Jackal Among Snakes

The Margrave leaned back in his chair at the dining table, staring at his now-empty platter of food. He tapped one foot on the ground, glancing towards the door. Argrave had still yet to return.

Reinhardt’s old friend, Duke Enrico, had been entirely right from the beginning. Having a motive other than mere rebellion would be good for the rebellion, upsetting though it might be. The Margrave did not wish to play the kingmaker. He merely wished to do what was right.

But part of doing what was right was accepting the tragic realities of the world—few people, least of all the nobles beneath the heel of Vasquer, acted with righteous intentions. For all intents and purposes, Argrave doused their flames of ambition. He would be Reinhardt’s claimant, and with an undisputed figure, the opportunists’ influence would be mitigated after the war ended.

From all that he’d talked about with Argrave, he’d come to know the man better. He was far closer in character to someone like Enrico than Reinhardt himself. The Duke of Mateth had transformed his seat into a bastion of wealth. Reinhardt was a man of war. He would win the conflict, but in the wake of a devastating war, the realm did not someone like himself on the throne—the realm needed someone to rebuild it.

Of course, as a bastard, Argrave’s education might be lacking… but character and will were paramount, by Reinhardt’s estimation. Provided the relationship lasted, his choice of partner might prove problematic for realm stability… but then again, Enrico had told Reinhardt that Argrave had some sort of close relationship with the tribe of snow elves, and the woman herself seemed quite keen.

Each issue had its counterpoint. With the situation as miserable as it was, it was a wonder anyone like Argrave existed. Above all, no better alternative existed.

Margrave Reinhardt found comfort in the fact that the founder of House Vasquer, the leader of the legion of ten thousand snakes, had been known as deceptive, even dishonorable. But the first Vasquer cared about the people, and he built the longest-lasting human kingdom in the known world. Margrave Reinhardt would be happy to replicate even half of that.

Reinhardt heard steel clanging up the hallway and refocused back on the doorway. One of his knights entered, breathing a little heavily.

“My lord… there’s trouble,” he said quickly. “Your wyvern. It’s…”

The Margrave leaned forward, placing one hand on the table. “What?”

“In the skies,” the knight finished.

Reinhardt’s eyes danced for a few seconds, stunned. When he gathered himself, the Margrave stood quickly enough to cast his chair to the ground. He wiped his hands with a cloth, and then stepped around the table.

“Stay here with Rose,” the Margrave directed, already half-running.

The Margrave wound through the complex keep of stone that was the Lionsun Castle. The dining hall was near the center of the massive fortress, and so it took a great deal of time to reach the outside. Eventually, the Margrave ran to a balcony overlooked the Lionsun Wall, glancing about the skies. Just as his knight had said, his wyvern was flying about the sky, controlled by a masterful rider. Reinhardt watched for half a second, teeth clenched tightly.

“The tribal,” he finally realized, sprinting away from the balcony.

The Margrave ran through his keep until he eventually set foot on the great Lionsun Wall. His men were not undisciplined, and a great many of them had gathered. Though many were mages, they were hesitant to attack the Margrave’s personal property.

Reinhardt spotted one of his commanders and strutted to him. “How did this happen?”

“The men were eating, sir,” the commander explained deferentially.

“How did the tribal get to where he was? I assigned guards to them at all times,” Reinhardt demanded.

“He entered the privy… and then he was there,” the commander shook his head, watching the sky. “Some people think he climbed out of the window, along the mountainside.”

opportunity.

the Margrave gave that order, the wyvern changed its course in the sky. It headed for the apartments in the central keep. Reinhardt stepped away and entered there, sprinting through the stone hallways while looking out of balconies to

companions. The wyvern landed and dug its claws into the wall, holding its neck inside the

doing?!” the Margrave shouted.

protecting them as they loaded their things atop the wyvern. Argrave helped Anneliese up and cast glances back to

to go! Told you it was urgent!” he

your solution?!” Reinhardt stepped

back to

but suddenly, mist in the room coalesced into lifelike elven warriors. Reinhardt darted backwards, surprised. It gave Argrave enough time to climb aback the wyvern himself, and then Galamon followed shortly after. Argrave’s four foxlike pets scampered across the room, then jumped up

The Margrave stepped to the balcony and whistled,

for a long while. Eventually, a voice

the voice came, finally breaking

began, fist clenched, but collected himself. “I’m fine,” he waved his hand, cradling

this in Argrave’s room, sir. I don’t

turned his head, where he received a letter alongside five rose

for horse,

#####

thing,” Argrave shouted above the wind. “We’re headed that

face?” Durran giggled, then erupted into laughter. “Gods, what a rush. I climbed out the privy’s window—it was about ten feet up—and then scaled along the damned mountain wall, glaive tied to my back. The wyvern was a bit fussy, but I used some of that newfound druidic magic to calm it and ride it into

done it at all!”

into my ear,” he brushed off Argrave’s comments easily. “It worked out, didn’t it? We’re free, we’re out and gone. No one

over and cast a glance back at Anneliese. “If you had brought it up, discussed it with us, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he admonished. “Say we didn’t notice—what was your plan? Fly about until we were captured, then

lies, she’d send her little Starsparrow out to find out what I was doing, and then you’d speedily get our things,” Durran summarized. “Everything worked as I thought it might. Besides, I only decided to do it after I heard the Margrave pussyfooting about as he

irritation, causing Durran to cup his ears once again. He scrambled to

done,” Durran concluded. “Too late to go

back,” Argrave shook his head. “And now, I’ll never hear whatever

to talk with

a sour taste in his mouth, like

#####

sight. Argrave did not dare become known as the rider of the wyvern, and so he directed Durran to a secluded portion far removed from civilization before they dismounted. Once it was released from the relatively light hold of Durran’s druidic magic, it flew away back towards its

set with Anneliese—they made it at around midnight.

smugglers?” Durran questioned

had some business dealings with her. I entrusted her with some enchanted relics, had her

Durran raised a

brother runs this vast criminal enterprise in Jast, actually.

place, Vasquer. So

them in the Burnt Desert because the three of us stuck out enough as was, but we’ll need to don our Circlets of Disguise once