Jackal Among Snakes

It seemed that, whenever Stain found himself gaining a solid foothold, a certain someone would appear and sweep everything away. It was rather troubling that the person in question was a monarch, while he was merely a disowned noble whose family hated him. When he was coming into his own as a thief—suddenly, there was a huge man putting a blade to his throat at Argrave’s direction. When he was coming into his own as the steward of House Parbon, a Bat swooped down from the sky and picked him up at Argrave’s direction. It was all rather unfair.

“You’re going to be a puppet for us,” Elenore had explained. “One made of flesh. You’re going to dance on our strings, go to where we tell you, and then you’re going to say precisely the things I want you to this person. Argrave’ll be doing druidic magic, and I’ll be connected to him through Vasquer. We’ll hear and see all you do. You need to talk to someone.”

“This person I’ve been investigating—Governor Zen?” Stain asked.

“Puppets don’t ask,” Elenore had told him. “We need to get connected. Come here.”

And so, catching on quickly, Stain hadn’t asked what a connection was. But now, he could talk to someone with his mind alone. The gods surely were crazy…

“Right, I’m, uhh…” Stain said in his head to the person on the other side. “I’m stepping on a canoe… thing. In the canal. It’s got a roof. I’m crouching into it.”

“We’re watching your every move. I don’t need an active narration,” Elenore’s voice pierced his mind, sharp as ever.

Stain nodded, feeling a little bit of fear as he joined a bunch of people in a cabin. A man of the Great Chu stopped him before he sat, holding out his hand and asking for his fare. Stain produced a few paper notes that gleamed silver and held them out. It was a fair bit easier to steal paper than gold, he found. But then, petty thief, businessman—he couldn’t do either, really, so long as Argrave was peering from on high.

Stain sat down besides several others from this Great Chu. He looked no different from any of them, and returned smiles where he was given them without saying a word. A few moments after he took his seat, the man who’d taken his fare slid shut wooden doors, and the strange roofed canoe started to move incredibly quickly. Stain grabbed the seat beneath him for a moment, then peered out the side through the barred wooden windows.

The countryside of the Great Chu passed by faster than any horse or carriage had ever taken him. Things were a blur if he didn’t actively focus on them as they went by. The ride was smooth—incredibly smooth, even, and the faint mist passing through the windows made it somewhat cool and pleasant. They travelled along a canal, and as they did, other boats passed by close enough to make Stain flinch slightly.

The rugged hills of cold disappeared behind him, and soon were replaced by a towering yet flat highlands. Beyond that, a verdant valley, and miles and miles of terraces of some crop Stain couldn’t recognize. This place was like a whole different land—a whole better land. There was so much opportunity here… these silver notes, gold notes—one man, alone, could steal hundreds of thousands of them. And who was Stain, if not someone extremely well-suited for such a place?

“Get off here,” Elenore’s voice came as command.

The words were cold water to his sleeping mind. Stain couldn’t begin again. If he decided to, someday Argrave would show up, hold another weapon to his throat by way of ensuring compliance, and demand something of him. There were sayings about fools and the quantity, and Stain did not care to be fooled thrice. So, begrudgingly, comply Stain did. He rose and exited. All around was one of the most beautiful cities that he’d ever seen. The buildings, the gardens…

“You’re not a tourist. You live here, flesh puppet. Act like it. Take the right pathway until the first left.”

Stain, whipped into shape, walked down the pathways of the city. He took turns when designated, walked across bridges over canals when bid, and hopped aboard transport vessels when it was necessary. By the end of it all, he stood before a neighborhood of grandiose estates. It was gated off, and he paused near the gate while trying not to attract the attention of the guards standing all around the gates.

“Hello? Puppeteer? My strings are a little quiet,” he called out in his head.

Elenore was silent for a long time before she said, “Wait around.”

Flabbergasted, he managed, “What if loitering’s illegal?”

good at

laws. Just great at it.

buy a drink in that building with

“A… drink?”

“Puppets don’t think.”

Stain looked around until he spotted the building she’d mentioned. He entered inside, where the people chatted boisterously. It was drastically different from places in Vasquer. The men

Stain sat at a table, trying his best to imitate the posture of some others present. He saw a bird at the windows—his guide—but obsequious staff shooed the bird

dress came up to him and kneeled in a strange manner. Looking about, they were

something to drink.” He put all his notes on the table—he didn’t know how much a drink cost, so he figured all would suffice. The woman looked

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“At once, good master.”

himself. Elenore’s voice cut in, saying, “There’s a man in blue garb with a white

eyes searched the room, searching for the man she’d described. As he did, he locked eyes with a man. The man half-rolled away from his table

man looked at his notes. “This is a

uhh… happy to try it out,” Stain

the rude. The ill-mannered,”

He communicated to Elenore he’d found

you’re sorry…” the man leaned in, and light fell upon his red nose. Just then, four other men came up to his seat, and Stain

managed to extract pivotal information about this bizarre situation—a man only places on the table

him, knock him unconscious. Steal his face, his clothes, and the

enough to avoid drinking, but he did attract a lot of attention. In time when the blue-robed man left, he had to contrive an excuse to get away. He only succeeded by leaving his silver notes—but on the way out, he nabbed some from

tended to stick to crowded walkways. He followed him for a good twenty minutes, but the crowds were so dense it was impossible to get

too long,”

approached the man as they passed by a bridge. With his boot, he picked out the bridge’s railing. Then he bumped into the man, hard. The wooden railing cracked, and the

damn it all, I have places to be!” the man shouted, spewing complaints of similar caliber

with a spell,” Stain explained. “But not out here. Someone might get

not a drop of vital force,” the

this sort of thing. You’re a diplomat, right? For the court. I understand you’ve got places to be—just don’t forget me.” The man looked puzzled and was about to ask how Stain knew that, but then he held up the wooden token. “You very nearly dropped

diplomat snatched away the token. “Fine… fine, but I’m

sure you won’t forget this? I mean, without me, you very nearly

to say, “Listen… I’m just a diplomat, I can’t

blunt force to the back of his neck was enough to bring him down. He might not walk again, but that was the price of doing business. Stain hid him further, took his clothes, his possessions, his money, and lastly… Stain studied his face hard, examining his eyes, and then did his best to imitate it on the fly. With that done, he

gated neighborhood,” Elenore’s command came. “The token should grant