on the verandah when his brother, Paolo, stepped onto the balcony to join him.

"Rey, a favor if you please," Paolo said.

Honestly, for a diplomat, his brother had no subtlety. Rey opened his amber eyes. "What favor, brother?" he asked, feigning disinterest. "Can't you see I am rather busy here?"

Paolo scowled. "Busy leeching off of Father?" he sneered. "Oh yes, I can see how busy you are with that. I am sure you can make time in your jam-packed schedule for this," Paolo said sarcastically. "Father and I have been called into the city. There is an emergency Council meeting tonight. Something to do with this unseasonable heat, I think. The Earth and Water mages think that perhaps there is a way to give the people some relief. Father and I must attend. You know my wife is out of town visiting her family. I need you to watch over Alessio and Mother tonight."

Rey smiled with real pleasure. "Of course! You know Alessio is never an imposition!"

Paolo rolled his eyes. "If only you treated the rest of your duties the way you do Alessio." He then turned on his heel and strode off the balcony.

Rey gave a short bark of laughter once his brother was gone. Paolo was so stern, so stolid...and so oblivious. He had never once guessed at Rey's secret life. Ah well, he was a good man, if somewhat narrow-minded and he would make a fine successor for their father. He would treat the land and landowners well and see to it the the estates were well managed. Earth mages were like that, Rey thought. Solid and dependable and brown, just like the earth itself. Paolo had little magic, but enough to tie him to the land. Just like Alessio.

Rey clearly adored his nephew and the feeling was more than mutual. Rey would spend warm summer nights with Alessio snuggled into his arms. They would sit on the rooftop terrace of the villa and watch the stars. Rey told the boy the legends of the people of Remia, those stories that played out in the stars: the Ruby Serpent, the Huntress and her dog, the Great Sow and her nine farrow.

Sometimes Rey would gently touch Alessio's mind with the slenderest tendril of Shadow magic, just enough so that the stars looked like they were dancing in the night sky. And when Alessio fell asleep, Rey would tuck him into bed, leaving behind a bit of Shadow to protect him from bad dreams.

Rey wished that Alessio could be his heir, but alas, the boy had not a drop of potential Shadow-magic. And, of course, he was Paolo's first born. He had to be the heir to his father. Rey thought briefly of his own love, Celia. It was hard still to think of her. Her beauty had been breathtaking, but her spirit was even more beautiful and he missed her wisdom and advice. If they had been able to have a child together...but no. To think that way was madness. Celia was dead...had died to protect Rey, in fact.

Then Rey thought of another boy, one in a country far away. That boy was a powerful Shadow-mage. Rey had watched him from afar. When the boy's parents had been killed, Rey had begged his uncle Adamo to rescue the boy so that Rey could raise him as his own son and heir. His uncle had refused, despite Rey's pleas. "That boy has another destiny, my Fox kit," his uncle had said. “We cannot meddle with it. He must go through his own hardships and trials. We cannot interfere." And so, Rey respected his uncle's wishes. What else could he do? But he had kept an eye on the boy. When Rey had found out that the Smiling Knives had killed Celia, he tracked them to their home...but found them all dead and found the boy, now a young man, almost consumed by his own great power. Rey had soothed the angry Shadow-magic, calming it and convincing it that it should not destroy the young man. And then he left, leaving the newly born young Shadow on his own. Ah, but what a Fox Gerion would have made.

But it was too late for that as well. Foxes mated for life. Just as a male fox would never take another mate if his died, Rey would never marry now, so his only hope was that one of his sisters or his brother would have more children. And that one of those children would be a Shadow mage. But then again, perhaps he himself would be the last Fox. Perhaps the time of the Great Prophecy had come at last.

Rey enjoyed dinner with his mother, sisters and Alessio and, true to form, after dinner he and Alessio headed to the rooftop terrace to watch the stars. Rey was right in the middle of the story of the Milkmaid and her Spilled Pail when he realized that Alessio had fallen fast asleep snuggled in the crook of Rey's arm. The little boy's day had been long, what with fencing practice, book work and riding. Rey gently smoothed the boy’s hair out of his face and reached out a slim filament of Shadow magic to touch Alessio's sleeping mind, soothing him and sending him even deeper into sleep.

Rey, the comfortable weight of his nephew in his arms, stayed on the balcony, watching as the moon came up. In his relaxed state, he almost thought that he was dreaming when he saw the first flicker of blueish flame ignite on the surface. He blinked, roused by the unusual event to a state of watchfulness. "By the Gods," he breathed. "Can it be?"

