Jackal Among Snakes

“Every time the girl moves, I can see the fractures in this perfect recreation.” Anneliese looked around the room carefully, even as the people within reacted to her presence. “All of this, everything around us, is something that responds wholly to her actions and movements. This is built to keep her in check.”

“Recreation? So this isn’t real?” Melanie questioned.

“It’s… difficult for me to even judge.” Anneliese clutched her forehead, looking at things that Argrave couldn’t perceive. He wished for nothing more to see things through her eyes. “When I look at her, I see something impossible for me to make out. And I think that there is much that I miss. She’s halved in more ways than one. She is literally incomplete. Something is missing—something was torn away from her. And on this side, only half of what’s left is here.” She shook her head rapidly. “I apologize. I know that this makes little sense, but it’s what I see.”

“Speak freely, and command us as you will,” the Alchemist directed her. “I possess [Minor Truesight], yet even I cannot see what you do. You are our sole way forward in this scene.”

“Release your spell’s hold, please,” Anneliese commanded without hesitation.

The Alchemist complied, and Anneliese fell free of the encirclement of air that he had created. She landed well, then walked around the banquet table to come and look at the girl. Despite most others being immensely surprised when people suddenly appeared near them, the girl’s reactions seemed rather muted. There was surprise, but it lacked that instinct of self-preservation. Even King Norman showed more shock.

“As far as I can tell, despite the mix of strange energies within her, she’s simply a girl.” Anneliese kneeled down, peering at her. “And this close, I can better see what it is occurring within and around her.”

Anneliese watched for a long, long time as the girl looped in time. At some point Onychinusa got annoyed at the man constantly bursting into the room, so she cast a spell in front of the door to keep it shut. She twitched in annoyance every time the door banged loudly.

“Found you,” Anneliese said triumphantly, rising to her feet and looking all around. She seemed to follow an invisible guideline, and set off in pursuit down the banquet hall. She pushed open a set of double doors and proceeded into the castle’s keep. “Follow me. And watch the door.”

Now that it had been proven they could persist without the Alchemist’s spell, everyone else was released, and then followed as Anneliese instructed. Everyone entered the door one after the other, as none wished to risk it returning to its place as they walked through. Anneliese’s eyes were firmly fixed on something, but Argrave could perceive nothing out of sorts. They walked up a flight of stairs, through a hallway, and into another room, passing by and startling maids and guards all along the path.

The room they entered was a bedroom, lined with red velvets, pink silks, and general decadence. Judging from the things strewn about, it was the little girl’s room. It looked like things were missing, as though they’d been taken away. Argrave saw a spot he was certain a painting had hung not a day ago. While observing, he spotted a peculiar spot in the wall where bricks looked fresher and out of place. He saw glass through a crack in the bricks—the window had been bricked away, evidently.

Anneliese pointed at the false window. “This, here, is the beginning of the formation entrapping this city. And it’s here where new things can enter the place where time is trapped.”

Melanie, who was somewhat near the formation, stepped away rapidly while exclaiming under her breath, “Good gods.”

“I cannot think that the girl herself is behind this strange phenomenon, but it’s most certainly sustained by the energy within her.” Anneliese once again looked around the room, calculating unseen yet arcane things. She looked quite happy, Argrave thought, to be dissecting this mystery. Her curiosity was being fed by something fascinating for the first time in a while.

Yet then her pale face went a little paler, and Argrave saw her retract within herself as she grew nervous. At first, Argrave thought that she’d seen something that had alarmed her. But as time went on, he saw glances sent his way and knew that there was something she was hesitant to say.

“What is it?” Argrave asked after she said nothing for a long period.

“Let me think,” insisted Anneliese, holding up her hand to stop him from questioning further.

Argrave stared at her for a few moments, then took another step toward her. “I know how you look when you’re thinking. And this isn’t it. The thinking’s done, isn’t it? What have you seen?”

Anneliese went quiet for a long time, then looked at Argrave. He could see some fear in her amber eyes, and instinctively raised his hand to grab her wrists. “If I tell you, I know what you’d do,” Anneliese closed her eyes.

“Will you tell me, then?” Argrave asked her quietly.

“This formation…” she slowly looked around again, her eyes perceiving the imperceivable. “It’s unbreakable. Unbreakable from this side alone, at least. And if there was someone on that other side, whose mind could not be interfered with… someone wearing the Ravenstone… I am certain they would retain their memories during every iteration, every reset of the scenario.”

Everyone shifted uneasily, save the Alchemist and Orion.

“From what I can see with Yinther’s blessing, to enter here would be to enter the reality leading up to the loop, not the loop itself. Meaning, the one on the inside might be able to discover and disable the cause before this trap completes itself.”

“I volunteer,” Orion raised his hand. “I have no fear of eternity, Your Highness.”

Anneliese crossed her arms and walked away. “If what was beyond was something that could fight, you would certainly be most suitable. But this problem will require finesse and insight. With my [Truesight], I’m best suited. I should go. Give me the Ravenstone, Argrave.”

“You debate choices without comprehension of the problem. Until Argrave dies, the Ravenstone is tied to him,” the Alchemist said firmly, shaking his head. “My own design, to protect my liberty in case he should be too careless in protecting it.”

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“You never told me that,” Argrave looked at him sternly.

“I said that, should you perish, Anneliese or Elenore will inherit it.” The Alchemist returned the look at Argrave without emotion.

“And from that, I’m supposed to extrapolate that it’s tied to me?” Argrave threw his hands in the air. “Whatever. That doesn’t matter anymore. Anneliese—are you certain that this thing could protect me from having my memories wiped every loop if I entered that place?”

