Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave looked upon Ji Meng, resplendent in silver attire meant for an emperor. He had been groomed, dressed, and outfitted as befit his station. And that was how he was to be treated, henceforth, given the presence of the eight commanders in this flagship. In order to avoid being perceived as a puppet, Argrave intended to have this emperor meet the eight commanders alone.

“I won’t give you a script,” Argrave put his hands on the smaller man’s shoulder. “But remember that you’re never alone. No warding spell, no trick of light, can hide either sound or sight from me in this place. If you say anything out of sorts, or communicate any message wrong whatsoever… I’m more comfortable killing eight commanders, punishing you properly, and starting again from the beginning.”

Ji Meng looked up at Argrave, then nodded. “We understand, Grand Commandant Sun.”

Argrave took a deep breath, uneased by his rapid adoption of the royal we, then left the room. As he said, this room was watched—Anneliese with her Starsparrow, and several other casters with lesser animals positioned to hear and see everything. He slid open the door, then nodded to one of Ji Meng’s honor guard. They had been let out of their holding areas for the time being to give the emperor more legitimacy. Each were as well-drilled and watched as the man in that room.

Argrave walked down the hall, making a show of passing by the eight commanders so they thought he would not be present for this meeting. He said nothing as he hastened to get into the spot where he could be present for this meeting.

#####

The eight commanders of this southerly Great Chu army entered the room, beholding the emperor. As soon as they verified the face of the man they were sworn to serve, they lowered themselves until their foreheads were pasted against the ground.

“We greet the son of heaven!” they said asynchronously.

Ji Meng looked upon them, scrutinizing as he let their energy subside. He said regally, “We note your greeting. You are permitted to raise your head and speak candidly.”

They obeyed, peering up at the emperor in a position that made these powerful men look rather like dogs.

“This servant would inquire about your well-being, my emperor. Your vital force…” the most devout among them said, seeming genuinely worried.

“Commander Yuan,” Ji Meng looked down upon the one who’d spoken. “We thought our command to you was clear. You were to remain in the jungle outpost.”

Yuan placed his head back against the ground. “This servant has no excuse. I heeded the words of the imperial court, who pulled me from that land and placed me here.”

“All save Commander Lu do not belong in this region.” The emperor brought his hand to his chin. “It seems each of you view us lightly. Mere weeks of absence, and you assign more authority to the words of our false regent.”

“This servant’s worthless soul is yours,” Yuan pressed his head harder against the floor, his armor audibly straining.

“We would claim it, had it not the best use in your own body,” Ji Meng declared coldly, looking at each of the bowing commanders in turn. “The imperial court has betrayed me, as it has many sons of heaven before. We did not die, despite the imperial court’s attempts. But we suffered an injury in the battle against Grand Commandant Sun,” Ji Meng stated matter-of-factly. “He possessed a weapon which I suspect is of divine origin that disrupts the flow of vital force into our body. It shall heal, but for now, we will allow our Grand Commandant to perform many of the tasks that we need.”

“My emperor…” one commander lowered his head. “I humbly plead you demote this… this barbarian. The mere thought of taking orders from one—”

“Our Grand Commandant bested you on the field of battle once already. He bested us in use of vital force, and it was only our superior combat experience that brought him to his knees before us.” Ji Meng looked at each of the commanders, gauging their reactions. “Yet it seems each of you would chafe under the idea. Perhaps you believe one battle does not indicate the superior strategist. As such, we will grant you one concession.”

Ji Meng smiled broadly. “I bestow each of you eight the authority to challenge our Grand Commandant to a duel. Should you win, we shall assign his title to one more suitable. One from the lands of the Great Chu. Perhaps… one of you.”

The almost outraged-sounding chirp of a bird filled the room, yet the commanders were each too surprised by this declaration to even notice.

“But make no mistake—our Grand Commandant is unquestionably suited for this role. His mind is as vast as the ocean we crossed, his skill is as sharp as the best of our blades, and his leadership is such that even gods yield to his authority. We permit you to learn these things on your own. One must be exceptional to be named the Grand Commandant of the son of heaven.”

The commanders’ eyes veered away from the emperor before them, looking to each other for the briefest of glances.

“Now, you have witnessed us. We bid you return to Grand Commandant Sun, armed with our words.”

#####

“That wormy bastard…” Argrave balled his right hand into a fist, while the left clenched it tightly.

A mind as vast as an ocean, skill as sharp as the best of their blades, and leadership enough to make the gods yield… Argrave would’ve felt mighty flattered if those words hadn’t been spoken in that situation. Perhaps Ji Meng intended to get back at Argrave for constantly holding over his head the fact that they’d defeated him. He was testing—pushing.

But at the same time, that meeting couldn’t have gone better. That made it more infuriating.

