Lin had called two of his most devoted subordinates in the border adjacent to the desert. The apparition technique was an unique feature of the fox tribe. The wolves were faster but they were too heavy to master the technique of apparition. The foxes had developed many other secret techniques over the years after the war between the tribes, though many didn’t know about them. Not even in their own tribe. The secret technique of communication through thought transfer was also one of those.
“Did you bring what I asked you? ” Lin asked the two.
“Yes of course” They handed over a tiny pouch which Lin immediately hid under his shoes.
“Be on alert. Send the troops if I send the signal only. Don’t rush no matter what you hear or who contacts you. Only act on my signal. Understood? ” Lin asked.
“Yes my Lord. ” The two replied in unison and then disappeared in thin air.
Lin too came back to his room instantly and found Mia still fast asleep.
Roe on the other hand was really disturbed after seeing the conservation between the three mystery figures. Though she could identify the people, she knew they weren’t from her tribe nor were they upto any good. Her inquisitive senses immediately led her to the conspiracy theory. She sped back to the inn and immediately checked of Boshu , Lin and Mia first. Boshu was busy enjoying a large supply of meat and wine in the kitchen while Lin was reading a book as he watched over his sleeping wife. Roe did check them out of her suspicion list but something kept telling her otherwise. She finally decided to confide in Xie who was in his room cleaning his belongings.
“What if it Roe? ” Xie asked annoyed.
“I need to tell you something important” Roe came inside as she locked the door behind.
She explained everything she saw. The annoyed Xie became totally attentive.
“I knew they were upto no good. It must be the foxes. They have been using all the forgotten techniques one after the other secretly. Anyways, don’t worry Roe. I have already called in the troops. We are not letting any of them go. I am sure these three have something to do with the curse. Specifically the wife, Mia. She wasn’t a fox. Neither did she feel like a human. There is something amiss about their story. Moreover we don’t even know the full story. I brought them here to get it out of them. ”
Roe looked at him with eyes wide open ” You did what? Are you going to arrest our guests? Are you out of your mind? Things have just settled down. Like you said, we don’t know the full story. How can you arrest a Royal from the foxes just like that. That too with a honey trap . It’s so unfair. We just collaborated to get rid of the curse. Call the troops off. The world needs a little peace. This would lead to fresh tensions. ”
“But you saw those suspicious figures. Something is coming. We need the upper hand Roe. ” Xie argued.
“Brother, we need to know the full story before jumping to conclusions. I will take their responsibilities. Let’s take them to our palace. Keep them as guests. Father will know how to get the truth out without inciting violence. ” Roe put in. Xie knew she meant every word when she said brother at the start. It was her way of showing him gratitude before she received a grace. He had no other option but to agree.
“Alright. Lets take them to the palace, but I won’t keep the troops at bay. They will be on stand by waiting for my signal. ” Xie bargained.
“I don’t know. I just hope it doesn’t make things more complicated. But keep it as low as possible. ” Roe went out banging the door open.
Boshu barged in at the exact same instance and the two toppled over one another.
“Aouuu… Watch out you moron bird. ” Roe yelled as she pushed Boshu away from over her.
“I am extremely sorry, ” Boshu apologized as he stood up all flushed in the face. Though it was by accident but he had grabbed Roe’s hips as he fell over her. He had even cushioned her head with his hands. Roe pushed him again with double the force and went away running leaving Boshu behind apologising in the air.
Mia was having a very disturbing dream. It was making her sweat head to toe. With a sudden jerk she opened her eyes, only to find Lin fast asleep beside her. She immediately reached out to check if he was breathing. Lin opened his eyes and caught her hand in the act.
“I was just fixing the blanket” Mia pretended, trying to avoid eye contact.
“Did I complain” Lin said holding her hands firm and tight. He glared straight at her and fixed her hair that was falling in her eyes. “Mia” He slowly whispered in her ears “Did you have a bad dream? ”
Mia slowly nodded.
“Was it about me? ” He continued whispering in her ears as he blew on her shoulder.
Mia shuddered as a series of heat waves ran across her face and spine. She could barely manage to keep standing. Lin immediately ceased the opportunity and pulled her on his lap. Mia at that moment felt as helpless as a deer trapped in the tiger’s jaws. Her body could simply not move.
“Mia, you know you can just tell me” He whispered once again as Mia looked up this time. “Mia, I know there is something that you are hiding from me, but you know you don’t need to do it alone. Whatever it is, just tell me. You know I will be your support. ”
“That’s exactly the reason why I can’t tell you ” Mia thought but instead of saying anything, she just wrapped herself around him, hiding the tears about to fill her eyes, on his chest.