The conference chamber was far more packed than it had been previously. Everyone had been brought into the room, including the soldiers and other members of Cairen's former crew. It was a former crew now, not because they didn't have a ship, but because Cairen was among those who perished in the initial attack.
Red hadn't had the chance to talk with Vizim yet. However, he was not really in any rush. The remnants of his nightmare still echoed through his mind. It didn't help that it was all immediately followed by the arrival of the pirate king. He didn't like anything that was going on at the moment.
He wasn't really sure what to think about the nightmare. It was common enough for people to have traumatic dreams about things that had happened. He wasn't going to deny that it was indeed traumatic. However, he found it awfully strange that he'd heard… something speak to him. That was definitely not normal.
However, what really had him on edge was not the dream. It was the arrival of the pirate king and what he had proclaimed. There were things Zara wasn't telling them that were for certain, but even this wasn't even the most ominous part.
The pirate king had not seemed worried in the slightest. Granted, it was very easy to mask one's emotions. That became especially true at higher power levels. However, Red would have expected something…anything. There had been nothing but a threat. That worried him the most. If the pirate king truly didn't care that they'd rescued the prisoners, then it seemed there was a bigger threat on their hands than he had anticipated.
Red also wasn't sure what to think about Zara at the moment. She had been very confident when facing down the pirate king. He was certain that she'd continue to show that confidence in front of everyone. However, he had seen the side of her that had been panicky and emotional, so he knew she was not as optimistic as she made it sound.
Granted, anything could change over the next few days. Red had no doubts that she already had plans to begin attacking the pirate camps. There were going to be quite a number of battles very soon. After what he'd seen, though, he wasn't particularly worried about casualties on their side. That was what made the pirate king's uncallous regard for their position all the more strange.
No matter what was going to happen, he knew there were preparations that needed to be made. His guns needed repairing, but more than that, he wanted to learn to actually fight. That was easier said than done, of course. But even possessing his own mistblade would be a serious threat to anyone attempting to fight him.
Zara raised a hand for silence, and the quiet murmuring faded. "I am not going to gloss over the situation. Some of you are here by choice, some of you are not. However, the fact of the matter is, we are all currently in a war zone."
An uneasy murmuring flocked through the crowd of sailors sitting near the end of the table. They were sat opposite Zara and were likely the least useful during the upcoming conflict. Everyone here knew that, including them. That was the main reason so many of them were antsy. They all wanted to return home safely, and none had signed up for this. That being said, they were here and would not turn their backs on Valencia either.
Farther up the table sat Vizim, Derrin, and himself. They sat across from Zara's soldiers. It was strange facing actual soldiers after running around as a renegade on the island for so long. Each one of them sat with careful precision, as if at attention, which, in a sense, they were. The rest of the room didn't seem to care about etiquette and the moment.
"Everyone here will make themselves useful. I have no way of contacting the Fallen Isles at the moment, and as such, we can not ask for reinforcements. You are our reinforcements. That being said, I don't intend to make any of you fight. I have soldiers for that."
The soldiers didn't seem to like them very much. In particular, they kept giving Derrin ugly glances. They all must have been thinking the same thing. What is a damn Montrelan doing on our island?
Red wasn't surprised. After Ayjax's reaction to finding Derrin, he expected Valencians to give those sorts of looks to outsiders. These soldiers were likely even worse. They viewed this island as their home, and to them, Derrin was an invader simply by not being Valencian. It probably also didn't help that he was likely stronger than everyone in the group, except perhaps their leader. Silas.
However, he was by far the worst of them all. Red hadn't spoken to the soldier directly as of yet, but the man was plain cranky. He looked at anyone who wasn't a soldier with distaste. That meant he hadn't stopped giving their side of the table dirty looks. And the looks he kept making at Derrin, well, they were comical.
Red had long since learned that the best way to handle such people was not with calm words. He had tried that with Alpha plenty, and that hadn't gotten him anywhere. So, instead of giving the blasted man any calm words, he was just going to smile.
Red wondered if Silas even knew the role the three of them played in his rescue. It had been they who came up with the plan and they who made sure it didn't fail. He wouldn't even be present if not for them. Regardless, it wasn't worth thinking about. Cranks like Silas would be cranks.
"We can get into all of the details of what I will have you do later. For now, though, just know, everyone in this room will be making steps to protect Valencia."
Each of the soldiers saluted at that. Red had to bite his lip to prevent laughing at the scene. Silas sneered at him, but didn't speak. They were too well-trained for that. At least for the time being.
"Alright. We can get into everything else in a minute. Does anyone have any questions?"
"Yes."
All eyes turned on him.
"I figure this should be asked now to clear it out of the way."
Zara sighed, "Go on."
"What was the pirate king talking about when he said chamber?"
The silence that fell across the room was palpable. This was a subject that was going to be talked about anyway. It was best to get it out in the open. Besides, he did want to know the answer to it.
However, to his surprise, it was not Zara that answered, but Silas, "You dare. This is the Valencian military secrets you are trying to pry into. You are not even a man yet, and you wish to dig into these…"
"Silas, enough."
The man fell silent.
"Yes, there is indeed something at the center of the island. What it is…that I can not say."
"Why not?" This time, it was Vizim who spoke: "It is what everyone here is going to be fighting for, isn't it?"
Silas rose, and there was practically red in his face. It seemed the man had more problems than just being cranky. He looked like a damn tomato.
Zara didn't allow her subordinate the chance to speak, "I can not speak of this any more than this because I am actually not able to. All I can say is that it has to do with the Heart of Valencia."