A moment escalates.

Sometimes, when Udonna was actually asleep, she would murmur and talk aloud. Koragg knew this. He thought it was a waste of oxygen. But he saw her again, as he was going to demand to know about the rangers as per Imperious's orders, having what he perceived was a nightmare.

Koragg had no need to sleep. He would sit and rest, but sleep wasn't a necessity. Like eating, he found it a waste of time.

But here was the sorceress, breathing heavily and murmuring little things like "don't go" and "no" over and over. It wasn't the first time. He had seen her a few times, just whispering. Little things that he couldn't quite hear.

And in a moment of curiosity, Koragg wants to ask her what was wrong. Not because he particularly cared about her welfare, though, he told himself. She was human. Whatever was wrong with her was nothing he should care about.

A gasp for air and the sorceress startled away, breathing burdened. She didn't realize he was there at first, but he spoke, his voice harsh, "what is it?"

Udonna knew he wasn't possibly concerned for her. He was heartless and cruel. He was a blind, apparently honorable follower of a creature, a master, with no honor whatsoever.

"Nothing," she said initially, before adding, "a dream." She didn't want him to go pressing on.

But he did.

"A dream about what?"

Why was he asking her? He didn't care. Was he going to use this against her?

And then a moment of anger followed. She didn't want to be thinking about exactly what had happened in her dream. Reliving the terror in her heart as her husband sank beneath the surface of the earth, her sister dying before her eyes. She didn't want to feel it, but she did.

"About someone your master had no qualms with killing," she replied angrily. She pushed off the bed and stood up, walking over to the barrier between them and standing where she could see the reflection of a glim of light in his visor.

The Knight knew that his master had killed. He had ordered the destruction of whole villages. But… Koragg didn't remember ever being a part of those battles. Was The Master just saving him? Did he want his monsters to prove themselves?

He surely wasn't going to apologize for The Master's actions, especially to this woman. She was from the other side. The side that believed in that fantastical sense of good. Goodness didn't really exist. He would tell her so.

"Your side had no qualms killing monsters. They had lives as well."

Udonna was silent for the tiniest moment. That was true. But she then remarked, "they were bent on destroying our people. They were killing the guardians of the villages at night, without a fair fight."

"But that doesn't mean that your side hasn't killed."

"Your forces invaded. It was self-defense. I needn't remind you that children died. Men, women, children, everyone was a victim. If they weren't killed, then someone they loved were killed. Must I remind you that I lost my sister to that war."

"Your sister was The Gatekeeper," he replied. "She died in vain. As did everyone else who fought off our forces."

"Why weren't you there, then?" She demanded, furious that he had even gone so far as to suggest such a thing. "I'm sure you believe that if you were there you would have never been banished."

Koragg stopped. He hadn't been there. He didn't remember any sorts of fights. Maybe a glimpse of fire? He didn't answer her.

She noticed. "Well? Were you so important that you couldn't fight back then?"

He didn't know. But he wasn't going to let her incessant badgering get to him. "I am The Master's most loyal servant. He didn't want to use my skills on your weak forces that died for nothing."

Udonna grasped the vines and looked through a sizable gap right where the Knight's eyes would be. "You listen to me. My sister did not die for nothing. My friends did not die for nothing. My husband did not die for nothing."

Husband? Koragg wasn't expecting the sorceress to have been married. He didn't know why. "You sister was The Gatekeeper," he repeated, again. "The gates have cracked. And what was your husband? A soldier?"

"The leader of our armies," she shot back. "A warrior. Twice the warrior you'll ever be!"

Koragg leaned forward, a menacing move that Udonna was just too angry to care about. "I am The Master's best warrior. No warrior from the other side would have ever matched me. Not even the leader of your armies."

"Leanbow would have beaten you. I know he would have."

"Leanbow?"

"That was his name. But you don't care about that, do you? You don't care about all the people your master has killed in his quest for power."

"They fought us. They were willing and able to fight and they were defeated. Your husband must have been no different. He must have been just another weak warrior."

Udonna released the vines but not her glare at Koragg. Finally, she stepped back and retorted, "Leanbow was not weak. He was a great man. I won't let you stain my memory of him."

"Fine. Imperious has given me orders. He's instructed me to ask you about the rangers' source of power."

"Who's Imperious?" That sounded so childish. The main part of the statement had been ignored.

Koragg, who greatly disliked Imperious, replied, "a new general."

"I see you were not promoted," Udonna said snidely.

He ignored her. "What do you know of the source of the rangers' power," he pressed again.

"Why do you ask me? You know I won't tell you."

"Then Imperious himself will ask you. And he isn't so kind."

He backed away, allowing Udonna to breathe a little more normally before he spoke again.

"And I will ask him about this Leanbow."

"You shouldn't bother. I do not need the reminder that he's gone."

He turned and left, but to the right this time. Udonna made a note of it.