Page 9 of Heart of the Hunted
Looking up at the sky, Arun said: "I don't think the weather is going to hold out. There's a storm brewing, and when it hits, it’s going to hit hard."
Taredd looked at the sky and had to agree. The weather was definitely changing, and not for the better.
"I was planning on traveling through the night," Taredd said. "It should only take us a couple of days to get there if we don't have to stop for the night, but looking at that sky, we might not have a choice in the matter."
"Yeah, I know, but hopefully we’ll be able to cover some distance before we’re forced to stop. Do you think we should tell Dain where we're heading?" Arun asked.
"No, he can find us easily enough on his own. Plus, I'm not going back to tell him, are you?" Taredd asked.
"It's fine by me,” Arun agreed. “I'm certainly not going back for him."
"Good," Taredd said. "Because that would just be wasting even more time than we already are."
"How are we wasting time?" Arun asked.
"Because this bet is a waste of time," Taredd told him. "It would go a lot faster if we were all working together, and you know it would."
"I still don't think we're wasting time," Arun told him. "We're just having a bit of fun while we work, that's all. You need to have some fun every once in a while, otherwise you’ll turn into a right miserable bastard."
"I'm not a miserable bastard," Taredd said.
"And I'm not saying you are. I'm just saying that you'll turn into one if you don't let your hair down…"
"My hair is down," he interrupted.
"...and have fun once in a while," Arun continued, not paying attention to Taredd's interruption. "At the end of the day, we are still working."
"Fine,” he conceded. "Just don't take forever tracking one down."
"Don't worry, I won't. I plan on winning the bet, after all," Arun said confidently.
"We'll see," Taredd said, rolling his eyes.
"You really don't think I can do it, do you?" Arun asked.
"Oh, I know you can. Just not as quickly as I can," Taredd said smugly.
"Whatever," Arun said. "We'll soon see who's fastest."
"Yes, we will. And when that time comes, I look forward to taking all your money," Taredd said, smiling.
"I already know what I'm spending your money on, so I hope you're not too attached to it," Arun replied.
"I was about to say the same thing to you," Taredd laughed.
"How about you both shut up about it. You're giving me a headache already."
They both spun round at the sound of Dain's voice.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Arun asked him.
"I was bored waiting to see who wins, so I thought I would come along for the ride," he told them. "The thing I want to know, is why are you two together? I thought you would have gone separate ways. You know, it kind of defeats the purpose of the bet if you don't?"
"We're not working together," Arun said.
"Then what are you doing?" Dain asked.
"We're just traveling through the mountain pass together. Then we're going to start the bet when we split up on the other side," Taredd told him.
