Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 611

After Lindon declared that he wanted to take guardianship of Sophia, Argrave asked the first question that came to mind. Life wasn’t one or the other—it was a gradient.

“Why not both?”

Vasquer projected only uncertainty, as the messages she bore could not answer such questions. It faded as something welled up from within her being, and Argrave felt something dormant come to bear. Lindon, who had been waiting and watching, spoke in appreciably non-mental terms.

“The dictates of the treaty make such a thing impossible.”

Argrave realized in hindsight that the question might’ve been foolish, but tugging on the corner of this shared space within Vasquer’s mindscape, he felt Orion’s confusion and hesitance. In ages past he might’ve thought Orion simply didn’t understand something, but he knew better now. His brother’s hesitance made him gain some of his own—hesitance quickly mirrored by Elenore.

Argrave was going to ask what Lindon wanted with Sophia, but Elenore’s voice cut through the din.

“Why were you able to contact Vasquer now where you couldn’t before? That, too, was dictated by the treaty, no?”

Argrave’s own question caught in his tongue—or mind, as it were. Hers was a good question that everyone, including even Vasquer, came to mirror. Argrave could hear Elenore’s voice bouncing around without end as all reflected the inquiry with their own minds.

“Because the circumstances of the treaty allowed me to,” Lindon answered.

“I think it’s well past time that you show us the damned treaty, then,” Argrave said with a laugh. “You keep mentioning it, and then defying what you’ve established.”

“I cannot show it, for reasons you can doubtless guess: the treaty itself.” Quietude reigned for a few seconds before Lindon appealed briefly, “You know my nature. I have given to you without end. This will not be an exception.”

something was off, too. Lindon was ordinarily anything but brief. He might be called wordy, even verbose. He almost seemed desperate, right now. Argrave assumed there was an ulterior motive. From his worldly experience, such a thing made sense. Lindon had given a lot, but at some point, favors would need to be reciprocated, even for giant bodyless snakes. Sophia was someone who could do nearly anything. He didn’t particularly like treating her as a bargaining chip, even after

for a new body, free of the symbiosis with his fellow Gilderwatchers. If it was just that, Argrave didn’t see something too wrong with it. It wasn’t all that different from her healing the disabled, as far as he was concerned. Still, Argrave needed more information before he could give the

you want Sophia for,” Argrave continued. “I don’t care who they are, no one could’ve predicted an eight-year-old could hold the keys to

to safeguard her and

mind too much, even if you claim it’s already been done to me without my knowledge. Sophia is fine as she is. If we

for a long few seconds, and

intend to remove the

he’d experienced while travelling through the Tree of Being with his siblings told him that wasn’t a common sentiment, or even a sentiment at all, among the Gilderwatchers. They had their presence of mind, the ability to communicate with one another, and that was all they needed. Argrave got the impression most had little desire to interfere with the trivialities of the surface world. Argrave supposed that Lindon was different. It would make sense, right? Without a body, his existence was the mind alone. In

Amazon, it's taken without the

wider world? How could they have provoked a genocide against them? It must’ve been Lindon. That was concerning. But then… by his power’s nature, it had quite the subtle touch.

remove it?” Elenore

with their freedom restricted,”

own thoughts—memories of Lindon, who, despite being vastly more subdued than any other Gilderwatcher, never raged or spoke of rebellion against the hand that fate had dealt them. Though tricksome and troublesome, he was always warm and kind. He had discouraged Vasquer from seeking out the surface, even. Her testimony

given Vasquer had children with a human, you can’t be the weirdest Gilderwatcher. And B), you’re right on one point: you’ve given without an end. We can, at the least, hear you out with an open and possibly forgetful mind so long as

ready to speak again before Lindon’s voice came back, dark and dreary. “This was

was

will leave this place, together. If you

wrong. It was Lindon’s voice… but not

had been in the brief memory that Argrave saw, where Lindon’s body perished after probing that which he should not. The memory of the attack did little to prepare for the reality of it. As it came closer, Argrave’s body ceased to function. When it was almost upon him, he felt nothing

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