you
got out, too!” Stefan was smiling and that was enough for Elena. And
the intruder was holding out something to him that—well, it couldn’t be
what it looked like—but it was getting quite close now and it looked like
a bouquet of flowers.
“That is a kitsune, is it not?” Meredith asked, as if the world had
gone mad around her.
“A prisoner—” said Stefan.
“A THIEF!” shouted Sage.
“Hush!” said Elena. “He can probably hear even if he can’t speak.”
By then the kitsune was upon them. He met Stefan’s eye, glanced
at the others and held out the bouquet, which was heavily sealed in
plastic wrap and some kind of long stickers with magical-looking
inscriptions on them.
“This is for Stefan,” he said.
Everyone, including Stefan, gasped.
“Now I must deal with some tiresome Guardians.” He sighed.
“And you must press the button to make the room go, Beauty,” he said
to Elena.
Elena, who had momentarily been fascinated by the whisking of a
fluffy tail around silken breeches suddenly blushed scarlet. She was
remembering certain things. Certain things that had seemed very
different…in a lonely dungeon…in the dark of artificially formed
night….
Oh, well. Best to put a brave face on it.
“Thank you,” she said, and pushed the button. The doors began to
close. “Thank you again!” she added, bowing slightly to the kitsune.