"Not fun, village girl. 
Brutal would be a better word.
Such is the way of the Fox"

Keilah

On hearing that the Hattavah would soon be visiting her chambers, Keilah sought out Silsa. She found her languishing on a pile of cushions in a dark corner of the library. She was not reading however, but sucking her hand. Keilah suppressed a giggle. "Where can I get some delicious cakes? Something special?"

Silsa looked thoughtful. "There's a shop not far from here, in fact just around the corner that sells the most delectable cakes and tarts. You just want to eat and eat and eat them."

"Can you take me to it Friday morning?" Keilah asked. She wanted them fresh.

Silsa shook her head. "We're forbidden to leave here. You could send your girl."

"If it's just around the corner how dangerous can it be? I'd like to pick the cakes myself." The idea of a shop filled with sweet treats was too enticing to fob off onto Alyssia who would have no idea what would please Dakkoul the most. Keilah wanted to smooth the way for her apology. Not that she needed to apologize exactly, of course she had the right to pursue the Prince, but it seemed disrespectful somehow to have behaved so wantonly while Dakkoul was watching, like she did not value his kiss at all.

Silsa let out a soft sigh. "It's a delightful shop. I'd like to go there again too."

"We could sneak out together like a game. We'd be back before they'd know."

Silsa looked doubtful but a sly grin crept up onto her mouth. "Why not? It's not far. I'm tired of being good. I'll arrange it all." Lady Silsa gave her a fierce hug before leaving and an unexpected warmth trickled through Keilah. Silsa seemed to genuinely care for her despite her father's hostility. Her own growing affection for Silsa was clouded by wariness. Was it possible for Silsa not to resent being displaced as the heir? Keilah was afraid to ask.

On the Friday morning, Keilah, Lady Silsa and her maid Rennie, Jalen and Alyssia went to out to the front gardens near to the entrance gates.

"I've arranged a diversion and bribed the gate guards." Silsa said with a smirk.

Keilah's eyes widened. If Silsa had done that she was much more competent and clever than she seemed.

A loud crash sounded outside the gate.

In all the ensuing commotion, they snuck out. It was only a short walk around the corner to large wooden building with a wide open door. Inside well-dressed lords and ladies and the occasional slave milled around admiring and purchasing tall multi-colored cakes layered with cream and topped with all manner of fruit; persimmon dotted slices; mandarin and avocado tarts and most popular of all fox-biscuits with raisin eyes and feet dipped in strawberry to represent blood.

"Not the biscuits, I think," Keilah said. "They don't seem quite appropriate. But a large strawberry and lemon cream cake and a mixed assortment of those tarts should do, don't you think?"

As the man behind the counter got them ready, two elegantly dressed ladies entered the shop. One was Fox-fair with pale blonde hair and a pointed nose dashed with large brown freckles. The other girl's hair seemed to have a lot of whitening powder on her face as if to make up for the yellowness of her hair.

They gave Silsa a cool kiss in reponse to her enthusiastic greeting.

"This is Lady Tynie," Silsa said, pointing to the Fox-fair one, "And this is Lady Blyne. How delightful we could meet before Saturday. You mustn't tell anyone you saw us. It's a secret," and she jogged Lady Blyne's arm. Lady Blyne jerked it away.

Alyssia

Alyssia felt a rush of dislike as she so often did on encountering new Wayvolkan. These were the two who thought of slaves as toys. Even if the thought of the Hattavah being kissed by Lady Silsa did make her want to smile, it wasn't right to suggest such a thing. She watched Keilah chat to them brightly and wondered how she could do it.

Lady Tynie was speaking in a cool, distant tone to Keilah. "Lady Blyne has a thing for your Hattavah. Can you bring him when you visit on Saturday? Lady Silsa wants to keep him for herself, but I'm sure you'll be kinder and share."

"He's not mine to bring," said Lady Keilah, drawing herself upright. "My uncle values him. I'm sure he's not allowed to be paraded at tea parties."

"Your uncle likes showing him off. He always used to before the shunning." Lady Tynie declared in an annoyed tone.

Lady Blyne tittered, "You could ask your grandmother. She's the one that owns everything, really. And they can hardly afford to offend us. We're the only ones that let you visit and the only ones supporting your application to be a part of the Vixen Trials, except the Prince of course. We'll be in them too, so it's very generous of us. We just want a little fun with the Hattavah that's all. Just kisses. Breeding season has begun after all," she tittered. "Wouldn't want another winter kit to deal with right before the Trials."

