Chapter Five

THE FOX AND THE DIRE HOUND

EVELYN

The following evening, I found myself at dinner with Lady Caeparia Scaevola, who led our conversation on needlework until her son Cossus showed up nearly twenty minutes late. He reminded me of a bard from a story in his dress and attitude. His colorful outfit certainly called to the profession, and his broad, sweeping gestures and bold speech really sold it. But of course, this meant he was completely full of himself. He was a very tall and attractive man with long, wavy blonde hair, a very athletic build, and a beautifully chiseled face. I couldn't help but find his confidence charming in an amusing way, but his over-the-top narcissism was far too much. It felt like an act, and when it stopped being funny, it started to become annoying. I did my best not to show it, but I doubt they could have missed my frustration. I have never been very good at hiding my emotions. I was floundering a little to let him down gently, but in an entirely unexpected twist, he was the one who pointed out that we were likely not a good match for anything beyond friendship. As he spoke the words, I could see all the parts of the play falling into place. His outrageous act was intended to have this effect on me, and with his reputation, I could hardly hide my grin. He was humoring his mother while defending his ability to court the entire court. I decided I liked him after all, even if just for the drama and humor, and told him with an amused grin that I accepted his friendship and would be happy to see him again.

That might have been a mistake because he made time to seek me out twice over the next two weeks. Regardless of our previous conversation, he didn't seem capable of not being an outrageous flirt. That, unfortunately, was prime ammunition for Amélie to begin teasing me, and worse, it started a huge cycle in the rumor mill, with people wondering how much longer I would resist his advances. One of the benefits of my outrageously high charisma was being able to tell that while he absolutely would sleep with me if I were open to the idea, it wasn't his actual intent. He gave off obvious signals that this was a game to him and that his real goal was to make other ladies jealous. I could also tell several of them were very interested in him, but that would have been obvious to a blind person. I felt a little like an involuntary wingwoman, and that part was kind of fun. I'd even managed to land him in a conversation with another lady of the court closer to his age at the end of our last encounter before winking and excusing myself.

That evening, I sat down to laugh about the experience with Amélie in our common room. It was much like the one we had at home, only with one wall that was comprised of many windows. In the summer heat, they had been left open with only the sheer curtains closed for privacy. We didn't mind the heat so much, but we both enjoyed the quiet breeze that would come through from time to time. The pot of tea I'd put on had just finished, and we were ready to relax for the evening. The day had already ended for most people. Our guards were in the middle of changing shifts, and all of our attendants had excused themselves for the night. We didn't expect any interruptions and had changed into our nightshirts. I'd even put a blanket on the couch so that Haunt could lie down beside me. That meant I was also his pillow, his giant wolf head taking up more than my entire lap as I gently gave him scritches. He looked so peaceful lying there with his eyes closed. I was admiring how glossy and soft his fur was when there was a gentle knock at the door.

Amélie shot me a look of mock surprise as she hopped up to answer the door. "Dear sister, did you invite Cossus over for a midnight tryst after all? I did not think you would move so quickly!"

I grabbed one of the many pillows from the couch to throw after her as she scurried to the door, giggling as she ducked. With a wide grin, she finally turned away from me to open the door a sliver, hiding behind it as she peeked out. "Yes?"

A quiet voice replied, "My lady, I have dessert sent up from the kitchen."

Amélie slowly shook her head in confusion at the servant, "We did not ask for anything to be sent up."

"No, my lady. A young man requested that it be delivered."

Laughing, Amélie opened the door, calling back to me, "It seems he is the one hoping for that midnight tryst, after all!"

I expected a nervous, young maid from her voice, but the woman pushing the cart had to be near thirty and as hard-faced as any adventurer. Her features were so average and nondescript that it seemed intentional. She slowly pushed a serving cart draped in a delicate white cloth into the room, a covered metal serving plate in its center. Amélie followed right behind her, doing her best to stand on her toes and look over the woman's shoulder to see what wonderful food had been sent up for us.

