What if Lannahi was Challenged not to a battle but to a duel?
She wouldn’t have come to Goldfrost in the first place if she knew how to defend herself against other enchanters. Even if Lizaar only guessed at her inferior abilities, she should take it into consideration…
…unless, of course, she didn’t care.
If the Rulers from Central Faeries are too stupid to see me as anything more than a slave, I’ll make sure they change their minds quickly.
For the landshaper, Lannahi was just an intruder. If the enchantress died and someone was to take her place, would it really matter to Lizaar?
But though Lizaar’s reasoning was correct, it was not flawless. She didn’t care about Lannahi’s opinion. She didn’t care how determined Lannahi was in fighting for her life.
She didn’t know that while she was an important element of Lannahi’s plan, she was not expendable.
Lannahi needed to make it clear.
***
“What is it?” Lizaar asked, stopping at the table with her eyes fixed on the wooden box placed on the tabletop before the chair she usually occupied.
Two days before the next Royal Sabbath the landshaper had returned to speaking in laconic sentences, blasting glares, and being ostentatiously late, so her disrespectful tone didn’t affect Lannahi.
“Open it and see,” she said.
Lizaar narrowed her eyes. There were no other servants in the dining room besides Nuur sitting in the corner, just as there was no sign of Baddur and Varrdan. The table was empty, and Souhi, who usually sat next to Lannahi after bringing the dishes from the kitchen, was now standing behind her chair, watching the landshaper’s face closely. Lizaar must have guessed that something was wrong.
“I thought I made myself clear,” she said coldly when she opened the lid of the box and saw the gold collar inside. “If you and other witches from Central Faeries like such ornaments, you can wear them yourselves, but I’m not going to fulfill your fantasies.”
Lannahi knew that reasonable arguments were meaningless to Lizaar, but she tried anyway. “Lizaar, all I’masking foris one day. Any other time you can go dressed as you like, but the next Sabbath is crucial. Is one day a high price to pay for peace in Goldfrost?”
“And how would you answer that question?”
Lannahi contained her surprise. “I’m not in your position.”
Lizaar’s lips curved into a mocking smile. “That’s not what I asked,Your Highness, but let me explain. How about I cut your hair and paint red lines on your skin that will look like scratches? This would be a sign to all greedy witches that being the ruler of Goldfrost is not so easy.Ithink such a display would effectively discourage those with morbid appetites from overreaching where they are not wanted. What doyouthink, Lannahi? Isn’t it a good idea?”
Among enchantresses, long hair was considered an asset, and Lannahi immediately disliked Lizaar’s bold statement, but the way the former queen quickly glanced at Nuur she liked even less.
“Hair takes longer than a day to grow,” she noted, discreetly checking if Esau and Erril were in position. She’d known that by pressing on Lizaar she was walking on the edge of a volcano.
Lizaar’s mocking smile deepened. “True, but is a few hairs a high price to pay for peace in Goldfrost?”
Lannahi realized that she’d miscalculated even before a commotion broke out at the door and she was overpowered by a sudden dizziness.
Lizaar had prepared a counterattack.
If the Rulers from Central Faeries are too stupid to see me as anything more than a slave, I’ll make sure they change their minds quickly.
The declaration also applied to Lannahi.
Lannahi propped her hands upon the surface of the table, finding a reference point to help regain her sense of balance. From behind her came the thud of something falling to the floor. A part of her mind knew it was Souhi.
The shadows obscuring her vision prevented her from checking on her friend. She reached desperately for a knife, but someone grabbed her hand and bent it back, doing the same with the other. Her head slammed against the table. The pain stupefied her so she barely felt the rough rope tied around her wrists and the gag in her mouth.
When the pressure between her eyes subsided, the chamber was filled with guards. Esau, Erril, and Souhi lay bound and gagged on the floor. Blann, gray with fear, was also present. Eshshar had a knife to her throat.
Next to her chair stood the man who had restrained her. She looked up and met Kalahadd’s cool gaze.
I think he was the Captain of the Palace Guard before Ashared replaced him, Esau’s words came to her from the depths of her mind.The shifter guards seem to have no problem with the change, but the landshapers act as if they sought Kalahadd’s approval first.