He hadn’t even lied, really. Ji Meng had brought Argrave to his knees, and was bested by superior vital force—or in Berendar terms, magic. By declaring that Ji Meng could still remove Argrave from his position, he established his authority. The commanders had infinitely less room to doubt this elaborate scenario that had been concocted.

The only caveat to all of that was that Argrave might be called upon to defend his role in a duel. And who might be his opponent? Eight S-rank spellcasters, each of which was skilled enough to claim the role of commander over perhaps the best army in the known world. Fortunately, he wouldn’t be fighting them at the same time. Yet maybe…

Argrave turned his head to Anneliese. “Please tell me Ji Meng dissuaded them from actually fighting me by puffing me up so much. How were they feeling about what he said?”

Anneliese sat in a chair, caressing her forehead. “Well…”

“Good lord.” Argrave stood up, then walked around. He didn’t need Anneliese to spell it out to understand what a hesitant ‘well’ meant. As he accepted what had happened, he started to laugh. “This feels like something I’d have done. ‘Return to Grand Commandant Sun, armed with our words…’” Argrave laughed again.

Anneliese rose up to stand by him, not quite sharing his mirth. “They’ll be coming, soon, to speak to you. Do you want to…?”

“Abandon this plan?” Argrave closed his eyes, thinking. As he reflected more, some small amount of amusement resurfaced. “Maybe the old fellow’s got a point.”

Anneliese crossed her arms. “What point would that be?”

“Maybe one does have to be exceptional to be named Grand Commandant. Maybe my mind is as vast as an ocean.” Argrave tapped the side of his forehead. “Ever think about that?”

Anneliese sighed. “No, not that I remember. But I can tell that vast mind is made up, so I will say only this—be careful.”

#####

Argrave once against kneeled in front of each of the eight commanders. Where they’d been cautious tigers before, now they seemed like hungry lions, each and all eyeing the throne that nature had thrust upon him. Or perhaps it was his imagination. Regardless, he was glad to have Anneliese and Durran with him.

“Seeing as each of you eight have come before me here, I’m going to assume that you saw the son of heaven for who he is,” Argrave said without much ceremony. “So there’s no misunderstanding, however, I’ll ask you this. Are you loyal to the emperor, before anyone?”

As they all answered ‘yes,’ Argrave waited to see if Anneliese would touch him to signal deception. Yet no signal came, and Argrave eyed these people before him with some degree of surprise. Each and all were loyal and true. This defied expectations. But it wasn’t them alone that Argrave needed to worry about.

“And can you be certain none underneath you are loyal to the imperial court before the emperor?”

This time, silence was his answer.

Argrave nodded. “Then each of you can see the problem. The imperial court is the beating heart of the bureaucracy of the Great Chu. They’re intended to be the all-powerful hand of the emperor. That power turned in favor of another can prove a tremendous obstacle to overcome for the son of heaven it’s meant to serve. It’s to be your duty to overturn that from within, with myself as your lodestone. It will not be easy. Should you defect your troops to our side now, all will turn to naught. So instead, I intend to turn you for subtler purposes until we can turn the table all at once and bring the enemies of the emperor to bear.

“We must regain this land, city by city, province by province, until the source of the malignance has been identified. Then, we shall purge the influence of Erlebnis and the Qircassian Coalition in one fell swoop, sparing those of the Great Chu the wrath of the heavens by returning to the throne its son.” Argrave looked between them all.

“This task will require immense coordination,” one of the commanders noted.

“It will,” Argrave nodded.

“Coordination best served internally,” another commander noted.

“Not necessarily,” Argrave shook his head.

The commanders looked between each other, then decided to disclose, “The son of heaven gave us one bit of authority. Your position as Grand Commandant… we may challenge it.”

“Challenge it how?” Argrave asked without missing a beat.

“Any of us may challenge you to a duel,” one of the commanders said boldly.

“I see.” Argrave nodded, then smiled. “And do you intend to invoke that right, now?”

The eight commanders of the Great Chu looked amongst each other and at Argrave in total silence as they pondered their choice. In the end, their gazes settled upon one person. Argrave remembered his name—Commander Yuan. All that Argrave remembered of him was that Ji Meng had favored this commander.

Commander Yuan rose. He certainly had the most magic of all present. He looked near thirty, though that meant little for magic-users. He grabbed his blade and placed it before Argrave elegantly. “I would invoke that right.”

Argrave exhaled from his nose for a long time. “Good. We’ll fight where I fought the son of heaven—on the front deck of this ship.”

“And if I may be so bold… please, request the son of heaven to watch this bout,” Commander Yuan continued.

Argrave’s smile grew rather wide. “Though I dare not presume the mind of the son of heaven, I will venture he may be an eager spectator.”