Queensmen

Chapter 77

~The Letter~

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Hermes heard Faeradaigh presence more than had he saw him, more focused on leaving his mother's former room than in paying attention to those around him. Now hearing the eunuch's voice, he paused to turn around and saw him giving hand signals to the guards he passed.

On receiving their orders, they beat their fist to their chest in salute and departed at once, not noticing that he had caught the exchange.

Good, he thought, and continued walking. Labored breaths alerted him of the eunuch's proximity, just a few steps behind him. He slowed down by a step to make thinks easier on the man but that only made the walk to his chambers feel longer than it truly was.

Faeradaigh nearly keeled over when they stopped. Hands on his knees and chest heaving, he shooed away the men guarding the Emperor's bedroom with one menacing look.

The moment they saluted and abandoned their posts to patrol further down the hallway, Hermes lost the little bit of strength he used to carry his pain-wracked body. He allowed himself lean against the doors, still aware of their eyes on him.

If they had been his, he wouldn't have had to be so cautious, but he knew that their eyes belonged to his mother.

"Your Majesty?"

"Dai—" the hand he slapped over his mouth muffled the rest of his sentence. Ignoring the warm slickness now coating his fingers, he asked, "Did I seem enraged?"

"Very, Your Majesty," the eunuch answered then flicked his gaze to the guards keeping watch over them.

"Did your meeting with the nun not go as planned?" He forced his voice down to a whisper. "I have already given Andrea the letter."

The doors opened before Hermes could give a reply. He was dragged into the room and ever the dutiful servant, Faeradaigh followed, shutting the doors quietly behind him.

"If you were not angry, why did you walk so fast?" he complained, starting the conversation anew. "Ah, you know this form of mine—"

"How unbefitting you are for an eunuch," a frigid voice interrupted him, "you cannot even look after your master."

Faeradaigh hurried to make himself look presentable, smoothing his sweaty uniform and hair into order before speaking. "M-Magnus, what are you doing here?"

"If I'm not here, where then should I be?" The advisor asked, then fixed a wary gaze on Hermes. "What form of stupidity did you enact now?"

Hermes smiled behind his hand, tasting copper on his tongue, lips, and his fingers too. He straightened his stance in preparation for being scolded by his irritable advisor and let his arm fall away from his face, exposing his bloodied lips.

Faeradaigh's gasp rang through the room as he said, "I took off my rings."

"You must be joking." Magnus grasped him by the shoulders and peered into his eyes. When he found no deceit in them, he let go and took a step back. "Are you mad?"

"Would you follow a mad emperor?"

With a sigh that was answer enough, Magnus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jade flask sealed with thread and red cloth. "Meéarine gave me this with instructions that one pill would be enough to reverse the consequences of your injuries flaring up."

When Hermes, pulled the cloth stopper off and tilted the flask over his palm, only one pill fell out.

He leveled a questioning look on his advisor and the man offered him a sly look in return.