Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave pushed aside the tent canopy and entered inside. There, Anneliese sat at a table, a few royal guards standing around her.

“Wait outside, guard there,” Argrave directed them, reminded once again of how cramped these guards made him feel.

They gave affirmation and left, and Anneliese did not even lift her head from the notebook she wrote in. Argrave noticed the black cube, dormant and silent, just in front of her hand. He walked behind her and peered over her shoulder, feeling glad she was so entranced in this. Her notes…

“Filter essence, nascent force, right side…” Argrave furrowed his brows as he read, his hands idly playing with one braid of her long white hair. “Are you having a stroke?”

Anneliese looked up at him. “This is how I take notes.”

Argrave read it more. Her notes consisted of mostly two-word phrases placed nonsensically without punctuation or direction.

Her finger landed on some of the words. “I just need something to remind me of what I was thinking when I wrote this. These are just triggers for my mind to recall what was important.”

Immediately giving up on any attempt at understanding how that might function, Argrave grabbed a makeshift portable chair and sat opposite Anneliese. “So… I can assume you’re grasping what’s in there?” his eyes fell upon the black cube of dwarven make.

Anneliese leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms. She looked deep in concentration—that was a rare look on her. It wasn’t because she rarely studied so diligently, but because concentration was seldom necessary.

“Could you tell me what it is you expect from this method?” Anneliese asked him earnestly, amber eyes focused with eager intent.

Argrave placed his hands before him. “Llewellen described it pretty well from what I heard. You can take magic from those you touch. You’ll have a stronger resistance to all spells, and you’ll be able to actively absorb them—not so useful for things like fireballs or lightning bolts, which are concentrated masses, but it can degrade wards or protect you from wide, unfocused attacks. You can completely wipe away lesser enchantments with extended contact. And any spells you cast, provided they hit something living, return a measure of their magic as yours.”

Anneliese listened in silence, then picked up her booklet and wrote a few more things down. Argrave waited patiently. Finally, she leaned back, massaging her temples.

“Headache?” Argrave questioned.

she admitted. “This method is… ridiculously complicated, yet so insightful to the fundamentals of magic as a whole as to overturn many of my preconceptions. But… perhaps that is merely Llewellen in general.” Her amber eyes locked with his own. “I think you should listen with me some—oh.” She stopped, leaning in. “I can see the whites of your eyes again,

then placed his hands down. “That’s good, I suppose. It’s been… what, four, coming on

would be impossible for the body to handle the possibility of all ambient magic entering within at once. As such, rather than contain it within what already exists, another vessel needs to be made. Once this vessel is made, the body would change in kind. It would be part of me, but separate… an envelope inside the body…” she

troubling you?” Argrave

recognition of the fundamental bits of magic. It was in the heartland of the dwarven cities that he encountered it. He called it ‘an overwhelming force beyond anything else.’ Its power was so overwhelming, he said it ‘put everything in small quantities that were comprehensible,’ which allowed him to both ascend to A-rank and tap into this force. It was the reason why he perished. This force, whatever it was… its power overwhelmed him,” she explained. “I cannot observe that force as he did—it’s in dwarven cities, and I cannot risk his fate. As such, I must find my understanding elsewhere. A

Anne. You’ll get it.” He tapped

I have spoken to many high-ranking spellcasters—Hegazar, Vera, Rowe, Melan, Castro… each and all have

silence fell as both had nothing more to say on the matter. After a few moments, Argrave dipped his head and closed his eyes, deciding to speak his heart. “I have to bring war to the north. Time was, I set out to stop

the north,” Anneliese rephrased, changing her tone to match the new subject. “You heard of the situation there. There are bandits and veritable warlords reigning

way,” Argrave nodded with a cynical, bitter smile. “Well… I’ve

to her feet in turn and walking over to their

of Gerechtigkeit’s existence. Though he still needed to get the information to the other Magisters beyond the confines of the Tower of the Gray Owl, in time they

ahead with things?” As Anneliese nodded, he kept reading the document. “She predicts… they’ll announce

playing about her lips. “Did you read it all? Someone is already coming to rouse support. A Magister,” she pointed

around the grass of the tent. “That’s… it is

as she considered his point. “Will it cause a bigger wave than the sudden advent of the first wave of Gerechtigkeit’s influence when the boundary between this

offered comfort. “If you’ll remember… the reason I sought out Elenore was to have a regent so that I would have greater freedom,” he recalled, staring off into the distance. “She’s doing a splendid job, thus far. I don’t have any complaints. But… I’m wondering more every day why I’m

constrained,”

starting to wonder if I’m really doing the best thing I can

hand off his shoulder and stepped around until she was in vision. “I have no confidence anyone could create such cohesion in the patricians… barring you.

Argrave nodded with a smile. “But Elenore’s the one really handling things. Administration, facilitation… all of it. Maybe… maybe I need to shake things up. Take a bigger hand. We still don’t have the spellcasters we need.

fight against things barely within our ken?”

her words, Argrave looked at the cube. “Well… alright, let’s have a listen. Maybe I can see why it is you praise this guy so much. Maybe I can get some insight into my

it. “I can almost guarantee it will

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