"I just want to kiss him first," Lady Silsa said with a trace of anxiety, "Then I'll share. I'll manage my father. Keilah will help".

Keilah looked defeated. "We can only ask."

"You do that," Lady Tynie looked at her nails. "Having you been practicing long for the Trials? We've trained all our lives, but weren't you in some village somewhere? Do you even know what's expected?"

"Grandmother has been talking to me about them," Keilah said, creasing her brow, "but there's still a lot I don't understand."

"There's a lot to it and it takes real skill," Lady Tynie acknowledged. "That's why we support your application. It'll be a good way for you to meet people, to regain your position in society."

"But you won't stand at the end," Lady Blyne said, linking her arm in Lady Tynie's. "Like we will."

"I don't expect to," Keilah said defensively. "It will be fun just to try."

"Fun?" Lady Tynie said with a titter. "Not fun, village girl. Brutal would be a better word. Such is the way of the Fox." There was a pause. All the ladies looked at Alyssia.

"Wise is the way of the Fox," Alyssia hastily supplied even as she wanted to gag on the words. Was it a betrayal of her beliefs to give them the ritual reply? But Keilah would be mortified if she didn't and Alyssia had no desire to antagonize her mistress who so far had treated her more as a friend than a slave.

"It takes more than ruthlessness to become the Queen-Priestess," declared Lady Tynie.

Lady Tynie and Lady Blyne smiled at each other but their smiles seemed vicious somehow. They ordered six large cakes, snapped at their slaves to carry them and then left after saying, "Don't forget. Saturday. The Hattavah."

"I feel sick," Lady Keilah said, clutching her stomach. "What do they mean about the Trials? Grandmother's been discussing table manners and etiquette and while it was mind-numbingly precise there was nothing brutal about it."

"I hardly know," Lady Silsa demurred. "I'm not participating of course, since you are representing us and there hasn't been a Vixen Trials since I've been alive. Let's get more cakes than that. What are they for anyhow?"

"It's a surprise," Keilah after a pause.

"I love surprises," Lady Silsa said with a grin that made her look nicer even while she loaded Alyssia up with so many cakes and tarts she could not see her feet.

When they left the enticing smell of the shop, Jalen gave Alyssia a sad look that she could not help seeing although she ducked her head.

"Let me take them," he said reaching his hands out but she refused.

"You need to keep your hands free to protect our lady."

His hands flew back his sides and he stepped behind Lady Keilah. Alyssia tried to pretend she hadn't seen his hurt look.

In front of them crowds of people went this way and that: grimy urchins clung to the legs of passerbys and demanded coins; soldiers swaggered around, obviously tipsy; lesser Wayvolk spruiked their goods and services, slaves cleared paths for their masters and in the midst of it all, under a large statue of the She-fox, a slave-priestess sold drinks from a blood splattered pitcher. 

Distracted by it all, Lady Keilah nearly ran into the large bulky man who planted himself in front of her. He was dressed in a fur-lined white cloak and had a Fox-favored pointy nose incongruously paired with glossy black hair.

He cried out, "Spawn of the traitors! What are you doing out here in public, like you have nothing to be ashamed of?"

Lady Keilah held herself erect. "I'm no traitor." Jalen drew his sword and stood beside her.

"Your uncle tried to murder our beloved Prince," the man shouted. "Traitors, the lot of you. The House of Lavilyn should be burned to the ground and every one of you executed." A hostile crowd gathered around them and Alyssia's hands, still full of sweets, began to tremble. The vengeful looking faces reminded her too strongly of the soldiers in her village.

Jalen spoke up and for once she was grateful to hear his voice. "The Lady Keilah had nothing to do with that. It was before her time."

"But she's the one that wants to enter the Trials. It shouldn't be allowed." A rumble from the crowd expressed agreement.

"Put the cakes down, Alyssia,"Jalen commanded. "Run and get help."

How would putting them down help? Instead she tossed the creamy cakes at the black-haired man before sprinting off. He bellowed with rage as they hit him in the eyes. The furious people beside him, also dripping with cream, tried to catch her but she slipped past. Had she made things worse? There would be no placating them now. Could she get help in time?