I smiled kindly at the woman and said, "Thank you for bringing this up so late. Who did you say sent it?"

She had been so focused on the simple task of pushing a cart that my words seemed to have shaken her, and she looked up sharply at me before her face scrunched up in confusion. After a moment, she cleared her throat and said, "He didn't give his name, my lady."

"What was that look for? I don't have something on my face, do I? Amélie would wait until I embarrassed myself to tell me if I did."

She gave a subtle shake of her head, "No, my lady. It's just… You're so young. I didn't realize. Are you really the [Hero]?"

I lifted my shoulders in a small shrug, "I don't feel very heroic, but that's what people tell me. Also, I'm sixteen. I'm not too young. There are plenty of people my age who fought against the Fallen. But don't worry. Mostly, I'm just a student these days."

Something about my words wasn't sitting well with her. I could see the indecision on her face. She was obviously very conflicted about something and slowed to a crawl with her cart.

On a whim, I asked, "What's your name?"

That brought her out of her thoughts. "It's…Mary. My lady." She let out a deep sigh and looked around before asking, "Where would be best to leave this?" but rather than waiting for an answer, she began pushing again to the space beside our tea table.

I smiled, "Thank you, Mary. That is perfect."

She didn't return my smile, focusing on the tray before reaching down to remove the lid. I watched to see a fluffy white cake under it just before there was a click. All of a sudden, a thick wave of smoke erupted from nowhere, billowing away from the cart in every direction. Before I could move, Haunt came to life, leaping away and kicking the couch over in the process. I was dumped unceremoniously onto the floor with the couch between me and the cart, shielding me from the wall of spreading smoke that was quickly filling the room and the two large blades I saw sticking through the cushions where I would have been only a moment before. I heard Amélie cough and heard a loud, wet snapping sound, but before I could figure out what was going on, a man I'd not seen before came rushing through the smoke, eyes rapidly scanning the room until they met mine. Fast as a snake, he struck out with another knife aimed directly for my chest. I fell backward below the strike and sat back up to hurl the first thing I could grab at his face. His muffled "Oof" wasn't very satisfying as the pillow fell away. I just stared at him stupidly for a second before he grinned and began to advance. His grin disappeared when I got to my feet and took three steps back in the time it took him to take his single mocking step forward. With a much more serious expression, he shot forward, swinging his blade in an arc that would have cut me from shoulder to hip if I had not stepped around to the side. It was the first swing in a flurry of strikes that kept me retreating. My back hit a wall only a few seconds after we began, and his grin returned.

"Don't make me…" I pleaded with him, but he only lunged.

And abruptly stopped, eyes wide as Haunt's jaws snapped shut on either side of his head. With a muffled shout, he was yanked back into the smoke, his body flailing limply as Haunt flung him around like an oversized chew toy. The air was briefly filled with horrible snapping sounds as the assassin's body was whipped about. And then, silence. I stared into the haze as the smoke swirled and fresh air slowly reclaimed the room.

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"Amélie? Haunt?" I tried and was rewarded with another cough as Amélie crawled under the dissipating smoke as best she could. Only a second later, the door swung open, and the guards began to rush in. Haunt padded over to lay next to me, sniffing and poking me with his cold, wet nose to make sure I was okay.

Amélie looked me over and, seeing I was alright, asked, "Do you think the cake survived?"

Nearly an hour later, everyone, save Lilith and Mirage, filed back out of our room. They had volunteered to stay with us overnight to be safe. Similar to our rooms in Vigilance, we had spare rooms for ladies' maids, but we'd negotiated for everyone to have their own space before we'd agreed to stay here long term. Now, it looked like they'd be getting some use after all. Much to our disappointment, the cake had been ruined. It had somehow managed to stay on its serving tray as it was shot across the room, but that hadn't saved it. The smoke contained a sedative that Amélie and I easily resisted, but between that and the blackening effect the smoke had on the whipped topping, it just wasn't appetizing at all anymore. She didn't even want to try and cleanse it. That was fair – we were tired. Haunt had made a mess of our attackers and the room, and now we had a large, open, empty area where our tea table used to be. I suspected they must have mistaken him for a very fluffy blanket, or they'd not have attacked, but it wasn't like I could ask them now. They had no identifying marks, unlike the previous assassins from the Cult of the Betrayed, and the prevailing theory was that they were assassins sent by another nearby nation.

