After an exhausting training session, the teacher and student headed west. Several times Verd asked Arktia to carry him in her arms. It might have looked strange, but it would have been hundreds of times more effective than trudging on his own two feet. In his attempts to get his way, he even fell down several times or complained about pain in his leg.
The girl remained unperturbed and answered invariably:
"It's uncomfortable for me."
Which was quite understandable, since he towered over her by almost a head.
'I couldn't even rest properly...' - flashed through Verd's mind as he stopped to catch his breath.
The sun was at its zenith, and the heat was unbearable. Sweat streamed down Verd's face. For a moment, it seemed to him that he would dry up just like the cracked earth beneath his feet.
- Why don't we take a break?"
Arktia stopped and turned around.
- What? We haven't even covered a tenth of the way yet.
Verd's eyes widened.
- Where are we even going if we haven't covered a tenth of the way in all these days?!
The girl paused, and her ring glowed dimly.
- To the city, of course.
- The city...
Not letting Verd finish, Arktia took a flask from her ring and, deliberately holding his gaze, took a sip.
'Water'
Her movements were utterly unnatural. It seemed more like she was deliberately provoking the thirsty guy. And in principle, that was exactly what she was doing...
After taking a sip, she lowered her hand, and a few drops trickled down her lip. Then she smiled broadly and said:
- How refreshingly cold.
Verd couldn't hold back. He lunged at her, trying to snatch the flask, but his attempt was primitive and clumsy. The girl, far faster than him, easily dodged.
- What are you doing?
Ignoring her words, Verd, without realizing it himself, kept moving forward despite his exhaustion. Nothing remained in his head except a single goal: to reach the water and quench a thirst that was stronger than any pain.
Arktia lightly jumped back her step was light, almost soundless, in stark contrast to Verd's heavy, hoarse breathing. She hid the flask behind her back, and a small smirk played on her face.
- What's wrong, little one? Weren't you just saying you could barely drag your feet? Where's all this energy coming from?
- Give... the word escaped the guy hoarsely.
He took another step, but for every step he took, she took one back, always keeping a small distance between them.
- Give me water...
Arktia stepped slightly to the side and patted him on the shoulder.
- And where's the request? Or at least a magic word? - she tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness. - Besides, you heard me. It's ice-cold. A sharp temperature change after such heat is harmful. I wouldn't want you to get sick.
She brought the flask to her lips again, pretending to take another sip, but only moistened her lower lip. A drop of moisture glistened in the sun before rolling down her chin. Verd involuntarily followed the movement, and his throat tightened from a new spasm of thirst.
- It's uncomfortable for me to carry you - she continued, mimicking her own recent tone. - And sharing water with someone who attacks their teacher? That, you know, is no longer uncomfortable it's just strange.
She began to slowly circle around him, forcing him to turn in place, which was especially painful after the long journey. Every step she took was light and provocative.
- Although... - Arktia made a dramatic pause, and her ring glowed again.
In that same instant, she disappeared from sight, and right next to Verd's ear, a sound rang out. The crunch of a ripe fruit, which in the silence of the plain sounded louder than any bell.
- Maybe you're right - juice glistened on her lips. - We should take a break. So I can refresh myself.
She sat down on a nearby stone with the air of a queen enthroned. Verd froze before her, with a parched mouth and a burning gaze, like a defendant.
- Have a seat, rest, - she generously offered, pointing to the ground at her feet. - We can talk about something interesting. About magic, for example. Or about the importance of conserving strength on a long journey. It's just that for conversation, you need a clear mind. And yours seems to have gotten lost somewhere between whims and that not-very-successful attempt at robbery.
Verd tried to say something, but only a wheeze came out.
- Already hoarse? Fine, have it your way. Let's make a deal.
She placed the flask next to her on the stone so close, so tantalizingly. Then she took out a second pear, tossed it into the air, and deftly caught it with her slender, strong palm.
- If you catch me or touch the flask, you get both water and the fruit. If you don't... - she smirked again, and a hunter's excitement flashed in her eyes - you'll watch me eat it all with pleasure. And we'll continue on our way. Without any more stops.
It was pure provocation. She knew he was at his limit. And she knew that right now Verd couldn't refuse. Thirst and rage an explosive mixture that stripped away the last remnants of reason.
Verd was silent for a long time, as if weighing the offer.
'No way... Is he actually resisting his instincts?' - flashed through Arktia's mind.
She almost believed that he had exceeded her expectations, but she noticed something else: his gaze was gradually clouding over. He was trying to say something, but couldn't.
