Page 74 of The Last Syphon

Inara frowned. She glanced at Felix. He just shrugged, mouth overflowing with sweets, having absolutely no idea what the woman could possibly be referring to.

Princess Phaedra began to pace, walking back and forth in front of them. Kronan watched her carefully, tracking her every moment. There was a hint of worry in his eyes. “My brother has a heavy weight upon his shoulders.”

“Yes.” Inara nodded. “You mentioned that before.”

“And I feel very strongly that he needs someone like you at his side to protect him.”

“Someone like me?”

“Strong. Dependable. Unyielding. You do not allow status or prestige to quiet your thoughts. You speak your mind, even if it means speaking out of turn or saying something that could get you in trouble. You will tell my brother if he is making the wrong choice. If he is making a mistake. Something no one has ever done before. He needs that, now more than ever, with such a dark threat hanging over the kingdom.”

Inara looked at Felix once more. He just shrugged again as he took back the bowl of sweets.

“What threat?”

Princess Phaedra hesitated. “It is not for me to say,” she said, quickly diverting the subject to something else. “My brother needs someone who will protect him and question him. I have tried for many years to recruit Shielders who could beat Larissa. None have been up to the task. Then you arrived.”

Inara chewed her sweets, listening intently.

“My instincts tell me you are what my brother needs. That you can help him. That you could be…good for him. You see the light in life. All my brother sees is darkness.”

“You barely know me.”

“I’ve had to rely heavily on my instincts all my life. They are all I have, and because of that, I’ve had no choice but to trust them.”

There was more meaning to those words than what she was leading on. “What do you mean by that?”

She chewed her bottom lip indecisively, then she opened her mouth.

Kronan stepped forward. “Princess,” he warned.

“No, it’s alright, Kronan,” she said softly.

The man clearly did not think it was alright—far from it, in fact. But nevertheless, he took a step back, bowing his head slightly.

Princess Phaedra inhaled a calming breath. She swiped a lock of her long, thick hair out of her face before standing tall. “I realise I have broken your trust, and in order to get it back, I must offer you something. Something of value.”

Offer me something?

Felix leant over. “Maybe she’ll give you coin,” he whispered in her ear.

Inara could not be bought off so easily. Then again, she wouldn’t say no to it.

“I’m a Powerless.”

Inara’s mouth dropped open. The bowl slipped from Felix’s grasp, crashing to the floor and spilling the remaining sweets.

“I have never manifested a power, and because of that, I’ve spent my entire life doing my best to hone my intuitions. I pay close attention. I watch and study others. The way they act. The way they move. The sound of their voices. What they say and how they say it. You can tell a lot about a person with all that information, and so far, I’ve become quite good at detecting someone’s intent. With Larissa, it is clear that she cares more about prestige, status, and power than actually protecting my brother and Arelia. With you, I can see that you are a protector. I saw it down in the fields yesterday with Na-ri, and although I see you do not like my brother, I know…I feel…you will do everything in your power to fulfil your duty as his Shielder, regardless of your personal feelings towards him.”

Inara licked her dry lips. She wasn’t sure what to say back to that. The Princess of Arelia is a Powerless? Someone born without any magical ability? It was incomprehensible to even think of. As the Crowned Family, they were solely responsible for maintaining Arelia’s safety. She was well aware of the stigma behind the Powerless. That they were weak. Less than. Worthless nobodies.

It was a lot like what people thought of the Borderlanders.

If people were to find out there was a Powerless within the Crowned Family’s Line, they would be dethroned. Instantly.

It wouldn’t matter that the King or Crowned Prince had magic. People would believe their bloodline to be tainted.

Inara didn’t believe any of that fucking nonsense. It didn’t matter if someone had powers or not. One didn’t need powers to be strong. But she was also well aware of what others thought of the Powerless.