Page 61 of The Last Syphon

“Take from me.”

For one fleeting moment, the pain disappeared as an avalanche of shock hit her. Her gaze flicked down to Felix, who was crouched at her feet. What…What did he just say?

His dark brown eyes bored into her with complete earnestness. “Do it. Don’t let these fuckers win.” His hand moved from her shoulder to her ankle, and he clutched her tightly, his palm wrapping around her skin. “Take from me, Inara.”

He knew she was a Syphon, and she didn’t even have the time to think of the how because he simply closed his eyes and a geyser of power flooded her system in an instant. Her shield pulsed and spread outwards, pushing the fire away. Her eyes widened. It was far more power than she knew he possessed.

How is this possible? Where did all that power come from?

Inara pushed those questions to the back of her mind like all the others she had. Focus on one thing at a time.

Her entire body buzzed with electricity. She stood back to her full height, imbued with a new sense of purpose and power. Inara pushed her hands out, and her shield followed her command, expanding outwards even more, finally giving her a visual of her surroundings.

All four soldiers stood in the north, south, east, and west corners of the room, their hands up and fire streaming endlessly at her. It relieved Inara to know they had been struggling just as much as her. Their faces were red from exertion. Sweat trickled down their foreheads, and their teeth were gritted in pained grimaces.

With this new burst of power in her system, Inara called upon her magic to follow her lead as she slowly raised her hands. Her shield moved upwards until it was above the fire from all four points. She curved her hands out, bending them at the wrists. Her shield slithered and arched over the fire. She pushed. Her shield shot forward, wrapping around the fire, almost smothering it as it advanced, inching towards the Firestarters. It raced up the streams of fire attacking her from all sides like a vicious disease, allowing no reprieve. No escape.

With the new round of power running through her veins, it was almost…easy. Before, it had been a struggle to think of anything else except the pain and pressure she was under. There was no room in her mind for anything else. But now, her mind had never been clearer, and the possibilities were almost endless.

Inara pictured her shield, twisting, weaving, crawling, going up and up and up, smothering not only the fires, but the soldiers, and her power rushed to obey, making what she conjured in her mind a reality. It climbed over the fire, clinging first to the soldiers’ hands before continuing, almost binding itself to their skin as it stretched upwards inch by inch until it was wrapped entirely around them like a cloak.

They tried to fight it. Inara felt it; the strain against her shield as if they were desperately trying to push it away.

Push her away.

It was pointless. There was far too much power at Inara’s disposal to stop her.

With her shield encased entirely around the soldiers and their fire, she slowly began to squeeze her hands into tight fists, drawing the oxygen out of their air.

Without oxygen, the fire died out, vanishing almost instantly. The soldiers began to choke. Their hands grasped their throats as they desperately tried to draw air into their lungs—air that was no longer available to them.

Inara could use a shield to protect or use a shield to smother, pressing it against someone so tightly that not even air could make it through.

The soldiers all dropped to their knees at the same time. Fear and desperation were etched on their faces. They were scared, terrified that this was their end.

Inara might have been high on the power, but she was not that far gone.

With a simple snap of her hands, her magic disappeared from their bodies. She sent her shield out in a powerful concussive burst around the room. It smashed into them with such force that it sent them flying back, ramming into the walls and knocking them out cold.

Thump. Thump. Thump. It was her heart. All she could hear. That, and the adrenaline shooting through her body.

It was over. She had won.

Take more. It’s not enough. More. More. Drain them all. Kill them all.

A roaring applause hit the air, cutting the Dark Voice off. Inara looked up. For a moment, she’d forgotten she had an entourage watching her, far too focused on beating the soldiers to even think of them.

Every single person was on their feet, clapping so loudly that she couldn’t even hear her own heartbeat anymore. Her eyes scanned the crowd. The High Council members looked shocked. Bewildered. Even a tiny bit frightened. Larissa’s mouth hung open in disbelief. And Prince Walder was staring at her with an unwavering focus, eyes slightly narrowed, an indecipherable expression on his face.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Once the final round of the Shielder Trials had concluded, Inara and Felix were ushered from the chamber into another room where they were to wait for the ranking. It was a plain room. Light brown walls. Various seating options included a couch and individual cushioned chairs. There was a mahogany table with six seats surrounding it and glasses of refreshments and an abundance of food atop it. Everything one might need to replenish their strength after a tense and difficult battle.

Each Shielder and their Charge were given their own room to decompress after the trials, which worked out amazingly for Inara because⁠—

“How long have you known?” she immediately asked the moment the door slammed shut behind them.

Felix shrugged lazily. “Since your mother left.” He didn’t look any worse for wear, which somewhat confused Inara. When she drew power from others, it weakened them. Left them pale and almost lethargic, as if they couldn’t move their own limbs. But Felix was completely fine.