Reflecting back at her from the pool of water she had just bathed in…was the image of a young woman with sparkling brown eyes. Her skin seemed to glow as drops of water dripped from her erect nipples. The globes of her breast so perfectly shaped that just the sight of her cleavage has made many a mans mouth water. Usually the first sight that drew them back was a small handful of freckles scattered in said cleavage.

A trickle of water found a path from her cleavage down her smooth stomach to her delicate belly button. Once her belly button filled a sensuous drop trickled down to the small forest of light brown bush trying to hide her tiny slit. She began to arise and placed her open hands on to her rib cage and brushed the water from her sides and the swell of her hips and on down her beautiful athletic legs.

Oeiip a tawny male Jessup near drooled just staring at her. She seemed to feel him looking at her. A tiny smile formed on her lips, she canted her head and said, “What?”

He smiled and said, “D e e licious… I am almost drooling.” Oeiip reached between his legs and began to stroke himself. He knew it really was a waste of time it had beeen a wonderful night and his body was drained..

Marlu looked at him with a pretended look of disgust, “Now cut that out we have to get back to town there are more bottles that nust be tested before the Grand Duke arrives.”

Marlu was the Potion Mistress and she had identified the poison found in Nobleman Ever’s bottle of Rum. She had been testing for days… but last night she had to have a rest. She had called her familiar and they departed the Town for some rest and a night of pure sex. Oh well back to work

As they rounded the corner of the City wall they stopped to observe the Grand Duke inspecting the Guard Company. Marlu was mouth agape staring at the Grand Duke, she felt Oeiip pulling on her robe. He was mumbling and pointing. Trailing the Grand Duke was a Jessup Cat.

She looked at Oeiip almost in fear or maybe awe..”.Do you think so, maybe, he is so handsome and she looks so enticing. Lets not hurry…Okay?” They slowly walked beside the wall and entered the Gate. Marlu could feel eyes upon them, she noticed the Grand Duke leaning down to the Jessup cat then looking their way.

Marlu and Oeiip made their way to what was considered the Palace… This palace was quite large but was made of logs rather then stone. It covered a good 5 acres while Foxwood itself covered roughly 160 acres inside the wall. That was where they were headed. Marlu had a suite and a Lab in the palace.

*****
Daniel and Tiiup entered the front gate haveing left the guard company in the capable hands of Capt. Orbry after praising his troops. Dan looked around and he went slack-jawed… He was shocked by the rustic Grandeur of what lay before him. Homes and Businesses were laid out in city blocks instead of the haphazard manner he had expected.

Once you entered the Main Gate the main entrance to the Palace was straight ahead dead center of town. The center of the Palace was an acre garden park which was shared by all. The exterior wall of the Palace was another security wall 15 foot high it was designed to be the last resort protection for the people of Foxwood.

Dan looked over the palace from the wide cobble stoned roadway from Main Gate to Palace entrance. He identified the Palace (later he learned it was called Foxes Den) With a well known building back home. It resembled a wooden Pentagon.

As expected his number two man, in this case called the Chamberlain Morse was waiting at the entrance of the Palace. It was funny … but I swear he and Dax could have been twins. He fell in alongside of Daniel and began to fill him in on what was going on and had what had occurred in his absence.

“Morse first things first… I want a bath … it has been a dirty trip.”

I was a bit perturbed, the bath was not up to the standards of De Wolf town. It only had one washer girl and a teenage boy who was the water carrier. I finished my bath and the repast that Morse had set up. After I finished the meal I told Morse I was ready.

Morse’s report

“First My Lord we have a new Potion Mistress, The assassins got the old one with a residual poison left on the bottle itself. Her daughter has taken over and is proving to be well trained. And it seems her familiar is immune to most posions..”

“We have lost four Merchants, three Noblemen, a Potion Mistress and a Arms Master of the third rank. And that is just the ones we know about. There has been other deaths that have been of a suspicious nature but that was before we knew about the posion.”

“We have found our walls have been breached, some of the logs have been hollowed out and was being used as weapon caches. We have secured the weapons and filled the logs with paving mud. It has dired as hard as stone.”

******
There was a lot more about the running of the City State and the day too day operation of the palace. One thing I really liked … The City has Judges and I didn’t have to sit in Judgement, besides I was to emotional and there were enough other problems.

Morse had said something which I had missed. “Would you repeat yourself?”

“Ah, yes Lord, The Potion Mistress is awaiting an audience with you Sire
.”

“Send her in.”

“My Lord may I present the Potion Mistress of Foxwood. Mistress Marlu Tims . ”

A vision steped before me. Tiiup grasped my leg I glanced down there at her leg was a male Jessup Cat. I looked back up to her face and she was smiling, “My Lord we have been waiting for you,she hesitated, forever.”

As much as we would have liked to just be together it was impossible with all the Lords and Ladies sitting at the table. I thought awhile, “ Marlu please wait with your report I prefer not to air what we know in front of everyone. Please sit down and partake of this great meal.”

Two hours later the people were gone and the dishes had been removed from the table Oeiip and Tiiup were standing very very close at the far end of the table, Marluu with her arms crossed in front of her was watching them very close. Oeiip looked at her and smiled, Tiiup was looking at me also smiling.

Marlu reached and rubbed the back of her hand on my cheek and said, Well sweet heart looks like we sleep together tonight.”

I reached out and cupped her right breast, “Sounds good to me..”

We walked arm in arm into the bedroom hallway till we reached my suite. We sat in the sitting room becoming better. Oeiip introducsed himself and that the correct pronunciation of his name is E UP. Tii up is T UP. He explained that all Jessup cats names ended with IIP or UP pronounced up.

They looked at us and, smiled, bowed and said we leave you now. They departed through a door that led to a room used as a nursery when needed. I looked at Marlu and my mouth dropped open… Her features had begun to alter. In seconds I was looking at the image of Mazie my wife of many years as she had looked at twenty years old.

I was flabbergasted . Marlu looked at me placed her hand on her cheek and turned to the mirror. Patted her cheek and said, “Wow … not bad.”

The odd thing was people that knew Marlu would not even realize her features were different… to them she would be the same. She moved close to me smiled, “Are you ready … “ She was looking at the bedroom door. I took her hand and we ran to the door.