Chapter 37-The Fox & the Fae

Azriel leaned in close to the sailor to ensure he was the only one who heard. The merchant vessel was headed for the mortal lands, and Azriel was looking for information. The sailor wasn't from Velaris, he didn't know who Kyla was. The other citizens of Velaris however, they didn't need to hear Kyla's horror story. And yet word had spread that something was wrong. Maybe it was that healer who was apprenticing under Madja–he took a little too much pride in treating the injuries of the Inner Circle–or it could have been as simple as a delivery person overhearing a conversation between Nuala and Cerridwen. But Azriel didn't doubt any one of them could have given it away. Cassian was on a rampage, Mor was short and curt with the merchant councils, and Amren more sour than usual.

But it was most likely that Kyla had missed the school play. The children had been so excited to put the play together and were crushed when she wasn't well enough to attend. Kyla would have moved the Cauldron itself to be there, and they knew it. It was the story of Nephelle flying through the sea, Kyla's favourite. The entire Inner Circle had attended to make it up to them and Feyre explained that Kyla wasn't well, and the inquiries into the mortal's health hadn't stopped since. Even now Azriel had another card in his pocket and held a bouquet of fresh flowers to pass along. Standing on the dock with the bouquet in his hand made it look like he was asking the sailor out on a date, rather than activating a spy network.

He put one foot up on a crate that rested on the dock and was about to give the sailor one last instruction, when he noticed a young faery clutching her mother's hand and waving to him frantically. Azriel furrowed his brow and waved back automatically before he realized she wasn't waving to him, but to someone behind him. He spun around and saw Kyla leaning on the railing above the dock and returning the wave softly. She tried for a smile but it looked more like a wince. Then she glanced down at Azriel and held his eyes while he took in the sight of his mate in the summer sun.

She wore short pants and flats, enjoying the freedom without boots, and had a light jacket on over her sleeveless top. She gave the appearance of being out for a relaxed summer walk, her hair moving in the breeze off the Sidra and her face slightly tilted back to catch the sun. But the scar on her neck stood out like a beacon to Azriel, even though you could barely see it. And her eyes didn't match her smile. Her eyes were tired and lost.

Azriel sent the sailor away and winnowed straight to her side. For what felt like the first time ever, she didn't step back or jump when he arrived. She just turned to face him, still leaning on the railing, and gave him a truly warm smile as he approached. His knees almost buckled at that smile. He had let her down in the worst way possible, and yet she stood before him smiling. Not cursing or screaming, or worse, never speaking to him again. Smiling.

Then she bit her lower lip and those sad eyes were gone for a moment. "Did he spout poetry when he gave those to you, or break into song?"

Azriel stopped short and looked at her questioningly. "What?"

"The flowers. It must have taken a lot of guts for that sailor to finally express his feelings for you. You can be a bit intimidating."

Azriel gaped down at the bouquet in his hand, at a loss for words. "No! These are for you!" He thrust them towards her crudely like they were causing an allergic reaction.

Kyla blinked rapidly and accepted the flowers. "You shouldn't have."

"Shouldn't have what? Oh, the flowers, they're not from me. They're from someone else." Azriel awkwardly crammed his now free hands in his pockets.

Kyla nodded slowly and looked from the flowers back up to him. "A secret admirer?" she tried joking one last time.

"Who? What? No. They're from…" he dug around in his pockets and pulled out a somewhat crumpled card. "They're from Elise. And she drew you this picture." Azriel handed over the card and stepped back again while Kyla gazed down at it, all joking gone.

"She gave me flowers and a 'Get Well' card? I don't understand. How did they know?" she said softly.

Azriel cringed slightly. "The people of Velaris are surprisingly observant about what happens at the townhouse, and the moods and behaviours of the people who live there. And maybe a little protective. Plus, you missed the play."

Kyla nodded down to the card and clutched the flowers to her chest. "I'll have to make it up to them somehow," she said sadly.

