Things had turned out more interesting than Damon would've expected.
The person before him wasn't wrong. The system did say only one leader had to die, which meant truces made tactical sense. An alliance against a shared enemy was logical. Clean, even.
Except there was nothing clean about trusting someone who could end the quest the moment your back was turned.
He looked at Ivy. She was already looking at him with the expression that told him she'd reached the same conclusion half a sentence ago.
Edmund was quick to read the silence.
"We request to meet on neutral grounds," he said, adjusting smoothly. "Somewhere between the two citadels, so that terms can be discussed properly. Away from either side's walls."
"We'll send representatives," Ivy answered before Damon could.
Something crossed Edmund's face, a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth that vanished almost before it appeared. Almost.
