S'haar was dismayed to see the calm meeting between the caravan leaders collapse into chaos as everyone started arguing over what to do now that they had Dek'thul as their captive. It was an unexpected boon and complication.

Of course, Jack was the first to lead off with a question. "Could we use him as a bargaining chip in negotiations?"

Fea'en shook her head. "I don't see how. As important as he is to A'ngles, B'arthon is not about to let us out of the valley so easily as that. I suppose we could negotiate some food and supplies to buy ourselves some time, but then we'd be handing a very dangerous asset back to B'arthon, and I'm not sure it would be worth the trade."

Lack'nul spoke up for once but was very to the point. "But we don't have facilities or the people to keep him prisoner here for very long either."

As usual, Tel'ron was overly pragmatic. "We could just kill him. That would solve a lot of problems."

The glare Lon'thul directed his friend's way clearly expressed his thoughts on that idea. Not that S'haar blamed him, but she wasn't sure what other viable options they had.

Jack grimaced and offered another option. "We could drug him to sleep for however long we are stuck here. Although keeping him drugged that long comes with a serious risk of complications, but it's got a higher chance of survival than an execution."

Lon'thul looked a little less upset at that. While he might not like it, he understood it might be the best balance between protecting his friends and his father at the same time. Realizing her logic was going in the same circles as the conversation around her, S'haar held up a hand to get everyone's attention. Then, once the room was silenced, she spoke. "It's true. Our options are limited. But before we make any final decisions, let's hear from the prisoner himself. Lon'thul, if you would please remove his gag."

The younger hunter nodded and untied the cord holding the chunk of wood in place. The elder hunter took a moment to work his jaw before turning to S'haar attentively. "How can an old hunter like myself be of help?"

S'haar's eyes narrowed. She hadn't exactly expected contrition from the hunter, but he was far too calm and relaxed for his current predicament. He was behaving as if he still towered over everyone present, rather than being bound hand and foot on his knees as he was.

Deciding it wasn't worth playing his game, S'haar decided to make the simple offer on her mind. "I'd be willing to negotiate your release, but in return, you'll have to swear a blood oath that you'll return to your village and no longer participate in this war. Is that acceptable?"

Dek'thul acted as if thinking long and hard about his response, but S'haar suspected he'd made up his mind about that possibility before ever being brought before the council. Finally, after a few moments, he answered. "Well, your offer is very generous, and I appreciate it, but at this point, I think I'd like to keep my options open..." The hunter delayed a few moments for dramatic effect before continuing. "Unless, of course, you're willing to release my son to me and send him back to the village as well. In that case, I'd happily swear that oath and almost any oath you can think of." Then, with an infuriating grin, he added. "I'd even be willing to swear an oath of loyalty and take his place if you'd like."

That gave everyone, including S'haar, pause for a moment. Not because she was actually considering the offer but just because of how unexpected it was. She couldn't even detect any signs of trickery or deceit. He really meant it.

With a sigh, S'haar broke the silence. "Under other circumstances, your offer of assistance would be most welcome, but Lon'thul isn't just our master hunter. He's a part of our family. Besides, based on the fact that you're sitting here as our prisoner, it would seem your son is now the better hunter anyway."

Surprisingly the jab at Dek'thul's pride didn't get the response she'd expected. If anything, the hunting chief's grin widened. "Yeah, he's growing up to be a fine kid. I couldn't be more proud! But see, I have a problem with you claiming to be his family because I actually am family. That's why I'm here, to make sure he gets home safe and sound. Everything else is a second to that, including me."

Well, that certainly added a complication to her considerations. S'haar realized the stubborn old male would refuse to negotiate for anything short of his son's return. However, she decided to try appealing to his logic one last time anyway. "You realize you won't be able to protect your son if you're put to death, right? At least with our offer, you'll be able to keep living and have the chance to see him again one day."

The older hunter shook his head. "No good. You see, Lord B'arthon's offer to pardon my son of involvement in this little war of yours only holds so long as I'm useful to him. If I go home in disgrace, the pardon disappears with me. So we're stuck with each other."

S'haar raised an eye ridge. "And you think he'll keep his promise if you die here in this valley?"

Dek'thul's infuriating grin was back. "Well, see, there's a question of if I die. Knowing you all, I doubt that'll happen. So instead, you'll probably put me in a magic sleep like you did back at the outpost, and once you move on, I'll be free to return to my job."

S'haar wondered for a moment if the hunter understood what Jack was saying before, but she doubted it. Without an implant or a headset, he was probably just using his ability to read people and his knowledge of their capabilities to predict their most likely course of action. Still, it galled her that he guessed their most reasonable course of action. It made her want to follow through on putting him to death, if only to prove the arrogant male wrong. However, with a sigh, she abanded indulging in that line of thought. Even if it would be satisfying, she doubted Lon'thul, Jack, or several others would be okay with it.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

S'haar was just about to make her call when Angela spoke up from her spot on the floor, speaking in her's and Jack's language, so Dek'thul had no idea what was being said. "What if I could offer a compromise? You could negotiate his release as planned, and I can ensure he won't be in any condition to trouble us the rest of the spring and the early part of summer. Admittedly, this might be considered a war crime in a more civilized space. But in this scenario, it might be the most 'humane' option, and I can guarantee minimal long-term complications for our guest, so long as he does what he's told."

Jack looked really uneasy at the mention of a war crime. From what S'haar understood, their people took those very seriously. It was akin to breaking a blood oath. But to his credit, he kept silent and continued to listen.

S'haar nodded to the AI. "Go on..."

