Jackal Among Snakes

Their party of six stood at the bottom of the now-useless tower amidst the rubble spawned by destroying all its floors. Vasilisa kneeled over a body: Margrave Ivan’s. Or… just Ivan, now. In death he lost all, even his title. He was covered and dust and debris and mutilated half a dozen times but remained recognizable enough.

“That sort of power isn’t normal,” Vera said, staring at Argrave with her arms crossed. “To do this much damage? To destroy a tower made to code by the Order of the Gray Owl?”

“What does it matter?” Argrave replied. “We’re in this together. The job is done,” he emphasized, using the term ‘we’ to build a sense of unity. “I think you could do the same thing if you went all out.”

Vera shifted on her feet. “…no, I couldn’t.”

Argrave forget what he going to say, genuinely surprised by that confession. Vera wasn’t the strongest spellcaster, not by a long shot… but she was an S-rank spellcaster. Argrave had sought out blood magic because he knew it could be powerful if used in tandem with his other boons, and he needed this sort of destructive potential for the fights ahead.

You’re black blooded, true enough, but you used near a month of accruement from your bloodsucking bracer, Argrave reminded himself. Don’t get a big head.

“This sort of power is what you reaped from the living fortress, is it?” Hegazar chimed in.

Argrave held his hand out. “Not at all,” he assured.

“Maybe we’re owed a little more than what we got,” Vera continued. “Maybe…”

Vasilisa rose to her feet. “I’m more concerned with the flame. We’ll have to dig through some of this debris. And we still have an unsettled matter—the margravine needs to be informed of the result of our actions.”

“You two are good with people,” Argrave pointed to the Magisters, flattering. “I can trust you to get this news to them,” he said, stating rather than asking so as to brook no room for disagreement. “I’ll help Vasilisa clear a path to the flame. I’m rather unspent, after all.”

“Well…” Hegazar slowly nodded. “I know what you’re doing here by saying that, but… alright.”

#####

Argrave had a rather difficult time helping with removing enough debris to clear a path. He never learned any earth magic, as its primary uses manifested in architecture, siege, or the higher ranks of magic. As such, he awkwardly used his hands, wind magic, and grit. Perhaps staying in the comfort of Relize for a month had stripped him of some of his grit, because Galamon worked far faster than he did without the boon of magic.

Still, with many working in tandem, a path was cleared to the unbroken lower levels of the tower, and thereafter to a set of stairs that headed deeper. Just as Margravine Sophia described—and just as Argrave remembered—the path took them to a room. Rather unlike Argrave remembered, it smelled faintly of vinegar. And deeper in… they saw the Flame of the Tenebrous Star.

The black flame was held in a great pit of dark metallic rock, almost like a cauldron of fire burrowed into the earth. A stairway led into this pit, winding along the edges of the rock. Crude runes had been etched into its surface. They seemed to have some effect on the flame that kept it bound. Four other fires burned in the corners of the room, drifting towards the larger flame as though feeding it.

edge of the pit and stared at the flame, one of her knees gave out and she knelt there, shaking slightly. Argrave knew there must’ve been a lot going through her head. She’d found a cure for her sister’s ostensibly terminal disease—it’d be stranger if she didn’t get

said, “Looks like your sister will be

she shot back at once. Argrave looked down at her, perplexed at how he had erred. She continued, “The last person I want to cry in

he stared at the waving black flame, an unpleasant memory surfaced. It

to cure Galamon, now?” Vasilisa asked, rising back to her feet with

mind was still occupied by that dream. “No,”

her eyes. “What do you mean,

mean…” Argrave

unideal time,” Anneliese

nodded, turning his back to

eyes peering down into the fiery pit. “How is now not the time? Isn’t

point, and so said quickly, “Why would I ever do something so foolish? This flame is still a flame—it burns away.

admitted. “But my niece is unrepentant in her

nothing, yet everything—this matter with Galamon was coming to a head. It was only so much longer

on how we get it out of here,” Argrave decided, stepping towards

“Argrave…” Galamon called out.

he answered at once, taking the first

as they grew nearer. The flame had no fuel, and so did not crackle or pop or make any sound at all. The smell of vinegar was strangely pleasant where they had been before, but as they descended lower it

noticed, the flame emanated no heat. As he neared, though, he felt a strange happening to the forces within him. The almost gaseous

that this would be beneficial to her understanding of the A-rank ascension he’d gotten her. Her amber eyes were wide, and she was utterly fascinated by the flame that came ever nearer the further they descended. He smiled with nervous excitement as they pressed on. Before long, the magic roiling within him became so difficult to ignore Argrave

of heat around it was extremely jarring. This experience could not be likened to gazing upon a candle held close to one’s face—it was

and stepped within. Argrave watched her, and called

As she was enveloped by the flame, Argrave swallowed

she was out of breath. “I… my head… I have never felt anything like this, Argrave! I feel… I feel so strange. My magic, my stress… I feel as though aches I never knew I had are

slightly. The Magister held her hand

flame. He realized his palms were a bit sweaty despite the lack of heat. Nevertheless, curiosity drove his feet forward. It was against all instinct to step into a flame as he did, but

once it was caught, it was like fuel for a fire started within his body. It burned away so much, so quickly. The mounting stress, anxiety, doubt, and insecurities of his journey here faded into nothingness, leaving his head with a satisfying emptiness that gave his thoughts ample room to stretch. His mind felt pure, as though a haze was lifted. He felt no thought beyond him, no

flame reached a certain point in his body, and Argrave opened

a presence. Argrave’s head shot about wildly in panic, feeling as though there was something hostile to him at every point in the room. Vasilisa, Anneliese, and Galamon felt it, too—their mouths opened and closed, yet no

Star that had permeated his being. And then… something