Page 155 of The Last Syphon

“Everything went fine,” Venerable Cias assured her. “It took a little convincing, but everyone contributed something of value to cover the rest of the payment required.”

Well, that was a fucking relief.

Now that she had a steady stream of coin coming in, making those monthly payments to Gideon would be a whole lot easier.

“Are you going to tell me what it is you are really doing here?” He dumped another spoonful of porridge from the pot suspended over the fire into a bowl and handed it to Gail. The older woman inclined her head in thanks, smiled at Inara to which she smiled back, and retreated to her home to eat in peace.

The next person in line took her place.

Inara avoided his eyes, looking down at her food. “I have simply come to check on you all. Make sure you are surviving without me. Imagine my surprise to find that is actually the case. I was sure that when I returned, the whole place would be up in flames.”

Only part of her was joking. In truth, there had been a small part of her that feared the cursed land had spread so quickly it had swallowed Deadhaven whole.

“You forget that I helped raise you, girl. I know when you are being deceitful.”

Does he, though?

He handed the last bowl of porridge over and sat down, breathing out a deep sigh. “Something troubles you.” Not a question. A statement. “What is it?”

Her gaze swept her surroundings once more. Everyone was doing their own thing. There were no eyes or ears on them. She only debated keeping the secret to herself for a moment longer before deciding to tell him.

“There is danger approaching.”

“From Arelia?” he immediately asked, and Inara couldn’t blame him for thinking so.

She shook her head, lowering her voice. “From the south.”

His brows knitted. “The…south? Surely, you do not mean⁠—”

“Yes. That is exactly what I mean.” Just because it looked like no one was listening didn’t mean someone might not overhear them. She lowered her voice even more, to be barely above a whisper. “The cursed land is spreading. It has already consumed Blackpeak, Holen, and Prector and the Arelian’s have no idea why it is happening. I have come to find out, and hopefully stop it.”

A myriad of emotions streaked across his face. Shock. Confusion. Fear.

Inara had never seen him afraid before, and that scared her more than the cursed land itself. If he was afraid, it meant something was very, very wrong.

She dived headfirst into everything that was going on, explaining all she could in as much detail as possible, relaying the progression reports that were conducted, what happened at the ball with the Pregon and Roylan representatives. She left out the attempted murder of the Crowned Prince, since it had nothing to do with the topic at hand, and went straight into the idiotic meeting held by the High Council, as well as the conversation she’d had with Prince Walder, minus the Bloodborne revelation, of course.

By the time she was done, Venerable Cias looked ill, as if he were about to lose consciousness.

“Prince Walder said it would take over fifty years for the cursed land to reach Deadhaven at its current progression rate,” Inara began, placing her half-eaten bowl on the ground. “But what about all the other villages in between here and Tolanaa? What if the rate changes? The truth is, without a clear idea about what the fuck is going on, we can’t predict shit. So”—she shrugged—“I left. If they’re not going to do anything to stop it, I fucking will.”

Venerable Cias said nothing, still processing her words and the implication of them. Inara gave him the time he needed. It was a lot to take in. She knew that. While he was silent, Inara decided it might be a good idea to mention the plan she had.

“I think it would be best to prepare the village for evacuation.”

He blinked, as if coming out of a deep daze. “Evacuation? To where? Where could we go that this darkness could not touch us?”

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I think the High Council are dragging their feet because they are not in immediate danger. The Borderlands are. Once the cursed land threatens the borders of Arelia, they will act, but by that point, it will already be too late for us. You need to prepare the people to leave their homes at a moment’s notice and cross into Arelia.”

“Into Arelia?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “They would never allow that.”

“This problem is bigger than Borderlanders, Arelians, Pregonans, and Roylans. The cursed land threatens everyone and everything, regardless of where one comes from. It is going to swallow up and destroy everything in its path, so we need to get the fuck out of its way as much as we can. Do not worry about the Arelians. I’m high and mighty now. I will handle it.”

His brow arched. “High and mighty?”

She flicked an imaginary strand of hair out of her face. “I am personal Shielder to the Crowned Prince himself. A prestigious position, so I hear.”

He rolled his eyes. “I tell you to steer clear of the man, and you tether yourself to him. Must you always do the exact opposite of what I tell you?”