Jackal Among Snakes

Anneliese awoke with a sharp intake of breath. She sat up with surprising energy, then looked around the room. Most notable was Argrave, sitting by her bed in a chair. He looked tired, yet locked eyes with her all the same.

“You alright?” Argrave questioned.

“I…” Anneliese grabbed at her chest. “I feel so strange.” She paused, questioning if she was still covered in blood. Looking around past him, it seemed Argrave had cleaned everything.

“Strange how?” Argrave leaned in intently, placing his elbows upon his knees.

“I…” her gaze lingered on him. Dancing wisps of smoke poked around his body, and she watched them perplexedly. “I think… it works. I can see the magic within you. Faint, but…” Anneliese lifted up her hand and looked at it in wonder. As she saw her wrist, clarity returned. She looked at Argrave. “Are you alright? What exactly happened?”

“I’m fine. It’s morning, now. You took less blood than Galamon did that one time, I think,” he joked. Seeing Anneliese was not amused, his smile faded quickly and he continued seriously, “I healed the wounds pretty quickly. I do feel a bit sluggish, but I got accustomed to that on account of using blood magic so frequently. To summarize, don’t worry. As far as I’m concerned, it was just a little lapse back into my usually scheduled programming,” Argrave shook his head.

“I…” Anneliese looked to the ground, feeling guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed in equal measure.

“Let’s not waste time with this routine,” Argrave reached forth and put his hand on her leg. “I wanted to help, so I did. It seemed you needed it. I’d sooner lose a pint of blood than watch you lose all your hard work because of my insistence,” he noted pointedly. “And I wouldn’t have insisted so hard if I didn’t think this was an option.”

Anneliese covered her face with her hands, ill at ease with what had happened. “I… underestimated the difficulty of filtering out the magic of the world in reconstructing my vessel. Llewellen was able to do it quicker than I was because he had no such limitation, I think. Or perhaps… he is simply more talented than I am.”

“Don’t fret on the why,” Argrave shook his head. “It’s over, isn’t it?”

Anneliese slowly uncovered her face and nodded. “…yes. Yes, I suppose it is.”

Argrave leaned in a little further and grabbed her hand. She was puzzled, yet after a few moments felt a strange sensation travelling up her arm. She realized that she was draining him of magic.

The moment she recognized what was happening, Anneliese yanked her hand away. “Argrave…!” she called out, distressed.

"Given that reaction, I can assume you took some magic from me,” Argrave said, sinking back in the chair. “Either that, or we’re not as sound as a couple anymore. Don’t break my heart, now.”

Anneliese looked at her hand, rubbing

think it was about 30% spell absorption,” he mused, scratching his nose. “Not a grand list, but a

Anneliese noted. “I don’t think my body has fully adapted to the change. I cannot cast any A-rank spells… yet I can say I am soon to be

car,” he dismissed with a shake of his head. “And speaking of driving… Diana says that the bulk of the spellcasters we’re going to get are assembled. All that

looked at him concernedly. “One so bad

sent a bird here with a message. She’s already facilitating the move to grow her position in the north—she wants to be in position to secure the bulk of the profit for the trade concessions I gave the archduchy,” Argrave explained. “Insider trading… it’s a little grimy, but I trust her to be fair at the very least. She

did

to take care of things.” Argrave rose to his feet. “The two of them are capable, but they

feet. “Like I said, I feel strange… and the most dramatic of the changes

you want,” Argrave suggested, watching

her about what to expect for this process.” Anneliese stepped about, retrieving her footwear. “Let me… eat breakfast, reflect and

#####

the aftermath of this event. When she began to expel the magic from her body,

laying idle in bed with only her changes to think about, and so Argrave confirmed that he would be meeting with Diana today. With the core of their forces gathered, it was time to plan things. To that end, the figureheads of their spellcaster retinue had gathered:

and Anneliese. For now, the bear that was a gift to Durran had been relegated to the outside after they received some complaints from the people within the Quadreign palace. Argrave took confident steps

between Argrave and his companion beside him. “Your Majesty, Anneliese,” she greeted politely. “People tell me your ascension was a success,” she locked eyes with the elven woman,

watching as Galamon closed the door and stood behind him vigilantly. He seemed… brighter, somehow. Argrave was

the affinity for magic,” she said wistfully, blue eyes growing

young yet,”

scoffed. “You’re the younger of us,

hadn’t even realized I had ascended to A-rank for a long while,” Vasilisa recounted. “I just thought I could cast spells without matrixes for no reason at all. As

like something so complex it made his task impossible. He was not someone like Llewellen or Vasilisa—he was only someone who relied on foreknowledge and luck to come this far. He didn’t feel he could compare to people of this magnitude on

reminisce,” Hegazar cut in. “We have a bunch of lovely men and women with fire in their blood, and I think it best to solidify their course before snow falls and turns flames

you needed my help all those months ago,” Vera said. “But Hegazar is

stepping up to the table. “But

joined to the right of Argrave, and then Diana to