He riveted his gaze on the moon, watching now as tongues of fire raced over its face, forming a flaming corona. And then it surged into an inferno, and the silhouette of a Phoenix could clearly be seen, its neck and head pointing up and vast, fiery wings stretching to the sides. It blazed this way briefly, searing into Rey's eyes and mind and then was gone. But the moon was now a second sun, lighting up the skies over Pyrosium.

Alessio stirred as Rey got to his feet, moving to the boy’s bedroom as quickly as he could with his precious burden. He tucked Alessio into bed and the little boy roused. "Uncle Rey? What's the matter?"

"Nothing, my kit," Rey replied. "Nothing for you to worry about. I just need to go talk to your Uncle Adamo."

Alessio blinked at Rey sleepily. "Uncle Adamo?" he said slowly, trying to make sense to Rey's words. "But Uncle Adamo is..."

"Dead." Rey cut in. "Yes. I know. Now, go back to sleep, my kit, and let this be but a dream to you." Another, slightly heavier touch of Shadow and Alessio sighed and snuggled under his covers. Rey, as usual, quickly wove a net of Shadow and starlight to protect the boy as he slept. "Goodnight, my kit," he said as he kissed the boy's forehead.

Rey raced from the boy's room and downstairs. He briefly stopped to see his mother and sisters, asking them to watch Alessio for him. Of course, he did not tell them where he was going. How could he? He kept his life as The Fox secret from all. The one time that he had not, Celia had paid the price. He could not risk losing his mother or his sisters.

Rey sprinted down to the wine cellar of the villa, chuckling slightly to himself. If only Paolo could see him now! His brother would never believe how fast Rey could move when he had the motivation. But Rey was now a man with a mission. The time for action had come at last.

Entering the wine cellar, Rey carefully made his way past the barrels and bottles to a secret door that was hidden in the back corner. This entrance had been cleverly concealed, but Rey could clearly see the outline, as could anyone with a hint of Shadow magic in their blood. He slipped a gold ring engraved with a stylized running fox onto his finger, and pressed it into the lintel where there was a matching bas relief. The two fit perfectly and, with an almost inaudible click, the door opened and Rey slipped inside.

The small room was lit by a golden lamp in one corner which left the rest of the room murky. The moment that Rey entered, the shadows twisted and flowed toward him, coiling around his legs like affectionate cats. The darkness wove around him, whispering his name and seeming to embrace him lovingly before retracting. Rey was used to this, of course. Shadow magic was quite tender with anyone who truly understood it.

He quickly set up the materials that he would need on the table in the middle of the room. A small brazier, herbs, salt and water. Necromancy was in the purview of Shadow magic, but he tended not to use it unless in the direst circumstances. It was not something to be taken lightly for it could easily get away from the caster.

He regretted disturbing his uncle’s shade, but he knew the old man would understand. After all, they had both sworn the same oath. Rey briefly thought about Celia, but then dismissed it. He had a purpose for speaking to Adamo. Speaking to Celia would be greedy...it was unforgivable to use power so selfishly. Adamo had been Rey's master, teacher, friend and mentor. He had taught Rey about the Shadow magic that they both possessed, though Rey was more gifted with power than his uncle had been. Adamo had taught Rey everything he knew about being The Fox too, and had given Rey a purpose in life. Adamo had saved Rey's life after Celia had been killed.

If he had so chosen, Rey could have raised a ghoul or a revenant. He could re-animate a corpse or a skeleton. However, Rey eschewed those uses of Shadow magic. They could easily taint the user and for what purpose? Rey could get his information in other ways.

The brazier began to steam and the scent of incense and herbs was thick in the room. The shadows raced toward him, curling over him and hiding him. Rey spoke the words that would summon Adamo to him and waited. A glow appeared in the mist of the brazier and soon was replaced by the ghostly outline of a man's face, hair white with age but with the same piercing eyes that Rey possessed.

"Master," Rey sighed. "My apologies for disturbing you."

The face smiled and the old man chuckled. "Not at all, my boy. Not at all. I am ever at your service, you know that."

"It is good to see you, Master." Rey smiled back. "But I must get straight to the point. The time has come, Master! The Phoenix sun has ignited. I watched it be reborn this very night. From the reports that I have gathered from our many contacts, I think the time of the Great Prophecy has come at last!"

