Jackal Among Snakes

“Sophia.”

Upon hearing her name called, she blinked open her eyes, expecting to see the familiar and comforting wooden ceiling of the room that Argrave had given her. Instead, there was an endless grayness above that gave no sense of distance. She sat up urgently and looked around. There, she saw the man was not her father, yet resembled him all the same.

Tall. Neat black hair. Dark red eyes. She couldn’t tell what he was wearing because the grayness seemed to billow mist that concealed him. She tried to say something, but found she lacked the energy to speak. Her whole body felt heavy, like she was wrapped in something entirely contrary to her being.

“You always said you wanted a knight to come and save you. To take you away,” he said, his figure shimmering. He spoke as if he was tired—as if being here was a tremendous strain on him. “A knight that could stand up to anything. A knight that never tired. A knight who took you to a place where hardships never came.”

She calmed when she knew this was not a nightmare. Hearing her dream for a knight said now, it felt like a desire of the distant past and a reminder of the death she had caused by giving life to that dream. She already had been taken away—not by a knight, but by a king just like her father who truly deserved the title of ‘Good King.’ The life that she had found was not at all like what she expected, but now… now, that knight didn’t occupy her thoughts. The next day was not dreaded, but merely expected. There was still sadness, but there was also joy. And that, as Elenore had once told her, was just life.

“That knight is coming,” the man said. “He will be born, soon, answering the call of all your wishes. He will do that which I was powerless to. He will protect you from all harm, all danger. He will bring a justice your world lacked.”

Darkness seemed to reach out from the gray, clawing at the man’s body. Sophia had an ominous premonition it didn’t seek him, but her. A haunting roar of primal anger echoed across the place, and Sophia felt chills run up her spine before that force disappeared.

“The gold comes together to form a tree,” he continued, nearly panting as he looked upon her. “And from their wills, the knight shall be born. Your knight. Await him. I will not be long after.”

Then he was gone, leaving no trace of his presence behind. In parting, the man took more than his being. The grayness all around dissipated, as did that malignant presence that he fought against. He took the words he spoke, too, leaving only the feelings they evoked.

Sophia awoke, and saw the familiar and comforting wooden ceiling of the room that Argrave had given her. As she blinked the morning fog from her eyes, she knew that she had a dream. As was often the case with dreams, she thought deeply on it yet could not recall its contents. Still, she felt a strange feeling; apprehension, anticipation, hope, and recognition tied together as a knot that brought pause to her mind. But despite her exploration, the dream did not return to her—only images of a knight, and the surety she had been with someone she once knew.

But… it wasn’t an unpleasant dream, surely?

#####

had finally managed to force Elenore into sleeping the night. Not longer after, news of the end of the siege of Kirel Qircassia finally graced their doorstep. The god of land and sky had died as he lived; rather ingloriously, and at the whim and whimsy of a massive coalition. Argrave would have to remember the lesson taught there if

evenly, with a great bulk nonetheless going to Law for his direct and significant contribution. Before,

that foundation of invincibility had cracks. Many

was just as you said,” the god of curiosity informed Argrave. “The White Planes are not quite as sterile as they once were. Instead, something unclean mars, pushes, and molds it without reservation. Jabs, spikes, and blunt blows are its preferred attacks,

“I was more interested about your read on

encountered Gerechtigkeit in the past. Regardless, I didn’t

going to happen?” Argrave

boyish indignance. “I’m entirely ignorant of its design, much less its capacity to weather attack. Before this,

report any

to

I had to guess, I’d like to find out what’s compelling me against my will. But I don’t have to guess.” Yinther shook his head. “I will say it took me a while of quiet observation to notice anything amiss. But once others take note of this, or if the situation worsens… it’ll be our word and bond alone keeping the Blackgard Union cohesive. Law, I trust. All the others… deception is Rook’s sphere. He’ll color outside the lines, somewhat, but he’ll still go along with all the others since the White Planes

scratched at his chin. “I disagree. Everyone will play extremely cautiously when the White Planes falls. They’ll know

around. “It

same.” He pointed at Yinther. “But between the possibility of a wider mental assault, and the movement of the Gilderwatchers beneath the surface, it’s clear that what I said about Gerechtigkeit having a greater strength than every other cycle before was correct. On that note, we’re forming a research team around psychic magic. Does that

who’d just learned something they wished they hadn’t, because they

#####

that they could no longer refuse to answer the question of why they had acted in such a drastic manner. Thus, they announced Vasquer’s death… and her funeral, shortly to come. To the people, it was to

rely on for all of his personal problems—but he felt her loss sharply all the same. Her unconditional love was not something that could be

the day of the funeral very early in the

lead us. Everything’s ready for the cremation,” she said without much inflection. “I was thinking we might light the pyre together. After… after it’s all done, she said she always wanted to be a part of this city… so, I believe

and exhaled. “Yeah.

to talk to you about something on the way. Over there,”

he might succeed in cheering her up where he failed. But he turned to someone who was just as badly affected—Orion. He wore a