"Gold from across the southern sea," he said. "Paid to certain ministers and nobles. Treason is not coming; it has already begun."
Liora stiffened, her mind racing.
"Why tell me?" she demanded. "Why not, Lucien?"
The man laughed, a hollow, almost pitying sound.
"Because they watch him. Every step, every breath. You, however... they see you as harmless." He leaned closer. "They underestimate you."
Before Liora could speak again, he threw a folded map onto the table.
"Proof," he said. "A shipment arriving within days. Smuggled weapons. Men hiding under the banners of trade."
The lantern flickered, throwing wild shadows across the room.
"Take it. Show it to Lucien if you dare."
And with that, the man turned and vanished through a side door before she could react.
Liora stood frozen for a moment, staring at the map. Her fingers trembled as she picked it up.
The weight of it hit her fully; this was no childish attempt at playing heroine. This was treason. War. Death.