Azriel took a tentative step forward. "They understand." He dared reach out and place a hand on her arm in reassurance, and again Kyla didn't flinch or pull away. In fact she leaned into his hand a bit. A bit too much. She swayed a little and Azriel tighten his grip slightly.

"You're dizzy," he said with concern.

"Yep," she said matter-of-fact. "I've been eyeing up that bench over there but the only thing holding me up right now is this railing."

Azriel moved in closer but caught himself in time. "Do you…would you like me to help you over?" He couldn't quite read the expression in her eyes at that request. Was it gratitude? Trust? Worry? She nodded wearily and let go of the railing as she pressed her weight into him and they made their way across the boardwalk to a bench overlooking the Sidra.

Kyla sighed and closed her eyes for a moment to let the dizziness pass and took a deep breath. "I don't think I've had enough to eat. I kind of…stormed out of the house."

Azriel cocked his head and waited for her to go on.

She blushed and looked away in embarrassment. "I said some things to Rhys that…were unkind." She rubbed her eyes viciously and sighed. "I…uhh…I don't know. I can't process." She leaned forward and stared down at the flowers in her hands.

Azriel remained silent, watching his mate closely, searching his own mind for the correct response. There was more that he needed to tell her but she looked overwhelmed enough as it was. Now that she was free of Ferrik, would she be more comfortable around him? Could he possibly tell her what was really going on?

But Kyla ripped him from that thought with her next question. "What will happen to…him?" She couldn't say it. Couldn't give the monster a name, make him a person. She looked up, searching Azriel's face for an answer.

Azriel could barely contain his rage. He stood suddenly and stepped up to the railing on the boardwalk, gripping it with both hands while his Siphons burned. He glared out across the river and tried desperately to calm his breathing, but could only speak through clenched teeth.

"Beron is demanding a trial. He claims his son was under a curse and it's not his fault. The drug made Ferrik's mind so unclear, it was hard for Rhys to pull fact from fantasy." Azriel couldn't face Kyla. He couldn't handle the horror that was flooding across the bond as she realised that Ferrik might go free. He could sense the terror she felt with the knowledge that a monster was still out there.

"Kyla if they let him go, he'll never get to Autumn. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to end it so he can never see you again, so you never have to look over your shoulder and wonder if he'll appear." He said it with such menace that Kyla froze in her seat, her eyes locked on to the killer before her.

She wetted her lips and swallowed, never taking her eyes off his back. "I believe you." She rose smoothly, her muscles steady again. "And I'm sorry I didn't before. I should have listened and been more careful. You've always been truthful but I couldn't let go of that fear." She reached out pulled on his shoulder so he was facing her again. She stood before him, hands at her sides, looking right into his eyes with that honest and open stare. Even without the bond he would have been able to tell what she was thinking; her every emotion was written on her face.

"But I haven't," Azriel started. "I haven't been honest. There's more I need to tell you—"

"KIKI!" a voice cried out behind him as Kyla's eyes went wide in surprise and mass of wings and colour slammed into her.

Kyla's arms flew up as she clutched the young faery to her chest in an embrace. She tried to smile but Azriel just saw pain in her eyes. Sharp, blinding pain flew down bond. She staggered back, and Azriel reached out to grab them both before they hit the ground.

"Kiki I'm so glad you're back! Feyre said you were sick and then Bibi said Madja was at the house but then Jurt said that Mia said that you were at the docks and I wanted to tell you that I built a clock and that—" Azriel finally pulled the child off of Kyla's chest as the mortal gasped for air. "What's wrong Kiki?"

Kyla leaned against Azriel clutching her chest, her bruised ribs preventing her from catching her breath. The child stood by her side looking down at the mortal in concern. Kyla tried to smile and reached up to take the young faery's hand.

"It's okay. I'm okay," she gasped. "You're just growing so fast and have gotten really strong! Knocked the wind out of me is all." She held her breath and moved to get up off the ground, clutching to Azriel's arm for support. She was trying to cover up how much pain she was in and reassure the child she wasn't hurt, but Azriel wasn't buying it.

