Chapter 360: A Successful Persuasion
"I don’t believe you!" yelled the camp chief.
"Want to bet?" asked Kyren in a mocking tone. "We’ve conquered all the peaks of this island, and our artillery is aimed directly at your camp. Didn’t you notice how easily our long-range attack subdued your watchtowers in just moments? Should you refuse to surrender, we will immediately unleash a devastating assault that will reduce your camp to cinders. You won’t even have the slightest chance to retaliate."
Angered by the challenge, Danbar ordered the Pirate Captain, "Get your men ready to fight him! We will not adhere to his demand!"
"He wouldn’t dare raise his sword against me," said the Grand Duke as he glanced at Captain Blackmane and his men.
"Tell me, Captain, do you still remember what Her Imperial Highness said? ’Touch a single hair of my people or me, or take even a single grain from this ship, then you’ll face my wrath.’"
Kyren quoted Anna’s exact words just before she ’summoned’ the wild storm.
Captain Blackmane’s nerves were apparent as he recalled the dark clouds and the tempest that had nearly wrecked his ship upon escaping from the cog ship. The memory of that terrible storm, the worst he had ever faced in his pirate life, crept fear under his skin.
"Don’t listen to him! He’s playing tricks on you!" shouted Danbar, trying to dispel the hesitation that rose onto the pirate captain’s face.
"I’m not," Kyren calmly replied, his voice laced with persuasion. "You’ve experienced it yourself, Captain. Do you want to play the hard way, or do you want this to benefit you?"
The Pirate Captain hesitated, his mind torn between loyalty and self-interest.
Kyren continued, laying out an enticing offer, "I tell you what. If you agree to choose my side, my men will protect you from these Bargesians, and I will reward you generously."