(1)
Roran was worried about Kell but he didn't know what to do about it. She'd returned from the flagship covered in blood and refusing to talk to anyone. She'd changed her clothes and spent the rest of the day hiding away in the cabin, avoiding anyone that tried to talk to her. Merem had tried to force her into a conversation and it got heated enough that his hound had stepped between the two and Roran had been forced to shepherd Merem away from the situation.
Sarah had told Roran about Demetrio and the grizzly scene she'd found when she felt the remnant's presence. Kell had been brutal and merciless. Sarah said that with a violent death like that, it was no surprise that Demetrio had become a remnant. A weak one that was easily moved along, but a remnant nonetheless.
A day later, the man-o-war had pulled itself out of the water and headed back towards King's City, taking Darling and the others with it. Roran had felt a sigh of relief seeing the big ship leave and take the majority of the fleet with it. The remainder were staying in place to ensure a proper takeover of the Esmun military and to quell any lingering pockets of resistance. A small armada would be left at the Esmun Isles themselves, but the rest were set to return.
Roran was beginning to go stir crazy until Merem found him pacing the deck and gave him some good news.
"We're leaving soon," he said.
"How soon?" asked Roran.
"Is tomorrow good enough for you?"
Roran nodded. There were a lot of factors beyond his control, but he was as prepared as he could be. "Tomorrow is fine," he said. "I need to talk to Nul."
Merem moved to block his path. "Not so fast. I wanted to ask you about our plan."
"Our plan?"
"You know," said Merem, glancing around the deck to make sure they weren't overheard. "Our plan to deal with the old immortal."
"Ah. The plan is for you to get us close to her, then we'll do the rest."
"Yes, but what about specifics? What exactly am I supposed to be doing in this grand scheme of yours."
Roran sighed. There was no way he was getting out of this. After a moment of thought, Roran said, "Ahndor will be flying back with us, correct?"
"On a ship of her own, but yes. The last three ships—including our own—are to leave tomorrow."
"Then keep us close, and when we reach the ground, we'll attack."
"That's it?"
Roran nodded. "I have a plan for once we get her alone, but until then we're improvising. We'll figure it out as we go."
Merem pressed his lips into a thin line and scowled at Roran. "I thought you were supposed to be a prodigal tactician that planned everything out. Isn't that why Kell rescued you in the first place?"
Roran shrugged. "I fear people have been overexaggerating my abilities. I can't plan for what I can't control."
"I see, well let me know before you do anything stupid."
"Sure."
"I mean it, Roran. I'm placing a lot of trust in you. I expect you to keep me informed. Remember, this is my ship. So long as you're on it, you'll do as I say."
Roran gave Merem a mock salute. "Aye aye, Captain."
Merem rolled his eyes before turning on his heel and leaving Roran alone on the deck. Finally free of the ship's Captain, Roran went to find Nul.
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.
"I think today is the day," he murmured.
"I think you're right," she said back.
"Wish that I could lay here with you forever and forget all about our stupid plans."
"You came up with those stupid plans," Sarah teased.
"Then they must be terrible."
"Terrible enough to save the world."
"Is that what we're doing?" Roran asked. "I thought it was revenge."
Sarah shifted so she could face him, her long dark hair spilling across them both. "What we're doing is fixing a problem that has caused more pain and suffering than you can ever imagine. That's why I do what I do. That's why all of the lyhlim are doing what we can to support you."
"Then I suppose I should stop hiding in bed and get on it, huh?"
Sarah leaned in to kiss him, then vanished from his arms. Roran let out a groan and crawled out of bed to put his clothes on. Once dressed and geared up for the day, Roran packed his few belongings back into his bag and left the cabin.
Several soldiers were battening down the ship for a long journey while others prepared for flight. Roran found an out of the way spot on the deck and watched the sun rise.
He tried to memorize the taste of the air, the feel of it on his skin as the gentle sea breeze blew back his hair. Much like Nul, he was in need of a haircut. So many things had stopped being important after the attack on King's City. There was too much to do and so many people to mourn. Now, they had one last thing to do and then they could take a short rest.
"Prepare to unfurl the mainsail!" Merem called, striding onto the deck with his hound in tow. "Bear away, we've got a good tailwind and I want to ride it all the way inland."
