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.”

such a thing made sense. Lindon had given a lot,

It wasn’t all that different from her healing the disabled, as far as he was concerned. Still, Argrave

treaty won’t keep you from telling us what you want Sophia for,” Argrave continued. “I don’t care who they

safeguard her and this world’s

we can play around the treaty—perhaps have Sophia visit you as we did,

silence for a long few seconds, and Argrave felt that he was catching

to remove

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.

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that train of thought, Argrave caught a snag. If the Gilderwatchers, by nature, didn’t care to interfere with the mind much, how could they have drawn the notice of the wider world? How could they have provoked a genocide against them? It must’ve been Lindon.

it?” Elenore

chafe with their

despite being vastly more subdued than any other Gilderwatcher, never raged or spoke of rebellion against the hand that fate had dealt them. Though

human, you can’t be the weirdest Gilderwatcher.

Lindon’s voice came back, dark

Argrave was taken

leave this place, together. If you wish to help Sophia, give

was wrong. It was Lindon’s

rage, and destruction manifest. It was just as it 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 other than certainty it

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