JACKAL AMONG SNAKES

“Are all of you really sure that you want to do this?” Argrave asked, looking between the dead heroes of old.

“I can speak for myself alone, but I know that my time is running out,” Felipe I confirmed with a stoic nod of his head. “Garm could allot us only so much time. It’s bound to run out eventually. At least in this manner, we live on, in a way. Better to give yourself up in service of something greater than to die ingloriously protecting temporary interests. Of course, it’d be best not to die at all… but it’s my fault for doing it the first time, so I can’t complain.”

“We were never really alive to begin with,” Bhaltair reminded them all. “We are all but tools for an epoch beyond our own, of Argrave’s taming.”

As the Archchief of the Burnt Desert nodded in quiet agreement, an elven general chided, “A fitting attitude for a necromancer. But it’s not wrong. This is an excellent capstone to glorious service.” The elven warrior gave a salute. “It’s been an honor serving under you, commander. I never thought I could give honor to a human, besides the honor of dying at my hand. You’ve proven me wrong. Many of you have.”

“Mmhmm. And considering so much rests in your hands, Argrave, some of the more calculating among us think to indebt you to them so you’ll never dare violate that document we drafted together.” Emperor Balzat crossed his arms, scrutinizing some who didn’t meet his gaze. “As for myself, I hope only that you’ll take care of my granddaughter.”

Constant agreement came—a steady deluge of approval, one by one, without exception. These strong-willed men and women had long ago come to terms with what had been done to them, and what would happen to them once their time was up. Argrave questioned if he could so bravely accept an inevitable fate.

“Then it’s settled,” Argrave concluded. “Let’s take the offer to the scary woman. Be ready to pack your bags at a moment’s notice in case she’s unreceptive.”

“The empty shell can already replicate what Traugott could do,” Ghislain said. “He’s rather good at learning. We’ll be ready.”

“I only hope that’s not an ill omen,” Anneliese said with a sigh, then turned her amber eyes to Argrave. “I’m ready.”

Argrave clapped, already looking forward to being free of this place once and for all. “Let’s dance.”

#####

The rebelling lieutenant studied the contrasting pair of lovers as they walked back to her. One with long white hair, the other with short black. One with eyes full of color, the other gray as the Shadowlands. There was a near palpable link between the two of them. The locust-bringer, who bled pain, was bad enough as an opponent… but with this woman alongside him, she could not recklessly attack. It was instinct alone telling her that these two could defeat her, but instinct had brought her far in the vicious Shadowlands.

They came to a stop a fair distance away from her. She waited for them to speak in silence.

“We’re willing to help you with your dream of liberation,” the man named Argrave said. “But there are conditions.”

“Conditions for liberation defeats the purpose,” she spat back in an ugly rage. “Freedom of choice, with only one option. Freedom to walk, with only one path. Freedom to think, with only one subject. Is that what you’re offering?”

“Before we offer anything, I hope you’ll exercise your freedom to shut up and listen,” Argrave said in irritation. “Too many lives are at stake for us to just hand you the Manumitter, give you a pat on the back, and send you on your unmerry way. You’ve amply proved in fighting me that there are dangerous people here. But!” He raised a finger. “We can offer you a compromise. Namely… we could create a permanent portal to your realm. There, you’d be able to baptize your Shadowlanders, so to speak, whenever you wanted. Same end result, one way or another, but it’s a place instead of a person.”

“That would be a strategic burden,” she said, considering it.

“Well… so was Traugott, before my lovely wife so expertly showed him precisely how useless he was before real genius.” He gestured to the elven woman at his side. “Despite his noncompliance, you seemed to be managing fine. I think you could manage even better with a single place you need to dunk your fellows inside.”

“Once the Hopeful learns how liberation works, he could strategize around it,” she argued.

“It sounds like you need a wonderful leader,” Argrave said with a smile, placing his arms behind his back. “Someone who could ensure that the Hopeful doesn’t manage to learn anything. Someone that could take the odds, stacked against you as they are, and overturn them completely. Well… I have over two dozen of such figures. Two dozen of the best leaders in the world. That brings me to the second of my two conditions.” Argrave brought his hand up, and pointed at his eyes. “Supervision.”

“Supervision?” She repeated. “You want to leave some of your allies here, in the Shadowlands? They won’t survive. They’ll be eaten, like everything else.”

“They’re aware of that. Each and all of them are living on borrowed time, anyway.” Argrave put his hand up to his chin. “Rather like you, the people that I brought with me are the greatest of their generation. They’re reincarnations of the greatest leaders our world has ever seen. Their leadership was perhaps the sole reason that I won here today.” He looked to Anneliese. “I think the both of us can attest to the fact that their expertise might give you victory.”

