Jackal Among Snakes

Elenore walked in a room in the parliamentary hall with Orion, Galamon, Melanie, and Durran walking along with her. She saw Hause, sitting on a couch cordially alongside Anneliese. After taking a moment to gather herself, she walked to sit across from the woman.

“Hello,” Elenore greeted. “My brother’s taken me to be his personal messenger. And he tells me you might have very important information.”

“Certainly,” Hause greeted. “I have been taking the time to acquaint myself with Anneliese. She has been speaking of your plans for the future. And hearing of your aims, well…” she ran her hand through her hair. “Perhaps it was not a mistake, what I did. Perhaps the hope I saw did not end with tragedy, and this stories continue onward.”

“Many people died because of what you did,” Durran said simply, walking to the wall as everyone else sat. “Because you meddled with people, an entire continent lost its lives. And it was your own power. You don’t have an excuse.”

Elenore looked at him sharply as she slowly sat. “Durran. This is not the time.”

“It may be meager defense, but what I see is potential,” Hause said in response. “Meaning… even if my hand had not unleashed it, the end result may have been the same. I sought to contain Raven, guide him. Not… not that.” She looked down at the ground. “Raven… does he still refuse to visit?”

“So far as I know,” Elenore said.

“Well… he has a nobler aim, now. All of you do,” she lifted her head. “I can tell you what you might become, all of you. Perhaps it will give you direction. Perhaps it will tell you nothing at all. But nevertheless, I can tell you.”

“Please,” Elenore gestured. “Argrave insists.”

“Then perhaps we should start with him,” Hause inclined her head. “Please know… that I speak honestly, and fairly, and do not hold my words against me.” She looked about, and everyone gave affirming nods—even Durran, who gave his begrudgingly. “Then… Argrave… he exudes death. It is pivotal to his being.”

The party grew silent. Melanie spoke up first, questioning, “Well, uhh… have you seen that before? Got a frame of reference? A famous slaughterer, perhaps?”

“I know what it means,” Hause nodded. “It speaks, largely, of what he is capable of. If he believed it necessary, he could deal death without hesitation. He could make choices that most other people would balk at. This does not make him evil, nor good. Death is a natural part of life. People with incredibly strong will often exude death.”

“Did Raven?” Elenore asked quietly.

“Yes, but not to the extent Argrave did,” Hause shook her head. “It is not a negative thing. I think it is a testament to his sheer tenacity. It is your duty to guide and make sure that tenacity does not express itself in detrimental ways, by my belief. As for his other potential, what I believe you look for more closely… his innate potential is judgment.”

“So he’s judgmental? That fits,” Durran laughed.

bad?” Elenore asked. “If you were to unlock that potential, what

infinitely. When I changed him, he became as he is. His bizarre alchemical body, his self-actualization.” She looked to the side. “And judgment… it

what are they like?” Anneliese

flower is, perhaps it is too late for me to warn you of that. As for other matters, your body is rich soil for a garden. You have latent natural powers of growth. You rather remind me of Sonia. She is an architect of growth. She made the grandest pavilions in all the world, where beautiful flowers bloomed all season long. Her designs were the subject of envy around the

potentials. There is death repeated twice, yet branching off into separate paths. One is of rebirth—of sundering petrified roses, so that the

set her black executioner’s blade up against the wall and leaned up against the couch Elenore sat on. “So that’s the more

people that I change become a little more than human. My followers are an example of this—I can demonstrate that fact later, if you so please. Though I will admit—finding so many

have Argrave to thank for that,” Galamon added gruffly. “He judged

your step. Your potential… it was marked by blood, claimed by it and changed irreversibly. Yet now that pestilence has been cut apart, and I see only the scars it left. Even still, this experience serves to strengthen the hound that you are.” She turned her head to Orion. “And you,

admit,” Orion looked away. “But there is a lesson in your

Melanie stood up, her

examining Anneliese and Melanie in turn. “You both feel empty. And this emptiness is a great drive forward, giving you a relentless push toward finding something that might fill this hole. I think you two have made strides toward taming and harnessing this aspect of yourselves, but the fact

smiled bitterly. “Thought I hid it

as that,” Hause said, looking at Melanie intently. “You can become a chameleon—an actor without peer. But I do not speak merely of speaking, talking, articulating,

a few times, taking that in. “Not very fond of the stage. Prefer to be watching the

see,” Hause shrugged. “And you, Anneliese. I see in you… an

asked without

have seen eternity on many people. Inventors whose inventions are used even today. Spellcasters who changed the realm of magic

curious,” Anneliese crossed her legs and pondered that. “So, then, you have seen all of us. And what of enacting your other

if I claimed to have trepidation?” Hause looked around. “You have seen Raven—as you know him, the Alchemist. He cannot be called fully mortal, anymore. I am on the wake of the greatest disaster my abilities have ever caused. I need

Elenore nodded. “I imagine you’ve given all of us much to think about, in turn. And Anneliese—Argrave

rose, drawn from her distractions.

#####

gone,” Mial

cities underground, and the now-abandoned city was quite terrifying. Still, Mial had led them back to

I helped him write most of it.

but she gave no indication she thought

babbled, at a loss. “You helped him, right? You can recreate some

silent for a few moments, then looked back, chains jingling. “Given this failing, perhaps it’s only natural