Page 111 of Unbound

"No. If there was a bloodbath in that room, it wouldn't have made Empire happy, but the winners would simply go on with a slap on the wrist, assuming they were caught and held accountable."

I frown as we enter the courtyard again, and the wide open fresh air makes me feel like I can finally catch my breath. I nearly died back there. A few more moments and I almost certainly would have.

And even if she deserved it, I still keep replaying the way Veeni screamed when Typhon bit her arm off. Gods…

"To be what you are will require violence, angry human. You must be willing to show your enemies the price of crossing you. If we don't, they will only grow more bold. She should consider herself lucky if an arm was the only price for delivering you to your enemies."

"You're sure it had nothing to do with all her flying fish comments?"

"The comments are why I bit the arm off at the shoulder instead of the elbow. Words carry a price. She learned that tonight."

Bastian stops and gestures to a bench at the edge of the courtyard. "Let's sit a moment before you go back to your room."

I hesitate. “What about Raith? We just left him back there with Malakai and Serena.”

“I’m pretty sure Raith can handle himself. Nothing is going to happen. Not tonight, at least.” He gestures for me to sit.

"Word about Typhon may spread after tonight, regardless of what I said."

I nod. "Maybe it's for the best."

"I doubt that. Within these walls, sure. Students knowing how powerful you are will be good for your safety to a certain extent. But outside Confluence? You tethered an ancient, Nessa. The ancient elementals are known. There are only nine of them, and they're all mad by broken bonds and dead primals. There will be questions. People will want to know how you tethered an ancient. How you cleansed its madness."

"What do I tell them?"

He lets out a long sigh, shaking his head. "Eventually, people are going to find out you're unbound, Nessa. It's simply too big a secret to keep. It might not be this year, but I think by next year, it will certainly start to become known. We need to shift our focus. We can't hide you forever, so we need to gather allies we can trust. Powerful allies who can shield you from those who would rather see you destroyed."

"We?"

"I gave you that book because I believe in the good you can do. I won't be the only one who thinks having an unbound on our side could be the key."

"The key to what?"

"You've finished the book, which means you know about Lorkan Grace. Something the book doesn’t say for certain has to do with siphons. Lorkan Grace and Milena Grace created the siphons. We don’t know how, precisely, but we know it was them. We don’t believe the siphons could still exist if Lorkan and Milena were dead. And we have strong evidence that several siphons are still active.”

“So they’re still alive?”

“That’s the logical conclusion. We believe he's still alive. Still fueling the siphons somehow. Still using them to keep the war between Empire and Red Kingdom raging."

I shake my head. "What could I possibly do about that?"

"Frankly, I don't know. But I do know what we did in the past didn't work. We hunted down the unbound and tried to exterminate them. We killed the good and the bad, and now we have nobody left to oppose Lorkan and Milena. Maybe there's nothing you'll be able to do. But maybe there is. I intend to keep you alive so we can find out."

His words settle on me like weights until I feel like bending beneath their pressure. "I'm nobody."

"Whether you like it or not, that's not true. Not in the slightest."

"Agreed. You are the angry human. Loyal follower and distinguished side-kick of Typhon, first of his name. You have stopped me from eating several humans, despite my great hunger. You have only allowed me to eat one single arm. This, in itself, is a great feat."

"I didn't allow you to eat that arm. That was all on you."

I sense amusement through the tether, and I feel a wave of appreciation toward him. It may not have always been clear to me, but behind all his bluster and arrogance, Typhon is a little less dense than he comes off. He knows how to cheer me up, even after a disaster like the confrontation back in that empty classroom.

"Bastian?" I say.

"Yes?"

"Raith thinks there might be a siphon at Confluence. Is that possible?"

---