The ship began turning so that the wind was coming from behind them. A soldier came up to Roran and began untying some ropes. He gave Roran a nod and a smile. Roran nodded back and moved out of his way. He'd been careful not to spend time with the crew or learn any of their names. He had too much on his mind already.
When ready, Merem gave the order for the sails to be released and the wind pushed the ship forward, back towards shore. Beside them, two other ships were doing the same. One was slightly ahead of them, leading the way. Ahndor's ship.
It wasn't her personal ship. Roran had learned that Ahndor didn't maintain a personal ship, she just commandeered ships as needed. It was fortunate that she'd agreed to fly back with them. Roran knew she was keeping tabs on him and was grateful for it.
The ship rose and fell with the waves until it stopped falling and just kept rising, climbing higher and higher into the air. All three ships rose above the waves, trailing water behind them. The sun caught the droplets, leaving a rainbow glistening in their wake.
As the ship got underway, Merem barked more orders, leaving his ship in the care of his crew. Once free of his duties, he joined Roran at the railing.
"We have enough fairy rock to travel for three days. Then we'll need to refill at one of our supply points."
Roran nodded. "That should work."
Glancing around the deck, Merem said, "Is that when you plan to strike?"
"It's an opportunity. I would prefer to get her alone, but we'll see how things play out."
"Again with the vague plan. You're going to get us all killed!"
Roran turned to look at Merem, his gaze cool and his expression calm. "Everything we do is likely to get us killed. Don't start being a coward now. You wanted in on this scheme, it's too late to turn back now."
Merem glared at Roran. "I'm committed to seeing this through, one way or another," he said before turning on his heel and leaving.
"Thoughts?" Roran asked.
Sarah appeared next to him. "He's not lying. He was tense after his meeting with General Ahndor yesterday, but I don't think he's going to abandon the plan altogether."
"We just need him to hold it together for a little bit longer."
Roran looked out at the other ships. Ahndor's ship was staying relatively close to them. The other ship was drifting further and further ahead. Roran wondered who was on the third ship. All three were supposed to travel back at the same time, but there'd been no instructions about staying together. Ideally, that ship would fly off into the sunset and they wouldn't have to worry about it. It was a naive hope, but Roran was willing to indulge himself with a little naivety. Besides, there wasn't anything he could do about the third ship aside from ignore it and hope for the best.
The sea beneath them turned to land and then into rolling hills. Small cities dotted the coastline, taking advantage of the natural resources that the sea provided. When traveling, Roran had fallen in love with those little cities. They were calm and pleasant. Maybe someday, he and his friends could go back to them.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Kell came up and leaned against the railing next to him. "Well you're looking chipper," she said.
"Couldn't sleep with all the noise," said Roran. "How are you feeling?"
"As well as I can."
"Where's Nul?"
"I'm here," said Nul, appearing on his other side.
"Are you ready?"
Nul let out a heavy sigh. "As much as I can be."
Roran flashed them both a grin. "Think of it this way, if we fail, then it won't be our problem anymore."
(3)
As they traveled, the third ship kept getting further and further ahead. Leaving his comrades to watch the other ships, Roran went to find Merem. Merem was making rounds on the ship, ensuring that the crew were performing to his standards.
"Merem," said Roran, flagging him down. "Can you slow our pace?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's part of what we talked about, I just want you to slow us down a little."
Merem scowled at him, but went to the helmsman nonetheless. "Slow us down by two knots." The helmsman looked at him, confused. "Just do it."
The helmsman nodded and gently touched a few shining plates on the helm. There was a slight lurch and the ship began to slow its pace.
"Good," said Roran. "Stay here."
He went to the railing and peered out at Ahndor's ship. It began drifting ahead. Then, a few moments later, the sails were brought in, slowing its pace.
"Good," Roran breathed. "This is good." Turning back to Merem, he yelled, "Slower, slow us down more."
Merem scowled at Roran but did as he was told. The ship lurched again, slowing down further. Moments later, Ahndor's ship followed suit, keeping pace with Vassili's Spear. The third ship had become a speck on the horizon.
"Well?" called Merem.
"Keep this pace for a while longer," Roran said.
He held onto the railing, watching as Ahdnor's ship started drifting closer. It moved slowly, almost as though it were unintentional. Roran could almost picture Ahndor standing at the helm, trying to ease the ships together without being obvious about it. The thought made him grin.
