Page 169 of The Last Syphon

Inara sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

“So, are we going to talk about it?”

She opened one eye to peek at him. The irony of those words was not lost on her. She’d uttered that exact same thing to him earlier.

Inara decided to take a page out of his book. “Talk about what?” she asked before closing her eyes once more.

“Do not jest.” The softness of his tone made her open her eyes with a tired sigh. “What happened out there?”

Indecision warred within her. What am I supposed to say? She used her syphon sight to see what was going on and found someone buried miles and miles beneath the ground, but she did not think he was actually buried? That she knew that person was a Syphon because, hello, she was one herself and could sense that same magic within this mystery person? That she had a terrifying suspicion of who it could be, but logic and reason dictated it could not possibly be this person?

“I don’t know.”

Yeah. Smart. That was the safest option. Well done.

His brows snapped together, and a less-than-impressed look crossed his face. “You knew something was going to happen. How?”

Think fast.

“I sensed something out there.”

Not bad, Inara.

“Sensed what?”

“A presence. A power.”

“How?”

“Must be an aftereffect of my mother’s magic.”

His eyes narrowed.

Fates, she’s good.

“What kind of power?” he asked, almost hesitantly. Prince Walder was a smart man. Surely he knew. He had to have felt his magic draining from him when they set foot in Tolanaa. He had to know…right?

Inara licked her dry lips and averted her gaze. She worried he would see the fear swimming within them. “I…” Could she say it? No, that wasn’t the problem. She could say it. The question was…would he believe her?

Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “I saw someone out there. Right before I passed out.”

He inched forward, moving that tiny bit closer. “Saw who?”

“I didn’t see his face, but I think…I think it was the Cursed King.”

Prince Walder whipped back in shock. “Impossible,” he said automatically. “He’s dead.”

“I don’t think he’s ever been dead.” Despite the fear lacing her words, she said them with conviction.

During the battle to save Ravagen, Inara hadn’t had the chance to process all the information around her, but her brain had been working in the background, putting the pieces together for her to sort out later.

They were in Tolanaa, the last known location of the Cursed King.

The land was stealing, feeding on her magic, her power, exactly as a Syphon would.

The unknown man was deep underground, as if in hibernation. There was another presence down there with him. A big one, the size of Fraener—his soul-link. Guardians possessed the ability to go into hibernation for hundreds of years at a time, and Chosen had the ability to tap into their Guardian’s powers. Who was to say he couldn’t do that with the hibernation?

These were all points Inara said to Prince Walder, minus the Syphon part, of course.