"Kiki isn't feeling well right now so we need to go," he said down to the child. "Will you be able to find your way home alright?" The child nodded solemnly, also not buying the story.

Azriel didn't waste a moment to reassure the child again, but winnowed them immediately to the townhouse and helped Kyla up the front steps.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he pleaded with her.

Kyla tried to shrug. "Never crossed my mind. I'm used to pushing the pain down and moving forward. But my ribs…" she wheezed and bent double, clutching her chest. The door opened quickly and Mor stood in the doorway taking in the hunch in Kyla's poster and the grimace on Azriel's face.

She pursed her lips and spoke to them sharply. "You're in big trouble."

Mor stepped aside and revealed Madja standing in the foyer, her arms crossed and glaring at the pair of them.

As soon as she was able, Kyla resumed her daily walks, but it was more out of habit than a need to escape the house. She would wander to a park or lookout and sit on a bench for hours, staring out at the city. For the most part the Inner Circle left her alone, offering help or time to talk now and again, but mostly giving her the space to process. Sometimes they would walk with her under the pretense of needing to ask her advice on something. What did she know about such-and-such place, or did this trade deal sound reasonable, could she fix something or tinker with this problem. Kyla only ever half listened and tried to answer their questions, but gone was the bubbly enthusiasm or keen interest in problem solving. She was mostly silent at meals, uninterested in her food, half listening to the conversation.

Cassian hadn't pushed, but he tried to encourage her to resume their workouts. She would either sleep in past the time they were supposed to go jogging, or find an excuse to be unavailable. But it was hard to do as she avoided the workshop and the stack of books on her bedside table never shrank.

As she sank further into her depression Azriel became increasingly agitated. He found every excuse to come by the house. Kyla would ask for any updates from his contacts on the sorcerer or other clues, but he was distressingly short on information. She never asked about Ferrick's trial. She knew that Rhys was communicating with Helion and the other High Lords present that night on how to proceed, but there was no precedent and all sought different outcomes.

One evening they sat on the back patio, looking out over the lights of Velaris, chatting about the day and enjoying a nightcap in the warm summer night. Cassian and Azriel had stayed for supper and Lucien was updating them on his work in the mortal lands with Nesta and Elain.

"Some interesting border settlements have cropped up. Not in Spring, of course, but on the human side of the Wall-that-Was some informal trading has begun. The activity has attracted some interesting business partnerships," Lucien explained.

Azriel nodded in agreement. His spies had reported as much to him already, though they were vague on the details. "Tamlin's borders remain closed, so it's hard to know how the faeries are getting through to the mortal lands to conduct business. I'm sure the underground market is going strong through."

"Trust profit and money to bring people who hate each other together," Cassian added ruefully.

Nuala came out on the patio then and walked over to Kyla who was staring out at the city lights, listening to the report silently.

"Kyla, someone came to the door just now asking after you. He seemed genuinely concerned that you were feeling all right and left this for you. He indicated it might make you feel better, so I thought I'd bring it out right out away instead of putting it in your room. I hope you don't mind," Nuala explained gently.

Kyla sat up straight and blinked at the wraith. "Of course I don't mind, thank you." She put down the untouched drink she was holding and accepted the wooden box that Nuala handed to her. The others tried to continue their conversations and pretend like they weren't watching her every move, but they were all curious to see if the gift had the intended effect of bringing a smile to the human girl's face.

The box was carefully crafted, about the size of half a loaf of bread, but held no ornamentation or lettering indicating its contents. Kyla carefully opened the lid and found a suede bag inside. She rested the box on her lap and reached into the bag, pulling out a small trinket. They all held their breaths while Kyla stared down at the object in her hand. Instead of jumping for joy like they all hoped, Kyla leapt to her feet and sent the box crashing to the floor. She sprinted past the gawking faeries and fled into the house.

"What in the Cauldron…" Feyre said wide-eyed.

