The man’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “It’s nothing,” he replied as if forcing fifteen fae to kneel by sheer force of will wasn’t a power with which he could use to defeat any ruler he wished.
Blann untied the last knot, freeing Lannahi’s hands. When she straightened, Lannahi sent her a faint smile. The orange color of the green-tongued’s hair and the tiny spikes sprouting on the top of her hands betrayed her agitation, but her face was strangely calm. “I will prepare a shampoo that will speed up the regrowth of your hair,” she said.
In their current situation, thinking about cosmetics seemed absurd, but Blann’s innocent determination contrasting so vividly with Dallal’s merciless composure helped Lannahi gather herself. “I would love to try it out, Blann.”
Her words were rewarded with a smile, but Lizaar’s heavy breathing and the rustling of Gannar’s dress were reminders that the matter hadn’t been settled yet, and Lannahi reluctantly shifted her attention to her surroundings. The landshapers knelt on the floor. Some of them trembled, trying to break the enchantment, but the blood running from their noses discouraged the rest from trying. The angry glances they sent Dallal couldn’t hide their fear. Esau, Erril, and Souhi, who had been freed by Akammu and were now standing at a safe distance from the guards, rubbing the places where the ties had scraped their skin. They openly stared at Dallal. Apparently, Lannahi wasn’t the only one for whom Dallal’s power was a surprise.
Lannahi ran her fingers through her hair, the ends of which touched her neck. Her head felt tender, but, after a cursory inspection, she found no blood. She swallowed.
No one had ever treated her this way before.
She lifted her gaze to Lizaar. The landshaper’s breathing had calmed down. The color had drained from her face, but the bruises on her neck would stand as a reminder of today’s event for a long time.
“You could have avoided this,” Lannahi said, her voice dispassionate.
Lizaar didn’t reply. Her gaze was devoid of emotion. Perhaps she didn’t have the strength to feel anything but the air filling her lungs. Lannahi could understand that.
“I gave you a choice, but now I realized that my efforts were pointless. Apparently, the role of a slave suits you better.” Lannahi fell silent for a moment. “Do you know the difference between us, Lizaar?”
Her only answer was silence. She continued, “I am ready to die to defend what is mine.”
Something stirred in Lizaar’s eyes, but Lannahi didn’t wait for her reaction. “Why didn’t your plan include a demand that I call the Arbiter and free you formally? Were youafraidto speak to your father about your new trade agreements?” She leaned forward. “Or was it the memory of losing a Royal Duel what discouraged you from taking again the role of a queen?”
These words crushed the shield of indifference surrounding Lizaar. Her eyes glowed with shame.
“How did you imagine it would be, Lizaar?” Lannahi asked. “Did you plan on being a slave for the rest of your life or just for a little while? If the latter, then what did you intend to say to the citizens of Goldfrost? ‘Treat me like a queen, but I won’t fight for you? I won’t die for you?’”
Lannahi watched as Lizaar’s face burned red. The reprimand would have been humiliating in private, but conducted in the presence of the guards, it was destructive to Lizaar’s reputation.
“A-at…” She grunted and finished in a hoarse voice, “At the right moment I would have forced you to abdicate.”
Lannahi raised an eyebrow and was about to refute the possibility but stopped. There was something fragile in Lizaar’s face. The woman pretended to be tough, but she was close to the breaking point.
Lannahi decided to change a tactic. “You can’t force me to abdicate,” she said, letting an angry note sound in her voice. “I intend to stay in Goldfrost, so I advise you to accept me as your queen. I’ve been lenient, but no more. This is the last time I am giving you a choice, Lizaar. Either you will cooperate and I free you in two years, or you will be completely removed from your duties and spend the rest of your life in the same dungeon you intended for me. You can rage, of course, just remember that if your anger buries Goldfrost and its inhabitants, it will be your fault, not mine.”
She wanted to stand up ostentatiously, but she was sore and didn’t know if she wouldn’t become dizzy so she slid off the chair slowly, propping her hands on the tabletop. “I don’t need you, Lizaar,” she said because these words needed to be spoken. “But I see your talent and would like to use it for the sake of the city. Obey me and I will reward you.”
Lizaar’s lips trembled. She wanted to fight. She wanted to say no.
But she wasn’t ready to die.
“Should I lock you in here until evening to hear your answer?” Lannahi asked. “Or should I ask Dallal to escort you to your cell right away?”
“No,” Lizaar rasped out. Thinking it was a refusal, Lannahi felt a knot in her chest, but the landshaper coughed and added, “I will cooperate.”
Lannahi straightened. “Good.” She moved her gaze over the faces of the landshapers kneeling on the floor. They didn’t like her, but they understood that Lizaar wasn’t the only one who had been defeated today. Stopping on Kalahadd, she asked, “Are you and your guards going to cause me any more trouble?”
The man wrestled with his thoughts longer than Lizaar, but it was hard to feign pride in the face of outright defeat.
“No.”
“Are you certain?” Lannahi looked at the rest of the guards. “Can I believe that the Palace Guard won’t act against me?”
When it became obvious that she wouldn’t let her questions stay unanswered, a reluctant murmur of agreement swept through the chamber.
“It was a bit slurred,” she commented. “Practice your pronunciation. Tomorrow, I wish to hear your oaths spoken loud and clear.”
Lannahi spotted Nuur kneeling on the ground. “Were you the one who warned Lizaar about postponing the dinner?”
