Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave looked back, seeing none of the moonlit night beyond. The Stonepetal Sentinel’s encampments was far beyond them. “Galamon… anyone behind us?” he asked uneasily.

“No,” the elven vampire answered after a moment’s pause.

Argrave breathed a sigh of relief, and then conjured an E-rank spell for light. It jumped into the air and Argrave’s eyes closed instinctively, adjusting to the new brightness. Soon enough, his eyes opened, and he saw the spell light reflecting off the gray stone around them.

The beginnings of the Low Way of the Rose were well-made, each stair descending downwards in perfect order. The pillars were carved in the likeness of rose stems, thorns poking out along their surface. Torch sconces were cleverly disguised into the thorns, but they had neither lamp nor torch in them at this point.

“What a disaster,” Argrave said, both to himself and his companions. “Flew too close to the sun, and the gods burnt my wings.”

“We should be moving,” Galamon said, unheeding of Argrave’s comments. “No telling if… or when… pursuit will come. We need a comfortable distance ahead.”

“Yeah… yeah,” Argrave nodded, and then they continued down the stairs. Their pace was a moderate one—a little slower than a jog. Each stair was very large, and it was difficult to proceed down them quickly. Argrave was certain that his knees would ache tomorrow. “In a while yet, the tunnel will open up into the real Low Way. There, we can reassess things,” he called out to both as they proceeded.

The briars about the ceiling and walls gave the impression the room was twisting and writhing as they proceeded downwards. Had Argrave not known the name of this place, he might’ve assumed the thorns everywhere were spikes, and this place the abode of some fell creature. Thinking of what was ahead, Argrave realized that impression was not entirely false.

“Rowe was right. I got cocksure, and now look where we are—enemies ahead, enemies behind.” Argrave shook his head. “The plans I had—up in smoke.”

“Neither of us questioned your judgement, Argrave,” Anneliese argued as she moved beside him. “The fault is not yours alone.”

“How could you question my judgement?” Argrave said interspersed with laughter. “I didn’t share it. I just insisted you follow along. Everything went so damned well in Jast, I thought the world was my oyster. Fat chance of that if I keep counting chickens before they hatch. Things went to hell in a day.”

Galamon spared a brief glance backwards but said nothing. Silence settled over them as they proceeded.

Anneliese finally broke the silence. “After Thorngorge Citadel, when I could hardly stand, you asked me a question. I will return it to you now, in hopes you understand the point I intend to make.” She pulled ahead of Argrave, stopping him. “What do you want to do about it?”

Argrave stared down at her, regaining his breath. After letting her words sink in, he slowly nodded. “You’re right. Should reflect on mistakes, not dwell on them.” He looked down the tunnel. “Probably getting close to the end of this stairway.”

“Yes. The air shifts ahead, and I hear the rush of water echoing against cavernous walls,” Galamon said. “Not much further.”

A horrifically potent and sharp smell reminiscent of truffle oil and iron invaded his nostrils,

hundreds of feet above them. That, though, seemed small in comparison to the grand chamber that opened up before them. The Low Way of the Rose was truly massive,

to the trading city of

of impeccable order. That order remained in the architecture. Several terraced pyramids held tall stone buildings, residential and commercial both. Stairways led from terrace to terrace and

had grown over it. The walls and the ceilings housed vines of bone and flesh that wound in and out of the stone, flowers blooming at points that held the image of twisted faces. They had seen one of these ‘plants’ at

they merged with viscous flows of blood pouring out from a waterfall in the far end of the cavern opposite them. Over the years, strange plants had begun to grow by the canals, and much of Nodremaid was consumed by foliage. The

Argrave felt some, despite knowing fully what

gazed at the flesh plants in the ceiling. “How could anyone feel

don’t think.” Argrave looked about. “Even were that not the

in

trailed off. “I know someplace that’s likely safe and secluded enough that the Stonepetal Sentinels won’t be able to find us… if indeed they are pursuing.

let us go and reassess what we must

collar of his gray enchanted duster, then pulled his

#####

that killed him, not magic. Fire-based. Probably a dagger,” commented Jean, kneeling beside a body. The corpse had been stripped of its armor barring the helmet, which had partially fused with his face

standing

scoffed. “Nice priorities, old man,” he

while Jean shook her head and said, “No. The enchantments on the helm are ruined anyway.

then directed his voice to the crowd. “On the morrow, he’ll be buried, the proper hymns sung

of the three that did this?” one of the knights asked, clearly emotional for

this done without approval from anyone,

spat angrily, “You mean to tell me you

leader, Alasdair. Claude is. Until a month passes, and he’s

already

and they happened to do so just before you stormed their tent while they slept,” Ossian laughed. “Just rich timing on their

creaking. “We should strengthen the guard around the tunnels.

on a minute,” Ossian interrupted. “It sounds to me like we aren’t going to be chasing