Now this was a curious tack to take – though it did not take much to figure out the angle that was being played. Flint’s status with the men had been on shaky ground well before Silver had even found himself dragged into their devastating orbit. Painting himself vulnerable like this was only a means to an end – a manipulation of sentiment.
At some point, the power here had shifted – the men adhered to Silver and Flint was smart enough to recognize that as much as he despised them all, he needed them to achieve his goals. Which meant he needed Silver on his side – and wasn’t that a queer thing to consider? To think this had all started over information he’d taken from a dead cook.
“And who is to fault for that, I wonder?” There had been people loyal to Flint and his ideas – and Silver had not forgotten their fates. Nor was he oblivious to the fates that still hung in the balance. Some already lost to whatever twisted end was left for them after following in Flint’s shadow – and others, still waiting on the front lines, their stories now resting on the balance of this conversation.
“While I do wonder what has you so convinced you ever had me,” His tone was clipped and unyielding despite Flint’s ploy for sympathy, “I am far more interested in how you intend to convince me not to walk away from all of this.”
Ocean Archive 