Taking that as a yes, Erich dropped down to his knees and reached out. He touched her foot gently, avoiding the injury itself.
The entire area around the bruise was hot to the touch, but from what he could see, no cuts or scrapes had opened the skin.
Slowly moving his hands down, he ran his fingers over the swollen area as gently as he could.
A slight intake of breath brought his eyes back up to her face.
She had frozen in place, watching his every move as if she were a scared, cornered animal.
Erich returned his eyes to her foot.
She seemed scared he would hurt her.
The thought was unnerving and almost funny. He was the one who should be afraid of her, not the other way around.
And he was afraid of her. He had seen the results of her actions, even if he hadn’t seen her perform the act itself.
He wondered what she would look like while using magic. Would she still look so young and innocent? Or would her unusual green eyes be filled with anger and vindictiveness like the Majis he had witnessed at the ball? He had trouble imagining this small, expressive girl looking at all like the hooded sorcerer who had darkened the room around him, casting a ball of light at Ian and Aden.
Gently, he squeezed his fingers around her ankle, trying to feel if any bones were broken.
Her leg twitched and her breath caught again. She reached forward, pushing him away. She was shaking her head quickly, her face scrunched in pain.
“I’m just checking for broken bones,” he said, looking back up at her wide, frightened eyes. “I’m not trying to hurt you.”
She glared at him, blinking rapidly. The distrust in her eyes cut him to the core, making him feel like he was the monster.
Trying to ignore the guilt that washed over him, he looked back down. She was making him feel soft, weak, kind. She was pretending to be innocent. She was using her wiles on him, and he wasn’t going to fall for her cheap tricks. He needed to keep his feelings in check and focus on the task assigned to him, especially if that meant keeping her in her place.
“Not that it matters if I do hurt you,” he muttered, gently reaching for her ankle again. “You are a Majis. A monster. A murderer.”
She slapped him across the face. It happened so quickly he hadn’t even seen it coming.
Startled, he jumped out of her reach.
She glared at him through angry eyes as she carefully pulled her whole leg back to herself, cradling her hurt foot.
In turn, Erich reached up a hand to cover his stinging cheek. Her reaction had been so sudden but not unwarranted. But the look on her face was not domineering or even angry. It was... hurt.
She shook her head at him, her eyes filled with pain and reproach.
Erich didn’t think he’d ever said anything so rude to another person. He jumped to his feet and turned his back to avoid her disappointed gaze. “Gah!” He threw out his hands. “This is all so confusing!” He felt like an idiot. “Of course, I wouldn’t hurt you, that’s not what I meant. I’m not like that.”
Of course, it remained quiet behind him.
He turned around to gauge her reaction. “I’m not like that,” he repeated, pleading with her to believe him. “It’s not my place to see what justice you face. Even my father, a king, doesn’t dole out punishments or rewards on a whim. He said he used to, but then he realized his place as king is not just as some dispenser of what people deserve. That’s not what I mean either. I’m overexplaining things.”
Hugging her knees, the girl’s wide eyes followed him as he paced across the small glade.
“What I’m trying to say,” Erich continued, “is that this is very confusing and you are confusing me.” He paused, raking his hand through his hair.
He knew he didn’t need to explain himself, not to her, but she was sitting there actively listening and he did need to sort this out.
“I don’t enjoy doing this,” he said. “I’ve never transported prisoners before. And I am angry that I have to, but someone has to do it. I can’t let you go free to bring death and destruction to my kingdom and my father’s people. I have a responsibility to them. You did this to yourself. You chose to use your magic to kill dozens of my men in that shipwreck. So, don’t look up at me with those sad green eyes like I’m hurting you. I’m not.”
Running out of things to say, Erich placed his hands on his hips and looked down at her.
Her lips were pursed. Shaking her head emphatically, she pointed at him.
