No, I can't trust the Exemplar. I'll need to verify whether there truly is a way to fix my body, of course, but not now. I lean over her with my right hand on both of my swords' pommels, growling threateningly.

Her expression turns worried, which is satisfying, yet it hurts my pride that Vikiana's eyes flicker most often to my immobile left limb rather than to me or my weapons. Tsek is standing a distance away and the rest of the criminals are observing us.

“You're trying to manipulate me.” I say witha frown. “That is not a good idea.”

“No and yes. What I said is true but I did choose the timing to get you in a more... conciliatory mood. I would have told you anyway.” Vikiana replies.

“Don't try to play me Exemplar, I have no more patience for such things.” I warn, pulling my foremost sword a few centimeters out of its sheath before letting it fall back down.

“Understood.” She nods calmly.

I walk in circles around the mast, around Vikiana and Aisha. I play with my blade, the worry in the Shade's eyes is reassuring. I knew she did not expect to end in this situation and it is satisfying to see that she is too concerned to make a play.

“You wanted to talk.” I speak up after the third time I pass in front of the Exemplar.

“You have something we need, we have something you need.” Vikiana says. “That hasn't changed.”

“Correction.” I raise my index and playfully wiggle it left and right. “I have data that would allow our Emperor to alter human flow distribution...” I pause. “Eventually, maybe, perhaps.” I add, chuckling. “The institute has what I want, not you.”

“Aisha can organize an exchange, the data for the Princess.” Vikiana says.

“If she could, why only speak of it now and not before? No, I don't believe you.” I shake my head. And I certainly don't trust you.

“Because she is a Shade, Elizabeth.” The Exemplar explains in a whisper so that no one else hears. “Her duty is to keep the Empire strong so as long as you were our prisoner, there was no need to make the institute release the Princess early.”

“Tell me, what are Caeviel's chances?” I ask suddenly.

“Alone against the Rykz, they're slim, but they won't be. Phalanxes will arrive in the winter, a couple of months from now. It depends entirely on how the Rykz fight, if they adopt the same strategy as they have on the Izla, they'll lose.” She says, looking like she thinks it is unlikely for them to do so. “Cenwalh is no fool, but you are correct when you say that the Kingdom isn't prepared for the Rykz to escalate. He expects a straightforward battle, because of a lack of experience and because what he's seen of the Rykz so far hasn't scared him. What he doesn't understand is that defeating the Silver Hive in the field won't kick them out of Caeviel.”

“You're trying to butter me up.” I say with suspicion.

“I'm giving you my honest opinion, why do you think I was so desperate to capture another Princess?” Vikiana asks with a sigh.

“Why would you capture one to begin with?” I snap. “You said I caused this massacre, yet all these deaths result directly from what you've done.”

“They are.” She admits. “But this is the nature of war, Elizabeth. You prepare and then adapt when things deviate from the plan.”

“Are there mountains or old volcanoes inside Caeviel?” I ask Aisha, abruptly turning to her in an apparent change the subject.

“There are.” Aisha replies.

“Then you've not only failed to prepare but also to adapt.” I smirk behind my mask. “That plan to contain the Rykz on the Izla with a fleet? It'll never work. How do you think they got to the Izla in the first place?”

“We don't know, they could have hired a Lisilese raiding fleet.” Aisha says.

“It's possible.” Vikiana confirms. “It wouldn't be the first time that two of the three races work together to put the third down.”

“There are veins underground, the natural equivalent to leylines except they connect old volcanoes instead of cities.” I explain, savoring the look of shock on their faces. “I take your expressions to mean that there are too many mountains for the Empire to cover.” They slowly nod in confirmation.

“The mountain chain that ends on the Izla splits in three that course through Caeviel and lead deep into Telnur.” Vikiana says.

