Page 54 of The Last Syphon

Inara didn’t hesitate. Didn’t dawdle. The moment she got within reach, she opened the door.

Her eyes blinked against the harsh, bright light that greeted her. Stepping from complete darkness to pure light was jarring for her system, but she didn’t have the time to dwell on it or let it affect her. She marched right in and⁠—

Inara paused. A frown marred her brows. The room was…empty. Not a soul or creature in sight. Not even an exit or another way to leave except for the door she’d just entered.

What the?

Her gaze whipped around her surroundings, taking everything in at once. The room was circular in design, the walls curved. There was no ceiling. In fact, when Inara looked up, she saw an audience watching her from above in seats that seemed to cascade upwards. It gave her the impression she was in a fucking pit of some kind.

She didn’t like it.

Spaced out evenly amongst the crowd, Inara glimpsed the High Council members. They were easy to spot. Quite hard to ignore, actually. They had a 360-degree view of her, every council member sitting on a raised dais that was lit up from beneath, showcasing their importance. Behind each of them stood their Shielder.

It did not take long for Inara to spot the Crowned Prince. His dais was far grander, and the light around him was a deep, dark red.

Their gazes clashed. His eyes narrowed. Her lips curved into a self-satisfied smile. Larissa stood behind him. Her trial was long over, having been one of the first to compete. The condescending smirk upon her face spoke volumes. She did not think Inara would make it past the first round.

Inara could not wait to prove her wrong.

“Our last competitor of the Shielder Trials this eve, Inara Tempest, and her Charge, Felix Podik.” A deep voice introduced.

Inara’s gaze travelled from person to person, seeing the same confused, irritated look on all the High Council members’ faces, except for Lady Niya. She seemed slightly impressed.

None of them moved to interfere as Princess Phaedra had expected. The princess had guessed they would not want to create a scene by removing her from the arena. That they feared how it would be reflected upon them to see someone so blatantly defying their orders. It reassured her. Inara did not want her trial to end before it had even truly begun.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on the matter at hand, blocking out everything else around her. She noticed a circle in the centre. It was wide, encompassing almost the entire diameter of the room, and it was illuminated, glowing brightly.

“What do you think?” she whispered over her shoulder.

Felix assessed the situation before them. “That circle has to do something. There’s nothing else in here.”

She nodded, agreeing. Walking forward, Inara eyed it carefully. With suspicion. Felix’s hand remained on her shoulder, his steps matching hers perfectly. When they crossed over the threshold, the circle pulsed, glowing brighter. A door appeared on the right, as if out of thin air. Before Inara could process another thing, a loud mechanical sound blared out all around her.

It wasn’t a good sound. It was a sound that set her bones on edge. Sent vibrations shooting through her body. Movement from above caught her attention. Inara looked up. Dozens upon dozens of automatic crossbows emerged from the walls, pointing at them from every angle. They completely surrounded the two, giving not an inch of freedom.

There was no hesitation. No moment of reprieve. All the crossbows knocked back and fired all at once. A bright, golden shield exploded out of the centre of Inara’s chest, forming a perfect circle around her and Felix. The bows clashed against it. Pressure hit her hard but disappeared quickly.

The crossbows retracted back into the wall, only to be replaced by another set of crossbows, firing instantly. The weapons alternated between each other. When one set would empty of its ammunition, another would take its place, armed and ready.

Fire, change. Fire, change. Fire, change. No indication of stopping or slowing down.

The pressure became constant and relentless.

Inara’s eyes cut to the door. The objective was obvious: protect your Charge from the barrage of fire as you move for safety.

Basic.

Inara could do it. She could easily maintain the shield around them and walk towards the door.

But she had a point to prove.

To Larissa.

To Prince Walder.

To the High Council members.

And she was going to fucking prove it.