Her friend Aliara

The drider led Teysa into the trophy cave again. Since her last visit, some changes had been made. The walls were bare now and fine grey sand covered the floor where the rug had lain. The chairs had gone as well, and the benches had been dragged into a semicircle. The drider matron sat at the largest. The others were occupied by smaller driders-- a few dressed in the armor of the guards, others bare or with black veils. Teysa's guide pointed at the circle of sand on the ground, then took her place among the others, her abdomen swaying as she walked.

Entering from the opposite side of the arena came another veiled drider, leading another humanoid figure. Teysa squinted. Could it be...? The other figure was female, wrapped in another one of the silken robes. "Aliara!" Teysa almost wept for joy. "You're alive!"
"Teysa!" the other called back. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

"You can see me?"

"Yes! They did something, some magic. I can see!"

The drider matron quieted them both with a gesture.

"My children! Hyou have done well to come thissss far. Hyou have proven your ssssssstrength. But the warren needsssss more than that. Hyou must be ruthlessssss to survive in the Darknesssss Below. She Who Spinsssss watches hyou. One can ssssurvive. For one of hyou to prosssssper, the other must fall." One of the drider guards advanced on each woman, bearing spears. Teysa felt a growing dread. Am I understanding this right? "Matron, are you saying we must fight?"

The drider nodded. "To the ****, child."

Teysa was horrified. "I can't! Aliara is my best friend! I can't fight her!"
Aliara seemed equally broken up. "No! Matron, why? Didn't she pass your test, too? Can't we both advance?"

The matron scowled. "Hyour friendship is meaninglesssssss here. Hyou will fight, or hyou will forever be denied advancement." Her expression softened a little. "The power that could be hyours is clossssse. Can hyou not tasssste it?"

Reluctantly, Teysa took the spear. Across the Arena, Aliara held hers like it was a snake about to bite her. "Tey, what should we do? Can we fight?"