“Oh, I’m not the Hod King! No, no, I’m Hodder Luc to my friends and Marat to my enemies. No, the Hod King is there.” He pointed back down the borehole at the dormant siege engine. Seeming to sense the surprise of his guests, Marat explained, “Or I should say, that will be the Hod King once it’s fully crewed.” “I don’t understand. Our king is a machine?” Goll said.
