The Crown of blood

I

The inner chambers of the Grand Precincts of the Brotherhood rang with a drawn-out scream. The wretched sound seemed to come from the rooms of Brother Udaan, and a crowd of concerned brethren converged quickly to investigate.

Upon opening the door, they found the silver-masked head of their order twitching upon the floor, the parchments from his desk scattered around him. Thinking he was having a fit, as sometimes Udaan was known to, one of the Brothers bent over his spasming form and attempted to lift off his mask to help him breathe.

Udaan's gloved hands snapped around the Brother's wrists and pushed them away. With an eerie strength, Udaan placed his feet flat on the tiled floor and pushed himself slowly upward, gracefully rising to his feet. The Brethren shuffled away nervously as Udaan straightened, releasing his grip on the Brother who had tried to help. The head of the Brotherhood flexed his neck and shoulders as if waking stiffened from sleep. He straightened his dishevelled robes and looked at his surroundings with eyes that glittered gold in the depths of his hood.

"Are you all right, Brother?" one of the attending Brethren asked.

"I am well," Udaan replied. His voice was distorted by the mask, but to those who knew their master well, it seemed stretched and thin. "Go back to your duties. I must visit the king."