Jackal Among Snakes

Sarikiz stared down at the four assembled elven gods. Then, in sudden motion, she lashed out fiercely and her foot descended on them with tremendous weight. Merata, Ghan, Ujin, and Gunlik and joined the strength of their projection to catch the attack.

“Stop it!” Argrave shouted out, stepping forth behind the gods. “If we wanted to fight, we wouldn’t have stopped to say ‘hi’ beforehand!”

Sarikiz looked at him, her golden dreads waving before her eyes as she half-crawled away from them. “Is refraining from a sneak attack doing me a courtesy?”

Anneliese stepped up with Argrave. “Even following that logic, you are being discourteous by attacking without provocation. It has been a thousand years, Sarikiz, and the cycle of judgment is here once again. Please, heed them.”

“A thousand…?” she said in disbelief, and then slowly settled onto her rear. “I’ve been… hah,” she laughed, shaking her head. “A millennium lost to me. Who are you two? You are not their kind—why do you speak for them?” Her radiant white eyes scanned them quickly.

Argrave looked over to the four. Ghan had collapsed to his knees from the blow, and Ujin helped him as Merata and Gunlik stood guard. Between Chiteng’s betrayal, Ghan’s injury, and the fact that he conversed with these people as… well, as people, the question about what was truly divine about divinity rose to his head. He supposed it wasn’t truly different from Heroes of Berendar, but at the same time it felt wholly so.

After a long while, Argrave answered, “They were a bit busy being kicked. That’s the only reason I spoke.”

“But we are here…” Ghan said hoarsely from his point of weakness. “We are here at his suggestion. We are here to end the last cycle. It’s the only way we can advance and fight this one, Sara.”

“Do not call me that any longer,” Sarikiz slammed her fist upon the ground with emotions still raw after a millennium. “Sara was a slave, and I am not.”

“It is just a name,” Ujin urged as she supported her husband. “The only name we knew you by.”

“That has always been the difference between you and I,” Sarikiz crossed her legs, and then placed her hands atop her knees. “You accept the name. I grow beyond it.”

As Argrave looked upon them, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu. They’re a family, he realized in his head. Might be a family as ruined as the Vasquers, but they’re a family. It’s like watching Orion and Elenore argue. Lord knows I’ve seen enough of that…

And as in all of their conversations, it seemed to be leading nowhere. That is, unless Argrave intervened.

“The two of you worked together to topple a tower. It collapsed. Why do you debate about the direction it fell, and what to do with the crumbling stones?” Argrave stepped between them, his glare giving neither leeway in this situation. “This divide between you came about for a simple reason. Sarikiz wanted to do away with the imperial structure of the empire. Ghan and his family wanted to preserve it. At the end of the day, it has dissolved completely. The empire is gone,” he finished loudly.

Perhaps his voice was small before the divine. But big or small, he was heard.

freedom, unconstrained by any system or laws,” Argrave continued, pointing at her face. “Has your conviction wavered on

are you?” she narrowed

Qircassia have teamed up to make a right mess of this continent. And me? I’m not content to let my people, let my wife’s people, simply accept that fate. As a matter of fact, I’m trying rather hard to keep this faction cohesive in putting an end to the tyranny they want to enact. Sound

did chuckle slightly. “I cannot tell how much you fabricate… but indeed, it was a dire struggle maintaining cohesion in our slave rebellion. A struggle that failed. A struggle that sent me into a sleep lasting one thousand years,” she looked back at the elven gods just as Ghan rose to his

listen to their words,” Argrave pleaded, gesturing

a new regime.

listened to the words, letting them fall onto her open ears. She closed her eyes, saying nothing as she let it wash over her. Then, quietly, she responded, “…you have had a long while to think on

you were the…!” Gunlik began,

you shouldn’t argue,” Argrave shot

to you thusly. What has changed in my time absent? Are men so great

is rather bold,” Merata finally spoke up with a sigh. “But nothing has changed, Sarikiz. Nothing at all. The world conspires against us.” His red eyes fell on

He helped me… learn of your intentions,” Sarikiz said

he pleased from the now-ancient elven empire. My son… my son Chiteng wounded me,

my help,” Sarikiz toyed with one

for your centaurs,” Ghan shook his head. “And it comes at the expense of Kirel Qircassia. He builds the would-be empire of this age. And

your conviction wavered,

anarchist flag one last time, Argrave

#####

seeking out where he knew the emissaries were. His feet burst free of his shoes, polymorphing wider and flatter that he might run across the sand without his feet sinking inside.

started to walk out of the sea. One, five, thirteen, fifty… they were innumerable. Their numbers

Dimocles said at once. “Doubtless you

do,” it confirmed.

already recovered, and with the dryads help, with the confines from the centaurs’ cavern…” he shook his head in faux despair. “Her dryads overtook them both as she fought me.

she doing?” the emissary

she’ll pose as an ambassador, but I’m certain she intends to sabotage the

themselves, communicating what he’d said to Erlebnis. Finally, five

Dimocles asked hopefully. He desperately wanted spirits and shamanic magic both. The