“Ahhh... ahhh choo!” she sneezed.
Erich nearly burst out laughing. This small girl might be powerful enough to overturn the ocean, but he would not have to worry about her seducing him with her wiles.
She was a mess.
The mess inhaled with a sniffle, wiping her doubly wet nose on a baggy sleeve.
“Majis Sorceress Azel,” Erich said, his voice deep and confident. “I am Captain Erich of the Iseldis elite guard, and I am here to transport you to the Kingdom of Chendas, where you will answer for your crimes against the good quotidian people of this continent.”
Her eyes lifted to his face. She scanned it quickly as if looking for something, but when she didn’t find it, she merely glared at him with an intensely focused hatred.
Erich couldn’t care less about what she thought of him. He had been there when the ship went down, taking his men along with it. He knew what he thought of her and he was ready to bring her—and her people—to justice.
She crossed her arms, making her body appear even smaller as she continued to glare at him.
When she said nothing in response, Erich turned to leave. He was anxious to get out of the wet cellar before another wave hit. “We leave at dawn. I hope you can ride a horse?”
She rolled her eyes, looking away, but said nothing.
“Then I also hope you are a quick learner.” Erich turned to leave. Something about the whole scenario made him uncomfortable. She looked so innocent it unnerved him. “Rude little thing, isn’t she?” Erich said to the general in an attempt to hide his own discomfort.
Gautho shrugged. “She’s a Majis,” he replied, as if that were reason enough to excuse any behavior.
Without a second glance at the pathetic girl who carried death and destruction in her wake, Erich left the room.
Chapter 15
Waiting in the monastery courtyard, Aizel shivered. She stared with growing unease at the three horses that were packed and ready for their journey, dreading the moment she would have to mount one of them.
Traveling by sunfish was vastly preferable.
The rude young prince stood across the courtyard, adding items to the saddlebags and giving orders to various Quotidian soldiers.
He hadn’t glanced in her direction once, as though she were invisible or not even present.
Crossing her arms, she cradled her hands in the warmth of her armpits. The sun was working its way up the morning sky, offering the promise of a better temperature, but the long shadows were still cold.
Despite the early morning activity going on around her, Aizel felt alone. Every person passing through the courtyard gave her a wide berth.
They were ignoring her so thoroughly she felt tempted to jump onto the half wall next to her, throw herself onto the nearest horse, and gallop out of the courtyard to freedom.
Would they even notice?
Of course they would. And then her sister’s life would immediately be forfeit.
They were ignoring her because they knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
And she knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
She shivered, wishing the sun would rise more quickly. Or for someone to look her way and offer a spare cloak or blanket. Surely, they had an extra layer of something here. If only she had her voice to ask for one. She sighed, but even that was devoid of sound. It came out simply as a heavy breath.
Her eyes wandered back to the prince. He was wearing a long-sleeved gray jacket. Its stiff shoulders seemed to contradict the open smile on his face as he chatted with one of the stable boys attending the large horses.
Yesterday, when he had sauntered into her pantry prison, he had been wearing colorful garb. Compared to everyone else she had seen here, it had made him look fresh and bright. For a moment, her heart had hoped that he might truly be as different as his clothing suggested.
Then, his cold, unfeeling eyes had roamed over her, landing on her face with disdain. He hadn’t even deigned to judge her. He had simply looked down upon her and asserted his status as the superior Quotidian man.
Although she hadn’t expected him to, she was disappointed he hadn’t recognized her.