When the third ship was completely out of sight, Roran said, "Furl the sails, let us drift."
"I'm getting tired of these games, Roran."
"Just do it!"
Grumbling, Merem gave the orders. Several confused soldiers began furling the sails, slowing the ship even further. Just as Roran had expected, Ahndor's ship furled its sails and began drifting even closer. They'd given up trying to be subtle.
As the two ships neared each other, Merem stomped over to Roran. His frustration turned to open hostility.
"Roran, for the love of the gods, will you tell me what games you're playing?"
"My father once fought against General Ahndor. It was the siege of Aurandale. Despite having no navy, being entirely outnumbered, and standing on the brink of destruction, my father was able to destroy Ahndor's ship and bring her down to the ground where they could fight evenly."
"And how did he do that?"
"Like this," said Roran. "Nul, now!"
Nul had moved to the bow of the ship and now jumped up onto the bowsprit. Standing as far forward as they possibly could, Nul spread their arms wide. Threads of gossamer trailed off behind them, fluttering back in the wind. The gossamer grew longer and longer, trailing back until it was fluttering against the sides of the ship, clinging to the hull like cobwebs.
Confused, the soldiers began peering over the railing, watching as the shimmering threads worked their way into the etchings that held the ship aloft. There was a snap of energy and the ship surged forward. It gained speed and momentum until it was moving faster than it ever had. Roran was forced to grab onto the railing before he tumbled to the deck. Many soldiers did lose their footing, falling to the deck and sliding about. Merem managed to cling onto the railing behind Roran.
"Roran, what are you doing?"
Roran ignored him. They were hurtling through the air towards Ahndor's ship. Even from a distance, Roran was able to make out General Ahndor, standing on the deck of her ship and staring back at him.
"Roran!" Merem latched onto Roran's arm. "What are you doing?"
Roran looked back at Merem coolly. "I'm bringing Ahndor down. Sorry."
Shoving Merem off him, Roran pulled an orb out of his pocket and threw himself over the railing. Merem screamed his name as he went. Roran rolled onto his back as he fell so he could watch the chaos unfold.
Vassilis's Spear hurtled towards Ahndor's ship. Just before impact, two more figures leapt overboard. Seconds later, Vassilis's Spear slammed into Ahndor's ship. Nul had sped their ship up to unnatural speeds, giving it the momentum it needed to tear Ahndor's ship apart. Wood shattered and the ships crumpled into each other before falling apart. With the etchings destroyed, both ships were once more victims of gravity and began plummeting towards the ground.
Roran waited until he was clear of the falling debris before he activated the orb in his hand. A golden parachute of gossamer exploded above him and he began to gently drift towards the earth.
Kell dropped past him, trusting her etchings to protect her body from the intense forces of hitting the ground at full speed. Nul gently floated down to Roran, keeping pace with him until they touched down.
They landed in a wide open field surrounded by rolling hills of farmland. Near them sat the shattered remains of the two ships, now still and dead on the earth. Most of it was in a single pile, but bits of debris were scattered across the fields. Roran could already make out several bodies lying in the dirt. He forced himself to ignore them.
"Well that was exciting," said Kell. "I didn't think you'd actually go through with it."
Roran grunted. "We made it through. I doubt anyone else survived the fall, which means we just have to deal with Ahndor."
"One more survived," said Sarah, appearing before them. She pointed up.
Hanging in the sky was a glimmering parachute, crafted from Nul's gossamer.
Kell frowned. "Who in the-"
"Merem," said Roran. "He's a bastard but he's clever."
"I didn't give him any of my spells," said Nul.
"He probably stole one of Kell's during the siege."
Nul turned to glare at Kell.
Kell shrugged. "I told you to take them back. I don't need them. This is going to be one hell of an awkward conversation."
"We can worry about that later," said Roran. "We have a bigger problem to worry about."
The pile of debris began to shift and move. An enraged General Ahndor clawed her way out of the mangled mess. Parts of her armor had been ripped away, revealing the shimmering crown etched into her skin. Spotting Roran and the others, Ahndor spit out a mouthful of dirt and began stalking towards them, pausing at a fallen soldier's body to retrieve their sword.
Roran drew his own sword. "Here we go."