Jackal Among Snakes

From Elenore’s point of view, acquiescing to all of Governor Zen’s demands wouldn’t be the best way forward. It might seem like they were just saying what they needed to say to secure his alliance. It was a renegotiation from an ostensibly lesser point of power. She wanted this meeting to seem genuine, but at the same time, this conversation would be a delicate balancing act between seeming as though they needed Governor Zen while still rigidly advocating for their hidden interests.

“Let me speak to the one who’s really listening. Argrave.” Governor Zen put his hands on the table, cutting past the façade of Stain and speaking directly to the person puppeteering him. On the other side, Elenore still felt a twinge of unease despite the fact that she knew Zen long ago disclosed he knew one among them had the blessing of Lira. Governor Zen continued, “It’s becoming rather clear to me that you lack a damned clue.”

“Clue me in,” she relayed to Stain, and she was rather proud of him when he kept on the road she was laying out. Perhaps he’d actually do something worthy of the fiefdom of Whitefields that he’d extorted from them. She kept observing the meeting, linked to Argrave through Vasquer, who was in turn linked to a druidic bond that watched this meeting.

“I don’t need to speak nicely anymore, because we’re at the end of the road.” Zen rose from his seat and walked to the foot of the table where Stain sat. He sat at the table, his hands on his lap. “Either you’re lying to me and Ji Meng hasn’t gone off to frolic in the imperial palace, or you’re nothing more than a child that’s lost its parents in a distant land. Orphans should be so lucky to get a family member like me. If you want me to continue helping, I need concessions.”

“We had an arrangement. Where’s your honor?” Elenore said indignantly, her Stain-puppet acting his little heart out to mimic the emotion. Perhaps he had indignance of his own to draw upon for inspiration.

But Governor Zen wasn’t swayed by Stain’s performance. “I could say any arrangement was nullified by your reckless handling of the emperor. The emperor was a front—we had a deal. But instead of a front, you made him the frontliner for your army. Treachery? Incompetence? It doesn’t matter how the agreement was breached, but you can’t deny you did it,” he said, turning their own weapon against them.

“Our mastery of Ji Meng has a more delicate balance, but it isn’t fully broken yet. He can’t afford to betray us after the propaganda we spread, and especially not after the war we won for him. We still have options,” Elenore argued. “We want this alliance—we’ve agreed to it. Everything can remain as it was if you keep as you were.”

Governor Zen laughed when Stain finished relaying things. “You really do lack a single clue, don’t you?” He brushed off his stately robes as he said, “The garrison at the Palace of Heaven isn’t some two-bit deity bundled into the Qircassian Coalition. It’s Erlebnis, now, who you’ll find within it. Does that clue you in?”

Elenore could feel a wave of unease from Argrave through Vasquer, and her own amplified it uncomfortably.

as though he was a seer, nodded to confirm their doubts. “Indeed. The most formidable fortress in the world is manned by one of the most formidable gods in the world. Even on its lonesome, the Palace of Heaven would be a nightmare for your current forces to

will fold, and you’ll all die. Assault the palace half-heartedly and fail to take it, and Kirel Qircassia will descend to wipe up whatever remains of your army.” Zen shrugged. “Even if you win, you’ll be in no shape to take down the sky tower. You’ll need the greatest army ever conceived to win a decisive victory against Erlebnis in the Palace of Heaven.

Sataistador had claimed the ancient god of knowledge resided in the sky tower with Kirel Qircassia—the most defensible position by far. But if Erlebnis was willing to risk his life by residing in the Palace of Heaven instead of the

grim news, Elenore saw opportunity shine in this topic of conversation. “You haven’t heard our plan for the Palace of Heaven, yet,” she argued, probing for the information leak. She was near

and rose to his feet, walking back around the table. Elenore’s heart sunk—was he bluffing? Anneliese was also watching this meeting, but didn’t contact either

single brick from the famous fortress. You might be smarter than some of them—most of them. But brighter minds than you have burned brightly and been snuffed out all the same against the walls of the Palace of Heaven. Gods, would-be emperors, even overambitious invaders like yourself sent armies to die taking it. This bastion is a large part of the reason that the Great Chu has continued to exist

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out. Stain repeated it eagerly

mutants and call them emissaries of Erlebnis?” Governor Zen’s

his vault,” Elenore reminded Governor Zen, and when Stain repeated it a good deal of mirth

a while, Governor Zen conceded, “So

of Heaven, do you?” Elenore probed

be your springboard to the sky tower. I don’t know what you’ve come up with

upon by a name and a visage. There was only one deity who knew their goal was the Palace of Heaven without any inkling as to a plan of attack—it was the one who had directed them to it in the first place. Swimming in his mind, passing in the link from between Vasquer and herself… she envisioned a great mane of red hair with a beard

this. Of course it had been Sataistador that was speaking to Zen—that had been precisely why Sataistador had

their Blackgard Union because it was so

lessening suspicion—though that certainly freed him time to spy on them. It also explained why the governor knew that certain gods had blessed them, yet not precisely which among them. Even now, he didn’t know Elenore had Lira’s blessing, and assumed Argrave was listening in. No member of the Blackgard Union wouldn’t

set foot on the continent. The god of war, despite his brutal and chaotic nature, had demonstrated tremendous aptitude for reconnaissance and discretion. He seemed capable of appearing anywhere at any time. It wasn’t beyond his sphere; information-gathering was vital