The dark angel chuckles and tilts her head in amusement. “And what’s to stop you from killing me while I’m defenseless?” she asks, although she directs her question to Riven—not to me.
Understandably so. I’m new to this whole fae negotiation thing. Riven’s been doing it for his entire life.
“Not killing you will obviously be part of the deal,” he says, his attention snapping back to her. “And you’ll answer our questions as quickly and directly as possible. No riddles, no games, no manipulation, and no dancing around the truth.”
She says nothing for a long moment.
I hold my breath, worried she’s going to say no and put us right back where we started.
Then, finally, she speaks.
“Thirty minutes of questioning. Complete honesty from me. I’ll drink the potion and allow your girlfriend to feed from me afterward.” She grimaces, then swallows down her disgust. “In return, you’ll let me live, and you won’t seek me out again.”
“Two hours,” Riven counters.
“One hour,” she replies, barely needing a second to think.
Riven looks back at me, and I nod in response. Partly because I’m anxious to get answers, and partly because I don’t think I can stomach this interrogation session for much longer.
“One hour.” He directs his attention back to the dark angel and nods, stepping forward. “Now, here are the exact terms. For one hour, you’ll answer all our questions as completely, honestly, and directly as possible. You won’t attempt to mislead or manipulate us through careful word choice or omission. After the questioning, you’ll drink the remaining relaxation potion and allow Sapphire to feed from you until you’re barely holding on. In return, we’ll leave you alive and unconscious in this cave when we depart. Do you agree?”
“I agree.” She exhales shakily, as if a wall is coming down.
“Perfect.” Riven lowers his sword, his expression as cold as ever. “Then let’s seal it and begin.”
