jackal-among-snakes-16091326
chapter-87

The point of Nodremaid closest to the tunnel entrance from which Argrave and his companions had entered was the most thoroughly ‘cleaned’ by the Stonepetal Sentinels. It was largely devoid of danger or foliage, and the city retained some of the order it attempted to create in the distant past.

These facts made it dangerous. It would be the first place pursuers might look.

Argrave was certain there were pursuers. The six pigeons linked to him via [Pack Leader] had been keeping an eye on the tunnel entrance, per Argrave’s directions—they could not follow into the tunnel through the darkness and the link between them grew faint, but Argrave knew that a sizable group had entered. He could not be certain of how many, nor their composition, but knowing they existed was a very valuable piece of information.

The three of them had moved to a building temporarily, to seek shelter for a time and to decide their course of action. It was an abandoned merchant’s stop, though the furniture within had rotted over the centuries that passed. It was just a wreck of rotten wood and cold stone, now.

“Alright. Given my recent lack of success, I’m going to float to you all the ideas running in my head, and then we can decide from there.” Argrave said, leaning up against a wall that faced the open doorway so as to keep watch. It was a pointless gesture, he knew—Galamon would notice interlopers long before he did.

“Be concise. We should hurry, lest we lose our head start.” Galamon urged.

Argrave glanced at Galamon. Though acknowledging this bothered him, Argrave had to admit he felt some frustration Galamon had so quickly disposed of the Stonepetal Sentinel guarding the tunnel. Of course, without him, they may have all been killed. A simple fact kept his frustration in check; all of this was Argrave’s fault to begin with. He was the reason that man guarding the tunnels was dead.

“Right,” Argrave nodded, dismissing his errant thoughts. “We can’t stay here, where the city is least heavily influenced by the abominations left by the Order of the Rose. The Sentinels know this area best. Only a matter of time before we’re found.”

Galamon and Anneliese both nodded, and so Argrave continued. “That said, going into that jungle of flesh and bone is all but suicide. The Guardians roam Nodremaid in large groups. If one of them should find us, it’ll be difficult to escape unscathed even if I call upon Erlebnis’ power. These creatures are fast, ruthless, and intelligent—far different from those we witnessed in Thorngorge Citadel.”

“Leaving us with what option?” Anneliese inquired.

“The way I see it, we should move into the vampires’ territory—the headquarters of the Order of the Rose. They hunt the Guardians just as the Sentinels do, and we need to engage with them eventually, be it on friendly terms or… otherwise. It’ll be safer there than here, and it’ll place us closer to our goal.”

“Given what you disclosed to the Sentinels, they’ll be expecting us to go there,” Galamon pointed out.

“I thought the same,” Argrave crossed his arms. “Before recent events, I had intended to use the Sentinels as a cudgel against the vampires—win them to my side, talk them into coming with me.” Argrave scoffed at himself. “Guess I learned that you shouldn’t mess with the crazy. Regardless, if they’re pursuing us, the only thing I can think of is trying to force a confrontation between the vampires and the Sentinels. Maybe diplomacy, maybe just shepherding…”

“It’s an obvious thing to do. If the leader of the group pursuing you is competent, he will notice that intent immediately,” Galamon shot down quickly. “That said… it’s not a bad idea to head into the vampire’s territory. At the very least, I understand how they might be better than dealing with these… Guardians. I can keep watch better.”

“Okay. We can refine things further as we journey, but for now, we head to the headquarters of the Order of the Rose in Nodremaid, where the vampires reside. We’ll stick to the perimeter of the city—fewer areas the Guardians might approach from if we’ve a wall on one side.”

“We will have less maneuverability,” rebutted Anneliese.

“True, but that’s only if we’re caught.” Argrave nodded. “I don’t think it’s possible for the six pigeons linked to me via [Pack Leader] to come down through the darkness. I wish I had thought of this when we were escaping, but… well, what’s passed has passed. As such…” Argrave raised a hand, a spell matrix forming. The link between him and the birds shattered. He felt a strange emptiness in his chest, as though an emotional piece of him had been torn away. “If possible, forming a druidic bond with local fliers is paramount.”

“There are birds down here?” Anneliese asked incredulously.

“…no,” Argrave said after a pause. “Bats.”

“Oh, right,” she nodded, somewhat embarrassed. “Stupid… question.”

Argrave smiled, finding some solace in amusement amidst the constant uneasy dread. “Can’t blame you. Place is big enough for birds. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky there are no flying Guardians in this hellhole,” Argrave mused. He looked at Anneliese for a while. “How are you holding up?”

“I knew what to expect. I steeled myself. And… we have only barely begun,” Anneliese shook her head.

“Alright. Things ever get too much, don’t hesitate to stop us,” Argrave said.

Argrave felt a hypocrite saying that to Anneliese when uneasiness and anxiety plagued him so terribly. A voice echoed in the back of his head, saying, ‘This is it. This is where the skies end, and where I plummet into what I knew was coming.’ Try as he might not to dwell on it, Argrave had a fear of death as sharp as mint on his breath.

Argrave stepped to the doorway. “Let’s get going. Galamon, keep an eye out for bats, would you?”

“Bats, people, vampires, necromantic abominations… anything else?” he shook his head bitterly, adjusting his helmet.

“Not yet,” Argrave shook his head. “Soon, though.”