Page 77 of The Last Syphon

Inara had briefly debated leaving him in her bedchamber for the day. She would have made sure to leave the balcony doors open for him in case he wanted to take flight. But the idea had left her mind as quickly as it entered.

The thought of being apart from him again left a terrible ache in her soul. After being separated from him for most of the prior day, Inara could not bear to do it again, especially knowing she would be gone until dusk. Possibly even later.

No.

Inara would not be apart from him again if she could help it.

They walked down several more corridors, up another dozen or so flights of stairs before the guard suddenly stopped. “The prince’s bedchamber is just up ahead on your right.” He inclined his head in farewell, spun around, and walked back down the ridiculous number of stairs.

“Thank you!” she called down to him, still trying to catch her breath. Only when she’d finally managed to do so did she continue down the hallway.

Inara’s steps slowed when raised, angry voices reached her ears.

“...you do this!”

“This is highly inappropriate, Larissa.”

“How can you just toss me aside like this?!”

“The thief won the trials. By law, the position is hers.”

There was a split up ahead, the hall going both left and right. Inara lightened her footsteps, plastering her back to the wall as she continued forward.

Snooping probably wasn’t the best idea. Inara knew it wasn’t nice to spy on people, but she couldn’t help herself. She recognised the voices almost instantly.

When she got to the bend, she slowly peeked around the side. There was one room at the end of the hall. Prince Walder stood outside his door, fully dressed in his usual red-scaled armour, swords and all. Larissa was in front of him, her back to Inara. The clothes on her body were identical to the ones Inara had been given, except she had that stupid cape pinned to her shoulders.

Larissa had shown up expecting to still have her position, even though Inara had won.

Inara wondered why that angered her. She did not even want the appointment.

Because it is yours.

Yes. It was. She’d earnt it. Almost died to achieve it. Inara didn’t have many possessions in life. Before arriving in Arelia, everything she owned had been either stolen or purchased with stolen coin. Nothing she owned was truly hers. So, although this was not the path Inara would have taken if given the choice, she would be damned if she allowed someone to take it from her.

What was it her mother used to say to her all the time? “You only want it because you don’t want someone else to have it.”

Petulant and childish, yes, she was well aware.

Oh well.

“Who cares if she won?!” Larissa blasted. “How could you do this to me? After all we have been through!”

Prince Walder sighed. “Larissa⁠—”

“You scored her a seven.” She seethed. “A. Seven! You have never given a perfect score during the trials. Never given me a perfect score, and yet you give it to her? Some worthless Borderlander?!”

Inara’s eyes narrowed.

The prince merely shrugged—one slight, minuscule movement of his shoulder. “She deserved it.”

At that, Inara’s brows rose in surprise. Was that a compliment?

“I deserved it! Me! Do you have any idea how this has made me look? I have been your personal Shielder for seven years. To bestow her a perfect score when you have never awarded me one has made me look like a fool in front of the entire court!”

“If you had earnt a perfect score, I would have awarded it to you,” he replied coldly.

Ouch.