Chapter 47: Frigid Negotiations

Quint eyed Nienna as he pulled the oars out of the water and rested them on his lap. “Where are you right now?”

“Hrm?” Nienna replied. She absentmindedly rubbed at the bandage on her hand while lost in her thoughts. She furrowed her brow, suddenly realizing they were not moving. “Why have we stopped?”

“You’re a million miles away from here. You sure you’re ready for this?”

“I am.” She waited for him to resume rowing, but he only sat there staring at her. “Can we get going again please?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again. Michi lifted her large head and craned it around to look at Nienna. The red drake flicked her tongue at her, and the tip of her long tail twitched back and forth, as if she was also waiting for the answer.

“I’m fine.”

He raised his greying eyebrows and leaned forward. “You went from almost dying, to being encased in an unidentifiable chrysalis, to business as usual without losing a beat.”

“There’s no time for me to ponder my recent experiences.”

Her former adviser let out a heavy sigh. “There never seems to be.”

“Hardly seems fair though,” Nienna muttered as she looked back over the water.

“What? Not having enough time?” he asked.

She shook her head and then looked down at her ungloved hands, watching the shadow ripple under her skin. “No, this second chance. And for what, hrm?”

“You don’t know for sure it’ll play out the way you think it will. That information I found is older than I am. They could have been misinformed. Besides, why would you have Alena busy herself with another solution if you were sure it will play out just like the parchment says?”

“Let them stay busy in their blissful ignorance. I’ve put them all through so much. They don’t need to be burdened by this.”

He shook his head. “Have you learned nothing?”

“Excuse me?” Nienna shot back.

“We’ve both lived lives filled with lies and deception, and look what it’s done. We try to tell ourselves it’s for the greater good or for someone’s benefit, but really, we’re just hurting the people around us. We may have saved lives in the long run, but these days I wonder if all those sacrifices were really worth the pain I caused those around me.”

Nienna looked down at the icy water and watched it lap at their little row boat. She clenched her jaw to the point it started to ache.

“They deserve the truth, is all I’m saying. Let them have a chance to process things and come to terms with what they’re about to be faced with.”

She wanted to argue with him, to say that she knew better, because she was the one after all who would have to go through with it. But as Nienna looked past Quint and to the edge of the floe where a small greeting party was already forming, she let it go. Compartmentalize—it was one of the lessons she learned while with the Order of Whispers that proved useful over the years.

“We need to go, Quint. Don’t want to keep our hosts waiting.” She nodded to the floe and leaned back against the hard, wood frame with her arms crossed over her chest.

He uttered a disapproving grumble as he picked up the oars again and resumed rowing. “I just don’t want you to have any regrets in the end.”

“Little late for that.”

“Where did you send the others, anyway?”

“Bore Lynch.”

Quint flashed her a confused look. “What’s there?”

“A shrine to Grenth. We need something to help us dial in—that is if we can get a charge powerful enough.” She raised up her bandaged hand. “She thinks a little Valar blood will help. Alena tried to explain all this in what she assumed was basic enough terms for me to understand, but I didn’t quite catch everything.”

“How confident was she in this plan of yours?”

“Not a whole lot, but I can tell she’s really trying.” Nienna looked over her shoulder back at Deep and Troubled Waters. “You think they made it long enough?”

“Positive,” Quint replied as he pulled back on the oars. “That back storage room was swimming in rope, and they even attached a couple lines from below. You don’t think you’re being a little paranoid?”

“We’re going to be stranded on the ice with a wide swath of frigid water between us and the sanctuary. Lord Byrne has a weapon that makes his own icebrood. If anything, I’m being practical,” she replied. “Hope for the best. Plan for the worst, remember?”

Quint frowned and pulled back on the oars again, propelling them through the water toward the destination. “I remember.”

***

The ice under Nienna’s heavy boots crunched with every step, making their arrival anything but stealthy. While they were searching for rope in Deep and Troubled Waters, Nienna had found some old kodan armor that was close to her size. It looked like it had been made for a cub or a small human friend. Either way, it fit her well enough. It was a little heavier than what she was used to, thanks to the extra leather and metal supports and accents, but it would protect her better than what she currently owned.

