Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave walked into the personal office of Good King Norman. It was strange to look upon the man that he’d just killed, sitting behind his desk in that pristine black velvet. Less than an hour ago, he’d been ribbons. Now, the black energy within him once again raged like an ocean, and the king’s red eyes fixed him with an uncomfortably salacious stare.

“You’re the one? Garbed in black, a breastplate bearing the sun, and the faintest echo that smells of blood…” he narrated as he studied Argrave. “You’re a far cry from the drab white I’ve aligned with your kind.”

“I was the one before you,” Argrave stated vaguely, stopping before the king’s desk. “I’ve come to collect. Sophia will be coming with me. I shall gather the three others, and we’ll reconvene in your castle’s courtyard in two and a half hours. Then, we’ll put an end to things.”

The king nodded, but kept his dead-eyed gaze fixed on Argrave as he ran his thumb across his chin. After a time, he pointed his finger lazily. “You’re picturing me dead. I can see it in your eyes.”

Argrave stayed stone-faced. He had done this before, practicing for the final loop. Never before had the king said this.

“Many people wish me dead. Despite that, I’ve kept my head. But you…” he leaned in and set his elbows upon the desk. “You seem to know how you’d do it. It’s no mere desire; you know how it’d transpire.”

Argrave took a deep, calming breath. “I’ll have to call you a liar.”

The king smiled broadly at his continuation. “You’re darling.”

Argrave suppressed a small shiver, picturing that half-shattered jaw flapping with its loose tongue as the king muttered that last word. In his experience, that word meant the king was interested in him. The last thing that Argrave needed was the king’s interest. He could survive any ambush thanks to the Inerrant Cloak, but that didn’t mean he’d like to suffer any. He wanted this to be clean.

Feeling frustrated, Argrave decided to diverge further from the norm. At worst, he could redo things, making his companions wait five seconds.

“Were you always this strange?”

“Strange?” The king leaned back in his chair. “A king is a unique existence.”

“You weren’t always a king.”

“I was,” King Norman shook his head. “People never called me so, but it was fated, just like my meeting with your organization.”

“Were your parents like you?” Argrave sat on the desk, eyeing the king closely.

“You try and pry, but I am rather shy.” Norman’s attitude was cold, despite his nearly demure words. “Retrieve my daughter, and the others.”

“We have time,” Argrave refused. “You must’ve thought a lot about this. Why would we Heralds come to you, of all people? Why were your children our asking price? I ask again, if only for your own benefit… were your parents like you?”

“Of course not.” King Norman’s fist slammed upon his desk, cracking its hard wood. “No one is like me. I am not a man—I simply am. All the rest are lambs to be damned—my son, my daughter. And they will scream my name until they die.”

He could get no answers from this man who would fight until he became a corpse. Argrave’s focus was better put elsewhere. It was

Remember it.” Argrave said,

#####

to be testing it. Once Argrave approached, they all backed away in stunned silence. Argrave dispelled the ward. Within, Sophia waited, her bag neatly packed. She kneeled there respectfully. When Argrave arrived, she rose up with

and hefted it over his shoulder, then knelt down before Sophia. “We’re going to be walking all around the city. Could be a couple of hours. Do you

sir Argwa—Argrave,” she shook her

hand up. “I’m rather tall.

cousins, so he was used to carrying smaller children. She was old enough to walk about on her own, but he didn’t trust the people at his castle. He lifted her up delicately, then walked through the castle with his head held high. He could tell Sophia was nervous, but she seemed more concerned with making sure she wasn’t a

that Sophia finally looked around in wonder with her wide red eyes. With all of the windows in the castle blocked off, he wondered

excited to see the city?” Argrave questioned as

a lot of

has been taken without consent; if you see it

at her. “But if you want, I can make sure none

him, curiosity

[Invisibility], and his body disappeared from sight. Sophia’s eyes widened and she waved her arms wildly as she thought she was going to fall, but she ended up hitting Argrave in the face. “Ow. You hit my tooth,” he complained,

she stuttered nervously. “Where… what

and the moment he did, the spell broke. “I’m still here. I just went invisible.” Her eyes widened adorably, and Argrave couldn’t help but laugh as they carried on

word very deliberately so as

to see yourself, too. Is that okay?

nodded eagerly—fear was not even entering her mind, it

cast [Invisibility]. Sophia vanished, and Argrave walked around slowly to let her take in

first of the stops he needed to make, but Sophia stayed quiet enough Argrave would’ve thought she’d truly vanished if he didn’t feel her weight on his arm. Argrave headed for the elder, first, as he was the farthest away. Once the exited the city, and

you have any questions,

“About what?” she responded.

“Anything at all.”

are we…” she

we going?” Argrave guessed—she seemed afraid to ask questions of this nature, so he thought to encourage her. “First, I have to settle things here. Then, we’re going very far away to my home. It’s called Blackgard. It’s a big city just like this one, but it’s surrounded by mountains, and all of the people

it, he realized they didn’t really have a proper house. Argrave and Anneliese just stayed in one of the quarters made for the members of parliament—they didn’t have a proper palace. It was hardly fit for Sophia to stay, too.

friends?” Sophia asked

talk about them for

#####

was experiencing time on a wholly different level than they were. And she knew the moment his orders were given that they needed to execute them at once, lest

sprinted throughout the castle, heeding Argrave’s directions. They were clear and precise, and everyone had listened intently,