Jackal Among Snakes

After a while, Argrave managed to get the story out of Anneliese. When she mentioned going too far, too deep, she was talking about her evaluation of Onychinusa’s emotions. Apparently, what she had experienced was so profound she could all but perceive the elven woman’s thoughts. It had enabled her to say what was needed. But at the same time...

“I cannot shake this feeling,” Anneliese recounted. She sat on a root with Argrave beside her. The Brumesingers sat all around her, nuzzling her to comfort her just as Argrave held her shoulder. “The purposelessness. That’s all she wants, Argrave-- purpose. I know it just as well as she does herself.” She sighed, cupping her trembling hands around her mouth. “I wanted to avoid a betrayal. But in the end... the result is the same, I merely betrayed with deception rather than violence. This might even be worse.” Anneliese grew silent. “What do you think will happen?”

“...I don’t think she can be confined again, given that Erlebnis is manifesting himself and connecting his realm with this one... but she’ll be viewed as a liability once he learns. A liability he’ll be sure to cut off, one way or the other,” Argrave said quietly. “Whatever the case, she’s out of the picture. Erlebnis won’t let her slide. He raised her for certainty, and she failed once. He doesn’t like second chances.”

“Will he kill her?” Anneliese asked quietly.

“I can’t honestly say. He agreed not to all those thousands of years ago, but perhaps this breaks some clause,” Argrave shook his head. “But she’s out of the game. In what manner... we’ll have to see.”

“And Kirel Qircassia... his alliance with Erlebnis might not shatter immediately,” Anneliese said, her trembling fading as she distracted herself. “But it’s been undermined. The god will be suspicious, without a doubt.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Argrave nodded, mulling. “I’ve been working at flipping Batbayar. I thought we’d need to have a direct hand in purging Altan, and whatever other of Erlebnis’ worshippers are in the elven armies... but now, I think we let their system of military policing work on its own. Batbayar was resistant to the idea at first, but now that he’s coming around, I suspect he’s going to engage in a thorough purging of the army. He might even find the malfeasance I’ve been talking about for so long before I put him on the trail,” Argrave reasoned. “Whatever the case, we have a little more breathing room.”

“...thinking of how the forest healed... what do you think the emissaries would do immediately after that happened? Would they continue their hunt of the elven gods, or would they retreat and reassess?” Anneliese mused.

Argrave took a deep breath, her words bringing revelation. “I think they might retreat,” he reasoned. “Erlebnis won’t know what happened until he’s told. He might put the pieces together, but he might not. Regardless, this could be a window of opportunity.” He rose to his feet. “Whatever the case, we need to get out of here. Let’s wrap things up with the dryads, and then...” he paused. “Actually, scratch that. If you need to take some time, take some time. What you did was far beyond anything I could’ve managed, I think. I’m no mind-reader.”

”No... no,” Anneliese rose to her feet. “I will not allow this to put me down. But Argrave... please, never again. I know I chose this, but I never wish to do it again. This feeling of purposelessness does not fade. I cannot say it will. I am not made to manipulate others so completely. I nearly lost myself during that process.”

“You don’t need ‘please.’ You didn’t even need to ask,” he assured, patting her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s finalize these growing rifts while we have the chance.”

“Before you go... I learned some pivotal information. Erlebnis has a breach near Kirel Qircassia’s. His is underwater, off the coast of the North Sea,” she explained. “That has to help us.”

Argrave clapped once, and then nodded. “Yeah... yeah, that is necessary information. I’ll need... damn it. Underwater?” He walked away, pacing as he thought.

Onychinusa presumably thinks I intended to tell you something I learned there,” Anneliese called out. “I know you care not, but I did.

#####

news his cousin was also his mother. Perhaps it explained the frailty the real Argrave had been cursed with. He counted himself fortunate he didn’t have the Habsburg jaw. Perhaps if he’d gone along with Nikoletta, their children might have had it. Quite the dark thought. Regardless, it was another nail in the coffin alongside the thousands of other King Felipe III bore. The man was irredeemable, but Argrave wasn’t one to stick with family members no matter

stayed still. To comfort her, they acted cuter than they ever had before-- as ever, they were

grove with the dryads’ tree, Batbayar had returned. He conversed with Orion, and seemed to possess the same

asked at once, “What

him, taken

told him commandingly. “You’ve got a lot of work to get done. I’m expecting

still looked a little upset at the myriarch, but even he gave an encouraging thumbs up. Onychinusa was too absorbed with her

wasn’t expecting this result... but I’m definitely not upset with it.” He took a

to the myriarch that the dryads had been subordinated to Onychinusa. The man got the message and left, heading back to the elven army

gave her a nod, and then looked to the dryad that shadowed Onychinusa. “Then... we have two final things,

my lineage. You did this for

your lineage...” Argrave repeated. “What exactly does that mean

“I don’t... feel any different. I know where my parents died, now.” She looked back to the dryad, who gave her a reassuring nod. “Perhaps... perhaps I can visit there. And perhaps there is more

nodded. “But what

have a grand tree like this one,” the dryad explained on Onychinusa’s behalf, looking up at the purple leaves swaying with the wind above. “With permission given by the last of the imperial bloodline,

brow in surprise, and Onychinusa nodded to confirm

But that other thing I was talking about...” he looked to the Brumesingers, all four of which were still in Anneliese’s arms and dangling relaxedly. “Can those guys

their ears as her dress of leaves scraped the ground. “They wish to gain my mist, do they not? No... you need not answer: I can see it in them.

looked at Anneliese, her gaze softened. Finally, the ancient elf nodded. “So

bloodline is benevolent to care about a lowly slave so... but no,

that was her respite. She held her hand up, and the branches craned down. On their edges, fruits budded rapidly. It was like looking at a timelapse of a fruit’s growth-- it began unripened, growing to rich green before converting to a brilliant silver. The dryad didn’t need to pluck them, as they fell

Argrave and Anneliese, coming before the dryad. Each of them put one of the silver fruits in their mouths, and then threw their heads back. Argrave had never seen this happen before,