Jackal Among Snakes

The ring of keys in Kretthan’s hands jingled as he fit them into their slot. The cell door opened, and the aged patrician stepped beyond. The cell looked seldom-used. He walked to a spot just beside the bucket in the room for privy use and pushed at the wall. One brick sunk in, but nothing happened. He dug his fingers against the stone beside it and pulled. The wall turned, knocking aside the bucket and leaving two entrances.

“Durran, please wait here,” Argrave commanded with a smile.

Kretthan eyed them begrudgingly, and then walked into the chamber. Argrave and Galamon followed. The humbly dressed patrician marched forward silently, and the path sloped downwards. They walked on and on, deeper into the cells.

The patrician grabbed a rod from a wall at a certain point. Galamon eyed him as though he meant to strike Argrave, and yet the patrician turned a knob on the rod and it came alive with light—a magic lamp, Argrave recognized. Now illuminated, another cell awaited them. There was a person in this one.

“Must’ve been difficult to keep him fed,” Argrave noted as he watched.

The man lifted his head, his iron fetters jingling. He bore a slight resemblance to the shrewd-eyed Kretthan. There was a lot of blood in that cell. Some of it had caked on the vampire’s face, but the areas around his mouth had been licked clean. Despite being plain brown, his eyes had an uncanny resemblance to Galamon’s in certain unpleasant moments of vampiric frenzy.

“…what do you mean to do?” the patrician asked angrily. “It’s done. My secret is found, and now confirmed. You will have my support at the council. All I ask… he’s my nephew. His mother, my sister, she… she died. I cannot. I will not,” he said emotionally, unable to even voice the idea of killing him.

Argrave rubbed at his chin. “Someone did this to him, you realize. Someone made him a vampire,” he pointed out. “Your nephew… I’d like to make use of him. These vampires in Relize—they overextended. Your vote at the council is nice, but what I need… is a little bit of help in catching that overextension.”

Kretthan eyed him warily.

#####

Argrave looked around. He was in another decadent mansion. Maybe it was just imagination on account of knowing the family well, but this place seemed quite grim. There was much more gray and black everywhere. It seemed he travelled from fancy place to fancy place without end of late.

Kretthan, his nephew, Galamon, and Durran accompanied Argrave. The nephew, whose name was Wulfgan, was kept firmly at heel by both of his companions. Durran was a little lax, but Galamon kept his hand on the back of the vampire’s neck at all times. Wulfgan was fully sated, though, and looked like a terrified young man more than a dangerous vampire at present.

“That we have not been cast out is miracle enough,” Kretthan said. “The accusation you’ve made against House Wratson will not be forgiven, even if they do not sit on the Grand Council,” the patrician said quietly. “They are one of the founding houses of Relize. Their word bears immeasurable weight.”

listening to us, I hope you know,” Argrave informed him. “Galamon,

in the ceiling, just above that painting there,” the elven vampire said gruffly as ever. “One’s been waiting in front of the door for a time. Ceiling one has started

stood there, his expression stern and his green eyes cold. He looked quite neat. It was hard to guess his age just

and dance, get right into the heat of things,” Argrave said pleasantly. “Welcome, Melan Wratson.

unnerving. This was a man who had been cultivated and tempered over centuries. Being both an S-rank

had no choice but to come,” Melan

greeting returned, the vampire stepped quickly and sat across from Argrave and his party. Though alone and far smaller than Argrave was, Melan seemed to exude poise. It rather reminded Argrave of Castro.

Melan prompted. “With so

prepared. Before he could give it, Kretthan

vampire. I don’t know the details, sadly,” Argrave shrugged wistfully. “Now, he continues to watch over his house, keep it strong, rule

this newborn vampire’s existence—most of this overextension wasn’t his doing. But a big family is

number of S-rank mages that are actively hunting

here,” Melan

the family. The feeding, that is.” Argrave leaned back. “Still, the fact is, your fat

hand against Argrave and pushing him backwards. The couch skid back, weighed down by Argrave and Kretthan both. The two vampires met. Melan was monstrously strong—far more so than a normal vampire. Even still… Galamon

were quite eye-catching. The last thing a vampire coven in a big city wanted was attention. Despite all that, the vampire didn’t know many truly devastating spells. The moment he became a vampire, he withdrew from the Order out of paranoia, and had only become S-rank after spending vast quantities

Anneliese was resting at the Dandalan estate. Argrave rose. Kretthan stood up and ran for the door, but Durran stopped him from exiting. The nephew Wulfgan crawled to

better position, unnerve me… you’ll take it.” Argrave stepped a bit closer where Melan had been planted into the ground by his companion. “Let me inform you, though—it’ll take some of your best spells to hurt me. And even if you do, this information is already in the

up at Argrave. Despite his outburst, and despite the axe almost piercing

You ask me to kill

already, Argrave

me,” he instead said, dismissive of the vampire’s comment. “This overambitious distant kin of yours—do with them what you will. What I want is those beyond the family, those like Wulfgan. Your family is turning people into vampires that have no relation to your family. You have an

a crusade against vampirism in the place I

Wulfgan than any ‘crusade’ we might initiate,” Argrave looked to Kretthan’s

recovered from his fear somewhat and