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.

know,”

on things in silence. She had come to trust Argrave more than she thought herself capable, yet the fact remained it felt like there was still a

tried to kill Argrave the first time we met,”

feeling like her

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 desperately for peace. Nevertheless, I fired a spell at him with the intent to

finger atop the braid she’d made—it was two feet long, by this

think about it? Does it haunt you?”

up with him. He had

was the last conclusion to

ever… been

I would like to tell you of it sometimes,” Anneliese continued. “Not

rubbed her hands together. “Why? Is there something I should know? I received reports of Veiden military strength from

it is difficult at times to be the sole woman in a party of four. There are fundamental

a slow and steady

glad of it,” Anneliese clapped

reason we came here in the first place,” Elenore waved her hand to caution Anneliese. “This

#####

Anneliese thought the mercenary looked a lot smaller without the gargantuan

old for human standards—if Anneliese were 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 circle connected by a

Dandalan man, who himself

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

Starsparrow to lightly peck Melanie’s head, signaling

trap awaits?” the mercenary

he said with

bid Melanie continue

a name?” Melanie said,

twenty-seventh son of my father, Ansgar,”

one hand on the table, leaning back into the cushioned seat casually. “Whole thing

very well—an experienced actor. He pulled back his seat elegantly and sat in one fluent motion. He stared Melanie down, making all of his actions deliberately slow. It

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

her hands. She pulled out a piece of paper and slid it across the table, then set

Melanie said at once. “Don’t know why I sat down, frankly. Any

before him, then looked back up to Melanie. A smile slowly split his stoic

#####

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