Azriel jumped up and tore after Kyla with Mor close on his heels. Amren walked over and picked up the box, inspecting it carefully. Lucien looked to Rhys and Cassian for an explanation but they just got up to follow Kyla into the house as well.

"Kyla, wait! What's wrong?" Azriel shouted after her.

But Kyla crashed through the rooms and ripped open the front door.

"What was in the box?" called Mor, but Azriel just shook his head and followed Kyla outside.

The human flew down the steps, across the lawn, and yanked open the gate. When she reached the street in front of the house she skidded to a stop and spun back and forth, searching the darkness for some indication of which way she should go.

Azriel caught up but kept a few steps back; he didn't dare get too close in this panicked state. The rest of the group appeared at the gate behind him, but still Kyla peered down the streets, her eyes wild and breathing heavy.

"Kyla, talk to me. What do you need?" Azriel said in a soothing voice. He inched forward like he was trying to calm a panicked horse.

Kyla spun and faced the crowd at the gate searching their faces.

"Nuala! Who dropped this off? Who was it?"

The wraith just shook her head in despair and looked at the others. "I…I didn't get a name."

"What did he look like? What type of faery? Where did he go after?" Kyla demanded.

But Nuala cringed and wrung her hands. "There have been so many visitors and gifts for you, I stopped paying attention. There was nothing really remarkable about him."

Rhys stepped in. "But there was something remarkable. You said so yourself, that 'he seemed genuinely concerned'. There was something different about him that made you think to bring the gift to Kyla immediately, rather than leave it in her room."
Nuala's eyes went wide in confusion. "I did? No, I just put the gifts and flowers in her room."

Now Azriel stepped closer to Nuala and held her face in his massive hands, peering into her eyes. "Why did you bring the gift to her right away, Nuala?"

Nuala stared into the shadowsinger's face in fear, unable to look away. She was panting heavily, her face pained in confusion. "What gift? I don't know what…"

Azriel's head snapped up and he looked at Rhys. "The memory is fading, Rhys. Grab it!"

Rhys stepped closer to Nuala and tried to slip into her mind to grab the image of the faery who had delivered the gift. He watched Nuala accept the box kindly but when he turned back there was no one at the door. The glamour was powerful, wiping the memory away right in front on his eyes. Rhys stepped out of Nuala's mind and looked at the others.

He shook his head once. "It's gone."

As one they turned back to Kyla who still clutched the object in her hand.

"What was in the box, Kyla?" Amren asked coldly. She stepped forward too quickly for Kyla to react and grabbed her forearm, squeezing it hard enough make Kyla drop the gift. A small wooden carving clattered on the cobblestone street. They all leaned in close to see what it was, no one daring to touch something associated with such powerful magic.

It was a wooden carving of a fox.

Kyla retreated to her room almost immediately, leaving Azriel to explain the significance of the carving being a fox. They stayed up late discussing the possibilities and what could be done. Cassian, Mor, and Lucien took to streets to see if they could pick up any indication of who had visited the townhouse that night. Amren agreed to take the carving with her and see if she could uncover any magic lurking within. Rhys and Feyre tried to reassure a guilt-stricken Nuala that she had done nothing wrong, while Azriel restlessly waited for a report from Cerridwen that Kyla was sleeping and didn't need anything.

After ensuring that Cerridwen was watching his mate, Azriel moved through the foyer to join in the hunt. As he reached for the door his hand paused on the handle and he turned back to face Rhys. A deep fear shone in his eyes, pushing aside anger and frustration and all the other emotions that flooded through him.

"Someone with great power came to this house and dropped that off. He knew she was here." His eyes pleaded with Rhys. "Make sure—" he swallowed forcefully then softened his tone. "Would you please ensure the wards are strong enough? Please…please keep her safe." He knew Rhys had already reinforced them, but he needed to say it, to feel like he was doing everything in his power to protect her.

Rhys nodded solemnly. "Of course, brother."