[Arien]

Dristi walked just behind Sevora again, the previous night had been an embarrassment and she had kept her sarcastic speech subdued thus far since her punishment. Her neck was still raw, the mark as Sevora had said a memory, a memory of her insolence. Dristi hated it, she had looked at herself the night before, her looks no longer perfect, she hated it, she hated Sevora. That smug smile that the woman now wore was almost unbearable as being hung, she walked with an air of conceit around her knowing what pain she had caused Dristi.

Her head hung, her hood covering her blackened hair, her feet delicately stepped along the ground. She could not take this anymore, she had lost count of how many days they had been travelling. It did not seem too long, but she could not remember. Why she ever said she would come on this escapade was beyond her, it would have benefited herself more to stay at the Citadel and fight and teach. She did none of that now, she had not killed for a few days and every time Sevora annoyed her she felt her hands reaching for her concealed knives. But she held herself back, self control is almost as powerful as attacking, but not quite. Sevora might just tip her over the edge and Dristi relished the idea.

Dristi’s eyes wondered far ahead, the sun blinded them with her light so they fell towards the floor again. And she kept walking her eyes now transfixed on the swaying of Naramarth’s robes. She sighed, if she did not fight or kill soon she would go mad. Her head hurt so much, it pounded and her neck still ached and the beating heat of the sun did not help matters.

“Sevora…” she whispered, her mouth drier than she thought.

“Yes?” she kept walking straight ahead but was intently listening to Dristi.

“How far?”

“Why are you getting tired, is your neck aching?” she said, laughter in her voice.

“No,” scowled Dristi, “ I hunger to kill, and if I don’t soon….”

“Calm down,” she sighed, still walking. She was now level with Dristi. “not long, don’t worry you are not the only one.” Dristi wondered at what Sevora had meant, she knew very well she was not the only one.

“Sevora…”

“Yes Dristi I am listening…” she said exasperatedly.

Dristi’s eyes narrowed with anger, though Sevora could not see them in the shroud of her hood, “ If we are to get these converts, we can not seem as though we are fighting. It seems weak, and it is not just us,” she motioned behind them.

“So you are smarter than you look?” Sevora smiled, “ of course I knew this, we will appear friend to the converts when we meet them. And only when we meet them. No other time.”

Dristi had clutched her knife tight under her robes. She was not the only arrogant one here now. How date she think that she wanted to be…be her friend! To full of herself…she would pay.