Winner of the 2012 Luminis Prize!
"Once I started reading, I could not put it down. The story is thrilling and magical."
"Twisty! Turny! Magical! Wonderful!"
"...I figured I knew exactly how it was going to end. I was completely wrong." "I finished it and immediate starting reading again, looking for the clues."
How does one find a shapeshifter who may not even be real?
The onmyouji Tsurugu no Kiyomori, a practitioner of the mystic arts, has been engaged to protect the warlord's new bride from the fox spirit rumored to be near. Tsurugu and the shadow-warrior Shishio Hitoshi face an impossible challenge in teasing out a kitsune shapeshifter from the samurai and servants -- if such a creature is even present at all.
The handsome mute twin servants belonging to Lady Kaede are certainly suspicious, but it is the beautiful and strong-willed lady herself who draws Shishio's mistrust. Tsurugu and Shishio must move carefully, for accusing the warlord's bride falsely would be death. But failing to identify the kitsune to the warlord is equally perilous, and there is more to discover. For an onmyouji knows secrets even the shadows do not....
Kitsune-Tsuki
is a historical fiction novelette, the introduction to the series KITSUNE TALES. It includes a full glossary as well.