“Either way. The worst thing that could happen is for Cenwalh to win.” I tell them. “If Grikyz were to be defeated here, to fail to recover her daughter, then the First Hive won't stay silent.” I give them a quick rundown of the treaty forbidding experiments that the Rykz want to sign. “The Rykz want two centuries of peace. I won't tell you the reason but I assure you that it is of paramount importance to them. Cetyz' capture is secondary to the preservation of their species, those are the stakes for them. If Cenwalh, or anyone in the Empire really, keeps trying to usurp the Rykz' flow then what will happen is an all-out war. The Rykz will not stop until the Empire breaks under their assaults since that would be the only way for them to have peace.”

The two of them pale. Aisha's expression is more uncertain than I've ever seen it, it is hidden under the illusion construct but that is no obstacle to my sense. Yet I can't trust that appearance now that she knows I can 'see' through it.

“Killing Queen Grikyz will provoke the same result and the capture of a second Princess will only make her death more likely. And I am certain that slaying the Queen would come at a very high cost.” I glare at the two of them.

Vikiana's traits are twisted by worry, for her daughter no doubt. Aisha is recovering, already calculating. I've unsettled them enough, time for the carrot.

“I can recover Princess Cetyz from the institute.” I say.

“It is too well defended to attack.” Aisha frowns.

“That's why I need you to do what you said you would.” I lie. “I need you to infiltrate their defensive constructs and disable them all. Those holding Prisoners captive, those protecting the institute from outside attacks, and those that can be activated to control the corridors and laboratories.”

I have to control myself to keep a straight tone to maintain the deception. It doesn't even matter whether the Shade can or not, whether she does it or not. This only serves to get me inside the institute with a specifically designed circumstance and precise timing. Also, it makes Aisha think that she has cards, that she's in control so that she doesn't hinder me and drops her guard.

“You want to turn yourself in? If I'm following your reasoning, you're offering to give us the data in exchange for setting you free as soon as it's done and then help you free the Princess.” Aisha says.

“Correct, but not quite.” I shake my head. “I will not agree to be imprisoned. You will arrange it so that I am taken inside and directly brought to whatever system they'll use to extract the data. Once that is done, and not one second later, you will disable their defenses.”

Flow is scarce at war and it must be even more so for those researching it. There is no doubt considering how much energy it takes to simply train to use a new construct, creating new ones and analyzing flow must require staggering amounts.

“You're asking a lot.” Vikiana says. “I will lose my title and my life if I participate in this.”

“Oh, you won't be.” I giggle. “You'll be in chains to guarantee that your Templars don't step out of line and do everything to keep Grace under control.”

“And who would guard me?” The Exemplar asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Why, one of them of course.” I speak up, loud enough for all to hear. “You see, they really want their freedom and they don't want to land in Meiridin so I found a way to give them both.”

I wave my hand at the criminals who throw me suspicious gazes. Ruth glares at me and walks up to us. I don't trust them and they don't trust me, it matters not as humans are selfish creatures and they trust the Countess even less than they trust me.

Whoever guards her is irrelevant, I'll only leave the Exemplar out of my sight once and it'll be at the very last moment, right before I leave for the institute. Provoking problems at that point would be the last thing she wants since the failure of the plan would result in her daughter ending up even further out of her reach.

“You've used us enough in your conflict, Red Dwarf. We won't do your bidding.” She says angrily.

“Why not?” I smile. “As long as I hold the Exemplar hostage, you are safe. It would be against my own interests to free her before we all get what we want since that would set the whole of Meiridin against me. All you'll have to do is remained anchored and ensure that no one leaves the galley while I procure a pardon for each of you.” Well, the Shade will. I throw a glance at Aisha who nods. “Mutiny included. The Templars will not only be ordered to help you but they won't risk her life and the deal I'm about to strike with these two.”

“How does any of that benefit us?” Ruth asks.

“Well, for one, you get the galley at the end to go anywhere you wish.” I smirk as a glimmer of greed passes through the tall woman's eyes glimmer. “The Countess won't get a choice in the matter, she cannot enforce her authority without the Templars' support. You don't even have to set foot in Meiridin with this plan. On the contrary, you'll be doing everything you can so that no one does apart from me and these two.”

“What does she matter?” Ruth asks, looking at Aisha.

“Bastard daughter of some High-Noble.” I bullshit.

“She doesn't look like a silver spooned.” Ruth comments skeptically.

