Chapter 48: 2.9 The Fox's Lair

Kaitlyn was excited. With a name, Master Garthis’s library might be able to produce more information and help her continue the process of untangling and managing the spells in the house. Jee leaned back in his chair until the front two feet came off the ground. He watched her, but Kaitlyn stood up and walked to the fireplace.

She added a log with her own hands and then turned to him and said, “How can I thank you? Even if it’s not the same witch, knowing there might have been a witch with a similar house I might have a lead… Thank you.”

“You are most welcome,” he smiled, “I should thank you. You have added a wonderful story to my repertoire. I may have to write a ballad for you, but of course your story is nowhere near finished.”

“I should hope not,” Kaitlyn laughed a little.

“Now,” he stood and approached her, “where would you like me to spend the night?”

Kaitlyn felt a shiver run down her spine at his tone, the offer clear in his voice. Her face flushed with heat. Jee smirked and said, “I apologize if I’m coming on too strong, I sense power in you and usually that comes with age, I keep forgetting how young you are.”

She took a deep breath, feeling a sting to her pride. She lifted her chin and looked at him and said, “I am young compared to you I suppose.”

He laughed again and said, “My dear, there are dynasties I think are young, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“I don’t have…”

“Oh, I think we should see if there’s a private place I can sleep,” he said with a smile.

He followed her into the hall and they found a second door next to Kaitlyn’s bedroom. She opened the door and found a simple room with just an older bed, chamber pot, and fireplace.

“Would you like to come in and hear a story of mine?” he asked gently.

Kaitlyn hesitated, and said, “I… I know this door wasn’t here before.”

Curiosity finally won, and she stepped inside. Once she closed the door he said, “Would you mind if I change into my fox form?”

“No,” she said, “please make yourself comfortable.”

He grinned and set the mandolin next to the wall. She didn’t actually see him change, one moment he looked like a man and the next he wasn’t. Jee was a beautiful black and gold fox, huge for the species, the size of a horse and his face even with hers. His narrow face was black, but around his eyes, and up to his beautiful ears a red-gold banding which then spread down his neck to create a band of golden red on his shoulders. He was then a beautiful dark grey to silver for most of his body, except for another spot of red gold right on his hind hips and then bright silver tip on each of his eight tails.

Kaitlyn mentally counted his tails twice and then his voice came directly to her mind, “My true name is Do-yun.”

She curtsied without thinking, bowing her head and saying, “Welcome Master Do-yun. I assume in public you would like me to continue to call you Master Jee?”

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“Don’t you dare,” he gave a half-growl, “I want to be friends, and maybe more than friends. I am not your master. Call me Jee.”

She squirmed a little and twisted her hands together. Master Garthis had only taught her a little of mage society, but treating a magical master, a near immortal, casually went against her every instinct.

His nose was cold as he put it under her chin, wriggling it down to her neck which he then licked right under ear. She giggled in surprise and danced away from him. He nipped playfully towards her hand and she tripped and fell into the pile of cloth. He opened his mouth in a playful grin and said, “Better. Now, it is my turn to tell a tale.”

He curled up around her and nuzzled her hand until she scratched his ear. He grinned at her in his fox way and began to tell her a story.

“It began in a deep mountain,” Jee’s voice was calm and quiet, “and in the depths of the earth there was an egg. In this egg grew a creature like no other. All tales say this egg will give birth to a new world when it is born. When it was found, it was already guarded by a Landvættir. This massive creature appears as a bear but a thousand times larger. It is made of earth itself, it’s back covered in trees and plants, its brows made of flowers.

The Landvættir is the only one of its kind and no one has ever learned how it grew plants in total darkness. Once, when dwarves tried to harvest from it, it drew upon the power of the earth itself and drove every dwarf from its home. No dwarf has ever been allowed to set a foot within its caves ever since.

Three of the oldest of the dragons once tried to study the egg, it’s been called the Egg of the World. They used spells to look inside. One of the dragons turned mad, whatever they saw from within the egg turned the great mage dragon into a mental kit again. One of the dragons began giving true prophecies, but never remembered them herself. The third dragon disappeared.”

At some point during his story, Kaitlyn found herself dropping into sleep, and before she knew it, she was sound asleep, curled up against the side of an ancient and powerful creature. In the morning when Kaitlyn woke up and found herself under six fluffy silver-black tails, she bit her lip and tried to sneak out.

“Now, that is no way to leave a man’s bed,” the kitsune teased.

“You are not a man,” she replied with the first quip she could come up with.

He transformed in an instant, all eight tails vanishing so he appeared like an entirely normal human. She blinked and said, “Wait, I thought kitsune always had to show their ears and tails.”

“Once one gets to the level of six or seven tails, there are ways to make sure we appear as anything we wish,” he said, “we do not have the perfectly natural transformative power of an adult dragon, but we have our own ways.”

“Can you… can you help me understand something,” Kaitlyn decided to impulsively ask.

“I can try,” Do-yun said.

“Humans aren’t that powerful,” Kaitlyn said. “Human magic is the most rare of all and yet… everything seems to try to… well why do so many creatures try to look like us?”

“Numbers,” Do-yun said simply. “Humans are one of the most prolific races on the planet. This isn’t meant to be offensive, but mortal creatures and those with less chance of becoming immortal…. well they all breed faster too. The shorter the life, the shorter the breeding time… a two-tailed kitsune which only has the most basic grasp on magic will still live about two hundred years, and even a four or five tailed kitsune will usually only have three or four pups at most.”

“So my parents, who weren’t even fifity already having five children…” Kaitlyn mused.

“Prolific,” Do-yun grinned. “You outnumber us ten to one, many species you will outnumber a hundred to one. Even a dragon can be brought down by a dozen a knights. The numbers are in your favor. Besides, as you implied, humans aren’t very powerful. If one wants to move about without a lot of attention, it can be beneficial to appear both less useful and less harmful than one really is.”

“Should I be worried?” Kailtyn raised an eyebrow.

He grinned at her and said, “I told you last night I hope to be your friend, no friend of mine needs to worry about me.”

Kaitlyn laughed again. They both left the room. Kaitlyn pondered a memory of sweet kisses. Would kissing a magical fox would be as intoxicating? She couldn’t help but glance at Do-Yun’s lips and wonder if she could ever kiss someone without being torn by the wrenching memory of betrayal.