Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave shut the door to their room, taking a breath before turning around. The rolled-up piece of paper that had been delivered to them sat in the center of a table, each of them hovering about it as though it was something dangerous that needed to be watched.

After glancing between his two companions, who remained silent, he stepped up to the paper. He removed the purple sash, unrolling the paper gingerly with his gloves. He read through it.

“Huh.” He lowered it. “It really is just an invitation. Thought there’d be more, maybe. Secret message, a death threat, something…”

“Do you know the sender?” Anneliese asked.

“Sure,” Argrave nodded. He placed one hand to his chin as he recounted, “This Mistress Tatia is a mage, relatively stable and pacific, yet quite… detached and inhuman.” Argrave looked up and added, “Just like most of the Vessels, come to think of it.”

“And her rank?” Anneliese pressed further.

“Not applicable,” Argrave shook his head. “Their source of power isn’t magic. They’re associated with Fellhorn. ‘Vessel’ isn’t a metaphor—they’re conduits for Fellhorn’s aspects. They’re capable of taking and expunging waters in oceanic proportions, and with far more freedom than most magic offers. Each Vessel is an oasis in and of themselves, each with variable capacities.”

“Then perhaps mage is not the best term,” Anneliese posited.

Galamon held out a hand. “All that matters—we can refuse this without consequence?”

“I mean… reasonably, yes,” Argrave said, holding his hands out. “But we wouldn’t earn any friends. If I learned anything from Jast, having Elaine as an ally was helpful in ways I hadn’t even predicted. And with the sandstorm, traveling is impossible anyway.”

Galamon crossed his arms, looking completely neutral at the prospect. Anneliese, though, shook her head.

“Provided there are no ulterior motives, no other forces at work…” Anneliese looked to Argrave, who confirmed this with a relatively confident nod. “If there are no others involved, we were clearly invited as a spectacle—a passing amusement, just as we were for most of the people in this… Delphasium.”

“Is that really problematic?” Argrave questioned. “I can trust that they won’t force us to do anything: Mistress Tatia won’t do anything to threaten her peace. A few laughs, a few jeers… and it isn’t as though we can’t embarrass them in turn.”

Anneliese crossed her arms. “I know what I saw. And those that this Mistress Tatia thinks less of are sitting outside the walls, no food or drink.”

Argrave nodded. “I see your point. But… harsh as it is to say, those people refuse to bend… and so they break.” Argrave held his hands out as though it were a pity and shook his head. “I’m willing to be flexible to get what I need—I’ll work in the system instead of struggling to exist without it. So, unless either of you two disagree, I think we have no reason to refuse.”

Both stood around, considering his words without making any final decisions.

“Come now,” Argrave encouraged. “We have little else to do besides wait out the storm, reading books. We’ll have plenty of that to do in the times leading up to the feast, and plenty more to do after.”

soon joined her

“Then it’s settled. Let’s—"

don’t intend to bring me with, I

at him. “That’s

forgotten about me,” Garm

would be best

at least?” he looked up at Argrave. “I do not wish to endure

in that moment, and so

#####

and the three of them walked to the palatial estate of Mistress Tatia. The rest of the city was quite decadent and grand, like a pearl amidst the desert, yet her estate was doubly

of Delphasium looked especially beautiful in the night. The moonlight reflected off the marble walkways, giving one the impression they were

do they get all of this rock?”

I remember right, from quarries

haul rocks across the desert,”

I

her arms. “I worry for

at once, incredulously. “Why? Worried someone will break in? That…

in that way.” She waved her hand at him. “He acts like he has come to terms with what has happened to him, but I do not believe he has,” she

pretty well, then,” Argrave

crying,” Galamon

look at

gate ahead as he said, “When you two were enjoying the food

eyes in surprise, while Anneliese nodded, her point

That is

wish to speak of winning allies…” Anneliese looked at Argrave, shrugging. “Garm would be a good place to

refused, even after we were amply honest with him. He’s made his position on this matter very clear—if he’s going to do anything to

like that,” Anneliese refuted. “And I cannot think that, alone, is why you dislike him. It takes much

sentence. “Well, fine. Sure. I don’t exactly trust that he has my back. You both can’t deny he doesn’t exude trustworthiness. If he had legs, I’m sure

ever closer to the

I dislike him, then?”

“Two reasons. One—you have told us you know absolutely nothing about him, and that disquiets you. Two—you

“What, we’ve got a long, thin stick where there should be a body?” Argrave questioned. “What do you mean by that, exactly? What do the two of us have in common? He and Galamon have more in common—they both watch other people eat, unable to do so themselves. As for the crying…” Argrave trailed off,