~Lucas POV~
The ceasefire began as a practical necessity and ended up being the most complicated thing I had negotiated in recent memory, which was notable given the competition.
It started with Reyes.
He was the senior commander of the northern faction, the one that had lost the most people in the past four days, and he sent a runner to our position at midmorning with a message that said simply: "Talk. One hour. Neutral ground."
Matteo looked at the message and then at me. "Your call."
"Set it up," I said.
The neutral ground was a clearing three hundred meters from the mansion's outer wall, far enough from both positions that neither side had an obvious tactical advantage, which was the correct choice for a conversation that needed both sides to feel unencumbered.
