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Authors: Jeff Klinedinst
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strange,” she thought. He looked nervous.
Nerves were not part of Khayri’s normal repertoire. He was the son of a king who had commanded soldiers in battle. Any public appearance paled in comparison to the supreme task of asking men to follow you and perhaps give their lives. He was also sweating profusely, and the room was not that hot. Yet, as Ameerah gazed upon her husband to be, she saw something she’d never seen before:
Fear.
Her eyes instantly returned to Rorgue, who was already looking directly at her, as if expecting her reproachful gaze. This particular stare was saying, “What have you done to the Prince, you great oaf?”
His unspoken return said, “I’ve done nothing, he’s been this way all day and something is strange!”
Rorgue’s obvious worry only heightened her concern. This wasn’t the normal playful mind games between the two. Now the alarm bells began to go off in Ameerah’s mind. Amidst the calm and splendor of a royal wedding, the two most important people in Khayri’s life were now both panicking as Ameerah neared the altar.
She wasn’t looking at the man she fell in love with. Physically, Khayri was right in front of her, dressed in formal robes. But something was missing from this picture. She was seeing something strange that she’d never seen before.
All this information was gathered without one word being spoken by anyone.
Hiding In Plain Sight
He was struggling mightily to maintain his control. This human body was sweating and his focus was waning. He had never tried to carry on so long with a spell. He had practiced in small doses and was quite pleased with the results and with his own ingenuity.
The first part of The Plan had gone very well. The potion he’d slipped into the Prince’s first drink made him malleable to suggestion and had knocked him out almost instantly when they had returned home. From the privacy of the Prince’s chamber he had all night to conjure and perfect his appearance. Khayri was now out of the picture. His solution for removing the Prince was not only creative, but a way to flex his magical muscles and revel in his genius.
As spells go, Cloning was fairly easy. A singular hair plucked from the Prince’s head was all he needed to alter his appearance to match Khayri’s. This was a basic and easy task to accomplish. The challenge would be in maintaining all aspects of the Prince for an extended period of time. Not only did it require Alchemy to dig deeply into his power reserves, but it also took tremendous focus to match the voice and facial mannerisms that made each person a distinct individual.
It was almost laughable how easily he hijacked Khayri’s body and mimicked his mannerisms. It was going so well until his idiot friends showed up in the morning. Even though Alchemy was quite versed in their history and had watched most of the special moments these good friends shared; speaking as an active participant rather than a non-interested bystander proved to be much harder than he had anticipated.
Several times during the preparation for the wedding, he caught both Rorgue and Atiene giving him puzzled glances. Both also asked if he was okay several times. He blamed the drinking and tried his best to laugh it off. But trying to actually be the Prince was proving difficult. Joking and playful banter was not natural to him and he sounded ridiculous as he tried to fend off the normal back and forth that good friends put each other through during stressful times. He was failing at it badly and expending far too much magical energy to carry it off. Eventually, he just told his friends that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and he’d see them at the altar. Though he could tell he’d aroused suspicion, the time alone would give him ample reserves to make it through the ceremony.
Now, as he stood facing the large gathering in place for the wedding with the beautiful Ameerah approaching him, he struggled to maintain the charade. Alchemy
Nerves were not part of Khayri’s normal repertoire. He was the son of a king who had commanded soldiers in battle. Any public appearance paled in comparison to the supreme task of asking men to follow you and perhaps give their lives. He was also sweating profusely, and the room was not that hot. Yet, as Ameerah gazed upon her husband to be, she saw something she’d never seen before:
Fear.
Her eyes instantly returned to Rorgue, who was already looking directly at her, as if expecting her reproachful gaze. This particular stare was saying, “What have you done to the Prince, you great oaf?”
His unspoken return said, “I’ve done nothing, he’s been this way all day and something is strange!”
Rorgue’s obvious worry only heightened her concern. This wasn’t the normal playful mind games between the two. Now the alarm bells began to go off in Ameerah’s mind. Amidst the calm and splendor of a royal wedding, the two most important people in Khayri’s life were now both panicking as Ameerah neared the altar.
She wasn’t looking at the man she fell in love with. Physically, Khayri was right in front of her, dressed in formal robes. But something was missing from this picture. She was seeing something strange that she’d never seen before.
All this information was gathered without one word being spoken by anyone.
Hiding In Plain Sight
He was struggling mightily to maintain his control. This human body was sweating and his focus was waning. He had never tried to carry on so long with a spell. He had practiced in small doses and was quite pleased with the results and with his own ingenuity.
The first part of The Plan had gone very well. The potion he’d slipped into the Prince’s first drink made him malleable to suggestion and had knocked him out almost instantly when they had returned home. From the privacy of the Prince’s chamber he had all night to conjure and perfect his appearance. Khayri was now out of the picture. His solution for removing the Prince was not only creative, but a way to flex his magical muscles and revel in his genius.
As spells go, Cloning was fairly easy. A singular hair plucked from the Prince’s head was all he needed to alter his appearance to match Khayri’s. This was a basic and easy task to accomplish. The challenge would be in maintaining all aspects of the Prince for an extended period of time. Not only did it require Alchemy to dig deeply into his power reserves, but it also took tremendous focus to match the voice and facial mannerisms that made each person a distinct individual.
It was almost laughable how easily he hijacked Khayri’s body and mimicked his mannerisms. It was going so well until his idiot friends showed up in the morning. Even though Alchemy was quite versed in their history and had watched most of the special moments these good friends shared; speaking as an active participant rather than a non-interested bystander proved to be much harder than he had anticipated.
Several times during the preparation for the wedding, he caught both Rorgue and Atiene giving him puzzled glances. Both also asked if he was okay several times. He blamed the drinking and tried his best to laugh it off. But trying to actually be the Prince was proving difficult. Joking and playful banter was not natural to him and he sounded ridiculous as he tried to fend off the normal back and forth that good friends put each other through during stressful times. He was failing at it badly and expending far too much magical energy to carry it off. Eventually, he just told his friends that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and he’d see them at the altar. Though he could tell he’d aroused suspicion, the time alone would give him ample reserves to make it through the ceremony.
Now, as he stood facing the large gathering in place for the wedding with the beautiful Ameerah approaching him, he struggled to maintain the charade. Alchemy
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