Maira gently prodded her charge's leg with a finger.
"Does it hurt still, miss Reesa?"
"A little."
"On a scale from one to ten, how bad do you think it would feel if I-"
She pretended she was about to slap Reesa's foot. The girl instinctively jerked her leg, but when Maira didn't even touch her the young girl gave a smile.
"At least a twenty."
"Ah, stop joking, miss Reesa. That slap would 'a been about as bad as if you were running."
"Then at least a four."
Reesa had been going to say a higher number, but she still vividly remembered the pain when she had been stung by the crossbow bolt. She had been lucky it wasn't poisoned, really, but it had still hurt worse than anything she could remember. And Reesa was no stranger to pain.
"Maira... I heard you talking to that Nehast earlier. What does he plan to do to me? Why doesn't he want me to be able to run?"
She knew one of the answers to her second question as it was spoken. He knew that she was a criminal, and he thought she would run at the first chance she got. She thought about that for a moment. Did she really want to run, really and truly? Her head told her yes, because of course she would be sent to prison as soon as Nehast could contrive it. But her heart told her differently.
She was draw from her pensive state by Maira's voice, beginning to answer her questions.
"Well miss Reesa..."
"Does it hurt still, miss Reesa?"
"A little."
"On a scale from one to ten, how bad do you think it would feel if I-"
She pretended she was about to slap Reesa's foot. The girl instinctively jerked her leg, but when Maira didn't even touch her the young girl gave a smile.
"At least a twenty."
"Ah, stop joking, miss Reesa. That slap would 'a been about as bad as if you were running."
"Then at least a four."
Reesa had been going to say a higher number, but she still vividly remembered the pain when she had been stung by the crossbow bolt. She had been lucky it wasn't poisoned, really, but it had still hurt worse than anything she could remember. And Reesa was no stranger to pain.
"Maira... I heard you talking to that Nehast earlier. What does he plan to do to me? Why doesn't he want me to be able to run?"
She knew one of the answers to her second question as it was spoken. He knew that she was a criminal, and he thought she would run at the first chance she got. She thought about that for a moment. Did she really want to run, really and truly? Her head told her yes, because of course she would be sent to prison as soon as Nehast could contrive it. But her heart told her differently.
She was draw from her pensive state by Maira's voice, beginning to answer her questions.
"Well miss Reesa..."