Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave lowered down the wooden-framed glass display case containing the bronze set of jewelry he’d came to get. It settled delicately on the uneven stone of the heart chamber, the pieces within staying fixed atop a velvet pillow. Everyone else was similarly hauling things, setting them in uneven heaps. It was impossible to tell the value of much of what they saw—neither Vera nor Hegazar were experts at discerning inscriptions from the Order of the Rose.

“It seems the thing we really ought to be discussing is logistics…” Hegazar mused. His body was unused to carrying things and he did not deign to use magic for the task, so his haul was relatively light. “Even if things are divided, how are we to carry this back?”

Vera set down her box, and then said without much care, “A local caravan, perhaps. I have enough to pay for my own passage. If you can’t pay similarly… I could be persuaded to help you if you part with more of this gear. We would return together. This equipment is valuable enough to warrant our personal escort, I should think.”

“Of course I—” Hegazar began, but then stopped and shook his head. “We waste time. Let’s get back.”

Once Vera and Hegazar turned back, Argrave covertly cast a spell. He could acutely feel his Brumesingers rush to obey his command. The two Magisters were still cautious and comfortably slow, and Argrave was glad of this fact. Considering Anneliese was linked to Argrave’s druidic bond through the B-rank spell [Progenitor], she would surely know what he was doing, and be amply prepared to act in kind.

Plotting against the paranoid was a mountainous task. But paranoia had a negative reputation for a reason—it was something that could prey upon the one who had it just as easily as it could help them. Anneliese and Argrave had nothing monumental in mind. Instead, something simple and easily done worked best.

Piece by piece, Argrave’s Brumesingers caused slight disturbances. The limitations of his spell [Pack Leader] by which he bonded the creatures to himself disabled direct control, but he could have them aimlessly move the treasures in the vault about easily enough. Anneliese’s Starsparrow, however, took things here and there. Whenever she had the opportunity, bits would disappear—the bird was strong enough to spirit away enchanted jewelry, small daggers, even whole books.

It was subtle. But subtleties were best noticed by paranoid people like the two Magisters with them. Argrave was certain that both noticed the small discrepancies—Vera’s face tightened in suspicion at objects displaced by the Brumesingers, and Hegazar kept a detailed account of all that was there.

Their small changes were like infected wounds slowly beginning to fester. None of it was enough to bear mentioning—they hauled so much treasure out of the vault that to mention a book having gone missing or a ring disappeared would make the other appear mad. Nonetheless, Argrave knew that he drilled at their paranoia ever so steadily, inflaming this instinct and making them eager to take action.

When they arrived back at the vault for the umpteenth time… Argrave had a little scene prepared for the both of them. It was only a southron elf warrior conjured of mist, appearing for nothing more than half a second at the entrance to the vault. Yet the conjurations of the Brumesingers always had a startling realism to them until they were struck… and the effect was obvious.

“What in the world was that?” Vera said quietly, body tensing. She put some distance between herself and Hegazar.

“Looked to be a person,” Hegazar turned to Argrave. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you? You, the only person who knew where this place was beforehand? You, the only one who might’ve prepared men here beforehand?”

Argrave raised his hands up in innocent surrender. “I didn’t do anything!” he protested indignantly.

“No illusion can fool my eyes. I made sure of that, knowing I would be travelling with this one,” Vera said angrily, eyes fixed on Hegazar. “That was a man. Walking, talking, breathing.”

“I saw it just as well as you,” Durran contributed. “Didn’t look human.”

Hegazar and Vera both scanned Argrave’s features, looking for an answer written on his face. Argrave felt like a roulette ball was spinning, and he’d put all his chips on black.

“There’s one entrance, we all made sure of that.” Hegazar concluded with his grim voice. “We’ve seen them. They can’t escape. I trust you won’t change that story of yours, Argrave, once we catch this person. Elsewise… well, their fate will be a kindness compared to yours.”

