Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 259

“What, precisely, do you experience when you use the bronze jewelry? I have heard you use the word ‘see.’ Is it similar to sight, or wholly different?” Anneliese asked Elenore.

Elenore observed the simply dressed snow elf across from her. Anneliese, just as Argrave, wore exotic, hardy gray leathers with protective enchantments along all its length—duster, pants, and shirt all. They had another black set of lighter make designed for travel in the Burnt Desert. Allegedly, the fact they matched was coincidental—Elenore wasn’t so sure.

The woman was rather like an unending river of questions. Upon examining the ostentatious, puffy way in which the people of Relize dressed, she had questioned Elenore of how such a thing came to be. She inquired about construction, ship craftsmanship in Vasquer, the size of the sea Relize neighbored, and now it had come to Elenore. Anneliese asked her questions with an open-minded curiosity that came without judgement, so it was difficult to brush them off.

“You may understand it as a sphere of perception around me,” Elenore described briefly.

She was not averse to answering questions—there was some time before the meeting with the Dandalan would come. They waited within the warehouse a fair distance from the meeting place in a private area so as to talk without fear of distraction. They had been amply cautious in setting this up, and now they merely needed to wait. Elenore wished to be able to receive firsthand reports from Anneliese as she observed things… among some other motives.

“I recall you mentioning being able to observe something hidden within a box without opening it,” Anneliese continued, amber eyes veritably glowing.

Elenore nodded.

The elven woman leaned a bit closer. “Does this extend past protective enchantments? Safes, vault, et cetera? Could you view inside those chests you brought to the warehouse, for instance?”

“Magic interferes, but does not block entirely,” Elenore shook her head.

“Can you perceive my insides? What I have in my pockets?”

Elenore crossed her arms. “Yes, I can. Why did you not try these things out when Argrave had possession of them?”

Anneliese leaned back against the warehouse’s wall, bringing one hand to her long white hair. Elenore observed her fingers move very adroitly, forming a braid. “I wish I had.”

Much of Elenore’s focus was devoted to Anneliese’s fingers as she braided. It was so practiced as to be habitual—Anneliese seemed capable of doing it in her sleep.

“You watch me braid, no?” Anneliese cut in.

Elenore, surprised, cocked her head back. “I… I was, yes.”

“I knew it,” she smiled, pleased with herself. “Even despite your unusual manner of sight—if it can even be called so—the face retains certain habits.”

Elenore didn’t know what to make of that, but she found herself smiling back. After a time, she found her own curiosity rising. “Why do you keep your hair long? It must be a hindrance.”

“Argrave likes it,” she responded simply. “I do, too. But it’s impractical, I agree.”

“He asked you to keep it like that?” Elenore tilted her head.

merely know,” Anneliese shook her

deep breath and sighed, ruminating on things in silence. She had come to trust Argrave more than she thought herself capable, yet the fact remained

Argrave the first time we met,”

feeling like her mind

looked disheartened, so I thought I might share something,” Anneliese continued. “We were enemies on the battlefield. I could tell at once something was amiss—he felt no hostility towards me. He recognized who I was. He wished

braid she’d made—it was two feet long, by this point—and unwound it all with a whisk

think about it? Does it

with him. He had forgotten

the last conclusion to things she thought

he ever… been betrayed, or at

issues. I would like to tell you of it sometimes,” Anneliese continued. “Not just that—Veiden,

“Why? Is there something I should know? I received reports of Veiden military strength from Melanie herself—I know well

“As much as I enjoy those I travel with, it is difficult at times to be the

brow, Elenore gave a slow and steady nod. “I imagine

glad of it,” Anneliese

forget the reason we came here in the first place,” Elenore

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curtsy. Anneliese thought the mercenary looked a lot smaller without the gargantuan sword

to guess, sixty, with a long white beard to match. The brim of his blue hat was remarkably even wider than Melanie’s. He wore flamboyant clothes that puffed up on the sleeves and pants, varied red and blue stripes running along the lengths. His cuffs were frilly bolts of white, and he bore a rich-looking ermine collar. A black half-cloak covered one of his arms, bearing the six silver stars in a

himself stood just before a

to meet with the full knowledge of my family,” the man began, “Though I cannot speak on behalf of my father, Leopold,

to lightly peck Melanie’s

awaits?” the

said with an indignant

Melanie

have a name?” Melanie

twenty-seventh son of my father, Ansgar,” the man

seat casually. “Whole thing is a bit

pulled back his seat elegantly and sat in one fluent motion. He stared Melanie down, making all of his actions deliberately slow. It took him near half a minute to settle in,

the hands of his children—that is to say, myself and my siblings.” Ansgar inhaled and let a silence hang. “Though I must note miss Melanie fits in rather well around here, it has not escaped our attention that you come with

piece of paper and slid

Don’t bother wringing us for more,” Melanie said at once. “Don’t know why I sat down, frankly.

looked back up to Melanie. A

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