Elantris - Brandon Sanderson [137]
Iadon’s eyes grew wide at the comment, and his face turned a bright red. “Rag Domi!” he swore, using a curse so vile Sarene had only heard it twice. “You tricked me, woman. I could have you beheaded for making me look the fool.”
“Start decapitating your children, Father, and people will begin to ask questions.” She watched his reaction carefully, hoping to glean something about Raoden’s disappearance, but she was disappointed. Iadon brushed off the comment with only passing attention.
“I should ship you back to Eventeo right now,” he said.
“Fine, I’d be happy to go,” she lied. “However, realize that if I go, you lose your trade treaty with Teod. That could be a problem, considering the luck you’ve had peddling your silks in Fjorden lately.”
Iadon gritted his teeth at the comment.
“Careful, my lady,” Ashe whispered. “Do not unsettle him too much. Men often place pride before reason.”
Sarene nodded. “I can give you a way out, Father. I have come to offer you a deal.”
“What reason do I have to accept any offers from you, woman?” he snapped. “You have been here nearly a month, and now I find that you have been deceiving me the whole time.”
“You will trust me, Father, because you have lost seventy-five percent of your fleet to pirates. In a few short months you could lose your throne unless you listen to me.”
Iadon betrayed surprise at her knowledge. “How do you know these things?”
“Everyone knows, Father,” Sarene said lightly. “It’s all over the court—they expect you to fall at the next taxing period.”
“I knew it!” Iadon said, his eyes widening with rage. He began to sweat and curse at the courtiers, railing at their determination to see him off the throne.
Sarene blinked in surprise. She had made the comment passingly to keep Iadon off balance, but hadn’t expected such a strong reaction. He’s paranoid! she realized. Why hasn’t anyone noticed this before? However, the speed with which Iadon recovered gave her a clue—he was paranoid, but he kept it well hidden. The way she was jerking his emotions must have weakened his control.
“You propose a deal?” the king demanded.
“I do,” Sarene said. “Silk is going for a premium in Teod right now, Father. One could make quite a profit selling it to the king. And, considering certain familial relationships, you might be able to talk Eventeo into giving you sole mercantile rights in his country.”
Iadon grew suspicious, his rage cooling as he sensed a bargain. However, the merchant in him immediately began to sniff for problems. Sarene gritted her teeth in frustration: It was as the others had told her. Iadon would never accept her offer; it stank too much of deceit.
“An interesting proposal,” he admitted. “But I’m afraid that I—”
“I would, of course, require something in return,” Sarene interrupted, thinking quickly. “Call it a fee for setting up the deal between Eventeo and yourself.”
Iadon paused. “What kind of fee are we talking about?” he asked warily. An exchange was different from a gift—it could be weighed, measured, and, to an extent, trusted.
“I want to go inside Elantris,” Sarene declared. “What?”
“I have to perform a Widow’s Trial,” Sarene said. “So, I am going to bring food to the Elantrians.”
“What possible motivation could you have for doing that, woman?”
“Religious reasons, Father,” Sarene explained. “Shu-Korath teaches us to help those most lowly, and I challenge you to find anyone more lowly than the Elantrians.”
“It’s out of the question,” Iadon said. “Entry into Elantris is forbidden by law.”
“A law you made, Father,” Sarene said pointedly. “And, therefore, you can make exceptions. Think carefully—your fortune, and your throne, could balance on your answer.”
Iadon ground his teeth audibly as he considered the trade. “You want to enter Elantris with food? For how long?”
“Until I am convinced my duty as Prince Raoden’s wife has been fulfilled,” Sarene said.
“You would go alone?”
“I would take any who were willing to accompany me.”
Iadon snorted. “You’ll have trouble