Suddenly, I was very aware of the absence of my bodyguards. When I had given them their assignment to distribute my unwanted cash, it had been under the assumption that I was in no particular danger while here at the palace.
Now, I wasn’t so sure.
I had noticed back when we first met, when I was masquerading as King Rodrick, that Queen Hemlock had a nasty, perhaps even a murderous streak in her. There had been no evidence of it lately, but then again, I wasn’t aware of her having received any bad news of a degree such as I was bringing her, either.
I shook my head and told myself I was being silly. At her worst, the Queen was not taken to open, unpremeditated violence. If it looked like she was taking the news badly, I could simply gather the crew and skip off to another dimension before she could get around to formulating a plan for revenge. There was absolutely no reason for me to need bodyguards to protect me from her. Right?
I was still trying to convince myself of this when I reached the Queen’s chambers. The honor guard standing outside her door snapped to attention, and it was too late for a graceful retreat.
Moving with a casualness I didn’t feel, I knocked on her door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Skeeve, Your Majesty. I was wondering if I might speak to you if it’s not inconvenient?”
There was a pause, long enough for me to get my hope up, and then the door opened.
“Lord Skeeve. This is a pleasant surprise. Please, come right in.”
Queen Hemlock was dressed in a simple orange gown, which was a pleasant surprise. That she was dressed, that is, not the color of it. The first time she had entertained me in her quarters, she had been naked when she opened the door, and it had put me at an uncomfortable disadvantage for that conversation. This time around, I figured I was going to need all the advantages I could muster.