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She was taken aback. “Supervision is one thing… strategy is another. We’re dead gods, lest you’ve forgotten. That means we’re among the best—”

“It means less than you might think,” Anneliese interrupted. “Deities are merely those unlucky enough to be born in the period in which Gerechtigkeit descended. But these people? They were chosen from the annals of all history. Bluntly put… I have no doubt they are your equals, and perhaps your superiors. They can give you victory.”

“I don’t see it.” She crossed her arms defiantly.

Argrave seemed disappointed as he said, “You haven’t caught on by now? If you’re that slow, then you’re definitely going to need the tremendous gift that I’m offering. What you need is a great leader—a destined leader that could fight back against the one that dictates all of your life and achieve a smashing victory. And we’re giving you leaders, plural.”

“Your people do this willingly?” She interrogated.

Argrave nodded. “None of them protested. Not a one.”

She pressed, “They know what they’re getting into?”

“They know of the hunger. They saw the Hopeful, and know you’re his enemy. They’re committed nonetheless.”

She flexed her hand uneasily, not quite sure what to make of this. “I fail to see what you get out of this.”

“The Manumitter, as you know him, can close portals to the Shadowlands as easily as he can make them. That’s what I get by keeping him—protection from your people. Beyond that, I merely want to do a good deed. I find that good deeds tend to be repaid in time. If they’re not, so be it. But I believe my allies will make for a more than adequate boon to your fight.”

She ground her feet against the stone beneath. The logic in her head ate at her gut, telling her that it was fundamentally foolish to let the Manumitter slip out of her grasp. He’d just said that the portal could close at any time, with him in their hands…

“You could’ve simply left,” she looked up. “But you came back, despite not needing to. You offered conditions, even aid, despite not needing to. I’ll…” She hesitated, nearly swallowing the words. “I’ll choose to trust you. All of my peers would mock me for that decision. I hope you’ll prove them wrong. I hope you’ll prove that what I’m fighting for is not a lie.”

He smiled. “See? I knew this could be amicable. I’m pleased to know there is something bright in that head of yours.”

She inhaled deeply. “I’m going to be charitable and assume you’re speaking of my character rather than my intelligence. Now… shall we?”

#####

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“We’ve been toying with the mind quite a lot, lately,” Argrave reminisced. All was done on their part—now, the former lieutenant would need to integrate her new volunteer troops. “It does make me wonder what our research team found. If we come back having learned more about the mind than they did… good lord. Still, I’d say this was a more-than-satisfactory conclusion. It was far better than I even hoped for. Thanks to you, largely.”

Anneliese nodded. “I… indulged some part of myself I find frightening, Argrave.”

“Okay…” Argrave studied her. “Are you feeling an urge to go kill babies or something?”

“Of course not.” She straightened her back, almost offended.

“I don’t see the problem, then.” Argrave shrugged. “I think it’s just this place, this… this muted melancholy. You’ll feel yourself again—and if you don’t, I’ll drag it out of you. I miss your voice. I miss mine, too. I often miss my voice, but this past while it’s been especially strong.”

“You mean… you miss your old voice, before you were Argrave?” She questioned seriously.

“No, I just mean I like to hear myself talk,” he said, and Anneliese laughed with a shake of her head. She should’ve known better.

“I do wonder if we’ve seen the last of this place.” Anneliese looked around at the land of whites, blacks, and grays. At the border, the shadows closed in, inch by inch. “I feel our foray was incomplete, somehow.”

“If we do see more…” Argrave looked upward. “We’re about to put some of the brightest minds the world’s ever seen to work, strengthening their loyalty to us. Hopefully they’ll be on our side. Though…”

“Though?” Anneliese pressed.

“That hunger…” he closed his eyes. “Those hounds… they’re quite the force, Anne. I think our friends can overcome them and lead this bunch to glory. But we’d best hope Traug—excuse me, the Manumitter. We’d better hope he doesn’t feel them.”

“Hounds…” Anneliese closed her eyes. “I saw them, then. Back when Castro gave his life to save ours. Back when he demonstrated [Arete].”

“I remember. You talked about it at that opera house in the Great Chu.” Argrave recalled his fight, feeling a chill even in this muted place. “I see why they haunted you, now.”

“As to your concern, I don’t think the Manumitter carries these hounds like the other Shadowlanders. Still, I can’t shake the memory of them. I worry about our world, should they pass through.”

“When the time comes, we might be able to turn that hunger against Gerechtigkeit. That’s the hope, anyway.” Argrave looked at her. “But if you have serious doubts, perhaps we could…”

“No. I helped conceive this plan. I believe in it.” She clasped her hands together. “But it’s frightening to believe, when you wish you could know.” She seemed to realize something, and laughed. “I’ve always been a little afraid of not knowing something.”

“That’s what the shadows are, Anneliese. Traugott tried to know everything.” Argrave shook his head. “But let’s not get existential. We’re at the end, and everything about me is ruined. These tatters can’t be called clothes anymore.” He looked down at himself. “I’m ready to get out of here.”

“As am I…” Anneliese agreed quietly.