“Bastard daughter, I just told you.” I roll my eyes.

“Tell me who.” Ruth insists.

“No.” I chuckle. “I'm not so stupid as to give you a map to fuck me over by making a deal before I do.”

The tall woman squints her eyes and throws a glance at Aisha who looks away, her illusion construct painting a fearful expression with a twinge of disdain. Perfect.

“You promised us freedom, this feels like blackmail.” Ruth presses.

“I told you to fight for it, criminal.” I reply sharply.

“Oh, yea? Taking you down to hand you over looks like the easiest way to free ourselves.” She says, bringing her hand down on her sword's handle.

“You're welcome to try.” I utter coldly.

I close my left fist to make the steel groan and punctuate the underlying menace of violence. She flinches. These three groups' different goals will do my work for me, they'll keep each other under control.

“You are free to do as you wish. You can refuse and swim to shore if you want to, I won't stop you.” I continue in a conciliatory tone. “I'm not only offering you a pardon, but the ability to sail south to Telnur which will ensure that your liberation isn't challenged as no one has a reason to or knows you there.”

“We need gold for that, to buy food and get set up.” Ruth says. I pause for a while to make it seem like I'm considering it.

“Done.” I tell her. “I'll send it with your pardon letter since I'll be flush by then.” I lie, feeling no remorse as these criminals should be satisfied with the galley and pardon.

“Two hundred pieces.” She gives an exorbitant price. “If there's any less, we'll be done with this, no excuses.” Ruth warns.

“That's fair.” I nod. “But I'll only promise up to a hundred, more if I have them to spare to keep you happy and out of my way.”

“And the galley?” Ruth asks.

“It's yours, the Templars will be told as much if this one agrees.” I throw a pointed look at Vikiana.

“Why should I go along with this?” Vikiana asks. “You're telling me to leave my brethren behind and put myself at your mercy.”

“I'd like an answer to that too.” Ruth says.

“Neither of you have any other option.” I say. “I'm not the one with my back against the wall. I think it's clear that I'm doing all of you a favor by going out of my way to get you what you want. I can simply make my way south, it wouldn't be my preferred solution but, if need be, I will.”

“Countess Grace and her soldiers wouldn't let you, and neither would my brethren.” Vikiana counters.

“Can they stop me? Would they want to?” I ask, smiling. “I don't doubt the Templar Order's courage, but the soldiers fear me. Besides, Grace wants me dead while you want me alive. So much infighting during which you, Ruth, will have to decide whether you can trust that they'll free you once the dust settles. And good luck with that considering I'll just run away instead of fighting. Weeks of searching for me across the mainland with no guarantee that I'll be captured alive, if at all considering I will seek the Rykz out. Now, what do you say?”

“I need time to think about this.” Vikiana says. Aisha nods in agreement.

“You did free us, for that I am grateful.” Ruth speaks up. “But you're also using us, and that means that you will not be given the benefit of the doubt. If these two refuse, we won't help you even if you promise more gold. If there is a single sign that you're not holding up to your end of the bargain, we will alert Meiridin that you are within its walls.”

“As long as you do your part, I'll do mine.” I nod.

Ruth departs with Tsek and calls the rest of the galley-slaves to talk. The Exemplar and Shade are watching me with frowns, visibly uneasy and struggling against the ropes and shackles binding them to the mast.

“What is it?” I ask.

“We wonder whether you truly plan to enter the institute. ” Vikiana whispers.

“It'll be just as difficult, if not more, to assault the building from the inside than from the outside.” Aisha says. “I can take their runic constructs down, but you either overestimate your capabilities, underestimate theirs, or you're simply lying about this entire thing.”

“You don't want me in there to help you. It makes me think that this is a trick.” Vikiana confirms.

“What, you don't think me insane enough?” I question jokingly. Their faces remain blank, not rising to the bait. “Believe me, I am.” I finish and slide my mask to the side to reveal my crooked smile.

“We need a straight answer, that you at least share your plan of action.” Aisha says.

