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.

anything, but eventually felt a surge of annoyance that compelled him to say, “I don’t have to dance around the issue anymore. Even if they can hear us,

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 it does disquiet me that

them.

gave myself a little advantage, nothing more. A little service fee for removing a vulnerability on all our operating systems. Now…” He

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

out to her. “You

She turned her head back to Argrave with a broad smile. “The dragons up there aren’t the ones that fought against Gerechtigkeit 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 than putting an end to all of this. I haven’t forgotten a thing, whether it’s what the Heralds did to us,

#####

There were a few notable exceptions like the dwarves, who just saw strange sparkling gold balls fly

Road. If you see it on Amazon, please

on the surface sought answers about this solar phenomenon. Those educated about the soul were in much higher supply after Llewellen and his team had pioneered soul magic, and they were able to provide 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 in the

most urgently deserving attention was the sudden freedom of

were willing to join him, and move out to retrieve them. His brother, of everyone, was most qualified for that role. He verified their safety, explained the situation, and then gave them the freedom of choice. They couldn’t give their answer in words, but Orion conveyed with considerably certainty they chose

change most severely felt was the sudden disappearance of

communication networks. Its sudden absence proved to be a tremendous point of failure, further exacerbated by the chaos caused after the solar event. It took her a long while to set up a ramshackle form of communication, during which she was cursing Argrave the whole

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