The Black Witch 5

"I w-would never dare anger you or ruin a task given to me. Please c-calm down oh great Kuriga." Lora's honest eyes made her fear and confusion obvious. Kuri's calm rage saw the truth in Lora's statement. Her eyes still ablaze Kuri grabbed an appetizer from my plate and sampled it. The single bite she took was spit out almost as soon as it bitten. "It's definitely posioned. Bring me all the kitchen staff." With that time around us began to move. The guards back in motion completed their draws. "Put those away." Kuri commanded as she turned to the guards. Her glowing eyes gave the guards enough information; if they wanted to survive they would do well to heed the witches desires. In the brief moments where Lora had dispatched other guards to round up our suspects the dinning hall was a tense and eerily silent. Kuri had turned her gaze to me and looked at me with such concern that for a moment I thought I could see a tears sitting in her eyes. Then the women who were just preparing our meal walked in, with terror on their face. The guards linned them up against the wall so that they were in front of Kuri when she decided to look away from me.

Kuri turned those worried eyes from me. As her line of sight fell on the kitchen staff they fifteen women collectively flinched. There interragator, my sole ally, stood in dead silence. Only her pressure escaped to the staff. "It seems as though someone attempted to kill a prince of this country." Kuri's tone may have been level but her rage was present in the rasps that cracked her voice. The terrified women went catonic, as if all of them collectively stopped breathing. "If any of you wish to confess do so now, I will personally let you off with just eating some of the poison that you fed Elliot. As for the princess and the country I can't speak for what they will do. You may think you were doing a service to this country but had I not realized the princess was innocent I would have waged war with the royal family. Who knows how great the destruction would have been." As Kuri finished her short lecture chaos in the line errupted. Each suspect whipped their heads from side to side speaking in hushed voices. One woman stepped forward "I know who did it my Lady." The quiver in her voice almost made the sentence inaudible. "Who?" the question forced the woman's head further down. The woman raised a trembling finger in the direction of the only child in line, the young girl stood tears streaming down her face.

As her hand leveled on the child the rage I could feel the renewed rage inside of Kuri. "Hey. The kid is terrified. Lets figure out who forced her into it. She probably didn't do it of her own accord. I'm pissed that someone would force a child into this as well, but we can not traumatize her anymore." I hoped the thought would reach Kuri. I was saved, I was fine but the girl thought death was staring her in the face. My thought appeared as though it was washed out by my researchers anger. "This may not go well but I guess I'll have to handle this myself." I stood my legs wobbling and apathy screaming at me to stand still. Each step felt as though I was walking through a lead swamp, I passed Kuri who was so enraged she went catonic. The fire still burning in her eyes. I could hear the hushed whispers and felt the cold stares as I approached the child. I dropped to one knee so that our eyes were level. Her eyes drenched in terror and tears had lost all hope. "Its ok little one, I won't let her punish you like that." I told those hopeless eyes. "How old are you? What's your name?" my questions were just as much for me as they were for her. "I'm s-s-six and m-my name is A-A-Amelia." her stuterted sentence was only a few decibels short of not reaching my ears. "What a pretty name, listen to me Amelia. I won't let anyone hurt you and Kuri's not mad at you. I bet she thinks someone made you do this and shes mad at them. Thats what I think too, did someone ask you to or make you do this?" My voice found a natural low and soft pitch. That soft and low pitch grabbed Amelia's heart and pulled it from the jaws of despair. Her eyes that were hopeless moments before now shone of relief so pure that I could feel the tears force their way into my vision. "Mmhmm." She nodded through the heavy tears.

Driven by some deep instinct to protect this fragile being my arms reached out and pulled the girl to my chest. As my warmth hit her, the girls intuition must have felt my scincerity, she started to sob. All my worries, my apathetic tendencies and the women in the room went silent as I stood holding the child. "It's ok, I forgive you, I will protect you. It's ok, I forgive you, I will protect you." I repeated this mantra while fighting tears. That was the only thing I could say to those relieved eyes that now held a piece of my soul. Her sobs echoed through the room, those sobs that were brought on by the weight of what just happened. As if it all came crashing down into her little mind when she found the safe haven that was me. Those painful, grateful sobs are what brought Kuri from her trance. "Elliot, you were almost murdered and someone used a child. Why do I feel only care and the desire to prote-" She cut her question short when I looked at her, tears falling freely with the small girl in my arms. Visioned obscured slightly by my response to Amelia I could barely make out Kuri's blue eyes. Through the tears and in that instant it felt like Kuri was captivated by my eyes for the first time.

"We'll continue this investigation later" Kuri's voice broke the sob laden silence. "My foremost concern is this child's safety. If anyone should try to leave this place outside of official duties I will know. The shadows and darkness hidden everwhere will tell me." Her commaned carried by that infatuating voice sent the room into chaos. The staff rushed out and left the original six occupants plus Amelia in the room. The small girl's sob had faded into a faint cry as I stroked her head. "It's alright little one, I'm right here. I've got you." I offered her in a voice more gentle than a feather floating to the ground on the moon. I could hear Kuri's subdued stride aproach me as I held the girl tight. Her little hands clutched the back of my shirt ever tighter as kuri closed the distance. Her inquesitive eyes looked at the head buried in my chest, they had picked up the hue of a mother who wished to comfort her child. There was a speck of understanding in those lovely loving eyes. "Hey tiny, I know you were used by an awful person. I may be a scary witch but I will never harm a single head on your head. If Elliot wants to protect you then as his researcher and only friend I will too." the voice that fell out of her mouth held a little extra power. Amelia was now calm and I was dumbfounded.

"Did you just say were friends?" The question escaped from my slack-jawed face. Kuri turned her head from my confusion "I can pretty much read your mind and I think we click so I said it." Her confident voice, and her motherly voice was replaced with vulnrebality. This new voice lifted the tiny head off my chest, amelia's still red eyes stared at the embodiment of power as she showed her all too human side. Those tearless eyes prompted a huge smile on my face "I told you she wasn't angry at you, she was just concerned for us." As amelia innocent face, looked upon my face her large eyes drank up my smile. She responded with a toothy smile of her own, nose still dripping "You're right she's cute and nice." That pure assasement of the great black witch got a laugh from me, a blush from kuri, and expressions of pure shock from the rest of the room.

"Lady Kuriga, I understand that she is a child but that girl is a servant. She either needs to be punished or put back to work. Otherwise the others will get the wrong idea." Lora's spiteful voice carefully tread into the joyous moment. I could feel the stare directed at her even from behind Kuri. "This child will be under my care until further notice." The ease of which kuri shut down the princess of the nationed amazed me. With that my only friend turned back to me. "Now Amelia, for you're punishment you'll have to eat sweets util your happy."