Chapter 2: Part 6 - Stalemate

It didn’t surprise Oska that Artair had chosen an impressive site for their meeting. Haki led the way up and up through the Grove, past levels of homes and shops and training grounds, to a valley high in the hills overlooking the city. By the time they halted, the Grove was a colourful smudge below them and clouds kissed the peaks above.

The Archon waited beside a meandering stream, the verdant undergrowth of the jungle flattened in a circle around him. Gullveig stood on one side, Vasha on the other ‒ and Jean knelt at his feet.

The urge to rush forwards made Oska’s heart beat faster. Jean wasn’t visibly injured, but there was a glazed look on his face. Artair thought he was a spy. Had he been imprisoned? Tortured?

Artair, on the other hand, looked almost unbearably smug. “There you are,” he greeted them. “So glad you could join us.”

Caolinn folded her arms. She wore an expression of deep distaste, which made Oska almost nervous. For once, he wished Erin was there. The norn would negotiate to save Jean’s life at any cost, but Caolinn? Oska honestly wasn’t sure what the sylvari would do.

“Let’s keep things simple, shall we?” she said. “Tell us what you want‒”

“So you can graciously accept?” Artair’s smile had a hard edge. “We’ll see.”

Beside Oska, Ruby twitched. Alarmed, he grabbed her wrists before anyone noticed they weren’t really tied. If Ruby attacked now, all bets were off ‒ and Artair would slit Jean’s throat before anyone else could get close.

“I’m sure Haki made the deal very clear.” Artair inclined his head towards the kneeling Jean. “This Valpari in exchange for that one. A straight swap.”

“Just so you can rub Taria the wrong way?” Caolinn asked.

Artair’s eyes narrowed. That, Oska thought, was a very good point. Why did Artair want Ruby so badly? She was just another of Taria’s minions, so what good would she be to the Archon?

Except… Ruby acted with far more autonomy than a mere servant. It seemed to Oska that she knew more about this war than anyone else. Perhaps she even knew more than Artair himself.

The realisation almost made Oska laugh out loud. Could it be possible? “Ruby’s the only one here who knows where the weapon is,” he said, drawing all eyes to him. “And not just that. She’s the only one who knows what it is.”

Beside Artair, Vasha was wide-eyed. Behind him, the two norn exchanged a wary glance. Artair himself was clearly trying to give nothing away, but he’d gone so still that Oska knew he was right. The Archon had gone to war without even knowing what he was fighting for.

“You’re right,” Artair said smoothly, surprising them all. “It’s been clear to me for some time that Taria Valpari has something powerful and valuable in her possession ‒ and I intend to take it from her.”

Ruby did laugh, then. “Who starts a war without even knowing the prize? Taria was right. You are an arrogant idiot.”

Artair’s smile thinned, but didn’t vanish altogether. His gaze was fixed on Ruby. “You’re welcome to test that theory. Perhaps we should conclude our negotiations, so that you and I can get down to business.”

“I don’t think so.” Caolinn spoke slowly, but her words turned the atmosphere to ice. “It seems to me that handing Ruby over gives you more of an advantage than we’d realised ‒ which means she’ll be staying with us.”

Oska’s thoughts came screeching to a stop. All his predictions for how these negotiations would go ‒ ranging from swapping prisoners and walking away unharmed, to allowing Ruby to lop Artair’s head off ‒ crumbled to dust and blew away on the wind. They couldn’t just leave Jean here.

Except that sounded like exactly what Caolinn had in mind.

“Will she.” It wasn’t a question. Artair sounded every bit as unimpressed as Oska felt. “What makes you think you have any say in the matter?”

Oska tensed. Artair had brought his entire guild, Vasha and Gullveig and Haki. The four of them together made a formidable team ‒ but he and Caolinn were no amateurs, and Auri’s elemental power could take out half the valley. There was Jean, too, who was gradually losing his dazed look. He was more of an unknown quantity. He surely wouldn’t fight on Artair’s side… but there was no guarantee he’d be willing to attack Vasha, either.

Caolinn tapped one of the daggers at her hip. “You already know the answer to that. I’m sure such an encounter would be quite interesting. How many of your guild would walk away unscathed, though? Are you willing to find out?”

“Are you?” Artair shot back.

Gods, they were getting nowhere. Caolinn wasn’t going to give Ruby up. Artair wasn’t going to hand Jean over. They were going to go round in circles until they were all old and grey.

Without quite meaning to, Oska slid a dagger into his hand ‒ and, from behind, brought it close to Ruby’s throat. “If you want her alive, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

Artair’s sword seemed to leap into his hand. He swung it around, until the blade rested flat against Jean’s shoulder. “I could say the same to you.”

Another stalemate ‒ but this time, Ruby started laughing. “Men,” she said, practically choking on the word. “Look at you both, trying to act like you’re in control. The Archon wants me, and the boy wants his cousin, and the cousin… Well, he wants the girl, doesn’t he? He would have killed Artair himself, otherwise.”

Vasha’s head came up, but she didn’t get chance to speak.

“It seems to me that there’s a very simple solution to this problem,” Ruby said ‒ and stepped straight towards the blade at her throat.

Oska swore and tried to pull back, but Ruby was quicker. Abandoning the ruse of being bound, she grabbed Oska’s arm and held it firm.

“Let’s be very clear,” Ruby hissed, as everyone else froze. “I don’t want to die ‒ but I’ll quite happily bleed to death if that’s what it takes to put an end to this.”

Artair was the only one who hadn’t moved, but now he held up a hand. “There’s no need to be hasty.”

“Isn’t there? No more games. Hand the cousin over and then we can really negotiate.”

It was done far more quickly than Oska had anticipated. Haki and Gullveig came forwards, hauled Jean to his feet, and thrust him at Caolinn before they retreated again. All the while, Artair’s brow was furrowed, his gaze locked on Ruby. He looked perfectly calm, but it was clear how badly he wanted to know about Taria’s weapon ‒ and how strongly he believed that only Ruby could give him that information.

Oska hardly dared breathe. Ruby was holding him so tightly, and the blade was so close to her throat, that the slightest movement would slice through her skin. He’d threatened her for holding Auri hostage, but actually killing her? She was too useful for that ‒ and besides, she was family.

Finally, stillness resumed. It was Artair who broke it, with a nod towards Vasha. “You say Jean is only here to protect Persimmon ‒ which means I could put a knife to her throat and start all over again.”

“You could,” Ruby said, “but you won’t. Even I’m not worth the life of your little protege.”

Artair seemed to consider that. To her credit, Vasha didn’t even blink. “Yes, you’re right,” he said finally, at which Vasha’s shoulders dropped a fraction. “You might be the one who knows what Taria’s weapon is, but Persimmon will be the one to help me take it. So, what now? You seem determined to hold all the cards.”

Oska finally shifted, just enough to see Ruby’s too-wide smile. “Now, we’re over here and you’re over there ‒ and I don’t care how many of your guild survive.”

It was a warning, but it wasn’t much of one. Oska let go of his knife, flung himself backwards, and grabbed a startled Auri with both hands. They hit the ground hard, Auri yelping in protest, as behind them the world went up in flames.