Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 637: Terra Incognita

Entering into the Shadowlands, even changed by Anneliese’s rewriting of its fundamentals, stripped Argrave of countless things that he’d come to take for granted; fundamental aspects of being that helped qualify the world around him. He was the first to pass through the threshold, and once he did, several facets of several senses left him.

Color ceased to exist. There were only different iterations of white and black, and all in between. Or at least, so he thought—when Anneliese entered, he still saw her amber eyes gleaming brilliantly. He thought she might be unique in some capacity, but when the heroes of old followed after them, Argrave realized that the only color still remaining was that of one’s eyes.

It was more than color. A dull, stale odor constantly wafted into his nose. It resembled cardboard. It became difficult to distinguish the intensity of touch—no matter how tightly Argrave squeezed the staff in his hand, it felt as though he was only squeezing it lightly. It made it impossible to tell how heavy things were, or how much strength his muscles were exerting. No matter how tightly he pinched himself, the pain felt like a dull ache no harsher than gently pressing a finger against a bruise.

At the edge of his vision, that darkness that had warded them from entering the Shadowlands persisted without an end. It did not encroach, but nor did it retreat. Argrave called upon his blood magic, casting a spell that sent an expanding whirlwind of blood outward. It was a wave of blackness that set all it touched into colorless flames. The Shadowlands had a distinct presence, but the flames left behind an emptiness, an absence of presence. Anneliese raised her staff, both healing the wounds Argrave’s magic had caused himself and recreating the Shadowlands into a place they might be able to understand. Shards of light spread out like a storm of white petals, creating the land ahead.

Once it took shape, this place did look an area where people might be able to live were it not so far removed from the laws of their world. They stood in a field of white grass, every blade looking like it had been folded out of bleached paper and planted into gray dirt. Despite Argrave expecting he would need to face waves and waves of Shadowlanders, they were totally alone in this empty plain.

“Argrave—” Anneliese said, but her voice came out strangely. She touched her throat, then tried to speak again. “Something’s wrong with my voice.”

It sounded flat, emotionless. It had no pitch or tone—it was a constant thing, lacking variation.

“Yeah, I—” Argrave began, only to double-take. His voice… it sounded exactlyas hers did, to the point where he was unable to realize that he was speaking. “It seems, even changed, this place follows fundamentally different laws from the world we left.”

It might’ve been a bit of a hack for creating a perfect choir if the voices didn’t sound so

thinking of call signs for half a moment before dismissing the idea. “Our names will suffice. Say your name, then say ‘speaking.’ When you’ve finished, cap it off

that,” came

speaking?” he countered. “I can’t see any enemies. We can deal with that when it happens. For now, say only what’s pertinent, and keep your eyes open

to his call, Argrave heard a very distant sound echoing across these silent plains. He whipped his head over to see a shape emerging from the darkness. At first, it was difficult to discern its shape. But

it flowed upward like smoke. Where the horse stepped, the gray dirt and white grass turned black, seeping and spreading across the world as thick drops of inks might spread

stepping forward, a spell at the front of his mind. If this was the beginning of an attack, he hoped to reveal all enemies hiding

But he heard a rumbling bang that sounded like a huge drum had been struck. His spell veered upward, punching a hole in the darkness. It tore through the Shadowlands with little effort, vanishing into the distant horizon. Anneliese’s staff resonated, healing his wounds and replacing that which his magic

his stance he had parried the spell with that alone. Anneliese’s translation of the Shadowlands took shape behind him, revealing a sheer

not approach. It waited there fearlessly, even as the fire continued to pass by it. In the far distance, a towering black tower took shape, partially concealed by the translucent wings of the dragon. Unlike all else, the tower did not remain visible for long—darkness fell back upon it, just

the grassy plateau, echoing out to

putting its sword back in its sheath. “Will you

I’d rage against the dying of the light,” he said,

that, it’s nothing less than you deserve.” It raised its head, and in that shadowy horseman’s face, he saw white eyes shining with life just as theirs did. It drew its sword once more, and dropped it into the ground. It sunk in, as if through water. Then, far behind it, the dragon craned its neck,

the empty space below the marble plateau, grasping hold of the side as it pulled itself up. There, one of the nightmares that Argrave knew as the Shadowlanders revealed itself, crawling up. Argrave heard other noises below—a consistent rumble, not indicating either the weight or the speed of what