Jackal Among Snakes

At an unspecified time, Argrave found himself in an unspecified place. Considering he’d jumped into a pit, that was the intended outcome. But this was a little different than falling, he could tell—rather, it was like he fell out of the world they’d been standing atop rather than falling into it. He’d found a tiny crack in the firmament and slipped through like water.

“Parasite.”

Argrave couldn’t look around, not really. But he heard a voice. It came from somewhere in the direction of everything all at once. Or perhaps it was just behind him. The two weren’t mutually exclusive.

Though he tried to speak, he didn’t have a mouth anymore. He didn’t really have anything anymore. It couldn’t be some delusion, either—the Ravenstone was meant to protect him from all mental interference, all the machinations of the psychic and the divine. Yet somehow, the question he’d been intending to ask emerged from somewhere.

“Who’s talking?” Argrave’s tone was a strange combination of the voice he’d become and the voice he’d once had. “What is this?”

“Couldn’t leave well enough alone. Now you come picking at the bone.”

Argrave remained rational enough in this strange trance to puzzle out that whatever he was conversing with was directly related to Sandelabara. And if he hadn’t died following the psychopathic Alchemist into an untested pit, there was knowledge to gain from this encounter. “What exactly am I parasitizing?”

“You’re the first to arrive. Move quickly. If you cannot, more than your light alone shall be snuffed out. It would be better to accept a parasite than fall into a abyssal chasm.”

#####

Argrave once again found himself in a specified place at a specified time—namely, falling through the same pit that he’d jumped into moments ago. The wind magic that the Alchemist had cast to shield his body lowered him gently with his will, and finally, this vast pit began to open up into something grander. He looked around at the others floating about him frantically, but could tell at once that this experience was his alone.

“Anneliese,” he called out. “Look at me closely. Do you see anything off with your [Truesight]?”

Anneliese watched him as she descended, catching his unease. She did study him closely, but then shook her head. “What happened? You look pale.”

“Got a message. Just a message, I think,” Argrave looked down below, where the Alchemist continued to descend. “I’ll… I can’t even describe it with words,” he managed, shaking his head. “But there’s something here. Called me a parasite, yet urged me to hurry all the same.”

Master Castro questioned, listening

“I’d only be speculating if I guessed further. That something, whatever

this vast place had been completely purged of all molten rock. As in the magma moat where the dwarves persisted, miles away magma slowly encroached back to fill this empty cavity. It would take days before it came close enough to

to the Alchemist’s intervention. Now, that same spellcaster cast a grand spell that illuminated the entire cavern. Everyone’s eyes

to a portal into one of the gods’ realms—a split in this reality through which the divine and mortal both

city. Argrave could see seagulls, even, and trees flowing with the light sea winds. But something about the way the seagulls

Argrave asked, the question largely for Anneliese and

a long few moments as they steadily

can’t see anything off,” Anneliese begrudgingly admitted when no one

Stolen novel; please report.

the Alchemist. “It’s as though whatever is

to the portrait-like scene in the crater. It was vastly disorienting to have one world spread out before you on its side, obeying different gravity entirely. It was like two forms of reality existed. Only the Alchemist was

as his hand passed the barrier. The Alchemis moved his hand about, then pulled it free, closely scrutinizing his fingers with several dozen eyes. He reported to them calmly, “Gravity changes. And the air pressure, the temperature… it’s impossible to tell this is a portal, and indeed I’m not sure it is one. I sense not magic nor divinity.

off when the Alchemist hovered into Sandelabara. Even Argrave’s jaw clenched when he saw the way the light fell upon

Alchemist looked back at them, then stuck his hand out. It reemerged from the portrait-like scene. Soon after, the rest

But the curiosity had set in on her face, and

had said, as soon as they passed the imperceivable threshold, it was as though they moved into another place entirely. A new gravity, new suns, new winds, new temperatures… Argrave judged by the two stars in the sky that this must be somewhere in the world they currently resided, but he could recognize nothing about the city, the countryside, or even the sea. Looking back, Argrave could see the lava cavern still persisting. Now, though,

then set off floating wrapped in magic. “Do not

The structures weren’t quite primitive, but they lacked the uniformity of something built by magic. They

reason to it all, but Argrave thought he noticed patterns. The trees,

watching a tree. “A woman. She’s

focused where he did. Argrave could barely see it at first, but as they floated near, he spotted her too. She wore a plain brown dress and a cowl, and rocked the baby. They headed her way as quickly as they could. Her movements were jerky, too, and Argrave thought he might be able to study this

her head was turned again,

air, yet the Alchemist proceeded. She turned her head again as his huge body