Jackal Among Snakes

“Garm mouthed off to the Alchemist?” Argrave questioned while rubbing his chest, taking deliberate and heavy breaths. Anneliese had placed some accommodations in the room—the end of the bed had a chair to accommodate Argrave’s dangling feet, and she had placed a large couch just beside the bed for herself. In addition, some food was ready and stocked.

The pain was beginning in earnest. It was a constant dull ache, rising ever upwards in intensity. It had been manageable at first—ignorable, even. But it kept growing and growing, becoming all-consuming. It reminded Argrave, strangely enough, of having eaten something incomprehensibly spicy. The pain appeared tame for a time—half a minute, maybe. But the fire would keep growing, consuming one’s throat, one’s mouth, with such a steady pace that the moment seemed to last forever.

Unlike a hot pepper’s spice, there was no respite from this pain. No milk, nothing to offer temporary relief. It was just an ache rising ever higher, like a room slowly flooding. The worst part was that Argrave saw no ceiling in sight—it stood to keep growing, eating away more and more at all other sensations. The uncertainty bred nervousness, fear.

A month of this, Argrave told himself mentally. This is nothing. First step on the stair. Gotta be better.

“…and so they refuse to enter,” Anneliese said.

Argrave looked at her, realizing she’d been talking while he’d been lost in thought. “Sorry, got lost in my own world,” he confessed.

“They ran into the Alchemist, and he told them to get out of their sight after some words,” she summarized what she had said quickly. “Now, they fear retribution, so they stay far from the castle.”

A stab of pain seized Argrave’s head, and he inhaled through clenched teeth, veritably hissing.

“Useless imbeciles,” he said loudly, his own voice echoing in his head. “What good are they?”

Anneliese looked off to the side, saying nothing.

“Damn it all,” Argrave cursed. “No… they’re not imbeciles. Pain… pain makes your irritable. Forget what I said.” The stabbing subsided in his head, and once it did, he interrogated further, “What the hell did they say to the man?”

“They avoided the subject,” Anneliese crossed her arms.

“Christ. I might be pissing blood soon, and they’re playing about with our local twenty-foot-tall psychopath!” Argrave stroked his head, his shouting making his headache worse. “I can’t catch a break? Even now?!”

Anneliese stared at him patiently. “Is there anything you need?”

“Yeah,” Argrave nodded. “Choke me until I’m unconscious, see you tomorrow,” he gave a salute.

She lowered her head, unamused by his joke.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Maybe you… maybe you shouldn’t be here. I’m just going to be a moody prick for days on end. No one deserves to be subject to that, least of all…” he shook his head. “Just go, join Galamon.”

“I made up my mind, Argrave,” she said simply without a moment’s hesitation. “You expect me to leave you to fend for yourself? Could you? We know not how bad this will get,” she pointed out.

“But—”

entered. His steps seemed heavier than normal, somehow. Argrave tensed, quieting and sitting up in the bed. Wordlessly, the Alchemist came to

silent, doing his best to make even his breathing quiet

it now. You descend from that golden serpent.

the way a chicken’s head could stay totally still as it moved.

eyes widened in surprise. The Alchemist’s skin was surprisingly rough, despite being white and smooth-looking. Argrave tried to keep his face firm, but his cheeks

her expression morphed by surprise. She looked

strain on his neck as he was lifted upwards somewhat. He raised his hand up, hesitant to stop the Alchemist. Before he could make up his mind, Argrave was released suddenly, falling back to the bed. “Every time I listen to this room, I

furrowed and eyes wide, massaging his

said. “Words fail half the time.

Argrave figured it was a

the Alchemist commanded, and Argrave

Argrave trailed off, before finishing,

lie. You have feet, legs, all connected to a brain by systems so complex your words fail to describe them. They render you ambulatory, not words.

need this right now, Argrave thought, brain dancing to find

metaphor,” Argrave

very much, because he knew it was a sign of anger. “Words are a veneer—metaphor is yet another façade atop this veneer, another

had used a metaphor to disparage metaphors, but he focused on what the

looming above his bed. “Words are the best way

once again, a vast mouth on his stomach opening up. Black smoke started to rise up into the high ceiling. He walked to the wall. It parted like burning twigs twisting from

an elaborate eviction because he lost a debate

most of all,” the Alchemist said, pure contempt showing on his voice—a rare divergence from the constant apathy. “No different from assault. Why must I suffer your thoughts? I have my own to deal with—thoughts infinitely more

wishing to make the same mistake as last time, Argrave answered, “Why

is an assault. Yet it is the strangest form of assault, doing no genuine harm. The spoken word plants itself within your mind like

word is an insidious killer. Harmless, fools say. But in time, the words batter at the mind, until the ‘you’ that once was is only a memory, and your thoughts

drolly, finding some amusement amidst

when the time for words has passed, and mindless hordes charge each other, spite in their gut… everything blends into

while, doing nothing. Argrave could not relax his vigilance. He

out of the room. Argrave stared at the

Finally, Argrave collapsed back into the bed, feeling

god damn was

sit in the bed. Argrave kept his eyes on her. She reached out, then touched the

she pulled her hand away, blood was on her fingers. Argrave kept his eyes on that for a

said grimly. “Sweating blood. I guess… time to find out

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