Jackal Among Snakes

Anneliese and Argrave raised up their new golden badges and clinked them together. It let out a pleasant metallic sound. Durran and Galamon watched on from another part of the room, both relatively idle.

“High Wizard Anneliese. Sounds nice. A shame it’s a temporary title,” Argrave’s gaze jumped between the golden owl badges in her hand and Anneliese’s amber eyes.

She tilted her head. “How do you mean?”

Argrave shrugged. “Well, soon enough, you’ll be a Magister.”

Anneliese shook her head with an amused smile, but gradually her expression became serious. “Are you sure of travelling with Vera and Hegazar?”

Argrave stowed away the golden badge. “Bit too late to get out of this gambit now, no?”

“We could just stay in the Tower,” Durran posited.

Argrave looked to him. “If I was going to do that, I would have done it all those months ago. Then Anneliese would be conquering Berendar, you’d probably be dead, and Galamon would be… I’m not sure. He’d be fine, I guess. Meanwhile, everyone else would be dying, and then I’d die, too, once Gerechtigkeit comes.”

“Fortunate thing, then,” Galamon spoke. Argrave knew he hated speculation, and likely wished to change the subject.

“Hegazar makes me uneasy,” Anneliese stated. “His emotions… are not human, I think.”

Argrave pointed to her. “You can’t see his real body. Even I can only see a vague silhouette of his form. You’re not seeing emotions at all—it’s illusion magic.”

“You have said that time and time again,” Anneliese nodded. “Never mind that. Even Vera sees us only as tools, means to an end. Can we not travel with better people?”

Argrave sighed. “If they existed… sure, I could. But Castro is busy keeping his apprentice alive. Beyond that, appeals to empathy won’t work for any Magister willing to meet us—the only ones we can get are the ones that are self-interested. At the very least, Vera and Hegazar are consistent in their morals… or lack thereof. It makes them predictable. This isn’t another Orion, Anneliese—I have some assurances. So long as these two vipers think I’ve got something interesting in this head of mine, they’ll keep me alive.”

“The rest of us? Tough luck, I assume,” Durran quipped.

Argrave vowed, “I’ll die long before any of you.”

Anneliese looked ill at ease regarding that vow, but Durran joked, “Guess I have to keep you alive for a long while then, for my own sake if nothing else.”

#####

Argrave rode the central elevator of mystic stone slabs to a certain floor, then disembarked. All of his companions were present, plus another individual—the ashen-haired Magister, Vera.

“You came early,” she noted politely.

“I was already up. Don’t like waiting around,” Argrave explained, stepping off and making room so as not to crowd things for other people.

Vera crossed her arms. “You will find it is a wasted effort. Hegazar is always late.”

Argrave nodded without committing any words to her claim.

“But it is a good thing. I get you to myself.” She grabbed his shoulder, standing on the tips of her toes to whisper into his ear, “Hegazar put men out to watch where we head. I caught wind of it this morning. But don’t worry,” she said soothingly.

“That’s good,” he thanked her. If Vera had wanted to talk in private, she might have conjured a ward, but instead she did that. He wasn’t

him into a battlefield of manipulation. Vera was subtler than the egomaniac that was Hegazar, but no less spiteful or dangerous. She was the aunt of Count Delbraun of Jast, with the gray-haired, orange-eyed look prominent in the House, but her familial ties had little bearing on her position. One didn’t become

down until he sat on the floor. As he examined his beautiful new golden badge denoting his status as a High Wizard, his Brumesingers came out. Their fur was growing a bit darker, and

Argrave inquired of

quiet,” Galamon

time they had of relative safety. They’d have to dance a constant game around these two narcissistic Magisters… but there was still no better security than their presence. One an unparalleled illusionist, the other a master of elemental magic—Argrave could infiltrate anywhere with their aid. It would be a week before Argrave recovered his

eyes scanned his party members. Argrave was briefly worried about Galamon’s vampirism

not here?”

late,” Vera

Galamon and Durran. When they did, he quickly pressed something against their chest. An owl

these. Temporary passes,” Castro explained. “They’ll dissipate the moment you leave the Tower. So,

settled,” Argrave informed him. “Left a good chunk of books for you—druidic magic. I’ll get you the rest in time,

because Argrave had shown he wasn’t lying, or maybe Castro acknowledged Argrave

came into view in the

see past Hegazar’s illusion. She had known something was amiss nonetheless—she said that Hegazar’s body was somehow wrong, that it projected emotions in an inhuman way. The man

to come down from his silk-carpeted chambers for little old Kinslayer? Such a rich respect for the newer generation—very admirable. Or maybe you simply have a penchant for stepping on the snake, Master Castro,” Hegazar said smoothly. “Shame about the drapes,” his eyes

me,” she

off the elevator. “My eyes are in my head, fortunately. It’s my gaze that’s on you. I can

cut in, putting power into his voice. “We

“Sure, sure,” Hegazar nodded.

“Once again,

“Be sure it has meaning. I hope we have time to discuss what you brought me

Argrave nodded. “You will.”

companions, Galamon handed Argrave his backpack, and he hefted it on. They all

as they ascended. “Be careful. Some people, they smile, flutter their eyes, show a little leg… but don’t let it distract you. It’s bad enough that Vera’s forced her way onto this

forms of loved ones to deceive people into sex,” Vera said succinctly. “He’s like an

lies,” he interrupted her. “The last thing I’d need is to imitate another’s form—my own body is

said was lies—Anneliese confirmed that they were lying

to

aside without much warning,

faceless apprentice?” Hegazar noted. “Bring

to the balcony, Hegazar. And know I keep inventory,” Castro warned him blatantly. “Are

his question of ‘why’ had not been answered, Argrave nodded

away, Kinslayer,” Hegazar called out. “No one will know you’ve left, not for days… the things I do for my

as the rest of Argrave’s party made their way to the balcony, ready

lend you my aid,” Castro promised. “Unconditionally, at that. This isn’t a matter of

brought me aside to tell me that?” Argrave questioned. “I already knew you would.

I didn’t bring you here to tell you that,” Castro said, obviously off-balance from Argrave’s assertion. “Ingo does

secluded place in the top floor before he could ponder too deeply. There, he saw a young man hunched over a desk, studying. Argrave dared to

Castro called out gently. “I