Kings Game

Chapter 72 - The Devil of Chains

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With only two days before the fight, the entire group had to run themselves ragged. Roran and Darling set about sourcing new gear for Kell, with Darling using her wealth and newfound status to expedite the process of forging of new equipment. Nul had to redesign Kell's focus markings from the ground up.

With a new design on the way, Kell and Karyn had spent a day scrubbing the old etchings off Kell's body. Roran had wanted to watch the process but, even if he'd had the time for it, it probably would have been in bad taste. The few changes Nul had made to Roran's own designs had required gentle removal of a few small pieces at a time, but never a full scrubbing. Nul had always used their own etchings to magic away the indelible markings, rather than forcing Roran to go through the old process.

Instead, while Kell was having her skin stripped down to nothing more than flesh and scars, Roran had run around with Darling. A couple of times a shadow clerk had tried to find him but, thanks to Sarah, he was able to avoid them. He didn't have time to play toy soldier for Pelkha, not until they got through the deathmatch with Timara.

The two days flew by in a blur. They barely managed to get everything done in time, with Nul completing the final etchings on the morning of the fight. Normally, Kell liked to be in the arena early, avoiding the crowds and the chaos. Today, however, she opted to stay with her family.

It was the first major event to occur since Darling had arrived in the city, and she was expected to mingle with other nobles and diplomats. Naturally, she brought the entire group along as her entourage, save for Sarah who stayed hidden within Roran's shadow.

They had departed Darling's house in a horse drawn cart, reminiscent of the carriages in Uhlara, and took a direct route straight into the King's Arena, bypassing the crowds entirely. After arriving in the arena, Nul and Kell headed to a ready room while Roran and Karyn escorted Darling up to the diplomatic chambers.

Unlike the Sanctuary, the climb to the upper levels was by stair rather than elevator. Roran had developed a keen dislike for stairs over the last year. Though he had no difficulty with the climb, he was still frustrated by the time they reached the top. Karyn was slightly winded while Darling, to his surprise, was relatively undisturbed. Clearly, Uhlara had just as many stairs as Roran remembered, and its inhabitants were used to the torture.

"You're on edge," Sarah whispered in his ear.

Roran nodded. He knew little things were making him more upset than normal but he couldn't help himself. He was worried about Kell. Darling, on the other hand, seemed perfectly composed.

Once they reached the diplomatic chambers, where they would observe the day's bouts, she smoothed her skirts, adjusted her hair, and put on a polite smile before entering the room and greeting the other nobles. Roran and Karyn followed after her, acting as an escort.

Though the culture of King's City was far different than that of Uhlara, the nobles were almost the same, just in different clothes. They smiled, made platitudes, shook hands, and did everything to be friendly while hiding any hint of actual intent or opinion. They were there to play the game, which meant pretending to be friendly with everyone, while still being ready to jam a knife in someone's back at a moment's notice.

While Darling worked the room, introducing herself and making new contacts, Sarah grumbled in Roran's ear, constantly commenting on how little truth was being spoken. Being an incarnation of Death itself, Sarah was able to parse truth from falsehood, and the room was swimming with little lies and vague half-truths. Sarah whispered this into Darling's ear in between conversations, but Darling waved her away, saying, "I would be far more concerned if they were being honest with me. At least the lies are predictable."