Lisbeth squealed at the sudden onslaught of lightning. She stumbled once more, falling on her ass, but only for a moment before she forced herself back up.
She looked down at the blackened sand. The sight made her heart race. Deep down, she knew Sah was right. She was no match for him, or those like him.
In a weakened voice, she said, "You just keep proving my point. 'If the wrong Abandoned hears me, they'll kill me?' And you wonder why I see you all as the monsters you are." She brushed some of the sand off of her, though it didn't make much difference.
"Anyone as powerful as what you're demonstrating is too strong to be allowed to run loose. That power was meant only for the gods. You talk about how strong you are like it should be a reason to respect you..." She shook her head. "If you had any respect for your own power, you wouldn't throw it about so casually to try to scare me."
She wouldn't admit out loud just how terrified she was.
"Think about what you just did. What if I drew my sword and started waving it around your head, just to try to scare you? Irresponsible, don't you think?" She decided to pretend like she hadn't literally just tried to shoot him. "Bring down your fancy lightning, just to prove a point. Just to prove how strong you are. Just to prove how Abandoned are better than a lowly soldier like me. You're so full of pride in yourself that you can't see how terrible you are."
She gestured in the direction of Torchline. "How about we go into the city, and you start throwing lightning around? See how many people you can scare. Tell the children there how no one can run fast enough to get away from your power. How easy it would be to kill them." She arched an eyebrow, looking up at him. "But you act like I'm the one wrong here. That I shouldn't see someone as a threat when they can so casually throw around such dangerous power. Someone who wields his power not in defense of his family, like you claimed, but just to make yourself look so big and strong and powerful."
She waved a hand across the air in a swift motion. "How long before that smug pride of yours makes you threaten someone other than me? Before you decide that you're so strong that you don't need to listen to your leaders, or to the gods? Don't act like you're too good or pure or humble to do so. Your actions have already betrayed you. If you really had control over your pride, you wouldn't have bothered with that little demonstration there. If you didn't think the Abandoned were so high and mighty, you wouldn't be so confident that your brethren could kill someone just for being disrespectful to them. You are blind to it. And that blindness will be your downfall."
She tucked her arrow back into the quiver. She knew he could kill her if he chose. There was nothing she could do to stop that. But she wouldn't let that force her to stand down.
She looked down at the blackened sand. The sight made her heart race. Deep down, she knew Sah was right. She was no match for him, or those like him.
In a weakened voice, she said, "You just keep proving my point. 'If the wrong Abandoned hears me, they'll kill me?' And you wonder why I see you all as the monsters you are." She brushed some of the sand off of her, though it didn't make much difference.
"Anyone as powerful as what you're demonstrating is too strong to be allowed to run loose. That power was meant only for the gods. You talk about how strong you are like it should be a reason to respect you..." She shook her head. "If you had any respect for your own power, you wouldn't throw it about so casually to try to scare me."
She wouldn't admit out loud just how terrified she was.
"Think about what you just did. What if I drew my sword and started waving it around your head, just to try to scare you? Irresponsible, don't you think?" She decided to pretend like she hadn't literally just tried to shoot him. "Bring down your fancy lightning, just to prove a point. Just to prove how strong you are. Just to prove how Abandoned are better than a lowly soldier like me. You're so full of pride in yourself that you can't see how terrible you are."
She gestured in the direction of Torchline. "How about we go into the city, and you start throwing lightning around? See how many people you can scare. Tell the children there how no one can run fast enough to get away from your power. How easy it would be to kill them." She arched an eyebrow, looking up at him. "But you act like I'm the one wrong here. That I shouldn't see someone as a threat when they can so casually throw around such dangerous power. Someone who wields his power not in defense of his family, like you claimed, but just to make yourself look so big and strong and powerful."
She waved a hand across the air in a swift motion. "How long before that smug pride of yours makes you threaten someone other than me? Before you decide that you're so strong that you don't need to listen to your leaders, or to the gods? Don't act like you're too good or pure or humble to do so. Your actions have already betrayed you. If you really had control over your pride, you wouldn't have bothered with that little demonstration there. If you didn't think the Abandoned were so high and mighty, you wouldn't be so confident that your brethren could kill someone just for being disrespectful to them. You are blind to it. And that blindness will be your downfall."
She tucked her arrow back into the quiver. She knew he could kill her if he chose. There was nothing she could do to stop that. But she wouldn't let that force her to stand down.
