Vivienne, Queen of Foxes, trusted a fallen black serpent with everything: her crown, her throne, her power, and their son. He answered with cruelty, dishonor, and the murder of their newborn. Then he wed the white fox who had taken part in her death, stripped away her last tail, and cut her open from belly to chest.
One thousand years later, he returned seeking Vivienne’s heartstone to save his mistress. Instead, he learned the stone had never been lost — it had been beating in his own chest all this time.