Page 118 of The Last Syphon

There was an unspoken rivalry between the two of them. A competition. Inara wasn’t sure how it started, or when—possibly at the Shielder Trials—but it was in full fucking effect.

“Turn left,” Prince Walder whispered as he stepped past her.

For some stupid reason, Inara went right, slamming into another dancer.

“Oh, fuck. Sorry.” Her head whipped side to side quickly, trying to get her bearings, and she rushed back to Prince Walder’s side.

“Do you not know your left from your right? I knew education within the Borderlands was insufficient, but I assumed you would at least know the basics.”

Inara rammed her elbow into his ribs, causing him to grunt. More so from surprise than pain, she guessed. “Whoops. Sorry. Tripped.” She smiled.

He glared, never missing a step, which pissed her off even more, to be honest.

She tried to remember what the dance was about, like Na-Ri suggested. A tale of two lovers, destined to be together but forever being torn apart. Her gaze flicked to Princess Phaedra and Kronan. They danced as if no one else was in the room, locked in each other’s gazes, love all but blazing between them.

Inara relaxed her limbs. Slowed down her heart. Cleared her mind. She stepped into the next move with ease, sliding up to Prince Walder’s side effortlessly. He stuck his left hand out, palm facing down. She stuck her right hand out below his, palm facing up, and they moved, one slow step at a time. The other couples around them did the same, all of them moving in perfect synchronisation around the dance floor.

Oh. So I can do this. Cool.

Her mind wandered back to the conversation in Prince Walder’s office. There was a question Inara was burning to ask him, but she knew he would not wish to discuss it with so many prying ears surrounding them. She summoned her power. Warmth spread throughout her chest. She always loved using her magic. It made her feel light.

“Why haven’t you told the people?” She kept her gaze facing forward, but in her peripheral vision she saw him turn his head slightly to look at her. “They have a right to know that they’re in danger, don’t you think?”

Alarm flashed in his eyes for the briefest moment before Inara spoke again.

“They can’t hear you. Look up.”

He did as she asked. She allowed her magic to be seen for only a second before disguising it once more.

Once they reached the edge of the dance floor, they turned, circling the outside. “I’ve cast my shield around us to keep our conversation private. No sound will escape.”

“You can do that?”

“I can do a lot of things, and you’re avoiding the question.” The song was almost over, and Inara was an impatient person. She wanted to know now.

Prince Walder looked above them again. He didn’t believe their conversation could not be heard by others.

Inara screamed at the top of her lungs. His eyes snapped to her in shock, his free hand flying to the sword at his waist before his eyes moved to their surroundings. No one else reacted. No one so much as looked in their direction.

“Told you.” She shrugged. “So? Don’t you think the people deserve to know?”

There was only a fleeting moment of hesitation this time. “Telling them would cause chaos.”

“It would also give them warning.”

“Maintaining order is far more important. What do you think would happen if people thought the realm was going to end? That their very existence was in jeopardy? What do you think they would do?”

Inara thought about it, a small frown forming in her brows. If she had to guess… “I think they would lose their fucking minds.”

He nodded. “The panic, the hysteria. There would be looting. Violence in the streets. There would be no order, because why would anyone care about following the rules if no one was going to live long enough to suffer the consequences of breaking them? People would do whatever they wanted. It would be carnage.”

Inara couldn’t really argue with that, so she said nothing.

They stopped in front of one another. It was time for the end of the dance. Inara wasn’t sure why she was nervous about it. The most it required was holding hands. She’d done far more than that with a lot more people, and yet, there it was; a faint hum of nervousness hammering in her chest as Prince Walder held out his hands towards her.

Their eyes connected. Held. A rush shot through her, consisting of a mixture of emotions. Inara could have sworn something passed between them. She had no idea fucking what, but it was something. Inara was sure of it. She licked her dry lips and Prince Walder watched the movement, his eyes locked on her tongue. His jaw clenched. Slowly, she raised her hands, slipping them into his⁠—

A flash of silver caught her attention. Her eyes widened. Magic charged to the surface, hot and commanding. She flung her hand up and slammed a shield into place just as a sharp knife tried to pierce Prince Walder’s back. The weapon somehow penetrated her shield. Not all the way, just halfway down the blade, and it shocked the fuck out of her because she’d never had that happen before. But she didn’t have the time to worry about it because she saw another man approach from the left, a similar knife in his hands.