Anneliese paced around the room, then looked at a red stuffed bunny at the foot of the bed. “I want to say no. But…”

“But yes, you’re certain,” Argrave guessed. When Anneliese nodded, he put his hand to his face. “And I won’t be locked into five seconds of time?”

“No. I can see beyond the fault,” Anneliese walked up to the bricked off window. “I see the day unfolding. And at some point, like a stick caught in a wheel, it jams. You’d have freedom up until that jamming. And when it does jam, I’m certain you’d merely be taken back to the beginning.”

Tower Master Castro studied the point she claimed to be the sole fault in this illusion. “And he can’t come back?”

Anneliese brightened. “I… did not consider that. It could be possible, but I’m not entirely confident about it. I can see the entrance, but as I cannot view it from the other side…”

Despite that small comfort, Argrave’s headache started to mount. Good lord. I have to enter whatever distortion this is, figure everything out, don’t I? Toying with time… has it ever gone well for anyone, ever? And I could end up like one of those poor saps, repeating five seconds endlessly… but with my memories intact.

The thought made Argrave seize with fear.

“You shouldn’t do it,” Anneliese shook her head firmly. “It’s too dangerous. There’s too much unknown, and too much at stake. I should look around more, look for another answer, look for another—”

“You say that, yet golems have entered Sandelabara,” the Alchemist declared. “I left some druidic bonds near the entrance, and that’s what they see.”

Argrave blinked rapidly, trying to picture what druidic bonds the Alchemist could possibly have. “Golems? Of what kind?”

“They’re hot enough that every step sets the grass aflame,” the Alchemist noted. “They must’ve walked through magma to come here, judging by what evidence I can gather. I can sense in them the strange energy that Dario used against me. This is his move.”

Melanie laughed. “Looks like the bastard kept his word…”

“I will deal with them,” Orion declared, then stormed for the door. “Think freely, please, in my absence.”

“Hold on,” Argrave held him back. “One of these golems manhandled Durran with divine armaments. We can’t afford to split up right now—those things could rip a lone person to shreds, even you.” He looked at Anneliese. “And it seems like we don’t have much time to look.”

“If we can beat them—” Anneliese began, but Argrave raised a finger to her lips.

“If,” Argrave repeated. “But we’re very deep now, very close. So, here’s what we should do. I’ll take the Alchemist inside the Ravenstone. Then, we’ll—”

“I will not enter such a thing foolhardily,” the Alchemist shook his head. “But I will bestow upon you this, should you decide to advance.”

Argrave’s surge of confidence died in infancy as the Alchemist declared that he was foolhardy. But the giant pulled one of his eyes out of his head, cut into it, and pulled free a lens. After cleaning it, he handed it to Argrave.

“This lens will extend [Minor Truesight] upon you when imbued with magic and peered through. It took me many centuries to craft, so do not break it.”

“If I do, won’t it be repaired anyhow?” Argrave smiled, but took it. It did frustrate him that the Alchemist had been keeping such an item hidden, but Argrave supposed he had no right to demand the man relinquish all of his secrets. Argrave thought it might function as a monocle, but then it occurred to him he had no idea how people even wore those antiquated things. “How do I wear…?”

“Fit it between your cheekbone and brow bone, or hold it,” the Alchemist directed. “Alternatively, I can put it inside your—”

“No, that’ll work.” Argrave put it up as instructed. It fit rather snugly beneath his brow and cheekbone, just as he’d been told. He briefly tested it out, and cocked his head back when he saw the blessings within each of his companions. He quickly stopped, lest the visions overwhelm his mind, and removed it while rubbing his eye. “Good lord. That’ll take some getting used to.”

“You can’t seriously be thinking of doing this,” Onychinusa walked up to Argrave, perplexed. “All of this is so sudden. We should take more time.”

“I trust, even if this is truly a mistake, everyone here can fix it,” Argrave shrugged. “And Anneliese doesn’t say things without certainty. What she saw… I don’t doubt it for a second. There’s something on the other side that will help us complete the picture.”

“You’ll walk into death because she said so?” Onychinusa looked at him like he was stupid.

“She’d never ask me to die,” Argrave shook his head. “Alright, Anne. What, do I just walk in?”

Anneliese bit her lip looking at him, and hesitated greatly about whether or not to even expose this matter. After lowering her head in what might’ve been shame, she looked back up, then walked. “Walk in… at this angle,” she demonstrated, stopping a fair bit short.

Argrave took position in front of her, took a deep breath as though there might not be air on the other side, and then walked inside. Past a certain point, he felt the bond between him and his Brumesingers waver—they were safe at Blackgard, yet even here he could feel their presence. He felt their panic, and before it could mirror his own, he continued into the distortion.

#####

“He actually did it,” Melanie sounded flabbergasted while she stared at the wall. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Guess I—”

“Sweet baby Jesus, you’re actually here!”

Everyone whipped their head to the sudden voice, where Argrave rose up from out of the corner. He looked like a mad dog.

“You guys have no idea the day I—”

Argrave vanished before his words could finish, but then another voice appeared elsewhere. Argrave held a paper in the corner of the room, and read from it frantically.

“Listen close,” he said quickly. “Every three hours, I get five seconds I can talk to you at the end of each cycle. Now I—”

Argrave vanished again, appearing in a similar location with the same paper.

“I need you to do several things for me in a very tight time frame. If you do it right, I think that you can prolong things for—”

Argrave vanished, then reappeared.

“Prolong things a couple minutes. I’m figuring out what resets the world. The girl’s name is Sophia, and she has something—"

As Argrave vanished again, everyone began to realize what was happening. For them, twenty seconds would have passed. But for Argrave, he’d have been in there for twelve hours. And if they were to look outside… Argrave’s presence was throwing this static world into a vast array of possibilities, where everyone from the birds to the people behaved a little differently in the wake of this new added variable.