"I have thought long and hard about our last encounter," Aeron said smoothly, his voice low and intimate, as though he were speaking to a lover rather than a rival. "About how we left things on… unfortunate terms. I realized that I may have acted inappropriately, that I went too far with some of the statements I made. And so, I decided to come here in person to extend my sincerest apologies for my behavior."
Nheera opened her mouth to respond and in the blink of an eye, Aeron's hand moved. In a single, fluid motion, he raised the sword and leveled it at her face, the sharpened tip hovering perilously close to her skin.
Her gaze dropped first to the blade, gleaming cold and merciless in the light, then lifted slowly to meet his eyes. A flash of shock sparked through her chest, followed swiftly by fear but she crushed both emotions down as soon as they rose. She could not afford to let him see even a crack in her composure.
