Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave and Anneliese sat atop some temporary bedding—specifically, a large tarp splayed out across the flat grass with some fur blankets atop it. Anneliese was already delving into A-rank magic. She had two books on her knee—one projected the strange, incomprehensible full-body matrix exclusive to A-rank spells, and the other was a more mundane book. Argrave, however, was poring through letters. He rubbed his forehead to ease his headache.

Elenore was there, too, lying down just before them with a blindfold over her face to keep the sockets clean. She squirmed, continually raising her hands near her eye sockets and then pulling them away. They were in a private tent, Galamon just outside on guard with the others. Durran was sleeping with his bear.

“It itches so bad,” Elenore said with clenched teeth, then grasped the blanket over her body to relieve some of her frustration. “I can’t stand this. I feel like my blood has been laced with pepper. It’s like my hands need to sneeze—my whole body.”

Argrave narrowed his eyes. “There’s worse,” he promised her, glancing at Anneliese. They’d promised to keep her company until this was over.

“Tell me, please. Give me anything to distract from this,” his sister pleaded earnestly, much more emotion on her tone than usual.

“But you know the story behind my heart,” Argrave pointed out, adjusting his posture until he was comfortable. “Anneliese told you.”

Anneliese closed both of the books on her lap as she said, “She heard it from my perspective. I empathized with your pain, but I never felt it.”

“You were probably more conscious of things than I was, then,” Argrave pointed out, searching for another topic. What Elenore needed most, he felt, was something that made her think hard, something that consumed the mind.

“How about we talk about Atrus, the plans for the future?” Argrave suggested.

“You know them. Place those who surrender in resistance debt, sell these debt contracts backed by land to patricians to repay their stake in the war. Beyond that, we distribute the lands along the North Sea that we promised to Relize,” Elenore recited mechanically. “Refining that plan further would be frivolous until we have all information on-hand.”

Argrave sighed and fell to the ground, looking up at the tent above them. “Well… okay. How about Traugott? Any news?”

“None,” Elenore said simply. “Even if there were, I would not trust work from one whose blood is boiling. Usually I’d mean that metaphorically… but let’s stray from long-term planning. I can’t make good decisions right now.”

“You are picky,” Argrave reflected. “Anne, do you have any ideas?” he asked, looking towards her.

“Let us talk about He Who Would Judge the Gods, and the coming change to the world,” Anneliese said. “You have informed me amply. Elenore knows much… but she could always know more.”

Argrave rubbed his face. “Old Gerechtigkeit, huh? Part of me hoped we could talk about something happy.”

when you mentioned both Atrus and Traugott first?” Elenore pointed out, her constant writhing somewhat lessened already

not too long ago that the boundaries between worlds

repeated. “Like

gods, but the two don’t really compare mechanically. If you ask me how they broke, I’d say it depends… but they’re little fragments of a god, broken into symbols they bear atop their head. You might consider them fragments of power. They exist here, there, and just about everywhere. Some of them are small, powerless, and dumb. Others are intelligent and ambitious. The ones here on this realm are usually

as he stared at the

she left some spirits behind. What they’d do,

game mechanics?” Anneliese pressed, her own curiosity leading her to forget that they talked to

funnily now that she adopted terms like ‘game mechanics.’ “Well… there’s shamanic magic, like I said. It was mid-game content. Beyond learning the spells, you have to manage

broader

not gods quite yet. Who knows? I certainly don’t. Spirits were almost a sort of currency at times, to trade with higher powers. Though from my perspective as someone who now lives, breathes, and eats in

to ask, but she closed her mouth when

He couldn’t really see what Anneliese was pointing

you think?” the princess shot

touched her elbow

said nothing, and nor did Anneliese. The silent waiting must’ve gotten to her, because she started squirming faster before

sat up. “Why

feels like I’ve been… stolen from,” she said quietly, then huffed. “Forget it.

up trying so quickly, yeah,” Argrave

in frustration, clearly infuriated by the feeling pervading her body. “It’s just… I don’t know. Whenever I share something personal, I always regret it. Could be my favorite book, could be something that happened in the past… I just hate it after. But you… you already know it all. And I hate it. I

yet,” Argrave pointed out, then wondered if that joke was

it. Go back to talking about spirits instead of my ridiculous idiosyncrasies. I’ll get over

along with that advice… but when he looked

trade in information. Maybe that’s why you feel stolen from. You have been,

mindset. I’m your lackey now, not some bird trapped in

beneath his breath, laughing slightly. He stared at her quietly. The way she’d

suppose,” Argrave admitted, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I should apologize for that. But she’s the soul of

you look to her every time you want to gauge

I’m the lone exception to her policy of discretion,”

then turned