'Must have imagined it. Apparently, he only has fragments of reason left, since he didn't rush at me immediately' - she realized.
- If you can't speak, just nod.
Verd did as she suggested. His head slowly tilted forward.
- Excellent! - Arktia instantly jumped up. - I'm giving you a head start. Five seconds. One...
She didn't even wait for the count. At "one," she had already spun around and darted away at such speed that her figure blurred for an instant. She wasn't running. She was just so fast that with an ordinary, swift stride, almost a gliding step. She didn't even kick up dust.
Verd lunged after her with a roar. Adrenaline momentarily drowned out the fatigue in his muscles. He gave it his all, swallowing the scorching air, his feet pounding heavily against the cracked earth.
But despite all his efforts, Arktia remained an elusive shadow. She didn't run far — she teased. Letting him close the distance to ten or fifteen steps, and then, as if sensing his approach, she'd make a light dash to the side or speed up slightly, pulling away again. She weaved between rocks and dry bushes with graceful, insufferable ease.
- Is that all? - her voice seemed to come from all directions at once. - I'm just walking, not even running. Did you really think you could win with such modest efforts?
He remained silent, conserving strength and breath. His whole world had narrowed to the girl's back, flickering in the heat haze, and the unbearable burning in his throat.
Suddenly she stopped, turned to face him, and walked toward him. Calmly, measuredly, toward the running Verd. Her face showed mild curiosity.
He tried to grab her, but at the last moment she smoothly, almost dancing, twisted under his arm, and he rushed past, nearly falling. A soft voice sounded right by his ear.
- So I'm a more important target to you than the flask of water?
She was a few steps away again, waving the pear like a prize. Verd watched her bring the flask to her lips.
- Oh - Arktia said without a hint of regret. - Looks like there's almost nothing left.
She tilted her head back and poured the last sips into her mouth without swallowing. Her cheeks puffed out slightly from the precious liquid. The empty flask fell onto the sand with a dull thud.
- M-m-m - she hummed, closing her eyes in pleasure. Then she opened them and looked at Verd, who stood frozen a few steps away, despair and rage burning in his gaze.
Arktia just shrugged almost imperceptibly: «It's all gone»
That was the last straw. Not reason, not calculation — pure animal despair. With a hoarse cry that blended rage and pleading, Verd surged forward in a final, desperate rush. His legs no longer obeyed him; he was falling, but inertia and blind will carried his body straight toward her.
Arktia, confident in her superiority, didn't even move from her spot, only slightly leaning back, preparing to dodge easily one last time. But she underestimated his desperation and overestimated the exhaustion of his body. He didn't try to grab her or go around her. He simply collapsed onto her with all his weight, like a felled tree.
- Oh... - was all she had time to think as the heavy body pinned her to the ground.
They both crashed onto the hot sand, raising a cloud of dust. Arktia ended up underneath, pinned by him. For a moment, genuine surprise flickered in her eyes. Her arms lay limply on the sand.
'Looks like he's completely spent. Fine, I'll give him the fruit when he wakes up. His will is strong, after all.'
But Verd, seeing and hearing nothing except his all-consuming thirst, acted on instinct. His hands gripped her shoulders not to hold her, but simply to find support. His gaze was fixed on her lips, closed around the last moisture for thousands of meters. And he, without thinking, without reasoning, reached out with his cracked, sunburned lips toward her mouth.
Arktia froze. Her eyes widened, staring at the sweaty, pain-twisted face above her.
From the outside, it looked absurd: Verd had mashed his mouth against the girl's elbow, which she had raised at the last moment. She felt dry, hot skin through the fabric, his desperate, clumsy attempts to get at least something.
Shock gave way to quiet, icy analysis. She could have done anything: throw him off with one move, strike him, make him howl in pain. She was stronger, faster, incomparably more experienced. But instead, she placed her hand on his chest.
The movement was swift and left no room for resistance. With one smooth but incredibly powerful motion, she rolled over, switching places with him. Now she sat astride him, pinning him to the scorching ground with her thighs. Her knees squeezed him from the sides, depriving him of any chance to move.
Verd exhaled hoarsely from the shock and the last remnants of his struggle. He lay beneath her, looking up at her face, which blocked out the blinding sun.
Arktia slowly leaned down, took a new flask from her ring, and without ceremony, shoved the neck into his mouth, holding it while he drank.
Arktia pulled back, still looking him straight in the eyes. Her face was so dark and irritated that it seemed she was restraining herself from killing him.
- Know your limits, worm!