Page 140 of Fearless

Paedyn is speaking before I have the chance to choose a more violent method. “Would you like me to complete the Trial here? If you wish to be satisfied, it is your blood I can spill instead.”

Her voice is lethal in a way I’ve yet to be graced with. The man’s face slackens at the words, growing paler with each one spoken after. “It wouldn’t be difficult,” she says smoothly. “You recently lost your dominant hand, and as a Crawler, that would severely put you at a disadvantage. Any punch you try to throw would be weak, and your defense even more so.”

She says all of this as if stating the weather. I reach out with my power, twining it around the stunned man.

Crawler.

My lips twitch into a smile I can’t help.

Not quite a Psychic. Not quite an Ordinary, either.

“And your wife.” Paedyn’s cold gaze flicks to the woman beside him, now inching closer to her husband. “Even being a Healer, she couldn’t save your hand. And deep down, you despise her for it.”

The court stares up at their future queen, their eyes wide with disbelief while her own remain on that man’s face. “Am I wrong?”

His mouth opens and closes.

She doesn’t hesitate. “Am. I. Wrong?”

He dips his head, shaking it solemnly as the crowd explodes into a flurry of whispers.

Psychic, indeed. Something else, entirely.

Paedyn’s voice cuts through them all, a soft sort of demanding. “I am no Elite. And that is all you see when looking at me—everything I am not. So let me tell you what I am.” She takes a deep breath, the scar above her heart rising and falling. “I am power earned, not gifted. I became one of you. Observant enough to pose as a Psychic, strong enough to survive your Trials. Over and over, I have proved myself worthy of your loyalty.

“But I have faced far worse things than my own powerlessness.” She lifts an arm, running fingers over the scar beneath her collarbone. “I once wore this carving with shame, but now it is proof of my survival. No ability could have withstood what I alone have.” A smile touches her lips. “A king left his mark upon my heart, and now, I will leave mine across his kingdom.”

I’ve never seen something so beautiful, so bold, so blatantly right for me, for this kingdom, this hope of a united Ilya. And I fear I may forever be in awe of her. Looking at Paedyn Gray, I see a reckless sort of fearlessness, a power that swells from her vibrant soul.

“The Plague runs through my blood, same as yours.” Paedyn’s voice is clear, carrying over the silent throne room. “But it did not bless me with strength. I took it.”

Stepping to the edge of the dais, she lets her gaze wander over the crowd. “I am Ordinary. Elite. A power of my choosing. And I will be your queen—all that I am and fiercely what I am not.”

Silence.

The court stares at her in shock, in a confusing concoction of fear and respect. And Paedyn Gray stares right back.

“Silver Savior…”

The hushed whisper meets my ears, spurring me to step forward. “Bend the knee to your future queen of Ilya.”

Pae’s eyes snap to mine, and for a moment, it’s as though we are the only two souls occupying this room. There is that electrifying tether between us, tugging at my heart with every second I’m beheld by her. But the sound of shifting feet has my gaze tearing away and—

And every knee has met marble, every head bowed toward it.

Paedyn swallows at the sight of the court kneeling before her.

I smile.

Kitt grabs his queen’s hand.

“To the Silver Savior,” he calls over the crowd. “In three days’ time, she will be your queen of Ilya.”

CHAPTER 52Paedyn

The rough wall is cool against my bare back.

My dress spills onto the floor, layers of emerald coating the cellar stones beneath. The bottle’s neck is strangled between my fingers while sweet wine stains my lips.

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