The distance between Lia and the warrior was perfect. Not too far away that he couldn’t track her, but not so close that he’d catch her. Perfect.
Lia ran on into the business district of Maedbell and slowed when she neared the empty warehouse where she was staying. Inside were her important belongings.
The warehouse was cavernous. However in the center of the space, there was an ancient oak tree that appeared to sprout from the very concrete beneath her feet. The branches and leaves toughed the high beams that held the building up, like support from the earth.
Under the tree sat a stone hearth. The flames, ever alight, cast a welcoming glow that held the promise of enchantment in it’s embers. To it’s right, still under the cover of trees, sat a caravan made from rich, dark woods with gold ornate carving into its side and doors. The windows, one on each side, had both the shutters open, but all that showed was darkness. The door remained unlocked, but was only accessible to one of her own Kit.
Lia cast off her coat onto a large stone, and sat on top of a floor pillow. She grasped the pot that was steeping above the flames and tossed the already prepared chicken and vegetables into the stew and stirred as she awaited his arrival.
The door opened with a boom and Lia heard the warrior step inside and walk up behind her. Without taking her eyes from the flames she turned her head in his direction
“Sit.” She commanded.
Rid walked around the fire, keeping his eyes on the woman. His back carefully faced away from her. He settled on sitting across from her.
“You do know,” she said, “that if I were going to attack you I would have already done so.”
Rid merely nodded in acknowledgment to her words, evaluating her for potential weapons.
She turned away and pulled out two bowls and spoons. She filled the bowls with the boiling stew and held out one to him, sighing when he did not take it. She placed the bowl in front of him regardless. She spooned her own and blew over it with her breath and began to eat.
Lia went silent for a moment and nodded as if to herself, “Tell me, I’m curious,why did you follow me?”
“Did your leader order you to?” She questioned.
Again, silence.
Lia let out an exasperated breath, “You must be a horrible dinner guest.”
“My leader did not really have to.”
“Then why did you really?” Lia’s head cocked to the side, as if on its own.
“Maybe I was curious,” he suggested, keeping constant eye contact with the female kitsune.
She smiled at him, and for a creature fierce enough to so viciously destroy someone, she had the best smile he had ever seen, or at least when it was genuine. It lit up her whole face, and it made her seem so happy to be in his presence. It became poison in his mind, because there was no way in hell it was for him.
“Then what do you wish to know?” She asked, knocking him out of his thoughts.
“Who are you?”
Lia leaned back, letting her bowl sit on the floor beside her. “I am Lydia, a female kitsune and the last of my Kit.”
“Kit?” His eyebrow rose.
“Yes. Kit.” Lia paused, “I’ll explain.”
“I am a Kitsune. Kitsune are shapeshifters of a sort. A creature not typically found outside of japanese folklore, we are rare. The name of our species translates to fox, ironically as well, since that is our animalistic form. Stories depict us as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with our age and ‘wisdom’.
“Foremost among these myths is the ability to take human form. Some myths depict us as tricksters, as often foxes in folklore are, along with guardians, friends, lovers, and wives. Also, supposedly in lore counting our tails is the key to finding out how old and powerful we are, but trust me when I say it is far easier to ask us in person.
“Some stories depict us as deities, but in compare to most of the supposed deities I have met, I’m pretty sure we’re better.
“We are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical abilities. We are considered in Japan to be a yokai, or spiritual entities. Because the word ‘spirit’ is used to reflect a state of knowledge or enlightenment, all long lived foxes gain supernatural abilities. Personally, I wouldn’t necessarily take that as fact, because it would be difficult to measure how intelligent one is to humans and how intelligent on is to their own Kit. A Kit is a group of kitsune, by the way.
“Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox, but one can only grow up to nine tails, and you can only gain a tail after one century. Some say, after gaining nine tails a kitsune can see anything and hear anything in the world, but from what I can gather it’s more leaning toward omniscience.”