The weight of her axe on her hip gave her some comfort as she watched Lord and Lady Byrne approach with the mercenary captain and a few of her grunts in tow. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm her nerves and the anger that was slowly boiling in her heart. Dark shadow started to edge into her vision, but she willed it away with calming breaths.  

“Remember, we need visual confirmation of the blade piece and Seren,” Nienna advised. “If we can get them to bring both up to the front, we might be able to see where they are keeping them.”

“Noted,” Quint replied. He then looked down at Michi. “Stay close.”

The red drake looked up at her master and hissed in reply.

“And no matter what, keep them talking,” Nienna added. “We need to give as much time to Alena and the others as we can.”

“Also noted,” he replied. “Keep them talking. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

Nienna smirked as they continued on.

“Lady Valar,” Lord Byrne announced as the two groups came together. He simply nodded at Quint, but did not verbally address him.

“Lord and Lady Byrne,” Nienna replied coldly. “You requested our presence?”

Lord Byrne rested his hand on the pommel of the Sanguinary Blade as he looked them both up and down. “Is this your entire retinue? I admit I’m a little insulted.”

His sunken grey eyes, prominent cheek bones, and greying hair gave the lord a more severe and threatening appearance. He looked like a mere husk of a man now than when Nienna saw him last, but there was a dangerous fire lurking beneath. She could see it in his eyes. They burned bright as the moon on a clear, summer night.

With a cheeky smirk, Nienna took a long, hard look at the lord and lady before looking past them at Captain Morrow and the rest of their camp. “I don’t like to keep all my eggs in one basket where some greedy skritt can steal them all.”

The comment elicited a grin from Quint, who did his best to keep his amusement reigned in. Lord and Lady Byrne however, were not amused, and made their displeasure known by the scowls on their faces.

“It seems as though you’ve done something new with your hair,” Lady Byrne said, changing the subject. The tone of her comment felt more of a slight than something simply being pointed out.

“A little change is good sometimes. Now, am I to assume we’re here to discuss terms?” Nienna asked, trying to change the subject away from her hair. It was becoming a sore spot for her.

Lord Byrne nodded. “You give us the other two blade pieces, and we will let you and your people walk out of here unscathed and even give you back one of your own.”

Nienna raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. Her heart raced so hard, she could feel it beating against her arm. “Where is she?”

“We can assure you she is alive and well, aside from a minor injury sustained while in our keeping. Nothing serious, of course,” Lady Byrne assured her. “It was seen to immediately.”

Clenching her jaw, Nienna held back what she would have liked to say to the entitled couple, but because lives were on the line, and she needed the negotiations to continue, she merely offered them a fake smile and continued to play the game. “I would very much like to see Seren for myself.”

“That can be arranged.” Lord Byrne looked over his shoulder at Captain Morrow and nodded. The mercenary captain turned on her heels and made her way through the camp to retrieve Seren.

Nienna watched the captain in her periphery as best she could, while still keeping her attention on Lord and Lady Byrne. “I would also like to see the blade piece while we’re at it,” she added. “In case one of your greedy Inquest scientists have run off with it, and you’re neglecting to tell me.”

The request lit a spark in the lord’s eyes, and Nienna could swear she saw them start to glow as bright as the moon on a clear winter night. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re not exactly in a position to be making such demands. We have you outnumbered, and without your airship, you’re outgunned. We’re giving you an opportunity to do the right thing.”

Nienna clenched her jaw. Right thing, my ass, she thought to herself.

“Look, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” Nienna said, reaching a hand out toward Quint. He opened his jacket, pulled out a small spyglass, and set it in her hand. She then offered it to Lord Byrne. “Have a look at the eastern bow. You’ll see a rather grumpy charr holding the two pieces wrapped in linens for his protection. He’s not thrilled with the fact you stole the piece he was guarding.”

“He wasn’t supposed to have it in the first place.” Lord Byrne reached out to take the spyglass, but Nienna pulled her arm away.

“The piece you stole—I want to see it.”

He scowled, his grip tightening on his weapon. Nienna could feel the air around them grow cold and sharp. There was an uncanny shift in his body as it stiffened, as if something was controlling him from the inside. Even Lady Byrne had found this development a little disturbing, and she took a little step away from her husband.

“Tell them to bring it up here,” he ordered. One of the mercenaries nudged another, a young blonde-haired man, who then left to retrieve the third blade piece.

