At Ghent’s unexpected shout, Elayra jumped, a hand going from the knotted rope to the hilt of her saber. Drust’s head turned to look behind him. Remorse abandoning its place, a scowl pulled at Drust’s face.
	Elayra unintentionally mimicked the Knight’s expression, glowering at Ghent. “What does it [i]look[/i] like I’m doing, Featherhead?” She released her sword and returned both hands to the knot. “I’m [i]untying him![/I]”
	At Ghent’s unnecessary reminder of what Drust had done, Elayra’s teeth clenched. Her back still ached and a dull throb at the base of her head threatened to turn into a headache, giving her more than enough of a reminder on its own of what had happened.
	Drust stiffened, gaze turning to the front of him and hands tightening into fists.
	When Ghent nearly hit Drust with the glowing end of the stick, Elayra instinctively and swiftly reached out to grab it’s unenchanted bark. “Watch it, you ignoramus!” She jerked it aside, angling it away from Drust and careful to not hit herself or Ghent in the process.
	She leaned closer to Ghent, weary ire glowing in her gray eyes. “What, you don’t trust my judgment?” she growled. “You don’t think I know what I’m doing after spending my [i]entire life[/i] with him? You think I can’t—”
	“Enough!” Drust shouted through his teeth.
	Elayra winced and looked to the ground. Reluctantly, she released her hold on Ghent’s enchanted weapon.
	“And I was worried you’d started to get along,” Drust sneered, making Elayra grimace. He looked over his shoulder to see Elayra better, his face drawn.
	Elayra thought she saw the dark veins on his face pulse, but hoped it was only a trick of the flickering firelight.
	 “[i]You[/i] know how our world works. He,” Drust jerked his head toward Ghent, the action merging with a twitch, “doesn’t.”
	Drust let out a heavy, slow breath and looked forward once more, his chin lowered. “My word would mean nothing, boy.” Loathing saturated his voice, his words clipped. “I can’t control the Curse. I can only fight against it until it wins.”
	“It feeds on his negative emotions and thoughts,” Elayra put in, her voice stiff, but quiet. She stared at the ground between her and Drust, not wanting to look directly at either of her companions. “The stronger those are…”
	“The more strength it gives the Curse to fully consume me,” Drust finished for her flatly. “It’s as parasitic as what it feeds on. My emotions and thoughts fuel the Curse as much as the Curse fuels them until only [i]it[/i] and its desires remain.” His fists squeezed tighter behind him.
	“He’s not [i]fully[/i] Curse-ridden.” Elayra glanced to Ghent, a trained wary eye at least partially on Drust. “He’s the only half-Cursed we know of. But that’s why he can fight it. Why he’s actually cognitive, unlike the Forsaken or Forgen. If nothing else, it’s made him stronger.”
	“That also makes me more [i]dangerous[/i] than the Forsaken or their offspring.” He glanced toward Elayra, a warming shining in his veined eyes.
	He looked away with a sigh and shake of his head. “The Curse should have killed me with the rest of the Black and White Knights the instant it touched us. But it didn’t. Elayra thankfully remained sound. But I… [i]I[/i] became [i]this![/i]” he finished in a low snarl, disgust and hatred saturating his voice. His neck twitched more violently than before. He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes, making himself take a few deep breaths.
	Elayra fully looked to him, her expression as firm as her words. “My guardian and teacher is what you became. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I [i]trust[/i] you, Drust. If anyone can keep the Curse in check, it’s [i]you.[/i]”
	Drust snorted. “We digress,” he changed the subject darkly. He shifted his hands uncomfortably within the rope. The loosened knots gave him a bit more slack, but either it was not enough for him to easily pull free, or he chose to remain bound.
	“Your caution is admirable, boy,” he began, his voice back to a forced cold calm. He tilted his head toward Ghent. “I swore long ago to protect you and Elayra. The only thing I can swear to you now is that I will [i]never[/i] willingly break that oath. Even if it means my life. If that’s not enough for you, so be it. I’d suggest finding a better way to tie me down for the night for your own peace of mind.” He moved his arms, puling the rope as far apart as it allowed in emphasis.
	“We’re not—!”
	“Quiet, girl!” Drust snapped with another twitch of his neck, interrupting Elayra’s protest. “I’m not giving this choice to you! Ghent’s the one I nearly killed. Not you.”
	Elayra’s mouth snapped shut and she exhaled heatedly. Teeth clenched and face hard from irritation, she looked to Ghent, her expression daring him to deny Drust’s release.