Page 48 of Enchanted Kingdom
Owen was on my heels and shut the door behind us. While he let his magic barrier loose, I finally crumpled to the floor.
Silvia, seeing me in tears and holding my wrist, came running. “What happened?!”
Owen came to my spot on the floor in three strides and was on the floor next to me. “The king happened.”
Through blurry eyes, I saw her bring her hand to her mouth.
Owen wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jorah.”
I threw his arm off. “Get away from me!”
“Jorah.” His voice sounded as if dragged along in sand. “I’m so sorry.”
Then Silvia was there too, hugging me. “I’m sorry, dearie.”
“Jorah,” Owen said quietly. “Please let me make sure it isn’t broken. If I had to stand there and live through that without defending you, at least let me see it now.”
“You just stood there. Looking at the wall.” My anger and disgust were clearly heard.
He nodded. “Yes. I looked at a nail by the curtains. Because if I looked at him, I am certain he would have known how badly I would’ve liked to kill him.”
My eyes went to his for the first time since we met up with the king.
He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “He is the one and only thing I cannot protect you from, Jorah.”
Silvia took my wrist and gently turned it to look at it. It was red enough where he had squeezed that she could easily find where. She shook her head. “I am going to need to get the healing ointment from downstairs. I’ll be right back.”
She was up and moving toward the door. But the barrier apparently also kept her in the room. “Owen?” she asked.
“Oh, right.” He dropped his magical barrier so she could leave.
The door shut with her leaving and we just sat there on the floor, me cradling my wrist and him sitting there. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Some of us really mean it,” he added. “That was... difficult. Know that I am trained with a sword to kill within seconds. It took everything in me to keep my sword sheathed.”
I rubbed at my wrist lightly, my tears finally slowing. “So why did you?”
Owen took a long breath. “His time is coming, but it is not yet. I cannot jeopardize everything on one wrist, however lovely it may be. Had he done more, I might have though. That was...difficult.”
He spoke as if there was already a plan in place to murder our king. “Do the princes know you hate him so?”
He flashed me a grin. “Who do you think recruited me?”
My eyebrows reached for one another. “To what exactly?”
He shrugged. “That is not my information to share.”
I frowned at him.
“May I see it now?”
I wiped at my face, my makeup surely a wreck, and then nodded.
He gently turned it and felt along my wrist, spinning it this way and that.
When I gasped out in pain, he again apologized. “Nothing is broken,” he finally determined while sounding relieved. “It’ll more than likely bruise though.”
