Chapter 227: Presence [2]
"And why are you betraying them?" She asked again.
Sylari drew in a deep breath before saying. "Because my family are selling humans."
Inara's fingers froze on the edge of the parchment.
Her crimson eyes narrowed as she leaned forward. "Selling… humans?"
Sylari's gaze did not waver, though the veil on her lips fluttered slightly with her breath. "Slaves, not to kingdoms on this continent…but to foreign buyers."
"…You mean the people from the other side of the continent?" Akamir asked, narrowing his eyes. "That doesn't sound very reassuring."
"It is the truth." She replied, glancing at him. "Aure is not only expanding its borders… it is trading its people as livestock."
Inara leaned her chair back, folding her arms. "That explains their sudden wealth. No wonder they can afford armies twice their size."
Sylari nodded once, her voice calm but edged. "If they succeed in the war, they will use the people of this kingdom as slaves for their buyers."
She waited for a while till her words sink down as she looked at them.
"They will sell prisoners of war, then common folk, then anyone they deem expendable." She continued as her hands trembled.
"….Soon, this entire continent will be nothing more than a market to them."
Inara set the document down slowly, her expression composed but her knuckles whitening.
"And you betray them… because you disagree with their methods?" She looked at her with a soft smile. "Or because you know you'll be next if they consolidate power?"
Sylari's eyes lowered for the first time. "…Both."
A tense silence filled the air.
Nayomi, who had been drifting unseen just above, let out a low chuckle.
"So the perfect little princess isn't so perfect after all. Betrayal always makes for such pretty stories."
Akamir ignored her, his gaze fixed on Sylari. "You're risking your life, handing over this."
Sylari's eyes met his again, sharper now. "I am not risking it. I've already lost it." She said, her tone steady.
"My family will never forgive me for what I've done here tonight. So I would rather gamble it on you."
Inara tapped her finger against the table, thoughtful.
"…If what you say is true, you're either the most useful ally we could ask for… or the most dangerous spy Aure has ever sent."
"Then test me," Sylari said, her voice steady. "Use what's in that document. See if it's true. Then decide whether I live… or die."
Inara leaned forward at last, her tone flat but heavy. "You're calm for someone who just put their neck under a blade."
Sylari's veil curved faintly, as if she were smiling. "I made peace with my death a long time ago. Now I want to see if it can mean something."
Akamir tilted his head, studying her like a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit.
"You don't look like someone waiting for death." He mumbled. "You look like someone who's still playing the game."
Sylari didn't flinch. "Maybe. But if I am, then you'll know soon enough."
Inara exhaled slowly through her nose, her crimson eyes never leaving the document on the table.
She tapped it once, then slid it closer to Akamir. "He'll be the one to test this. If there's a lie hidden inside, he'll find it."
Sylari's gaze flicked to Akamir, but his expression remained unreadable behind the mask.
He flipped the document open with casual precision, his fingers tracing over the military routes and names scribbled within.
'Most of these aren't included with the document Redan provided.'
Akamir thought as he kept on looking at the document.
It was not something that could be prepared without deep knowledge of the kingdom's main power.
'The question is….does she really have enough power to have such vital informations?'
He couldn't help but wonder as he glanced back at her.
"…These details aren't public," Akamir muttered. "Movements, supply chains, even the commanders assigned… If this is fake, it's a masterful one."
"And if it's real?" Inara pressed.
Akamir snapped the document closed.
"Then Aure's been stripping its borders thin to cover trade routes. Meaning, if we strike at the right place…" He looked up, his eyes meeting hers. "…the kingdom will lose a lot."
Sylari's veil shifted with the faintest of breaths. "Exactly."
The silence that followed was heavy, the weight of the revelation pressing down on all three of them.
Finally, Inara leaned back, her voice cool. "You've given us leverage. But leverage is not trust."
"Trust will come when you use it," Sylari replied softly. "I have nothing else left to offer."
"I will check these places on my own." Akamir replied as he looked at her. "I will tell you if I need anything."
Sylari nodded as she stood up and so did Inara.
"I only want a peaceful collaboration between us." She said, offering a hand shake.
Inara shook her hand as she responded. "Same."
She moved back before she turned around. "I will give you five days to fact check all the information." She said. "We will continue our talk after that."
She then moved and much to their surprise vanished in thin air.
Akamir narrowed his eyes as he mumbled. "I can't sense her."
Inara nodded grimly. "She is a lot more dangerous than I thought."
Akamir let out a sigh as he offered a hand to Inara. "Let's go, lady."
Inara happily took his hand as they moved back towards the palace.
"What do you think?" Inara asked, looking at him. "Is she telling the truth?"
"Most probably yes." Akamir replied. "She gave too much vital information to be a lie."
"But why would she give it for free?" Inara mumbled. "I don't believe she is doing it as a sign of trust."
"There is nothing free in this world." Akamir replied, his voice flat. "Pretty sure we are part of a plan she has thought thoroughly."
Inara nodded in response as she mumbled. "Maybe."
Akamir noticed the tension on her face and couldn't help but chuckle.
"I have placed a spy on her." He said, pinching her cheek. "Don't worry, she won't be able to take advantage of you or your kingdom."
Inara smiled as she gave him a side hug. "That's why I love you."
"So, you love me because of my abilities?" Akamir asked narrowing his eyes.
"You know I didn't mean that." She replied, pouting like a little girl.
'….She shouldn't do that.'
Akamir thought as he quickly looked away from her face.
A grown woman pouting was unusually arousing for him.
Akamir cleared his throat, forcing his gaze forward as if the dim torchlight ahead suddenly became fascinating.
"Don't make that face," he muttered. "You're a queen, not a child."
Inara smirked, tightening her arm around his. "You still looked away. Which means it worked."
Akamir didn't answer. He simply guided her back through the hidden passage, their footsteps muffled against the stone floor.
His mind, however, wasn't on the teasing—it was on Sylari Aure.
'A princess willing to betray her bloodline… a flawless vanishing act… and information too precise to ignore.'
The pieces didn't line up neatly. They were sharp, jagged, and dangerous.
When they emerged back into the palace corridors, Inara loosened her grip, her playful air giving way to solemnity.
She turned, her silver hair catching the flicker of torchlight.
"If her words are true, Akamir… this war won't just be about land. It will be about survival."
Akamir nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Then I'll confirm it myself. If Aure is selling humans across the seas, I'll find proof."
Inara studied his face for a long moment before stepping closer again, her voice soft but firm. "Be careful. I can't afford to lose you."
Akamir was about to reply but he sensed something.
His instinct kicked in as he his head snapped towards the window.
"I will be right back."
He didn't wait for her to answer as he jumped out.
Using the railing as a foothold he jumped up to the top of the palace building.
'This presence….'
Akamir thought solemnly as he stood at the reclining ceiling.
His gaze sharp as he looked at…her.
She was a woman in her mid twenties wearing a net black nun uniform.
Her Black hair was short only reaching her shoulder as her eyes was bright yellow like a cat.
It was the same woman whose presence he felt earlier in his bedroom.
Akamir breath spiked up as he looked at the woman. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman only looked at him then bowed slightly.
"Mother of Desire… Goddess Alista." She said solemnly. "Send you her regards."
Akamir blinked twice. "What?"
Before he could ask more, her body vanished from the place.
No, it was more like she was never present in the first place.
Akamir stood there thoroughly and utterly confused. "What the hell was that?"
He quickly turned to look at Nayomi who was just beside him.
Her expression wasn't a good one…
'What happened to her?'