Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 680

Argrave saw Lorena’s return long in advance. She had fled—perhaps prudently—because of what the suns had been doing. She returned as she’d left, like a comet soaring through the sky. Argrave flinched as she appeared in a burst of speed and light, again bearing witness to her draconic form moments before she seamlessly transformed back into something more human.

“What did you do?” she asked him. Her voice wasn’t angry, but it was certainly stiff.

Argrave took a moment to compose himself, casting a glance at Anneliese to gauge from her expression if he needed to fear this ancient dragon might try something. Anneliese didn’t seem to be particularly wary, so he faced Lorena with calm.

“You told me that you’re like Raven. That you’ve a certain mastery of the body,” he began. “That means you probably have Truesight of some kind—and that means you know what happened.”

“It was rather far from what we’d discussed,” she said, her voice drawn tight.

“Not really. I vowed to block people from Gerechtigkeit’s influence—I’ve done that. Nothing alive will ever again be subject to influence outside the confines of their own mind.” He could help but smile as he continued, “…and if that includes the Heralds, so be it. Their input isn’t especially valued.”

Lorena stared him eye-to-eye, not even blinking. “You’re quite the dandy bastard.” She poked his chest with her sharp nail—it was almost a claw, really. “This is going to be bloody. Very bloody. You talked to Jaray, I assume?”

Argrave blinked—he couldn’t of yet tell her disposition toward this change. “I did. And the ones that hold his leash. Fortunately for us, we’ll never hear from them again.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Lorena said without committing.

compelled him to say, “I don’t have to dance around the issue anymore. Even if they can hear us, they can’t do anything. The Heralds are responsible for every bit

would take.” She stepped away and looked up to the sky. “Your idea was really one of the most outlandish things I’ve ever seen. And

stepped between them. “Try

“If I died, all souls would become an isolated island. I just gave myself a little advantage, nothing more. A little service fee for removing a vulnerability on all our operating systems. Now…”

predicated on something untrue,” Lorena said, raising one finger up. “I can’t take

out to her. “You seem to be limited in

all those millennia ago. My old allies have all died, naturally or otherwise. Those I’d call kin alive today won’t be of any help to you—they’re soft, living their lives of quietude with peaceful spectacle. But me?” Her nostrils flared, quite literally at that. “Nothing would please me more

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exceptions like the dwarves, who just saw strange sparkling gold balls fly out of their chest at a random time. Their diplomats asked Vasquer what had happened, and he

Road. If

the answers to the questioning masses. It was precisely for this reason that so many were terrified, yet the fact nothing had seemed to change did quiet their fright. They’d lost something they were barely aware of, and nothing changed… ignoring the solitary golden disc

was the

Argrave gave Orion full authority to organize an expedition constituted of whatever members were willing to join him, and move out to retrieve them. His brother, of everyone, was

change most severely felt was the sudden disappearance

the chaos caused

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