Lia took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “So that’s pretty much it, though I’m sure there's more I can tell you, but the rest leans toward being private.”
She pursed her lips for a moment, then dispersed into the air and reappearing at his right. She leaned forward into the knife he now held against her throat and smiled at him again.
Somebody help him, not the damn smile again. He re-sheathed the knife, noting the cut on her slender neck, and the way her blood slipped down slowly.
“Anything else?” She whispered.
His eyes narrowed, “And is any of this true?”
She frowned, “Much. Though it depends on the Kit itself and then the Kitsune as an individual.”
“How old are you?”
His question caused her eyes to flash and a small teasing smile appeared.
“Don’t you know you’re never supposed to ask a lady her age?” She lost the smile and leaned back with a sigh when he growled at her.
“I was first born in the year 392 B.C.” she sighed.
First born?
A whistle blew in from the doorway. Lia’s head whipped around in a flash.
“Unplanned visitors? What do I owe the pleasure?” A mask of false welcome replaced her anger. But all could tell how fake it was by the infuriated aura she was projecting.
“Damn, Rid. Didn’t think you’d be able to find her.” Percy drawled.
He was the first to make his way into the space, followed shortly by the others.
He came to a stop not five feet away, “Didn’t realize she was so old as well…”
Lia stood, she slowly began circling the fire wider and wider till her back hit the caravan door. “My, my, what have I done to garner such attention? Perhaps I should do it more often.”
She trailed off, and leaned back against the door in a relaxed manner.
“Why are you here?” Alder asked with an upturned brow from beside Slade.
“To give a little warning.” She said, playing along the line of truth.
“You are threatening us?” Slade growled out and she sighed, her eyes narrowing.
“I said warning not threat.”
“What is your warning?” Percy moved closer and Rid stood and appeared to draw closer.
“Well… I acquired a delicious bit of information from a rogue a week or so ago…” she paused, “They’re so cowardly it’s astonishing really.”
“What was this information?” Alder asked her, trying to get to the point.
“He revealed to me a location of a gate.”
“Where is it?” Birch urged, speaking up for the first time that night.
“Oh, a few hundred yards from where you’re living.”
“How do you know where we live?” Slade asked, his eyes narrowed and Lia rolled her eyes.
“Oh, a little birdy told me.” She replied with ease.
Percy lunged and held her against the door by the neck. His expression was still cool and easy, but his actions were stern and it pissed her off.
She carried on, unfazed outside of a little anger, “I find those who are unaware make the best little birds.”
Lia twirled a ringlet of white hair and hummed a whimsical tune for a moment. She patted Percy on the head, before slamming her knee into his groin and her skull against his own. He dropped her like she was hot.
“What the fuck?”
Rid grabbed her and held her arms tight against her side, Her head only reached his lower chest since she stood on even ground with him.
“What?” She asked innocently, “I don’t like to be manhandled…”
The kitsune paused, “However, I like this position a lot better.”
Her voice was a purr and she began to hum her tune again, and it was only now that he noticed how familiar it was. The same tune as in his dream.
“How do we know you’re not lying?” Rid asked shrugging off her distracting scent.
Roses.
She ceased her humming for a moment to speak, “What reason have I to lie? I merely omit, I rarely lie.”
Her humming picked up again only a bit louder.
“The sun will rise soon, we need to get back.” Alder reminded the others.
Slade nodded, “Take her back and lock her up in one of the secure rooms.”
“Is that wise?”
“She knows the location, she’s a liability.” Slade responded.
“Why don’t we kill her then? I mean, it’s not like we’ll be able wipe her mind.”
Rid saw a spark of fear in her eyes, but it was quickly hidden under a guise of false hurt.
“Because if I’m telling the truth I’m the only one who knows where it is…” Lia trailed off.
Slade sighed, “Just put her in the room when we get back to the Mansion.”
He turned to Rid, “Knock her out.”
The last thing Lia felt was a pinch before her vision went black.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
