The three of them stood before the open mouth of the cave. It was a strange collection. One that Zara had not expected to see. There was her and her second, Silas. The two of them stood in stark contrast to the man in black beside them, the Pirate King. He walked casually with his hands in his pockets.
Zara could feel Silas's agitation. The man was just itching to strike at the Pirate King. She had warned him numerous times not to take action. If they failed to kill him instantly, chances were, he would escape. Killing someone at his level instantly was nearly impossible. He could likely even survive a direct strike to the chest.
That wasn't even mentioning his powers. Zara knew for a fact that despite his casual exterior, the man was closely watching them. The instant Silas made a move, he would attack or, at the very least, disappear. Zara wasn't totally sure which one of those would be worse.
"Well," The Pirate King clasped his hands behind his back and turned to them, "Are you ready? The two of us will remain out here while you send your second inside. That should be exactly what you wanted, isn't it?"
Zara narrowed her eyes. She still didn't know what the man was playing at my trading marks. If she could get out of it, she would. However, she would not risk the possibility of them getting a message out. That was the priority, even beyond her own safety.
"Silas, remember what I told you. Don't let your emotions overtake you. We need this deal."
He stiffened, "Yes, of course."
"Ready, soldier?"
Silas didn't respond, but began the walk down the cave towards the central chamber. This was where she had hidden the bomb weeks earlier. The same bomb that had been discovered by the pirates. It was also the same place where Red had planted the second bomb.
Zara allowed her vision to split as Silas walked. She saw through his eyes and her own at once. She wouldn't risk sending Iris in there.
Zara didn't know to what extent the man knew about her. However, he had known her basic powers and had guessed she was from Stormvale. It was easy to figure she had a summon. The Pirate King would have made precautions to avoid Iris or even kill her.
She watched Silas clamber through the tunnel. He paused for a moment on the massive pirate ship housed in the grotto. Its side was severely damaged from the explosion, but it was unfortunately not taking in any water. None of that was important at the moment; all that mattered was that Silas made it to the chamber.
There were relatively few pirates as Silas traveled. Those who were present were tucked away in corners to be as discreet as possible. They weren't hiding, but simply making their presence known. Six of them were present. It was all the remaining generals of the Pirate King. If a fight broke out, Silas would be unable to fight all of them at once.
He ignored them and continued down the long tunnel that led to the island's heart. It felt far longer than she remembered. Each step he took seemed to take a lifetime.
Zara wasn't sure when he summoned his golem, but she knew that he had. He likely did it the moment he reached the end of the grotto. Even as they spoke, the stone golem was sneaking along corridors, trying to reach the device hidden in the caverns.
"Alright, that's enough!" The Pirate King's voice shook her from her focus.
She had been watching the man in case he made any moves, but she was more focused on Silas.
"What is enough?"
He sighed with exaggeration, "Please. I know you're planning something. You think I'm some sort of fool that you can simply pull a blindfold over. No!"
"I am not sure what you are talking about," She said flatly.
Scoffing, the Pirate King stepped forward, "Then let me spell it out for you, Zara. You are going to trade marks with me right now, or I will kill your soldier."
"Is that a threat? I thought we had a mutual agreement."
"No, you didn't. We both know what this is really about. As soon as your friend returns, the two of you will attempt to flee without completing your end of the bargain. I will not allow that to happen. So you will trade marks now, or he dies."
She narrowed her eyes. It seemed that he had no interest in losing the chance to mark her. It made sense, really. However, Zara was more worried that he had figured out her actual plan. If he had known that, then they would have been in serious trouble. She would be willing to trade marks, just as long as her plan could go through. Still, she had a role to play.
"Oh, please. You won't kill him. If you kill him, you lose any leverage you have. You'll never get to mark me if that happens."
He sneered, "You are under the impression that I need to mark you, Zara. No. I have never needed to mark you. I was simply doing it because it would be beneficial in the long run. It doesn't matter whether I mark you or not, the gearborn will come, and when they do, nothing you can do will stop them."
"Then why do you need me marked so badly?"
"His life or the mark. Your choice."
As they spoke, Zara watched Silas crest the ridge that overhung the chamber beyond. The chamber was enormous. Easily the size of the grotto that held the pirate ship. At the end of the chamber stood a pedestal. It was carved from ivory and seemed to simply fade into the ground. The center of the pedestal glowed with a dim teal light.
Silas froze at the top of the ridge overlooking the pedestal. He was clearly awed by the sight. That was a normal occurrence. No matter how many times one saw it and felt its energy. It still felt incredible.
Focusing on the pirate, she snarled, "As you wish."
The man smiled, "Good."
They faced one another then. Both had known what the process of marking someone was. Their eyes locked, and Zara felt the man push some of his mist through that gaze. She did the same; it was a part of their deal after all.
The crawling sensation of the man's mist entering her body made her itch. It felt wrong to have that energy there within her, knowing she couldn't remove it. Doing so would leave her remarkably weak and easy prey for the pirates. He would have the same issue, but for her, it was far more dangerous.
Neither of them spoke; they simply stared at one another. One with a cruel grin, the other with an angry scowl. They stared at one another, both refusing to blink.
The final stages of the battle had begun with that look, that trade. It had been determined long before. Even without the trade, the end of the battle was nearing.
Only this mark had determined it. The war would enter a new stage after this. Only they had no idea what that stage would take. Rim, The Fallen Isles, Valencia… they were now facing the largest crisis it had in its history, and neither of them, pirate or soldier, had any idea.