Stealing a quick glance over at Quint, she flashed him a surprised looked. Their negotiations seemed to be working out, at least for the time being. She hadn’t really expected to have her requests honored, and she was going to take anything they were willing to give.

Movement through the camp caught Nienna’s attention, and she watched as Morrow practically dragged Seren forward to negotiations. She had to hold herself back from running to her sister and pulling her away from the mercenary captain. For the sake of negotiations and their safety, she did her best to remain stoic and focus on where the captain had brought her from. Back left.

“Are you all right?” Nienna asked Seren as Morrow positioned her next to Lady Eira.

Seren nodded and tapped her shackled hands against her chest—an action that Nienna took note of. There was something strange with how the metal curved around her small wrists, like something had been bent. She couldn’t help but feel that Seren was trying to tell her something that couldn’t otherwise be said out loud.

“I’m fine.” Despite what Seren said, the young guardian looked rough. It was apparent from the dark circles under her eyes that she hadn’t had a proper rest since she was taken. Her earthen hair hung wildly around her face and spilled past her shoulders. An edge of bandage with a darkened bloodstain stuck out from her tunic and caught Nienna’s attention.

“What happened to her shoulder?” she demanded, pointing to Seren. “Is this the minor injury you were alluding to?”

“Merely a life lesson,” Lady Byrne tried to assure her in a silvery tone. “Mostly a superficial wound and already healing.”

“A life lesson?” Quint said, abruptly entering the conversation. “You’re neither her parents, nor her commander. That’s completely unnecessary.”

Shadow edged into her vision again as the exchange between Quint and the Byrnes continued. She could feel its desire to take over and deal with the problem standing in front of her with a— permanent—solution. Or was it her desire? It was difficult to tell where she ended and the shadow began, but she needed to get a handle on it, or their negotiations would get messy. She balled her hands into fists until she could feel her nails dig into her palms. Her focus on the pain pulled her out of her anger, the shadow slowly retreated.

“Perhaps I should repay her hosts the very same kindness she was shown while in their care,” Nienna said as she looked back and forth between Lord and Lady Byrne.

Captain Morrow sneered. “Go right ahead! I’ve been waiting for another opportunity to take you out!”

“Enough, Morrow,” Lord Byrne scolded.

The mercenary captain scowled and placed her hands on her hips, staring Nienna down and flashing the occasional glance at the lord and lady.

A pair of Inquest scientists approached the group, each carrying an end of a dark storage box. They came from the back right, Nienna thought to herself. They wore the typical red and black attire that had come to be an identifier for the outlying group. In addition to their usual attire, they each wore a pair of heavy gloves to protect themselves from the effects inflicted upon those not of the Valar bloodline. Lord Byrne held his hand up before they got too close, and the pair stopped, lowering the box to the ground.

“Show her,” Lord Byrne ordered. The two Inquest opened the lid and pulled out the third piece of the Eternal Blade, wrapped in layers of a thin canvas. The end poking out matched the other two in their possession.

Once she was satisfied, Nienna handed Lord Byrne the spyglass. He took it and put it up to his eye as he searched the edge of Deep and Troubled waters. When he found what he was looking for, he stopped and watched for what seemed like an eternity to Nienna. He then lowered the spyglass and handed it back to her.

“I’m satisfied with what I see,” he said. “We’re ready to accept the pieces in your possession.”

Nienna frowned. “That’s not how this works.”

“And how exactly did you think this was going to work? We hold all the cards. The previous shots from our catapults on that sorry excuse for a sanctuary were warnings, and merely a taste of the fury we’ll bring. More of your people will die, and in the end, I’ll still get what I want.”

“Is that supposed to frighten me?”

Lord Byrne took a step toward Nienna, his cold eyes boring deep into hers. “I am merely stating fact.”

She didn’t dare give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear in that moment. She kept it contained and wrapped in her growing anger as her hand rested on her axe’s pommel. Her knuckles turned white, and the air around them grew thick and bitter cold as tensions grew. While they were locked in their silent standoff, Quint’s attention was pulled to the edge of the group where Seren stood with Lady Byrne and Captain Morrow. His eyes locked with hers, and she flashed him a strange look as she scratched her neck with her bonded hands. The motion also pulled Nienna’s attention toward her, and before anyone could react, Seren made her move.