“This is the first weakness I see,” Lannahi added before her words could be considered a threat. “If Goldfrost is tied to the surrounding cities too closely, their demise will be its downfall as well.”
“Do you think such a scenario is possible?” Lizaar asked with feigned indifference.
Do you know of something that threatens my father?
“I don’t know,” Lannahi said, holding her gaze. “But I think anyone who doesn’t take this into account may one day regret it.”
The muscle on Lizaar’s face twitched.Shecertainly regretted it.
“What other weaknesses of Goldfrost do you see?” she continued as if it were just a polite conversation.
“By limiting ourselves to mining and selling raw material, we are putting ourselves in a delicate position. What if no one wants to buy our goldcopper?” Lannahi sent Lizaar a meaningful look and added, “Or what will we do when the resources located here are destroyed?”
Instead of answering the questions, Lizaar asked one herself, “Is that all?”
Lannahi felt like gnashing her teeth, but one thing stopped her: not once during their conversation did Lizaar seem surprised. There was a chance that she’d already come to similar conclusions herself, though it remained a mystery whether this reflection had been inspired by her current situation, or perhaps she’d thought about it before she was dethroned. Had Lizaar already begun to explore other options?
“There is another thing,” Lannahi said. “Although I wouldn’t call it a weakness. I would rather say it is something that might become one.”
“Namely?”
Lizaar smiled with fake politeness and Lannahi responded with a similar expression.
“Stubbornness.” Her gaze rested on Varrdan for a moment. “In thelong-termperspective, putting stubbornness before reason rarely pays off.”
The older landshaper pressed her lips into a thin line, but the younger one nodded as if she considered it the end of the subject and went back to eating.
Despite the sting of disappointment at Lizaar’s behavior, Lannahi felt thatsomethinghad changed, though she initially thought she was blinded by hope. Lizaar spoke to her only when she was asked and only in terse statements, and during public audiences she acted as if she was standing next to the throne not because she couldn’t sit on it, but because she felt like stretching her legs. Seeminglynothinghad changed. And yet… Lizaar’s gaze was no longer so cold. It was thoughtful, and however faint the evidence it was, Lannahi felt as ifsomethingwas about to happen.
Her hunch proved true on the third day.
Dallal’s muffled voice announcing Lizaar gave Lannahi’s heart a strong squeeze. That Lizaar wished to speak and, more so, that Lizaar wished to do so in her private chambers was promising. However, Lannahi couldn’t help but wonder about the potential danger. What if Lizaar’s true intention wasn’t a conversation?
Lannahi got up from the table where she was reading the documents the chancellor had given her and walked over to the sofa by the fireplace. “Let her enter,” she said.
Dallal opened the door and entered first, followed by Lizaar. He shot a look at Lannahi that indicated that he intended to stay.
“I came totalk,” Lizaar said, noticing the way Dallal was staring at her, before turning her gaze back to Lannahi.
A challenge lurked in her eyes.
Do you want to call me a liar?
Or are you afraid to stay alone with me?
Dallal’s silence and his reluctance to leave clearly suggested that he thought it was a bad idea, but Lannahi dismissed him anyway.
“Make yourself comfortable,” she said to Lizaar, gesturing at the sofa, and took the seat opposite.
They regarded each other silently.
“What did you want totalkabout?” Lannahi asked eventually.
“Before you stood in my way,” Lizaar began, “I was negotiating with the artisan’s guild from Sapphirinetower. They were interested in buying goldcopper directly from the source, but the quantity and price I could offer them without violating the terms of the trade treaty with Winterfort made my offer a little more attractive than if they continued to use middlemen. I proposed dropping the price in exchange for a percentage of sales of products made with raw material mined in Goldfrost.”
Lannahi arched her eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like it isentirelycompliant with the treaty.”
“While the guild was considering my offer, I intended to speak to my father.” Lizaar threw her a meaningful look. “Unfortunately, we both became preoccupied with other matters.”
