"They're all pulling back," Silas said from where he stood at the end of the table. His posture was rigid as he studied the map of the island.
The other soldiers were gathered around, along with Zara and Derrin. For the first time in a while, Red had been invited to come as well. Silas kept giving him reproachful looks, which were annoying, but he would deal with them if it meant he could actually be told what was going on.
Zara nodded, "Makes sense. His strategy of holding the entire island would only work so long as we didn't have a way to fight properly. Now it's biting him in the back."
"It is likely that they retreat all the way into the caverns, eventually abandoning their central camp entirely. That is the most defensible position on the whole island, given how many of them still remain. It will be near impossible to perform any strikes from now on."
"That is also highly likely. He had thought they would be able to put up a better fight, but now that it didn't work, he's changing his plans in an attempt to buy them more time." Silas tightened his fists against the tabletop.
The whole war that had been taking place on the island over the past few days had been going well. Even after the pirates had consolidated into bigger camps, they had continued to suffer losses.
Red hadn't been aware of any of this until the previous night. Zara had been hesitant when she had found him hiding there…which he still wasn't certain how she did.
She had said something like, "Don't underestimate those stronger than you. No matter how much you think you have the advantage, always assume that it won't be enough."
That had been made clear. Unlike Derrin, he didn't have any experience fighting people at a much higher level. He had allies who were at those levels, but they were few, and that didn't guarantee anything.
"Well, what are we going to do?" One of the soldiers asked.
There were now only eight of them left, including Silas. Those numbers may have seemed incredible, which they no doubt were, but every one of their deaths hurt their side far more than the pirates.
One dead pirate didn't mean they were weaker when a new one would just get swapped in. One dead soldier, though, was enough to force them to change their entire combat strategy.
No one spoke for a long time. Sieging the tunnels was a bad idea, and yet it was their only possibility. There didn't seem to be any other way around it. Zara was after something being housed there as well. Controlling the island didn't matter; controlling the caves did.
"Why don't you attack their ship?" Red asked.
All eyes turned on him.
"I mean, Derrin and I made it down there relatively easily. With actual soldiers, that shouldn't be nearly as improbable, right?"
"Kid, who asked you for your…"
With a wave of her hand, Zara cut him off, "I had considered that possibility. It will be heavily guarded after the stunt you two pulled. I doubt we could take their ship, but sinking it completely is not out of the question. You two did damage it if I recall?"
"Yes," Derrin nodded, "It wasn't taking water, but the explosion had been enough to blast a hole in its upper hull."
"I guess that could be a potential option," Silas conceded, "But we will need a more thought-out plan before we strike."
Red leaned back in his chair. Zara had let him come to this meeting precisely because he already knew everything. There was no point in leaving him out of the details if he already knew the broader secrets. She hadn't been happy about it, but at the end of the day, it didn't hurt to have someone with a different perspective.
"Alright. We will consider this as an option after the pirates fully retreat into the caverns. Until that happens, we should prepare to do minor strikes against their central camps. No all-out battles anymore, so we need to be far more careful with our positioning."
Zara continued, "However, there is something far more pressing that we need to discuss."
A silence fell across the chamber. Red wasn't sure how much everyone else knew. It was clear that they knew about the Gearborn's imminent arrival, but how much else? He had been stunned to hear about that. It was still difficult for him to process, despite the few days since the Pirate King's return.
"The Pirate King approached us again a few days back."
The tension in the room became palpable.
"What did that bastard want!" Silas growled.
"What else, he wanted us to surrender. From our conversation, it is clear that the gearborn are coming. I don't know how many or when that may be, but their arrival is imminent. That leads us to the next biggest issue that we face, the fleet. We need to get in contact with the fleet. It is the only way we will survive what is coming."
"The monitor is hidden in the caverns, though," One of the soldiers piped in.
"It is," Zara agreed, "Currently, that is our biggest concern and what we need to be focused on the most. If we don't take action over the next few days, we run the risk of the gearborn arriving and dooming us all."
Red waited. No one was sure what to say to that comment. However, he wasn't waiting because of that. Zara had yet to reveal the Pirate King's biggest offer yet. That was the most important piece of this entire situation.
"There is one other thing he offered," She continued reluctantly, "He offered us a chance to keep an eye on the chamber despite everything going on."
"What do you mean?" Silas asked.
"He certainly didn't offer that for free," Derrin said.
"He offered a trading of marks."
Silas blurted out, "You didn't accept that, did you! That traitorous scum can not be trusted. To think that he would even make a deal such as this. It is a trap. Clearly, you see this."
"Of course I know it's a trap," Zara said firmly, "But, walking into a trap that we know is far better than still being in the dark, don't you think?"
"This all seems like it is too risky for no reason," Derrin cut in.
Silas gave him a strange look. He was not used to Derrin agreeing with him clearly. They had very different world views after all.
"It's clear that this is a trap. None of us has any doubts about that. Without knowing what that man's marks do, we have no way of planning. However, it is clear that he is trying to end this conflict by giving this offer. He thinks that he can best you if he has you marked, while he doesn't find your marks to be a hindrance."
"He knows that this is important to you all; that is why he offered it. However, it is clearly important to him, or he would not have offered at all. So why don't we set a trap of our own?"
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Silas sniffed, "All of this is well in good. But we don't really have the cards now, do we?"
Instead of answering, Derrin asked, "Where is your monitor located? The one you need to relay messages to the Fallen Isles?"
Zara narrowed her eyes, "Oh, I see. You think we might be able to hit two birds with one stone. We hit the relay monitor and also get a look at the central chamber."
"Exactly. Despite what Silas insinuated, we do have cards to play. One of those is the knowledge that the Pirate King needs this deal with you and him just as much as you do. He just didn't want to say it outright. Just offer him a compromise of some sort."
"We just need to offer someone to go in-person to ensure that he isn't screwing with us," Zara finished, "Or that is what we will say at least. However, whoever does this… they are likely not coming back from it. There is also no guarantee of success."
"I'll do it," Silas glanced up, "I can use my summon."
"Will he be able to travel that far unseen? You usually summon him in full mass," Derrin asked.
"Montrelan, I don't need your approval. This is something that I can do. It is easy enough."
"You might still die," Zara cut in.
"Perhaps, but if that's the case, then I won't die without sending out a signal. That is the true goal of this mission, is it not? Besides, I doubt that blasted man will simply kill me. That would ruin any chances he has of making a proper deal."