Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 663: Mirror in the Sky

Chapter 663: Mirror in the Sky

Though Argrave had said not long ago that he trusted his brother, now that his intentions were clear and they’d all agreed to help Orion on his search, he did consult two encyclopedias for answers. The first was his own head—not to toot his own horn, of course. He’d be tooting Erlebnis’, anyhow, considering the god had gathered the knowledge only to use it as a cudgel to unsuccessfully break his mind. The second encyclopedia was almost directly responsible for the first.

Its name was Raven.

“Do you know how many voyages have been attempted to the moon?” Raven asked Argrave as they walked side-by-side.

“Eighty-seven.” Argrave looked at the obsidian confines of Raven’s lab, wondering where the man was leading them.

“I’ll assume that’s not a guess. My point is the same—very many have voyaged seeking the stars, the sun, and the moon.” An eye and mouth appeared on Raven’s elbow, enabling him to emphasize his point without turning his head. “All of them failed. No one has been to the moon and back—not the gods of space, nor deities of any stripe. This so-called lunar dragon your brother insists exists is a statistical impossibility.”

“But not a physical one,” Argrave pointed out.

Raven stopped in his tracks, turning his body toward Argrave. “So you’ve told me. The notion of people, without magic, achieving such a thing is… fanciful. It was hard enough to get them collaborate to fight Gerechtigkeit—building a spacecraft capable of not only making it to the moon, but returning…”

“I’m no rocket scientist. I can understand that might surprise you.” Argrave held his hands out to kill the imaginary doubt. “But all of the problems that exist—lack of air, lack of protection, and I’m sure a thousand others I’m forgetting… they can be remedied. Flight trajectories can be calculated with math, and controlled with precise application of force. It takes a lot of data, a lot of time, and a lot of variables to discover and consider. But… from my meager understanding of the world, there’s no reason why it’s impossible. Doubly so when magic does exist.”

“I know.” Raven waved his hand, and an obsidian doorway parted. “By all means, it should be possible. Yet it never has been.”

Argrave narrowed his eyes. “I wasn’t expecting you to agree so readily.”

“I guarantee you—if it were possible, a god would have done it. Unless, of course…” Raven raised a finger up. “There’s a variable you’re ignoring. A variable that wouldn’t have existed in your world. That’s why I’ve asked you here today.” He entered into the doorway he’d made.

“I figured you wanted to cut me open, just like old times.” Argrave smiled and followed after him.

obsidian stairs, and they finally came into

away from the table she stood in front of to greet their arrival. The room that she was in seemed to be a storage area of Raven’s. There were shelves and drawers with

in, gesturing at the goddess that had made him the way he was. “I brought Hause here today to confirm what

thought that he always saw a shudder from her, but perhaps it was his imagination. “He’s right in all except bringing me—I came of my own accord, to offer assistance where I believed it prudent.” She gave Raven a

brows, feeling an uneasy headache mounting. “Are you

Argrave, doesn’t mean that Orion is necessarily wrong.” Raven stood behind Hause in quiet observance, his two

“’No latent power in our blood’ and ‘unlocking the power of our bloodline’ are mutually exclusive

away and walked to a corner in the room. “Have you read

nodded. “Yeah, last night. They’re pretty ubiquitous across all cultures, and that’s suspicious. Ugly lady with red hair comes down, but she’s actually a dragon in disguise. Only guy who isn’t an ass to her, she

this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen

life in the same nature, no matter how many thousands of miles away from each other they might be. It’s no wonder tribal cultures across the continents all speak

stand beside

hard on a shelf in the wall, and pulled free a body with vibrant red hair. “Something I picked up a great many cycles ago.” He laid down an immaculately preserved corpse, and Argrave looked away. “Look at it. Don’t act all prudish. How many

dead, with that blank-eyed gaze that so many bodies had. From the skin alone, he could

of those descendants?” Hause

light down the nostrils and ears. “I could show you the hallmarks showing her lineage, but you two are far too stupid for me to do it without wasting hours of time. Suffice it to say, trust my word when I say she’s only partly human.” An eye grew on the back of the hand Raven used to manipulate the corpse, locking gazes with Argrave. “And like you, Argrave, there is nothing within her to suggest there is some bountiful latent power. Moonlight

have made

and a hole opened into the obsidian floor. He pushed the body in, then swiped again to close it, disposing of the body rather ungracefully. “There was no studying to be done. I found her like this, and it wasn’t until today I could make the

eyes. “You found her like

One of my roaming chimeras found her and

felt minorly offended as he asked, “What

Raven looked at Hause. “Now… are you sure on what you

she got

Hause closed her eyes. “I’ll convey