Page 193 of The Last Syphon

Always.

“So, I bided my time. I waited. I watched. I tried tempting you to come to Tolanaa. You remember, don’t you? All those passing thoughts of travelling south? None of them stuck, though, so I had to manipulate you in another way.”

Despite her best efforts, some of his words cut through the anger pounding in her head. “What do you mean?” She growled.

That stupid smirk was still on his face. “Why do you think you were in that den that day?”

“What day?” It suddenly clicked. “You mean Fraener’s den.”

He nodded. “You do remember, don’t you? It was me who convinced you to risk entry.”

Inara tried to deny it, but she could not. She’d always stayed away from the dragons’ dens in the past because they were far too dangerous to even attempt entering, not only because of the beasts that lay in waiting but because of the penalty of stealing from them. She remembered that feeling of desperation she had at the time. The payment to Gideon was due, and they had no other coin to pay him. The idea to sneak into the dragon den was one she thought she came up with on her own.

But it wasn’t.

It was him.

“Why?” she asked, confused. “Why do it?”

“I knew if you soul-linked with one of Arelia’s Guardians, they would come. I didn’t anticipate Fraener. He is quite…magnificent. I thought perhaps one of the younger dragons would call to you. Either way, it worked. I had hoped once you saw the Arelian Army at your doorstep you would run. And you were going to, weren’t you? You were going to run to the south and disappear. Ah, things would have been so much easier if you had just done that, but the Crowned Prince arrived far quicker than I anticipated, and you were dragged to Arelia instead. In the end, it all worked out for the best. You uncovered the danger that was lurking just outside your village, and I finally managed to convince you to go to Tolanaa. The moment you touched that ground—” His eyes closed, and he took a deep breath in. “Your magic called to mine, and it awoke me entirely.”

“You’ve been manipulating me for years. You killed my mother, all for me to release you from your prison.” Her anger returned tenfold. Inara would not acknowledge the genuineness behind his thinking. She refused to compliment him. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

He smiled. “You are welcome to try, but first, I will offer you something no one else will be offered. Your life.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“I like you, Inara. I like your fire. Your spirit. So, I am offering you a choice. Join me. Renounce your friends and family and start anew, with me.” He raised a hand out to the side. Magic pulsed in the air. A ball began to form, hovering above his open palm. It was comprised of nothing but pure energy. “There is much I can teach you, Inara. Much knowledge I have to share. For example, did you know you can do much more than simply syphon energy into yourself? You can funnel it and give it substance. Make it form.”

Inara studied the ball of energy in his hand. She blinked, switching to her syphon sight. Within it, she was able to see exactly how he did it. The way he pulled magic from the air around him and commanded it to solidify into shape. It wasn’t just her syphon sight that allowed her to see how he did it, she realised. It was also the magic she’d inherited from her mother that helped her interpret what exactly she was seeing.

She raised her hand and pulled the energy hovering in his palm to her. Through her syphon sight, she saw it, slowly fly towards her, and she watched, slightly entranced as it formed into a ball in her own palm.

Balthus raised his brows in surprise.

“I don’t need you, Balthus,” she said, letting her power wash through her. “I’m a fast learner, thanks to my mother. And you will pay for her life with your own.”

Inara threw the ball of energy. A shield of pure energy flashed in front of Balthus, and her attack smashed into it. The energy shield disappeared a moment later.

Behind him, Tibierus rose, standing tall on his four powerful legs. He squawked, flaring out his massive wings.

Fraener roared in response. She finally looked behind her. Prince Walder and Felix stood on the other side of her shield, safe. She couldn’t bring herself to look directly at their faces, terrified of what she might see there. Fraener pumped his mighty wings once and soared into the air, Tydus following close behind. Tibierus did the same, rising upwards to meet them.

Inara knew what was going to happen next.

She looked back to Balthus, calling on her magic. Two shield discs appeared in her hands, and she commanded them to spin.

Balthus’s expression turned giddy. Excited.

Inara would make him regret every single thing he had done.

She wound her arm back and threw her shield disc. It soared through the air, spinning violently as it hurtled towards Balthus. Another energy shield flashed into existence, blocking the attack. Inara threw the other shield disc, running forward. He blocked that one too. She called more to appear in her palms, one after the other, after the other, never slowing down.

He called the energy shield into place every time, using it to block each one. When Inara got close, she switched weapons, going from her discs to her axes. Two gold, translucent axes appeared in her hands and she swung.

Balthus had already summoned his own weapon, a sword made of pure energy. He blocked her attack with ease. Inara spun on her heels and struck out with a fast swipe. Balthus ducked and thrust forward. Inara parried the strike with one axe while swinging the other, trying to hack at his head.

Then Balthus jumped, appearing at her side. He struck fast. Inara jumped, materialising behind him. She kicked him in the back. He flew forward, and his sword disappeared as he rolled into the fall. He popped back up in a flash, called two balls of pure energy into his hands and threw them.