A quiet response. A half-truth that might even be a low-laying lie. She didn't truly understand. Vera wasn't sure she wanted to. Finding out that he thought less of her wasn't something Vera could deal with right then. Through force of will, she could make the distance between them invisible and discard what stress-inspired anger she carried. For the sake of making all of this seem right, Vera would do it quickly. Eragos' apology meant a great deal, but so had what he'd said before she'd raised her voice at him. Vera could control her emotions as long as she kept her discipline...she still lacked the skill to erase them.
When he set down the weapon, Vera watched his hands. Eragos did hate people to see the markings on his skin. She remembered when Eragos told her what those tattoos were for. Vera never dared asking him what the symbols said, what the details of his exile were. There were some pains that didn't deserve reliving unless they could be healed. Beyond mending ripped skin or fabric, Vera's talents at healing were very poor. And she had little right to ask him anything.
Eragos stood so well with his injuries, Vera might have forgotten he'd been so close to dying. She wanted to believe he could walk out and mount his horse...that if he rode out with her now, he'd be able to help her. But the sane part of Vera knew that if she made the village travel right now, she would lose him. Without Eragos, she would lose too many of the people she was trying to save.
Vera hated to lose. And she didn't want to be alone.
Maybe Eragos saw more of her than she wanted to admit. Duty seemed to motivate her less and less on this journey. She felt fifteen years younger for that flash of a moment. A teenager with a terrible chip on her shoulder, with duty only barely reining in her rage.
Vera pushed herself up from her chair and went over to stand beside him. She tentatively offered him her shoulder, not looking at him. Despite the way she'd spoken of his injuries, Vera didn't want him to think she saw him as weak. He wasn't ever weak. Eragos would have gone out and fought as he was, if she hadn't stopped him.