The Year of the Tiger (Book 3 of The Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 51

Hermes sighed and walked over to me, a look of understanding flashing through his eyes. He sat down in the seat near the bed and studied me with comforting gray eyes. "Your thoughts are going a mile a minute," he pointed out, and I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Can you read my mind?" I asked, asking a stupid question. I cocked my head and watched him lean back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. "How did you know that my thoughts were going a mile a minute?"

Hermes shrugged. "Your thoughts are sometimes on your face," he replied. "I can not read minds." He pursed his lips. "However, I would like it if I could, at least to figure out what the problem is with you." He gave me a pointed look, and I looked down, a slight blush appearing on my cheeks.

"I just don't know the boundary between knowing too much information or too little information," I replied, shrugging my shoulders and grimaced. I cleared my throat and looked up to see Hermes still studying me. "I need help; I know that I do, but I don't know how to phrase my questions so that you could answer them and not become distressed."

"Then, just ask them." He shrugged. "You have proven that you can figure out when I should stop talking and not let me say something that I do not want to talk about." He hesitated but reached for my hand, and I let him take it. His touch was warm and gentle, and I liked the feeling of peace and comfort it brought, helping me feel comforted. "So, ask what you want, Almair. I trust you."

Hesitantly, I nodded my head and cleared my throat. I rubbed the jar around in my head and cocked my head. "I want to help Marcus." I paused, and he nodded his head for me to continue. I licked my lips and cleared my throat. "Is there a way that I can?"

Hermes shrugged. "It depends. What do you want to do? I mean, you can help him by continuing your training as a tiger. You can find i-"

"I mean like with one of these," I said, interrupting him. I held the jar in my hands. "I want to know the truth, but I don't want the other side of him to know the truth."

Hermes cocked his head and studied me before he nodded his head. "I think I can make what you want," he said. He stood and walked over to his work station. "I think I will be able to make what you want, but I am going to need s-"

"What is the ingredient that I can get that won't be dangerous, and how long will it for it to set?" I asked, interrupting him.

Hermes sighed with relief and grabbed something. He walked back to me and sat down in the chair. "If you can get some of his hair, then that will help me out."

I furrowed my brows and cocked my head. "How do I-"

"With this," he said, interrupting me. He handed me a small wooden box and smiled innocently when I scowled. "I will be able to receive it. When it is done, then I will put it in your bag."

"How?"

Panic filled Hermes's eyes, and I knew that he didn't want to answer. "I-"

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "Can you see what is in my bag?" I asked, and Hermes shook his head, no.

"Not unless you want me to." He cleared his throat. "If there is something that you want me to look out, then all you have to do is whisper 'Hermes' over the item and put it in the bag."

I nodded slowly. "So I need to get his hair, and you can get the rest of what you need to get the cream made. How long will it last between each... whiff?" I had no idea how to describe it.

Hermes shrugged and grimaced. "It depends on the magic that is placed over him," he replied. His eyes filled with panic, and I had a feeling that he did not want to tell me something. "I-"

"Is there a way that you can find out about stuff in a different language?" I asked, interrupting him. I pulled my bag next to me and reached into the bag before I pulled out the journal. I rubbed the cover and furrowed my brows. "Marcus had been trying to find a way for me to see him... shift? Like from when he is being controlled and when he is not being controlled by writing in this."

Hermes closed his mouth and cocked his head, studying me. "Show me," he said, and I handed the journal to him to the page that had the strange symbols. He studied it, humming and nodded his head, but he stayed silent.

"Well?" I pressed, furrowing my brows. I studied him, praying that he would help me figure out what these words meant. "Can you?"

"I can," he said and nodded his head. He looked up at me, and sadness filled his eyes. "The question is, do you want to know it? It could be dangerous."

I licked my lips and sighed before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "Anything can be dangerous, Hermes," I said, and I earned a small chuckle from him. I furrowed my brows and licked my lips again. "But... if I don't know what it says, then it could be more dangerous, so yes, I do want to know."

Hermes nodded. "Of course," he said. He held the book until the book was flat, and the writing was seen. Slowly, he moved his hand across the page and muttered something under his breath that sounded like a foreign language to my ears, but I quickly picked up on it and started to mentally mutter it to myself, not knowing if I would need it or not in the future.

The words shifted until they formed for sentences that I could read, and it said, The end of the world is near. Long live the king and those that follow him. He shall appear when the moon turns red. No one can stop him, then.