"Perhaps the moment has come to designate these chambers for permanent occupancy," Mirage said as she sat her bag in one of the spare rooms.

Amélie and I brightened at that, "If you wanted to stay with us, you should have said so!" Amélie told her.

"Truly?" she asked.

I nodded my agreement. "It has been a little lonely with the two of us in here. I know everyone likes their own space, but I'm sure you could keep your rooms and stay here once in a while."

Amélie nodded, "Yes, that would be best. We all know how often Lilith sneaks Derik into her room. She needs her own space."

Lilith stuck her head back into the common room from the room she was using to peer at Amélie, "It's not sneaking. He's allowed to stay with me."

Mirage interrupted them before they could get going, "My greater concern lies in ensuring your safety. Having a personal space matters little."

I smiled, "Thank you, Mirage, but you can have both. We worked hard to get everyone their own rooms, so you should take advantage of it—even if you stay in here at night and only use the other room for storage."

She didn't hesitate, a sly grin crossing her face as she answered, "I will accept your offer, and I will contemplate the purpose of the other room. Perhaps transforming it into an additional study could be beneficial. You both often stay awake quite late, even with early lessons on the horizon. It might be wise for me to use this time to provide further instruction."

Amélie and I froze like deer caught in headlights before exchanging a look and rushing to our rooms, chased all the way by Lilith's cackling laughter.

The next morning came far too soon, and I was awakened by Haunt hopping off the foot of the bed hard enough to shake the entire thing when Kira came in with a snack for him.

"Traitor!' I called after him, pulling my now cold feet further under the blankets.

Kira ignored my nonsense and sat on the bed beside me, "How are you doing this morning?"

I rolled over to face her, trying to ignore the pending notifications vying for my attention first thing in the morning. "I am alright. Nothing bad happened to us, only the furniture."

"I'm glad to hear that. I've also been hearing that you've been spending an unusual amount of time with Cossus Scaevola and have been warned by several members of the court that he's not the type of gentleman you should be associating with."

I snorted, "While you were away, Lilith let me accidentally agree to a meeting with him and his mother. That whole arrangement was shot down, but he and I made it quite clear to everyone that we have no interest in being more than friends."

She nodded, "Yes, he has a similar-sounding arrangement with many young ladies in the court. If you are going to spend time around him, you'd be best to keep an escort with you. It will help avoid rumors. If I start having to let out your dresses in the middle unexpectedly, your grandfather will be very upset."

"Kira!" I shouted in horrified surprise, but she only shook her head in amusement.

"Come on, let's get you dressed for the day."

I only glared for a moment. I couldn't hold it. I was just too happy she was here. She had taken a couple of weeks away to herself, a vacation of sorts, to catch her breath and get her feet under her again. She'd been around, but I hadn't had much time to talk with her like I used to. Soon, I was showered and dressed, and she was putting my hair together when I finally decided I needed to make those pesky notifications disappear.

* Siren's Reach has entered a state of war with Blackstone Keep.

* Seacaller Farmstead has been destroyed.

* Your sortie has been successful. All raiders have retreated.

"What?! What is this? Someone declared war on me?!" I cried out in shock, turning everyone to look in my direction.

"What do you mean?" Kira asked, but it was Amélie who answered while I sat there staring at the notifications, completely baffled.

"She means someone is attacking Siren's Reach. Why would they do that?"

Kira nodded, understanding, "Siren's Reach is a profitable estate. If one of her neighbors thinks they have a legitimate reason to attack, they could be trying to take it for the income."