"May the Gods be praised!" Adamo exclaimed. "But what do the reports say?"

"They speak of strife in all regions, famines and disease plague the land. There are civil wars. The Light mages have started hunting The Shadow. All of the things spoken of in the Great Prophecy have come to pass." The excitement was obvious in Rey's eyes.

Adamo nodded. "Then you must open The Forum and call them all together, my boy. But, be careful, my young Fox. There are many who will be frightened. Young Halyn for example. She will feel...well, like a fish out of water!" Adamo gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Fish out of water, eh boy? Your uncle still has it!"

Rey grinned. "Yes, Uncle. What other advice?"

"Be careful with The Shadow. He has had a hard life and will be slow to trust, but you must work together. And be wary of Talos and Ryan. Neither of them like mages, especially Shadow-mages." Adamo's face was beginning to fade. "I must be going, my young Fox. Do as you see fit, my boy. You will know what to do. Trust your instincts. And try to control your temper. I will give your love to Celia as she sends hers, always and forever, to you. Be careful, my boy..." and then Adamo was gone, and Rey was wrapped in the loving shadows, weeping softly.

“Come, Fox,” he whispered to himself. “We do not have time for our griefs. Dry your tears. The Great Work is to hand.”

After gathering himself for a moment, Rey cleaned up the workspace and left the secret room, heading for the grand gardens of BellaVista. He knew where the gate was. How could he not? After all, the line of his family had been founded by the first Fox, Sinopa. She had escaped from The Forum, and she had made it her life's work to try and return. She failed, of course. But she passed that work down, sometimes from aunt to niece, sometimes parent to child, sometimes uncle to nephew, but always in an unbroken line in the Vulponi family. And she it was who had landed here, in Goldcliff, in her leap from the gate. Which is why she had ordered the gardens built around that gate. It was the centerpiece of not only the gardens but also the villa itself, protectively nestled in its heart.

Rey stopped at his rooms for a few moments and gathered the clothing that he would need, along with the bracelet that would allow him to travel through any of the gates. One of his ancestors had figured that part out after traveling to all the regions in Pyrosium. It was a large cuff that was set with precious and semi-precious stones; one for each region. Rey had used other methods of traveling, of course, but this would be much more convenient. If it worked.

Rey sprinted to the garden and slowly approached the gate. It was made of gold-veined marble and formed an archway that was as tall as two men. It looked like a simple piece of ornamental stonework that one would find in a garden anywhere, but Rey knew this was the not case. The writing above the arch indicated that it was something more. The marble was also set with chunks of golden topaz which winked in the dim light cast by the newly ignited Phoenix sun.

Rey stepped up to the gate, preparing to enter. As he did, the ghostly form of a woman materialized in front of him.

"Stop!" she cried. Her long hair was caught back in a thick braid. Rey could see that the color was much like his own auburn and that here eyes were the same amber as his. "You may not enter this gate unless you are a true member of the Vulponi family."

"Madame," Rey said, bowing, "I am Reynaldo Vulponi, son of Lucio and nephew to Adamo. I am a true Vulponi."

"Humph," the specter sniffed. "Prove it."

Rey was taken aback. "How should I prove it?"

The ghostly woman smiled. "Blood calls to blood, my young Fox kit," she said.

Ah, Rey thought. Of course. The test. Well, he had felt pain before. This would be nothing new. He drew his dagger and, positioning along his left palm, closed his hand around it and then pulled in a short, sharp motion. He drew in a shallow breath as the pain hit, but otherwise showed little reaction.

He held his bleeding palm up to the ghostly woman and she raised her hand to touch his. There was an explosion of golden light and then Rey tumbled into the portal and landed, rolling over and up in one swift movement thanks to his many years of acrobatic training. He wrapped a wisp of Shadow around his hand as a bandage.

He looked around at the Forum, the first Fox to do so in a thousand years. The room looked much like it had in the sketches that his uncle had shown him, part of the collection of papers that Sinopa herself had taken from The Forum 10,000 years before. It looked, in fact, exactly like the drawing. Time had not touched the place at all. Rey ran his finger along the table in the middle of the room. No dust. The fires still burned in fireplaces. Lamps still glowed along the walls. But why? How?

And then he remembered the line from the Great Prophecy. They would meet in a “Space apart from Time and in a Time apart from Space.” Time literally stood still in the Forum. Rey started chuckling to himself. Oh, this was going to be so interesting! How lucky he was!