"Hm," Marod sounded positively. "I am sure you will soon have regular access to the Legate General once he has marshalled and set up camp in the cavern." He raised his hands and pulled in his chin, taking on a more frank voice. "But far be it from me to stay at home and let the commanders break down relations on the first day! If you continue to have the means of quick transport, Meesei, I would be best suited basing myself right here in this Silent City for as long as you need me."

Lunise had taken the time to tuck her letter into the front of her dress. She answered with her usual relaxed frown. "I will need to return to obtain an answer from the government. Not to mention to impress the reality of the situation on anyone who decides not to take this seriously." She angled her head forward. "But there will inevitably be some middling officers who need me to straighten them up if they find themselves too proud for joint operations. I will be staying here once Dominion soldiers move in."

[hr]
"Do'rhajul and Yerig were the only ones that refused to participate in my torture," Sabine continued as if by no choice of her own. "Yerig was spending the time reading through the notes in secret. I could see Do'rhajul. He hated it all. The others enjoyed it. He hated it." Sabine blinked hard. "When Yerig emerged, he called them all the real monsters. He showed Do'rhajul the notes. Arinette claimed it was forged. Do'rhajul recognised the handwriting and demanded Arinette explain herself. An argument started. Do'rhajul had been lied to about our goals. When they were distracted, that was when I..." Her mouth hung open for a moment. "...Pulled at the stake they put through my hands until it went right through. Fell onto Arinette. Paralysed her. Took her staff. Used the magic in the staff to push away the others. I shouted, I wanted Do'rhajul to read the notes properly. Then they turned on him and Yerig. I..."

Trying to get the whole story out at once before she tripped over herself failed. Sabine's remaining breath shot out all at once and she threw her head forward onto her hand.

"Ri'kalesh..." she said with a suddenly strained voice. "I am telling you this because at that moment, I held Arinette's life in my hands. I nearly...did something horrible to her. More horrible than anyone has ever done. I hated her so much." Her hand already flooded with suppressed tears in the space of moments. "What she did to me. How she almost killed Meesei. How she...wanted to kill all of us. I hated her. I told her what I was going to do. Her eyes...She was terrified. And then I was terrified. I realised my very beast spirit was [i]cowering.[/i] The last time that happened, I was a child in a silver cage hoping I would die because none of the cures my captors made were working." She stopped to keep herself from sobbing and sucked in a breath through her teeth. "I realised if I killed her, if I took my revenge, I would become her. I would keep killing everyone. I was terrified. I refused. I made them all unconscious, leaving Do'rhajul. Yerig had been killed by a lightning spell from Arinette but I started his heart again."

Sabine lowered her hand, letting her tears fall from the tip of her nose. "You probably do not care so much about all of that," she conceded with a blocked nose. "Well...Do'rhajul surrendered. I did not know what to do. I was still too scared of what I could have done. So...I just found a place to sit down with a warm cloak and...drank water. He thought I was going to kill him. Do'rhajul went quiet. Yerig tried to talk to me. He explained that Do'rhajul had just broken his pact with Vile by going against Arinette. His soul was forfeit but he knew there was no salvation after what he had done. Do'rhajul was honourable and...crushed with guilt by what he had just found out. He lost his wife, his daughter, his career, and everyone he loved when he was turned. That's how they were able to lie to him. By offering him his old life back, even if they never intended to give it back. And so they lied to him that we were monsters that wanted to eat the world. I wanted him to see justice but I could not kill him because of what happened with Arinette. I did not want to take revenge. I would be just as bad as her. I did not want others to take revenge either or else they would just make the suffering continue forever. So when he put himself at my mercy, I decided to force him to help me release the souls Vile stole."

Lifting her reddened eyes and teary face, Sabine locked eyes with Ri'kalesh. "I want the suffering to stop. I want the hatred to stop. Killing him will not do that. Killing him is hollow. Making this right is more important. No more revenge. Those are my reasons."

Sabine wished she could have expressed herself as clearly as she did when she convinced Do'rhajul that she was done with revenge. All she could give at this point was just honesty.