Iris alerted her to the Pirate King's arrival before he actually showed himself. He had been coming from the pirates' central camp when she spotted him. That had given them ample time to prepare themselves. None of them would be caught off guard if the pirates chose to attack. She doubted they would, but she wouldn't allow even the slightest chance.
The doors ground open, and she found herself facing the traitor once again. This time, she was not alone. Silas and Derrin both stood beside her as they readied themselves to face the Pirate King.
"Not meeting alone today?" He asked in a bright tone.
Zara ignored this. She had learned that the man had a habit of taking hold of conversations. He tried to get everyone to dance to his tune.
She remembered a younger girl who had done the same thing. That girl had quickly learned that in the military, they did not appreciate a smart mouth.
"Let's cut to the chase. We're agreeing to your second deal."
His eyebrows rose. Clearly, he had not been expecting that response. That was a good sign. It meant he hadn't predicted their every move. They still had a chance to come out on top of this engagement.
"That is great to hear…well, shall we get to it then?"
"Actually, no." Zara cut him off, "We will agree to your second deal only if you make an amendment to said deal."
He narrowed his eyes, "And what exactly might that be?"
"It's simple and should make quite good sense considering the discoveries that took place this evening," Zara made no mention of the marks.
The Pirate King would know that they had been discovered. He would have felt them being removed and his mist returning to him. There was no use hiding it, but there was also no point confronting the traitor.
Zara continued without giving the man a chance to speak, "You are not the very trustworthy sort, I must say. Well, it is to be expected by someone who made a deal with the devil."
"I thought you had a counteroffer, Valencian. This doesn't seem like you are that interested in bargaining at the moment," he said briskly.
"On the contrary, pirate. I am simply painting a picture for you. I'm sure it is hard for someone like yourself to understand how exactly a human would feel, not that you've joined the Gearborn. So, I am allowing you to understand where we're coming from."
"I see. That makes sense, of course. After all, it would be rather hard to trust your conquerors right after you've been bested," he grinned wolfishly.
"I'm sure. Though I've never experienced it myself. You'll have to tell me about it when we're done here."
The Pirate King narrowed his eyes, annoyed that he hadn't been given control of the conversation. Their last talk had him in control. However, now that he wanted something, and they knew what he wanted, it had fallen out of his hands. Neither of them benefited from a pissing match, and he knew it.
"You are not trustworthy. Let's be upfront here. You are our enemy, so it only makes sense. Still, I hope that when someone comes to a deal, they're willing to do so with good intentions. That is clearly not the case here, so we need insurance. I don't trust you unless you are willing to show us the central chamber."
"That was part of my offer, was it not?"
"No, you know what I mean. I want to see the chamber…in person."
The Pirate King cocked his head slightly as if trying to better hear them. He briefly glanced at her companions, but didn't linger to show that he had made no moves to mark them.
"I think that we can come to that arrangement. We need to be together to exchange marks after all."
"You've got it wrong, I will not be entering the caverns," she replied simply, "Clearly, as a leader yourself, you can understand this. For the same reason, you are not entering this fort for a meeting. It only makes sense."
"Very well," he accepted this with a nod, "I have no bad intentions with this trade."
"We both know that's a lie, so don't bother beating around the bush. If you want this trade to happen, then we're doing it tonight."
The Pirate King fell silent for a moment, and then he started to laugh. No one moved as he shook there for a minute. Derrin gave her a strange look, but she shook her head.
This was their offer; there would be no compromises.
If the Pirate King didn't accept, it would be back to war. If he did, then he wouldn't have a chance to prepare anything… all of that was assuming the man wasn't already prepared.
"Ah, it seems that you have woven quite the strong net, Valencians. I was not anticipating this to all happen. You should remember, though, nets are quite powerful and deadly, but all it takes is one little knife to ruin it all. I personally prefer blood and smoke, but that's only me."
"That's our offer…our only offer. I will not be negotiating any further. You either take it or leave it."
"You were prepared for the shake down, weren't you. I should have expected as much. You are Valencians after all," he paused and glanced at Derrin, "Well, everyone except for you. What is a Montrelan doing in a place like this?"
"Back on track, traitor," Silas stepped forward.
"Let me guess, you're the nitwit to be sent into the caverns? No matter, I am willing to accept your deal. That should be fair enough to prove my vast and undying honor, should it not, Montrelan?"
Derrin stiffened, but made no move to reply. Zara was glad of that. At least one of them had a cool head. Silas needed to get over that before he actually caused real problems.
"Enough," Zara stepped forward until she was only a few feet away, "This deal is happening now, or not at all."
"Oh, don't be so uptight. I have accepted your deal. Now it is time to act on it, is it not? Your move, Zara. Your move."