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.

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. “I have my

thanked her. If Vera had wanted to talk in private, she might have conjured a ward, but instead

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

badge denoting his status as a High Wizard, his Brumesingers came out. Their fur was growing a bit darker, and they were growing

new?” Argrave inquired of Galamon

Galamon informed

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 Blessing of Supersession—not the most ideal situation, but Argrave only had to keep an eye on

Master Castro came down the elevator. His eyes scanned his party members. Argrave was briefly worried about Galamon’s vampirism being

not

Vera informed

head. “You two—come forth,” he directed Galamon and Durran. When they did, he quickly pressed something against their chest. An owl of teal light

explained. “They’ll dissipate the moment you leave the Tower. So, if you

magic. I’ll

it was because Argrave had shown he wasn’t lying, or maybe Castro acknowledged Argrave might need

long. Someone came into view in the elevator—Hegazar, with his

Garm’s eyes, could not 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

down from his silk-carpeted chambers for little old Kinslayer? Such a rich respect for the newer generation—very admirable. Or

eyes off me,” she snapped at

It’s my gaze that’s on you. I can see why someone

putting power into his voice. “We

“Sure, sure,” Hegazar nodded.

said, “Once again,

sure it has meaning. I hope we have time to discuss

Argrave nodded. “You will.”

hefted it on. They all prepared to leave. One large stone tablet descended to accommodate all of them, and they stood

Kinslayer,” Hegazar said 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

imitates the forms of loved ones to deceive people into sex,” Vera said

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

what each said was lies—Anneliese confirmed that they were lying constantly with cues to Argrave, though after a time he got

wanted to speak with you

without much warning, Argrave furrowed his

prodigal, faceless apprentice?” Hegazar noted. “Bring him out,

I keep inventory,” Castro warned him blatantly. “Are you

‘why’ had not been answered,

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

party made their way to the balcony, ready to

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

me that?” Argrave questioned. “I already

you here to tell you that,” Castro said, obviously off-balance from Argrave’s assertion. “Ingo does want to speak

Argrave was led into a 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 examine his

Castro called out gently. “I