Page 148 of The Last Syphon

She understood why Prince Walder hid it, and she wondered if anyone knew what he really was.

“I think you should go.”

Inara startled, her gaze snapping up to find Balthus in the room with her. She hadn’t heard him come in. He was dressed in the same outfit she’d seen him in in the librarium.

“Again, you sneak up on me.” She breathed out, hand to her chest.

Fraener lifted his head.

“Wait, what did you say?” she asked.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” He took a turn about the room, hands behind his back, each stride confident and purposeful. “I was walking past when I overheard the conversation between you and the prince. The cursed land of Tolanaa is spreading? My, that is a terrifying notion.”

“It is.” She agreed. She bit her lip. “Look, I know you’re already keeping one secret for me⁠—”

He chuckled. “You do not wish for me to share what I’ve heard? Of course. I understand. Such news would send the kingdom into turmoil.”

Maybe that’s what they needed. If the High Council wasn’t going to do shit, maybe the pressure of the people would change their fucking mind.

“I shouldn’t have been spying anyway. It was unintentional.”

She nodded in thanks. Confusion hummed down the soul-link. Inara ran her hand up and down Fraener’s spine, and he instantly relaxed, brushing up against her. Maybe he was confused as to why she wasn’t as afraid as he had been by what happened with Prince Walder. Why, despite his words and what happened, she was still worried about him and the implications of what being a Bloodborne meant for him.

“Would you like my opinion?” Balthus asked, tilting his head.

“Sure.”

“The prince is bound by laws you are not. If you’re curious about what is going on out there, and based on the conversation I heard—I think you should be, for I know I am—then just go without him.” He shrugged. “There’s nothing stopping you from going. If the High Council wants more before acting, find more. Bring it back and shove it in their faces. Those kinds of people don’t act unless they have to. Make it so they have to.”

He had a very good point. When she first arrived, Prince Walder told her that she could not return home until she could be trusted. Inara was sure that she’d reached ‘trusting’ status. Somewhere along the way they’d come to an…unspoken understanding, of sorts.

“It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” Balthus added. “I would offer to come with you, but there are urgent matters I have to deal with here. Unless you’d be willing to wait a few weeks?”

Inara found it very nice of him to offer, but— “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I think this is something that can’t wait. I feel it in my bones. My people will be the first ones to suffer the consequences.”

He inclined his head in understanding.

Inara took a deep, steadying breath and recentred herself. She would take Balthus’s advice and travel south. If Prince Walder wasn’t going to solve the problem, she fucking would, and no one was going to stop her.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Later that day, Inara and Felix sat on the floor in their bedchamber, and she had not heard the end of it from her best friend.

“But I want to go too,” he all but whined. Inara rolled her eyes for what had to be the dozenth time.

“I need you here, Felix.”

“What the fuck am I meant to do here?!” he blasted. “The only reason I’m here is because of you, and if you go, then what? What am I supposed to do?”

“Terrorise people? You love to do that.”

He smiled, laughing to himself. “I do love to do that, hey?” Then he shook the thought away and glared at her. “No. Nice try.”

Inara exhaled deeply and turned, lying flat on her back. She stared up at the ceiling, hands behind her head and mind wandering. She and Prince Walder had not spoken since the meeting with the High Council members, and quite frankly, that was perfectly fine with her. Inara wasn’t even sure if she wanted to talk to that fool. She had just gone about her day as if she did not have a single worry, when really, she was planning her trip home.

She planned to leave in the dead of night when no one was around, as she didn’t want to risk someone trying to stop her. Fraener, who was currently snoring his little head off above her in his nest, was going to shift back into his true form in a few hours and fly them back to the Borderlands. Her rucksack was packed with some snacks, water, and a few changes of clothes. Inara wasn’t sure how long the trip would be, but to be safe, she had packed enough for a week. She always had the option of stopping off at home to grab more supplies if need be. And she also had a seperate rucksack filled with the items she’d taken from around her bedchamber that she was sure would fetch a hefty price. That way, there would be enough coin to buy more food for Deadhaven and cover Gideon’s next payment.

“Come on, Inara. Please,” Felix pleaded. He was lying on his stomach, facing her, his head being supported by his elbows and his legs kicking back and forth slowly in the air behind him. “I don’t want to stay here on my own. What if His Eminence tries to kill me? I get the feeling he doesn’t like me very much, which is so weird. Everyone likes me.”