Chapter 53

Eli rushed his men along, fearful that one of the Queen’s Guards or someone else would realize what they had done. With his handkerchief over Jecob’s private area, there was little he could do to stop the bleeding from his own hand, and since he’d sliced a little more deeply than he’d intended, the blood was continuing to flow down his pant leg as he tried to conceal the wound. He just hoped no one would notice that either. Perhaps if anyone did, they would assume he’d been sprayed by the severed appendage, though it would be easy to see that couldn’t be the case with even a quick inspection of what lay beneath the covering over Jecob.

His men had served him well, stepping in to shield his duplicity, and Jowl had even seemed grateful when he’d whispered his plan since hacking off a penis and scrotum with an ax would be anything other than easy. Now, they rushed Jecob inside, and Armant would carry through with the queen’s demand, but it would be at a much slower pace where the physician could be sure to stop the bleeding as he went along. There was still a good chance Jecob would die, but at least he’d have the opportunity to fight through the unfortunate sentencing. Before, there was no way he would have made it off of that riser alive. Eli wasn’t sure if the prisoner had passed out from fear or if he really thought he’d been chopped to bits, but he was certainly out of it as his men made their way through the underground tunnel on their way to the infirmary.

They rushed along, Armant running ahead to ready his operating area and find the one nurse he said he thought he could trust with the secret. Eli hadn’t been sure if the physician would be more loyal to the queen’s demands or to saving Jecob’s life, but he’d been pleasantly surprised when Armant had gone along with his scheme. If Rona ever found out, Eli would no doubt be the next person to place part of his anatomy on the public chopping block.

Rushing through the doors of the infirmary, his men placed Jecob down on the table Armant had ready for him, and the physician immediately administered a mixture of opium and lard which transitioned Jecob from a faint state of unconsciousness to a twilight slumber that should keep him from feeling the effects of the surgery. Armant enlisted a couple of Eli’s men to help him collect the other supplies he would need, and the nurse he trusted, an older woman Eli knew well by the name of Bea, brought plenty of water and towels. Clearly, there would be a lot of blood.

Armant pulled back the bloodied rag and prepared to make his first incision, and most of the men, including Eli, had to look away. A few of his colleagues even grabbed themselves as they imagined being the ones lying on the table. He decided now was as good a time as ever to find something to stop his own bleeding and looked around for a cloth to wrap around his palm.

“How is he?” The sound of Kit’s voice startled him as he turned to see her flying in the door. “Is he alive? Did he bleed to death?”

Eli went over to her, stopping her from approaching the operating table, but he didn’t want to get blood all over her gown, so he could only grab her gently with one hand. “He’s all right. The physician is working on him now. Step away, Princess.” He didn’t want her to see what they’d done and make her an accomplice to their crime, but she was standing up on her tiptoes, trying to peer over his shoulder.

“I expected more blood,” she said as Eli tried harder to pull her away. “He sounded as if he was in horrible pain.”

“True, he did,” Eli admitted, though he couldn’t quite say why. “Kit, why are you here? If your mother finds out….”

He had her attention then. A worried look crossed her face but then dissipated. She answered, “She won’t. She’s too busy speaking to everyone who thinks she is a great and merciful sovereign now.” Kit dropped her eyes to the floor and then stepped back, alarmed. “My goddess! You’re bleeding!”

“Oh, it’s nothing but a little scratch,” Eli insisted, but she was not convinced. He saw what had tipped her off, a small puddle of blood on the floor near his boot.

Kit took hold of his hand and turned it over. “A little scratch? What happened? You need to be stitched up.”

“I’m fine.”

The princess wasn’t accepting his answer, and she began to pull him off across the room, toward another area where Armant had a surgical table set up. “Nonsense,” she insisted. “Sit.”

Feeling as if he had no choice, Eli did as he was told and watched her head across the room in search of the supplies she would need to fix his hand. She came back a few seconds later with a bone needle, thread, and some towels and then left again, mumbling about water, and despite the pain he was beginning to feel in his hand, and the fact that a man was having his necessities removed just across the room, Eli couldn’t help but smile at her.

“All right,” Kit said as she returned with a bowl of water, her tone very authoritative. “Rest your hand up here, and let me have a look.”

He complied, placing his forearm on a higher table next to where he was sitting. “Really, Kit, it will be fine.”

“It will not be fine. You’ve opened it clear to the muscle. Look.”

Following her orders, Eli took a glance and realized it was much deeper than he’d intended. His stomach lurched a little bit as he peered inside his own hand, and then the pain really set in. “All right. Maybe it’s a little deep.”

Kit was shaking her head as she struggled to keep the blood away from the surface. She had the needle threaded already and straightened his palm the best she could. “Hold it steady.” She took her first stitch, and the sensation was a pinch of pain, mixed with a tickle from the thread, but when he glanced down, he could see she was adequate at doctoring and didn’t protest. “How did this happen?”

Lying to Kit always made him feel awful, but he couldn’t afford to tell her the truth. If the queen found out, and Kit knew about the falsehood, she could also be in for a severe punishment. “I’m not sure. There was so much happening.”

She raised an eyebrow, seeing right through him. “Um hmm.” She shook her head slowly and then turned back to her work.

He knew she was suspicious, but he decided not to say more. The last thing he’d ever want would be to get Kit into trouble with the queen.