Chapter 5: To Set Up The Net

Avril hissed in pain as the doctor put antiseptic on her cuts one at a time. "Beltane, I don't understand who would want to set you up? Furthermore how did you get lured into a trap?" Siobhan shook his head at the beaten up fox before him."Father, I'm not quite sure what really happened to be honest. I was attending my duties in the Great Hall and suddenly I heard this high pitched sound. You know the kind that comes from a dog whistle. Like the one my Fiance Ryon has around his neck. I followed the sound, thinking maybe it was Ryon. After all he is the only one for miles with a whistle like that. Suddenly in the forest I smelt Ash and Pine. It smelt like the incense we burn from the alter of our fallen kitsune. I felt someone watching me, then there were 3 Goblins surrounding me. You know goblins don't attack unless provoked or payed to do so. They had orders to kill me, and make it look like an accident." Avril told her story, adding details so that it sounded more realistic. "Beltane, how did you manage to escape?"Siobhan asked "It was because they needed to make it look like an accident that i escaped them. They dragged me up a tree, to throw me down. So that it looked like I just fell. When they hit the middle of the tree one of them slipped, he pulled me down with him as he fell. We both landed on the ground, and the goblin died instantly. I acted like I was dead. The goblins didn't notice that I replaced myself with an illusion. I then went behind them and stuck them through with the branches that had broken off of the tree.I ran as fast as I could back here to tell you what had happened." Avril told her father stoically. Siobhan sighed "Beltane, This means there is a traitor in our midst." Avril looked shocked "Father are you sure? I mean it could have been anyone trying to kill me."Siobhan shook his head "Beltane, you said it was a dog whistle you heard right?" Avril nodded her head. " This is something that only foxes and dogs can hear due to its high frequency, it is also a guarded secret within the kitsune that dog whistles can effect us." Avril nodded again, confirming with her father. "This means that it has to be a kitsune that betrayed you." "OK But this means what? It could be a rogue fox." Avril stated. "Hold on, I'm not finished. You also said you smelled ash and pine incense. The only places that burn those incense are the warrior alters within this town. It is also known that each warrior alter has a specific day for each family to burn incense. The only alter that was burning incense today was the Ruin Alter." Siobhan stated. "Father you don't mean my best friends family, do you? Surely not, there is no way my best friend could betray me. Nor any of her family for that matter." Avril said in a disbelieving tone. Siobhan sighed for another time. "Darling you stay out of this for now. You have been through enough for today. I will handle the investigation of this matter." he said in a kind, gentle tone. "Ok Father, I'll be in my bedroom if you need me." Avril said in a submissive tone. She turned around limping to her door, shutting it lightly behind her. As Siobhan strode away to call upon the elder counsel, Avril sneakily crawled out her bedroom to set up the rest of the trap for her two betrayers.She hit the dirt road digging through Beltanes memory to find the slums of the Spiral City. As she found what she was looking for within her memory Avril turned right, heading off to find some goblin bodies to drag to the crime scene. As she was walking Avril weaved through the crowds, doubling back on her pathway and creating two illusions of herself walking in different directions. She disguised herself in foxfire made clothing, blending in to the background. As she entered a back ally piled high with bodies of the dead Avril sighed. Too bad I have to do the dirty work for this she thought to herself. She picked through the bodies, finding three suitably small goblins. As she started the dirty work of placing the bodies at the crime scene the darkness of night fell. The slums were on the outskirts of town, making it relatively easy to cloak them in an invisibility foxfire spell. Darkness only made it easier to do her work. Avril thought as she dragged the second goblin body to the crime scene. Dusting her hands off, she headed back for the last goblin body to hang on the second sharp branch she had. After setting up the crime scene just how she had described it Avril jauntily started home. She thought about all she had accomplished today, and found it rather odd that foxfire came so easily to her. As she remembered, Beltane struggled monumentally to form even one replica of herself let alone two perfect carbon copies. That wasn't all the foxfire she had used either, she had cloaked herself, making her look like a shadow and she had cloaked all three goblin bodies. Well that certainly is odd Avril thought as she skipped down the dirt road back to her house. The oddest thing of all was that she barely felt drained at all. Beltane, after practicing her foxfire had always been extremely exhausted after she had practiced. Oh well Avril thought, time to release those illusions of me that are frolicking about the city. Avril jumped into her bedroom window, while releasing her illusions. My next step will be to contact a goblin horde so when my father and his council look for the attached goblin group, they find one. Avril thought to herself as she reclined onto her bed. With a long day ahead of her Avril shut her eyes drifting off to sleep.