Misfortune gripped the boy's face with her right hand, pressing her fingers into his soft cheeks until the skin turned white.
By pulling him closer to her face, she lowered her voice to a flat whisper. "That's not a boy."
A high, sharp scream tore from the child, shattering the quiet of the office.
Immediately, Eris stepped forward and rammed her shoulder directly into Misfortune's chest. "Don't hurt him!"
The sudden impact broke Misfortune's footing, sending her tumbling backward onto the floorboards with a hard thud.
Her elbows scraped against the wooden planks, and a sharp wince escaped her lips as her back hit the ground.
Seizing the moment, the boy reached out to grab Eris's coat with both hands, his shoulders shaking violently as his tears soaked into the fabric of her sleeve.
Slowly pushing herself up from the floor, Misfortune looked down at her hands to find dust covering her palms.
