Page 37 of The Last Syphon

Inara tried not to look completely out of place, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from bulging and her mouth from hanging open as if she were in perpetual shock.

She had seen extravagance. She’d seen wealth and riches. Felix and Inara had broken into a few temples before and stolen some artefacts they’d then sold to traders.

But never anything like this.

At the entrance to each passage into another room, two guards stood in full armour. Their party of six—Felix, the Crowned Prince, Larissa, Inara, and the two accompanying guards at their backs—walked down the gilded halls. People watched as they made their way, some stopping in their tracks to observe them, others barely giving them another glance.

The discomfort at being in such an unfamiliar place, under the watchful gazes of so many unfamiliar people, was inevitable. Unavoidable. But having Fraener perched on her shoulder, and the small squawking sounds he made in her ear, comforted her. It made her feel less alone in this sea of unfamiliarity.

As they moved further into the palace, more and more people came into view, each one dressed even more impressively than the last. They walked upstairs and down even longer corridors. Through one room, then another and another. It felt like the palace was never-ending, or perhaps it was just because the sheer magnitude of the structure was indescribable.

They approached a set of wide, arched, double oak doors, the frames running all the way up to the high vaulted ceilings. Two guards were posted outside. Upon seeing them, they moved as one, each grasping a handle on one side. Without prompting, they opened them, allowing the Crowned Prince to breeze on through without ever losing his stride.

Inara didn’t think it was possible, but the room they’d just stepped into dripped with even more opulence.

It was a grand space. Wide. Spacious. Bigger than any room ought to be. More chandeliers hung from the ceiling. A plush red carpet ran from the door all the way to the other end of the room. Torches embedded with bright, orange luminaries lined either side, spaced out evenly, leading right up to a raised dais.

Felix let out a low whistle. It echoed into the air, repeating over and over several times. The Crowned Prince and Larissa stopped and glanced over their shoulders.

Felix cleared his throat and smiled awkwardly. After several judgemental looks, they turned around and continued on.

Jeez. Does no one in this place have a sense of humour? Everyone seemed so fucking cranky all the time.

Six figures sat on the dais. Three on one side, three on the other, with an empty space separating them.

Inara had no idea who they were, but based on the fancy, aristocratic robes they were wearing, they were people of importance. Individuals with power. Status.

The exact type of people she was hoping to avoid.

Each wore a dark robe with an intricate pattern woven into the fabric, running down the sides in a different colour. What those shades represented, Inara had no idea, but she knew they had to mean something.

She steeled her spine and continued forward, following the Crowned Prince’s footsteps despite the warning blaring in her head, telling her this was a bad fucking idea.

“The High Council of Arelia welcomes you home, Prince Walder,” the woman on the far left said. She had soft, delicate features and a clean-shaven head.

Inara’s stomach dropped.

She didn’t know much about the politics of the kingdoms. What she did know could have been summarised on one pull of a scroll.

Arelia, located in the heart of the realm, was the richest kingdom in terms of both coin and land.

Roylan, safe and secure behind the tall, towering Valher Mountains, was known for its exports of the various minerals it mined from said mountains.

And Pregon, otherwise known as the Water Kingdom, was primarily home to those with water-based abilities.

Each kingdom had a council, a governing body consisting of people who handled any and all matters regarding their prospective kingdoms.

These were those people. The most powerful and influential citizens in all of Arelia.

“Thank you, Lady Niya.” Upon reaching the dais, the Crowned Prince sat in the last remaining chair in the centre. Larissa took stance behind him, hands behind her back, posture strong. The judgemental glare did not leave her face.

“And who is this you have brought with you?” The man seated to his right narrowed his light eyes at Felix and Inara as they stopped in front of them. “I see a Guardian on her shoulder, but I have never seen her before.”

“Nor have I,” the female on the opposite side added. She had a full head of silver hair, done up high in an elegant updo. “Which royal family do you descend from?”

Royal family? “I’m from the Borderlands.”

“The Borderlands?” the first male said, derision lacing his tone. “So she is not of a royal bloodline?” The outrage in his voice was clear as day.