Empires of Saturn, Part One

Chapter 3, Spinning Threads

Chpt. 3 Spinning Threads

Chi Draconis was quite tired, sitting in his leather chair looking at his monitor in the same room he'd been arguing with his wife in just before Proxima had left. He wondered what she was up to, and why so late.

Something appeared on the screen, and his eyebrows shot up. "Huh." He said. A message from one of the guards in Crown's prison telling him that his daughter apparently had a Torhindrin captive down there that he wasn't sure either him or his wife knew about, and asking if they should do anything about it.

Without another moment thinking about it, he stood up and put on his coat, moving to the elevator to go and see what on Titan this was about, but just then, Castor appeared, the doors opening.

"...Castor?" Draconis asked, surprised they'd let him in here.

Castor bowed his head respectfully, saying mildly, "King Draconis." He looked up again, and at his mild confusion, continued. "The Queen sent me here. I... didn't know such confidential information as this was permitted to be safely carried by me, but... well, here." He held out an envelope, though it wasn't sealed with the royal seal on it, making Draconis' eyebrow rise.

"Do you know what's in it?" He asked, opening it.

"I do not, and I am guessing I shouldn't. The Queen just... sort of handed it to me as she passed by and told me to bring it to you. Honestly, I'm surprised your guards let me come up here."

"Agreed." Draconis nodded, scanning the letter within it. His eyes widened as he progressed through it, and he glanced up at Castor, who was standing there awkwardly, awaiting Draconis to tell him what to do.

Looking back down at the letting, holding in a breath for a moment, puffing it out in his amazed confusion, Draconis glanced up at him again, flicking a hand at him, saying, "You may leave." He had way bigger problems to deal with right now.

Castor looked a bit concerned at Draconis' reaction to whatever was inside that letter, but he bowed his head again and left, going back down the elevator.

After a few seconds looking at the words on the page, Draconis put the letter back into the envelope, shutting it, putting it in the pocket of his coat, and going down the elevator himself. Whatever Torhindrin Proxima had in the capital prison could wait.

Descending, Draconis tapped his foot, amazed at the things that letter had said, and wondering why it had been a letter, and not simply Birana using a portal to come and tell him, instead of leaving it up to Castor- not that he wasn't amazingly responsible and competent- to come and carry it to him.

As the doors at the bottom opened, Draconis facepalmed, sighing as he saw one of the guards hauling Castor out the front door in handcuffs. "Ya gods..." Draconis said to himself, walking quickly to catch up. "This day..."

He approached and said, "Stop! Stop."

The guard- and Castor- turned around to see him.

"What are you doing?" Draconis asked, gesturing with his hands spread, to the guard.

He gestured at Castor and said, "This guy came out of your elevator, not sure you know, and was apparently up in the actual crescent. Said the Queen sen-"

"She did." Draconis said obviously, shaking his hand at him, the other on his forehead, him not wanting to waste the time with this right now.