“No.” I reply firmly, without hesitation, to impress on them that there is no room to negotiate. “We had a working relationship, Aisha. You put an end to that so now you'll either do what I tell you, to the fucking letter like a good pawn, or I'll sabotage this entire thing. And I know that you know I'm serious when I make this threat.”

“I do.” The Shade confirms with a grimace.

“And you, Exemplar. I don't want you in there because I neither trust nor need you. You'll hold your promise and train me, you'll make sure that I'm ready.” I say.

“That won't be enough.” Vikiana frowns.

“Yes it will, I don't need to slaughter them all.” At least not immediately. “I only need to get to the Princess' cell.” I tell them. The Shade can deduce this much, I'm revealing something obvious, not important.

“Elizabeth has a point.” Aisha mutters. “They'll think she's captured and handled. Director Suxen will have seen Elizabeth several times by then, she won't be as guarded once the data has been extracted. There will still be more than enough security in that room to handle her, or at least they think it'll be enough with their runic constructs. She has a chance to win as she is right now, you can prepare her to improve the odds.”

“You're putting yourself at the mercy of her schemes again, Elizabeth.” Vikiana speaks up.

Suspicious, why warn me? What does she want? It's a play, I already expressed that I distrust Aisha, Vikiana is simply repeating what I've said to get on my good side. Or poking at the hole in my lie.

“That would be true...” I smirk and set the mask back in place over my face. “If I allowed the data to be extracted before I escaped.”

“What do you mean?” Aisha asks, frowning.

“Well, I do have to make sure that you'll behave.” I say. “So there will be no cooperation on my part until that room is under my control, which means that we will attack before letting the Director work on me. And you need me to cooperate, don't you? That information you want, it's there.” I tap my chest. “Of course, you could try to knock me out, but I'll be prepared for that and it would be a breach of our deal so... I'll simply let loose from there. We'll see whether I truly have a death wish or not.”

“They'll put you in chains, there is no way around that.” Vikiana argues. I pause. That's a good point.

“Shackles I'll arrive in.” I say, acting like I had thought of this before. “Aisha will ask the Director to bring shackles to put me in the first time we meet. I'll sabotage them so that I can free myself at any moment.”

“This is too dangerous. I should come with you, Jessica.” The Exemplar murmurs. “And we should at least try to make the exchange, the data for the Princess.”

“I will not be giving the Director an advance warning that Cetyz is what we want.” I pause to take a breath. “You will obey me in all things, both of you. At the first sign of foul play, I'll activate a signaling construct that will order this.” I point at my left limb. “To eat me, destroying any chance you would have to recover the data. You won't be able to re-implant it, I'm not the first one the Rykz did this to but I'm the only one that survived and I was under constant supervision from Queen Grikyz.”

“That's a relief.” Vikiana mutters. I glare at her. “It means they might not be able to reproduce the result.” She explains.

“I wouldn't count on that.” I tell her. “They don't want to pursue this human experimentation but they'll keep trying until they get the technique down if this is what they have to do to break the Empire.”

Especially since it isn't a complete waste of time as they would learn more about their ancestors as they do. They would definitely prefer improving their drones but there would be a more immediate military benefit to them perfecting this first if they're at war.

An idea emerges. My plan to break Cetyz out includes the use of a timer construct. I can also make use of one here. I can take myself hostage to, ironically, protect myself.

“Better. I'll put the signaling construct on a timer that will send the message if I don't reset it in time. It'll go wild and kill me within moments as its tendrils are rooted quite close to my heart.” I tell them.

I involuntarily shiver, it likely helps convince them but I've had nightmares about that possibility even before Celyz told me it was one. I don't even want to find out whether or not I can set this up, I don't want to know if I can order the limb to eat me.

Vikiana looks sad. She has grown more dispirited as the conversation went on. Perhaps she hoped that we could reach a compromise, but it's far too late for that. Aisha is calculating. I wait a few minutes before demanding an answer.

“You'll both be my prisoners and do as I say to free the Princess. In exchange, you get the data. Take it or leave it.” I deliver my ultimatum.

“I agree.” Aisha says.

“I need more time to think.” Vikiana shakes her head.