Vera eyed Hegazar’s true body. She seemed to be questioning if he was truly sincere. When he turned and started walking towards the vault with a quick, almost furious stride, she seemed to be a little more believing. Hegazar passed by into the vault, and Argrave’s heart started to beat like a whole marching band disturbed his chest.

She hesitated at the vault’s entrance, and Argrave pressed up just behind her. A dense mist lay beyond, and Argrave

shut right before Argrave’s nose, the Brumesingers appearing out of the mist as they did. In short order, the titanic walls of metal slammed together, enchantments shimmering as if sentencing those within. The sight made him stumble with a revelatory realization, and Argrave held both hands to the metal

stepped forth to Anneliese, who opened her eyes just as a golden bird perched on her shoulder. They

a husky voice entered

once, it felt like a maggot had wormed its way into Argrave’s throat. He broke away from Anneliese and stared just beside him from whence the voice came. A bald man leaned his shoulder against the metal vault door, a

the end there… went along with your scheme, got her inside the vault before quickly stepping out, just like you. How satisfying, seeing her locked away like she belongs,” the Magister took slow, steady steps forth. “But come now. Illusions are my domain. You think

wouldn’t do my research before I travelled with you?” Hegazar continued, gloating. “You think I wouldn’t know you’d contributed druidic magic to the Tower, that you might have… other actors, those animals of yours? A pretty bird, some little foxes… it’s certainly sly. The theatric with your snow elf retainer—amazing! I can see why Vera missed it. She used her people in the Tower to suppress mine, but I spent my time researching you. She’s used to betraying, but not being betrayed. I am, though.” Hegazar shook his head. “Commendable. But all that’s

braced himself, waiting for the next

her hand on his shoulder. “You wear no illusion anymore, do you?” Anneliese inquired, with

the flesh, but just as handsome. Maybe even more so,” the

Discrepancies aligned, and he raced to a hypothesis. That hypothesis led Argrave to will himself to see the magic within the Magister. And what he saw within Hegazar was a great mass of

was far beyond them…

Argrave, Hegazar cast illusion magic of a much higher grade than the one he commonly utilized. Apparently, even Master Castro had needed a few days to recover his magic after using an

or without it, so he decided to rely solely on his abilities to manipulate them. With four

conclusion. Hegazar heard that we killed Induen, plus his four B-rank royal guards. I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing—maybe he can kill us. But with a vault full of valuables behind us, and a unified party of unknown strength… he wants to look for another solution. A cleaner solution. He’s gambled a lot to get a higher position in

yet did not relax. “That vault back there—it’s got an angry S-rank mage inside. I think I

the same conclusion Argrave had, looked at him as though he was

vaguely, neither affirming nor denying Argrave’s

collaborate to move this fortress to a different location. An old, nearly abandoned sewer system in Dirracha. I mentioned this idea to you earlier. It’ll enable you to bring your people here, get

let her suffocate?” Hegazar said coldly. “Swoop in

desperate in there? Expect her to test this vault’s limits. It’s a little less unbreakable from

nodded slowly. “A

give me everything we hauled out into the heart chamber,” Argrave held his hand out. “There’s a lot of stuff left in that vault. Definitely a lot more than half—a lot better than

in the vault—all of it, yours,”

up at Argrave with his cold, dark eyes. “You want

as though thinking, but he was really looking to Anneliese for guidance.

“Yes,” he confirmed.

ask, did you come up with this offer?”

course. Everything goes back to the way it was. Everyone is rich, happy, and powerful. Not another spell cast—all our worries laid to rest. And you get an undeniable victory of unquantifiable scope against someone who wronged you so much

he opened his mouth in a grin and

Argrave tensed. “Does anyone?”

future. I have an eye for people—Vera may be a betrayer, but I won’t deny her talent and skill,” the man admitted freely now that she was not here. “You’re already aligned against Vera. Bearing this in mind, I’ll give you what’s