Page 42 of The Last Syphon

“You do this a lot? Give a tour to people new to Arelia? I would think the princess of the Crowned Family would have better, more important things to do.” The doors they passed were identical, and Inara wondered how she would tell the difference, or if she was likely to walk right into someone else’s room.

“I’ll admit, this is my first time giving it to a Chosen. All Chosen have grown up in Arelia, and have even studied for the position years prior to forming a soul-link with their Guardian.” Princess Phaedra stopped in front of a door and turned to face her. “But yes, this is something I do quite often, just mainly with royal visitors of the kingdom. My brother is always too busy for such things, and royals have a habit of being insulted if someone of a lesser class greets them upon arrival.”

Inara scrunched up her nose. “Royals sound like assholes.” When Felix jammed his elbow into her ribs, she realised what she’d said—and more importantly, who she’d said it to. She winced. “I don’t mean you, though. You actually seem pretty nice.” Unlike your brother.

Princess Phaedra laughed. “Unlike my brother, right?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you thought it.” She winked. “Here’s your room.”

An abundance of natural light hit Inara when the door opened. She walked in and was beyond stunned. It was by far the nicest place she would ever stay in, past, present, or future. Wide, open space. Tall floor-to-ceiling doors with balconies attached. Open doors that led into other areas. And from what she could see, a bathroom and a bedroom. Several couches were arranged in a formal display. All the furniture was gold-plated. The bedframe. The dressers. The side tables and mirrors hanging on the walls.

Her mind instantly went to how much she could barter for those.

“My brother isn’t so bad,” Princess Phaedra commented as Inara made her way around the room, inspecting it. “He just has a heavy weight upon his shoulders.”

Inara wasn’t sure what to say back to that, so she chose to say nothing. A desire to open the balcony doors shot through her, and she didn’t fight it. She marched over to them and pushed them open.

Fraener changed into his miniature form and shot forward through the now-open door. Once free from the confines of the palace, he switched again, going right back to his natural form. His wings snapped open, and he curved, soaring around the palace and out of sight. Apprehension snaked through Inara’s bones when she could no longer see him. She reached for their soul-link and still felt him close by, which immediately eased her concerns. He flew back into view for only a moment before disappearing again.

He was circling the building.

Princess Phaedra came up to her side. “Beautiful creature,” she said admiringly, watching as he lazily passed by the window time and time again. “He has always been one of my favourites.”

Inara glanced at her curiously. “Your favourites?”

“Mmhmm. We learn about all Guardians, past and present, in our studies.” Her gaze turned calculative at the expression on Inara’s face. “You do not conduct lessons in the Borderlands?”

“Venerable Cias holds teachings in his librarium. Hardly anyone attends them.”

Her entire face lit up. “Venerable Cias! He’s in the Borderlands?”

“He came about thirty years ago and never left. You know him?”

“He conducted the lessons on Guardians during my youth. Tough but fair man. I was sad when he left Arelia.”

She was far too curious not to ask. “Why was that? He never gives any details about the life he had led here.”

The princess hesitated slightly. “Well, that depends on who you ask. If you ask the High Council, he conducted unsanctioned investigations into the soul-link between a Guardian and its Chosen. If you ask me, I think the High Council was worried he would discover something they didn’t want him to know, so they banished him before he could.”

“Something like what?”

There was a twinkle in her violet eyes as she looked Inara up and down. “What indeed?” Her companion still hadn’t said a word. His sharp eyes never missed a movement, always assessing whether a motion was friendly or not. Felix fluttered around in the background, picking up and inspecting items with the keen eyes of a thief. What he deemed worthy, he snuck into his pockets while the princess and Kronan had their backs to him.

Inara did a lap of the space, slowly looking at everything it had to offer while Princess Phaedra took a seat, Kronan taking up stance behind her. How the woman had managed to make sitting down look elegant, Inara would never know.

“Do you have any questions for me?” she asked.

Yes. She did. “When do I get paid?”

She chuckled softly. “Right to the point. I like it. At the beginning of every month, you will receive your allotted coin for the work you have done for the kingdom the previous month.”

“Do I get a day off?”

“That depends on the rotation. You’ll receive your schedule from the High Council at the start of each week, which will tell you that. As you are new, you’ll spend the first few days learning the ins and outs of your duty and the rules you must follow.”

Inara groaned. Of course, there were rules. She should have guessed. It would be an adjustment for her, and she couldn’t help but wonder if all of this shit was worth it. She took another glance around the room at the opulence surrounding her.