Jackal Among Snakes

Though Anneliese knew that Argrave had not explicitly given her permission to show her hand… she felt it was necessary, and she knew that he would agree. It was not so drastic a measure, of course. Indeed, exposing her druidic magic was quite a simple thing, and she had kept hidden only because Argrave was overcautious. Nonetheless, she was sure it’d be very effective. Though she had considered simply commanding everyone to hide in the buildings… that relied too much on chance. Instead, she’d be controlling things from beginning to end.

As Anneliese had commanded, she’d had the bodies of the jongleur and the bard displayed over the gate. The giant jongleur’s ridiculously long ape arms were staked between two of the golden statues on the front gate, and it hung with its head and part of its chest missing. The Barefaced Bard’s body was too badly charred to be displayed effectively, yet its face was still intact—they cut it free of the wood and hung it from a rope. It dangled like a necklace from the body of the jongleur.

Anneliese watched the approach of the disorganized horde with her Starsparrow, getting an accurate evaluation of the foe they faced. Argrave had not told her of all the entertainers in the Plague Jester’s list, but she found it nonetheless—it stayed aback the centaur, taking the place of the troubadour. It was a grotesque mass of muddy roots that wound together like a ball of eels, and did not look mobile.

When the enemy arrived at the gates… four of the Waxknights stood in front of it, just below the massive marble archway. They confronted a host numbering probably half a thousand, yet the knights stood fearlessly. Anneliese watched from a distant place, using the last of her remaining magic to control her Starsparrow to oversee the situation.

Between the jongleur and bard hanging from the gate and the obviously exposed knights before them… anyone capable of reasoning, especially an inexperienced strategist, would suspect a trap. And that was what she wanted.

Even an inexperienced commander would know a little of how to deal with a trap when there was no option but to proceed. They would not proceed blindly. They would probe, sending less important detachments to sus out what might lie ahead.

When she saw the tangled mass of roots on the centaur’s back call out with a strange, clicking howl, she feared what was going to happen. When the horde of enemies behind the centaur pushed back the two of them as they waited, Anneliese very nearly smiled. She directed her Starsparrow in front of the Waxknights, giving them their signal. There was no better utility at her disposal to command them from a safe distance.

The plan remained as simple as ever. Anneliese was going to stall.

The palace of the Archduke was a complicated complex, filled with pavilions, buildings serving many different purposes, and elaborate structures that stood as grandiose displays of wealth. Though there was a straightforward central path that led to the main building where the throne waited… the rest of the place was not so straightforward. There were winding paths that looped in on themselves, some of which looked near identical. Better yet, they were thin, hindering the coordination of large crowds.

The four Waxknights divided up and took different paths. With their gleaming golden armor, it was easy to keep an eye on each of the four from the sky, and Anneliese’s Starsparrow could maneuver quickly enough that it did not often matter if she lost track of one or more of them at a time—she could find them if only a few seconds.

The creatures sent out as probes, largely dumb animals or Sentinels, pursued in a disorganized if ruthless manner. Nevertheless, they were divided. Though much faster than the Waxknights, Anneliese had them deliberately move into thin, tight spaces like alleyways between buildings.

had their role in this. She had them lying in wait in secluded places, picking off isolated pockets of enemies when she directed them to. Gibbons armed with divinely blessed weapons would wander into an overgrown pavilion, and Silvic would swarm up from hiding, ensnaring and ending foes

ahead of them, like an overseer directing mice through a maze. She used her bird’s tremendous speed to its fullest extent, keeping each of the four

hunt foes, herding the Waxknights away from danger, and keeping her eye on the mass of enemies so that none managed to get near where she hid, this task of Anneliese’s was a massive mental strain. There were so many variables to keep an eye

was very good at this. Commanding people and predicting the response of the enemy was something she had a

steps up to the gate, hoofs clattering against the stone walkway leading to the gate. The centaur’s gaze lingered on the Barefaced Bard’s head and the Jolly Jongleur’s

the Plague Jester fought within collapse completely. The dust was so intense she could see nothing beyond, even with the bird’s fantastic eyesight. Yet

then, all of the plants ceased, straining as though stretched to their limits. She could not place exactly what changed, but the vibrancy and intensity of the jungle

and wore it over his shoulder, then broke into an intense gallop towards the main square.

him. One hand dragged along a massive white stag’s body, holding it by its elaborate antler crown. The other

cannot be stopped,” Orion declared, his voice loud and smooth. “I cannot be stopped by any heretics. I will carve through your numbers piece by piece until none of you remain. My body will never

air with tremendous speed, and the centaur tried to rush aside. He was not quick enough—instead, he dropped his bow and caught its

by Orion’s appearance and tremendous strength she nearly forgot

Orion is here… guide everyone

centaur let out its clicking howl once again, and all of their enemies halted. When another call came… they all frenziedly made for the walls, entirely ignoring

the palace complex flooded out into the wetlands with an intense desperation. The centaur retrieved his bow, and then bounded back towards the main gate. Orion stepped forth near casually, stepping atop

eyes again, and she took a moment to gather herself before she pushed out of

the central square where Orion had been,

that?” Durran

coldly. “But I

interpret it,” Silvic interjected. “They intend to marshal their forces

wetland spirit. “It matters not. I will defeat all challengers.” He looked around. “Where is