-

Dek'thul felt like he was losing control of the situation as the large metallic female continued to speak in her fantastical language. Not that he had a lot of control being bound hand and foot, but he was pretty confident about the general course of action these people would take regarding their prisoners. He knew he was too dangerous to let loose or keep under guard, and executing him would drive a wedge between his son and these people, so the only path open to them was one of neutralization. They'd have to drug him like they did back at the outpost.

The problem was that his son's face expressed more discomfort than he'd expected. Then, finally, the younger hunter spoke up. "Are you sure he'll heal properly?"

That was not a question any of Dek'thul's plans had taken into account. But, while he couldn't understand the metal female's answer, her nodding head and confident tone gave him all the answers he needed. Whatever they were planning would involve a longer-term solution than he'd anticipated...

Finally, S'haar nodded. "If he continues to refuse my offer, I think that's our best option." Then, turning to Dek'thul, she grinned as if knowing one way or another, she'd already won. "This is our final offer. Accept my offer with the blood oath from before, or Lady Angela will see that you are in no condition to continue aiding in B'arthon's war against us."

Dek'thul frowned and narrowed his eyes a little. "And just what do you mean by that?"

S'haar shrugged. "It's pretty simple, really. You can't scout if your leg is broken."

That stopped Dek'thul cold. A broken leg would not only prevent him from aiding B''arthon, it could also end his position as hunting chief. But then he remembered Lon'thul's question from before. Turning to the metallic female, he repeated the question. "And what is the answer? Will it heal properly?"

Many of the faces in the meeting expressed surprise that he'd be taking that option seriously, but if so, they clearly didn't listen to what he'd said earlier. Everything came second to his son's safety.

After a moment of surprise, Lady Angela answered. "Yes, if you care for the injury properly, I can say with nearly total confidence that you'll make a full recovery and even how long it'll take. However, if you deviate from my instructions in any way, there are no guarantees."

The old hunter bowed his head in thought for a moment before deciding. Then, turning back to S'haar, he grinned in that way he knew annoyed her so much. "Well, no reason to draw this out any longer. Might as well break my leg and get it over with!"

S'haar raised her eye ridges at that before answering. "You'd really prefer we break your leg than swear a simple blood oath? Why are you being so stubborn?"

Dek'thul's grin widened. "If I return with a broken leg, I'll be sent back just as you wish. I might even take enough of a reputation loss to no longer be the village's hunting chief. But B'arthon will have no reason to suspect I betrayed him, so he should still keep his word to spare my son. If I can't bring my son home, this is my best chance to see to his safety."

After a moment of silence processing what he'd said, S'haar gave Dek'thul the first look of respect she'd ever directed his way before nodding to Angela. "You heard the hunting chief, do as he says and break his leg."

The large metallic female walked over, looking down at the bound hunter before speaking. "Are you certain this is what you want? I can't undo this once it's done. Well, not right away anyway."

Dek'thul gave the female his most charming smile. "What, do you want me to beg or something? Get it over with. I could use a bit of a break from all this drama anyway!"

Finally, they unshackled his legs, though Dek'thul knew better than to try anything with so many capable fighters present, so instead, he stretched out one of his legs and waited for the metal goddess to stomp on it."

Instead, Lady Angela bent down and stuck a few needles into his leg. They hurt slightly going in, but the hunter had experienced worse pain from his son's scratches when he'd been too young to know any better. Still, the hunter decided to poke some fun at the situation. "What, are you going to poke me with needles to torture me before you break the bone? I thought you people were above that sort of thing?"

The metal female turned to him. While her face still looked oddly stiff, her voice betrayed mirth as if she was playing along. "What, me? Above torture? I'm much more capable of things like that than my kind-hearted brother. But no, that wasn't the purpose of what I just did in this instance. I just injected you with pain medications, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories to prevent complications from this." With that, she swung a hand down faster than Dek'thul could react but seemed to only lightly slap the edge of her hand against his leg before stopping and pulling back.

Now Dek'thul was starting to actually get annoyed. "Will you stop playing games and just do it already? Is there really any need toy with me like this?"

However, the AI simply stood up before answering. "Oh, that wasn't playing. Your nearest equivalent to a tibia now has what we would call a greenstick fracture. It would probably heal in a few weeks if you were younger, but at your age, it'll likely take two months before I'd recommend any strenuous activity, maybe three, just to be safe. Push yourself too far, too fast, and you could make it take longer or even impair yourself permanently. However, I've got some dressing I'll put on to prevent you from moving it improperly, and I'll give you specific instructions for treating it through to full recovery. You'll be fine, but you won't be walking without crutches for some time. Oh, and the pain medications won't last forever. Our resources are somewhat thin, so I won't be able to keep the pain entirely at bay, but I'll give you something to take the edge off for the next few nights."

Looking down at his leg, Dek'thul could tell by the discoloration that she wasn't kidding. His leg really was injured. How had she done that so painlessly and effortlessly? He supposed it didn't matter, like she said, now that it was done, it couldn't be undone. With a shrug, he grinned again, winking at his son. "Well then. Looks like you're the better hunter now, kiddo! Better keep at the top of your game, though. I'll be coming for you in a few months to make sure you haven't slacked off any!"

With a grin, Lon'thul answered him. "What do you mean now? I out-thought and out-maneuvered you out there tonight! By the time you've healed enough to get back to hunting, I'll be so far ahead that you won't even have my scent!"

Dek'thul laughed heartily. "Maybe so, kid, maybe so, but let's see if you can beat me without backup next time!"