Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave blinked open his eyes, staring up at the white ceiling above. He took a deep breath. His lungs felt back to working order, finally. He started to move and found his body happy to obey. He sat up, his head clear and everything in working order. He touched his chest, putting on a pondering expression.

Anneliese looked at him from where she sat at a table, reading a book. “You slept well,” she remarked.

Argrave ran his hand over his face. “Yeah… I guess I did. I feel pretty good, actually.” He turned to look at her. “Had a dream. Went to this barbecue place I always used to go to. You were there. Then it got weird,” Argrave shook his head.

“And you felt this was worth sharing?” Garm remarked.

Argrave turned his gaze to him. He had many choice retorts in mind, but what Anneliese had told him yesterday still stuck with him. He clasped his hands together and asked cheerily, “How are you doing, Garm?”

Garm could not move, but Argrave veritably saw him shrink away. “I’m… fine,” he responded awkwardly.

“That’s good. Sorry we couldn’t take you with last night,” he apologized. “I hope you understand why, at least.”

“…it’s fine,” he dismissed, closing his eyes so as not to look at Argrave. “Bunch of people eating, smacking their lips—wouldn’t want to be there, anyway.”

“Even still,” Argrave shook his head, then stood, setting aside the woolen blanket and grabbing his duster off a chair. “Where’s—”

The door opened, and Galamon ducked through.

“Speak of the devil,” Argrave said, throwing his duster on quickly.

“The sandstorm has cleared,” Galamon reported, and then slammed the door especially loudly.

Argrave furrowed his brows. “That’s good news, no? Something wrong?”

“…nothing,” he answered after a time.

Argrave looked to Anneliese, who returned his glance with an unspoken confirmation that something was indeed wrong.

“Right,” Argrave continued. “Well… we should find that merchant Tatia referred me to… his name was Titus, I believe.”

Anneliese shut her book, then came to her feet. “I shall get my things together.”

#####

Though Argrave didn’t wish to press Galamon as to what was bothering him, believing it might have something to do with his vampirism, Argrave found later that they did not need to ask.

When they made it to the central square, Argrave noticed there was a particularly large crowd around there. His first instinct was to avoid it, but curiosity drove him to see what they were gathering around. When he grew close alongside Anneliese and Galamon, he found it easy to look over the crowd of people ahead.

lumps on them but couldn’t immediately recognize what they were. They were many, numbering near fifty. He stared for a while, failing to discern what they might be. Gradually, though, he made sense

They were corpses.

hint of saliva, and they had shrunk so small that they could not weigh more than fifty pounds, even the largest of them. The

in them, it had no reason to smell of anything. It was a vaguely disconcerting sight, but Argrave

to Galamon, understanding what had made the elven

Galamon said. “I see, now,

to look for only a bit longer and then move on, but he spotted someone standing by the chairs, and they locked

Tatia smiled when she saw Argrave and moved forward. The crowd parted for her, and she came to

she greeted happily. “A pleasant surprise, seeing you

the husks on the chairs, but Argrave managed to return her greeting, saying,

soon, I suspect. He sells much of the dye we use for clothes, so we interact on occasion,” she noted, touching her purple dress. “You were on your way to meet him, I

nod. He looked

obvious what he was referring to. “Ah. The jails were beginning to grow full. I

these people

to pay their taxes, some dared to blaspheme against our Fellhorn… yet most tried to provide subsistence to those outside the city…

the person’s sleeve, revealing a cross with four x’s on the tips etched in a strange, shimmering blue ink. It looked

person, who quickly cradled her wrist and returned to the crowd. “We know when they transgress. Yet if they are not reminded of this… they think we do not.” She stepped back up to Argrave. “Everyone needs a

a second, not answering. Then, he slowly nodded. “I think

you return from Argent, I would love to host you once more. Your stories were quite

responded in

eyes shimmering against the dawn light. “Good luck on your journey. Welcome to the Burnt

Mistress Tatia walked away.

swallowed his saliva, especially conscious of the fact he had spit to swallow as he stared at those husks. He turned back

#####

stared out across the dunes of black sand, watching the road pass them by. Their caravan was hauled by four dark brown camels over the sole stone road of the Burnt Desert. They wouldn’t be able to ride this thing the whole way,

Argrave noted, turning

Anneliese stayed silent,

message was pretty clear,” Argrave looked back out across the dunes. “Might’ve been for her

“Fall in line, obey, and we will be treated fairly, even luxuriously. Transgress but slightly, and no mercy will

that? Both of you?” Argrave sought

Galamon answered without

did not

of them. They’re fools, unable to accept they’ve lost, unable to embrace the winners. The terms are fair, if merciless.

I’d like to live under these people. Delphasium is probably the best among them to live. The deeper

of it, we receive the gratitude of a people

expecting this sort of talk from

to Argrave. “And I think that it’s the smart thing to do. We