I shook my head, "That doesn't make sense. I've done nothing that could justify this. They've already destroyed a farmstead with raiders. I don't even know how to tell if the people who lived there are okay."

Looking up from her work on Amélie, Constance said, "It sounds like they don't care if you've done something or not. They will make up an excuse. It's just how some nobles operate."

I was about to explode when Mirage walked into the common room. She looked concerned for the first time that I could remember when she said, "I could not help but overhear. If there are those attempting to seize your land, we must intervene. That is the place you've chosen for your grove, correct?"

That stopped me cold. I knew I had to do something, but I'd been struggling for ideas. The simple expedient of going there myself and making them stop should have been the first thing that came to mind – and now that she pointed out that my grove was under threat, I felt a sudden urge to leave immediately.

"Kira, help me pack, please," I said, standing and heading toward my room.

Lilith stood and moved with me, "Evelyn, I know you're upset, but they're not going to let you run off like that."

I stopped and looked at her. "I'll leave them a note. Could you head to Dawn's Light and tell Commander Aric to discreetly ensure that we are ready to depart by midday?"

She gave me a worried look but nodded. "Alright, Evie. Just don't do anything crazy. I know everything sounds urgent, but wars are a slow thing. There will likely be a week or two before there is another attack. Take a deep breath and plan carefully."

I smiled at her and nodded, "Don't worry, Lily."

As she made her way out of the palace, everyone else began to prepare for the trip. Mirage stepped out to let our tutors for the day know that we were shaken up about the most recent assassination attempt and would not be leaving our rooms. Breakfast was brought up, and the guards carefully inspected each servant and tray while we packed our bags. The moment I'd stuffed everything I could think of into my dimensional storage, I was back in the common room, eating and writing a letter to explain where we'd gone and why. When Kira and Constance left to 'Take Haunt for a walk,' Mirage, Amélie, and I were alone.

My sister looked between us and asked, "So, how will we do this? We cannot use invisibility to get past the guards. I think they will know something is up the moment Mirage leaves. We are not supposed to be alone."

Mirage gave her a considering look and then said, "I have noticed the clever ruse you two employ to slip away unnoticed. Since it remains undiscovered, you may continue to use it. As for myself, I will find my own path. Do not fret on my account."

"Oh," I said, feeling a little embarrassed. Of course she'd have noticed.

Amélie wasn't phased one bit. "Okay, that is simple enough. Are you ready, Evelyn?"

I nodded, putting my pack on carefully. I'd not taken the time to get out of my ridiculous dress for the day, and it was a bit of work. Then, in a flash, we were both seagulls again. Before we had a chance to move, Mirage scooped us up and carried us to the window, and we were off. It was a longer trip, and the weather wasn't as nice this time, but it was hard to miss the only skyship at the docks. I could tell the ship was busier than usual long before we arrived, but I didn't think anyone would find the activity suspicious. All extra supplies were stowed immediately, so there was no build up on the deck, and routine daily tasks were going smoothly. I could tell that the Aric had tried to keep the usual amount of crew on board while using those he'd called in from the city for tasks such as gathering supplies. Seeing how well he'd done at keeping things subtle was impressive. When we flew in for a landing, we did so right on the quarterdeck, shifting back to our foxgirl selves where it'd be hardest to see us from the docks.

"Sorry for the abrupt appearance, commander," I told him and our startled officers surrounding us. "We will go down to my cabin until we are ready to depart. How long do you expect that will be?"

Aric recovered quickly, clearing his throat and saying, "Captain, no need to apologize. We’re nearly ready. The crew is making final preparations, and we should be set to depart in about fifteen minutes."

I beamed at him, "Perfect! We are only waiting for Mirage, Kira, Constance, and Haunt. I expect they will be here soon."

We had already been in the open for too long. Doing our best to avoid risking any spies spotting us on deck, Amélie and I foxed and made for my cabin.