Kings Game

Chapter 99 - Like Father Like Son

Nul was where they normally were, hiding in the cabin pouring over the designs that would undo Ahndor's etchings. Kell was there as well, though she was pretending to be asleep on a bunk.

"How's it going?" Roran asked.

"Fine, I think," said Nul.

"Care to share some details?"

Nul shook their head.

"Don't want to, or can't?"

Nul looked up from their diagrams. They looked exhausted, even more so than usual. Nul had been avoiding sleep for over a year but this exhaustion didn't appear to be from tiredness, it looked like Nul was scared.

Roran sat down on the bunk nearest Nul and cocked his head. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes and no. I...I know how to break Ahndor's etchings. At least, I can disrupt the etchings making her invulnerable."

"That's great!"

"But I don't know if I can do it."

Roran motioned for Nul to continue.

"The problem is that I have to do it myself...I mean, I have to etch her myself...I mean, I have to use a godspell on her that forcibly etches new designs onto her skin. I have to have the godspell prepared and ready to go, then I have to be the one to personally activate it on her, which will require skin to skin contact."

"Okay," said Roran, "Is there any way you can put the godspell into one of your gossamer orbs?"

"No, not without it being the size of your head. And even then, it will require a large amount of energy to activate and it will only have one shot. If I miss, then I'll have to start all over. Even if I was able to cobble together a prepared godspell like that, there's no guarantee that it would work. Akanos seems convinced that it would fail, the power transfer threshold is too great."

"Forget what Akanos thinks," said Roran. "I care more about your opinion."

Nul winced, as though someone was shouting in their ear. After a moment, Nul said, "I agree with Akanos on this one, I don't think something as free form as one of my gossamer orbs will work. This is a difficult process, I'll need to use my own etchings to make it work."

"Okay, then we just need to get you close to Ahndor so you can do your thing."

"Easier said than done," said Nul. "She's King Balaki's Chosen. Even if we can undo her godspell, she's still wearing some of the most powerful markings I've ever seen and fueling them with a crown. She's going to be more powerful than anything we've ever seen before. She can tear us apart with her bare hands if she wants. Holding her down while I change her etchings is suicide."

"I'll do it," said Kell suddenly. "I'll provide the distraction and give Nul a chance to work their magic."

"How are you going to do that?" asked Roran.

Kell rolled over so her back was facing him. "Don't worry about it, I'll handle it."

(2)

The next day, early in the morning, the ship came to life with movement and yelling. Roran tried to ignore it. He was comfortable in his bunk with Sarah curled up against him. She'd manifested a full body and her skin was warm against his own.

"You can't hide in bed forever," she said.

Roran groaned and rolled over, pulling her close. Kell was still asleep in her bunk and Nul was nowhere to be seen. Savoring a moment of privacy, Roran pressed his face into her hair. She smelled like a summer day on the beach.