Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 666: Smoked and Hazed

“…long story short, he’s cutting a very persuasive figure on the stage.” A man quietly pinched small flakes of green leaves into a pipe, compressing it down with his thumb.

“You can’t worm any doubt in?” asked a female’s voice from nowhere in particular.

“I could try,” responded the man, brushing off a few flakes of green with his hand. He conjured flame from his hand, then set his pipe aflame. After inhaling deeply and blowing outward, he continued, “But he’s arranged things in such a way that anyone trying to sow doubt might get isolated from the rest, even killed, on suspicion of being an agent of Gerechtigkeit’s. I like you well enough, but I’m not willing to risk that much.”

“This is Gerechtigkeit’s fault,” said the woman’s voice with conviction. “People wouldn’t cling to Argrave so readily if he hadn’t been so overtly destructive. Things are weakened, brittle. I guess it’s been more than enough time for rot to take hold.”

“But he was overtly destructive, and the gods are clinging to Argrave.” The man blew an O from his mouth, and it drifted upward toward the night sky. “Only a matter of time before they start searching. And I can almost guarantee you they’ll start finding. All this reminds me of the old days… only worse. Or better, depending on the perspective you’re taking.”

“They’ve been talking to me about him,” the voice continued. “They’re all but saying they want me to do something.”

“Oh yeah?” The man laughed. “I guess everyone’s a bit spooked. Only question is—what do you want to do?”

There was a long silence as the man sat beneath the night sky, casually puffing on his pipe and blowing O’s and wisping trails of smoke up into the air. No answer came for the longest time.

“Go back in,” the voice answered, a trace of defeat on her tone. “Help him. Ingratiate yourself with his inner circle. Arrange an in-person meeting, far outside Law’s Court.”

“Gerechtigkeit’s always paying attention,” he reminded her, balancing the pipe on his finger. “You’re a bit of a homebody, these days. You could get jumped.”

“I’m still who I was,” she disagreed. “And he’s not half-bad himself.”

The man laughed, smoke puffing out from his nose in wispy bursts. “He’s no dragon.”

“I am,” she reminded him. “However this shakes out, I want our first encounter to be on my terms.”

“Seems to me the boy-king will want much the same.” The man emptied his pipe onto the ground, then pulled out a case. He briefly cleaned it out with a cloth, then put it into a form-fitting mold inside the case. He stuffed it back into his pocket. “But I’m good at what I do.”

“I know,” she said, though there was a trace of bitterness in her kind tone. “Take care.”

#####

Argrave’s grandiose speech came the more difficult part of being a politician—avoiding answering questions without

role of head of state as an overseer for the government. Sometimes it was, but in Argrave's case, he was largely the public-facing figure, leaving the more complex issues that required actual managerial talent to Elenore. This, then, was the arena he shined in: foreign relations. These interviewers were quite ferocious, seeing as a great many of them had been doing this for hundreds of years at the

The gods couldn't ask specific enough questions

Gerechtigkeit so many times, asking for precise details. He was relieved when the interrogator spent his allotted time, and another rose up to take their

seamlessly transitioned to another line of questioning—Sophia, and her role in things. It was a very uncomfortable line of questioning, because somehow, they’d all caught on that Argrave cared for the girl rather deeply, and wondered about the precise measures that he was taking regarding putting an end to Gerechtigkeit once and for all. He couldn’t outright tell them, ‘I’m just going to wing it when the big man shows up!’ even

to ask questions. That fact deeply unsettled Argrave, considering what he’d preempted from the god before this whole fiasco began. Argrave leaned heavily on the fact that Sophia was being targeted by Gerechtigkeit to avoid answering

one of the last. A god in mortal image, wearing a hefty coat and brandishing a pipe billowing a sweet-smelling smoke, walked up before Argrave at the dais. He

Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the

Argrave asked, ignorant of this

pipe deeply. When next he spoke, smoke billowed from his mouth and nose. “God of politics.

that they’d been unified by this

what he was certain would be a kill shot of some kind, looking at Anneliese

let me ask you a fundamental question—a question of character. What do you intend to gain by establishing yourself as the leader of the Blackgard

end the cycle of judgment. The means to protect people from what Gerechtigkeit is presently

after…” Jaray held his arms out. “You’ll

as Jaray inhaled his pipe deeply.

should know very well…” He blew smoke from his nose, and it wreathed about his face. “It’s not

silence for some time as he stared down Jaray. Before he could

facing Argrave, turned around. “There’s been a huge problem with this interrogation today. That problem, namely, is that Argrave has been far

watching this man as he walked

sacrificing. Let me ask you this, Argrave—is it true you sold your own heart to a monstrosity so that you could cure

for a moment, saying nothing, before he

experienced this world the countless number of times that he has, I mention that to demonstrate there still remains boundless compassion in Argrave’s heart. I could tell you more tales of his, but my time is limited. I’ll mention one

true, Argrave,

inhaled, wondering how the hell this deity knew all of this information. “It is,”

“Is it true, Argrave, that you secured the means to prevent the Shadowlanders from attacking this world

again, still fearing there was