Chapter Six: Hidden Tails
I returned to the Pavilion that evening, the corridors familiar, cold, smelling of dust and iron. My footsteps echoed softly, but I didn't feel the usual thrill of danger.
I didn't tell anyone about the boy at the temple. Not Elder Han, not Madam Qiao, not anyone.
Some secrets were better left tucked away, for now.
---
By late afternoon, I had retreated to the small garden behind the Pavilion. I was tending to the orchids and night jasmine I kept in secret, letting the soil slip through my fingers, sunlight catching the edges of my nails.
And that's when I saw them:
Elder Han standing with the boy from the temple. Amber eyes glinting in the shadow of the wall, his movements casual but predatory, curling around the older man like smoke.
I froze.
How many shadows are moving in my world without me noticing? I thought, frowning.
They were talking low, voices just under the wind. I edged closer, crouching behind a bush, listening.
"You're reckless," Elder Han said.
The boy chuckled, a dry, almost feral sound. "I survive. Reckless is part of it."
"You've been out too long," Elder Han said softly. "You should not have approached the villages."
"I do what I want," the boy said, "and I do it fast. They think I'm a ghost."
---
I stepped out quietly, dusting my hands.
"So," I said, voice low and even, "you two know each other?"
Elder Han turned sharply, lips tightening. "Yuexin."
The boy's amber eyes flicked to me. A faint smile. Curious.
"You didn't tell me there was another… someone like me," I said, letting irritation edge my words. "Half-human, half… whatever you want to call that."
The boy tilted his head, ears flicking slightly beneath his hair—almost foxlike.
Elder Han sighed. "I was waiting. He's… different from you. I didn't want you to have preconceptions."
"You could have mentioned him," I said sharply. "You're telling me there are other operatives out there and I'm supposed to find out by spying? Really?"
Elder Han's expression softened, just a fraction. "He was born… wild. Half-human, half fox spirit. His mother was human, father a kitsune. Abandoned when very young, like you. The forest took him, shaped him. He survived through cunning, speed, feral instinct. That is why he is… difficult to train."
I narrowed my eyes. "Feral, huh?"
"Yes," Elder Han said. "But controlled, when guided. That is what makes him dangerous—and useful."
"And I'm supposed to just accept that?" I snapped, voice rising. "You don't tell me about these people, these threats, these allies… how many more of them are out there?"
The boy's smile widened faintly. "I think she's mad," he said softly.
I glared at him. "I am mad. And you will find out why if you don't behave."
Elder Han pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough. There are others. Some you will meet. Some you may never see. You are not the only asset, Yuexin, but…" He paused. "…you are the sharpest."
I exhaled slowly, letting my anger settle into curiosity. "Of course I am. Now tell me his name."
"Kael," Elder Han said. "You'll meet him properly soon enough."
I looked at Kael. Amber eyes glinting, hair catching the sun, the slightest smirk on his lips. His stance relaxed, but the way he moved was alive—predatory and free. I could feel the animal inside him even through the distance.
I frowned. "Fine. But Elder Han," I said, letting the words hang, "if there's more like him out there… I want to know. I deserve to know. I don't like surprises."
Elder Han nodded slowly. "You will. When the time is right."
I bent down to touch my jasmine, letting the fragrance calm me, but my mind didn't rest. Kael lingered near the garden edge, watching me, quiet and alert.
And I realized something: for the first time in years, I wasn't the only person in the world who could survive the shadows.
I liked that thought—reluctantly.