Page 178 of Fearless

I feel faint, my mind unable to handle any more illuminating discoveries. I’d watched my father trek to the castle every year during fever season, watched him struggle to heal a sick child despite his ability, and never once did I wonder why those named Elites bore such weakness. Perhaps some part of me reveled in the fact that the almighty were not gods, that sickness still stalked them, and exhaustion accompanied the use of too much power. Perhaps I should have listened more closelywhen my father muttered about the Ordinary disease being bullshit. Perhaps he knew that the king was only attempting to right the wrongs of a defective Plague.

Adam Gray died because the king couldn’t risk his people knowing the truth of their flaws.

“When the Plague began, Favian swore all of his Scholars to secrecy,” Kitt is telling his Enforcer when I blink back to the present. “No one was meant to die. But, then again, the Plague was never meant to spread across the kingdom in the first place. So, not wanting to be blamed for the multitude of deaths, Favian instead spun a story for those strong enough to survive, saying they had been chosen by God to become Elites. Now, the truth of this Plague is passed down to the kings alone.”

I press a hand to my tight chest. “All those meetings with the Scholars,” I mutter under my shallow breath. “You wanted them to create another dose of the Plague.”

“And they were stubborn,” Kitt admits. “The kings before me wished to hoard our power just as the Scholars do. But do you not see how many Mundanes crowd the kingdom?” His voice crescendos into something crazed. “Our abilities are dwindling, Kai. The Plague has been so diluted in our blood over the decades that Offensive and Defensive Elites are becoming scarce. Soon, we will become nothing more than Ordinary. And now, the Scholars have perfected their dose.”

I bite back my scoff when the king adds, “Father was too simpleminded to see that every kingdom could be Elite.” His lips curve. “But I will save us from becoming extinct. And when every city is brimming with powerful Elites, I will be so much greater than Father.”

“Have you lost your mind?” I hiss.

“Think about what you are saying,” Kai utters slowly. “You might save our power, but tens of thousands would die, Kitt. Half thepopulation from each kingdom—dead. Not to mention how many people you would need to break before they bowed to you.”

“You said so yourself, Brother. That is why you’re here. To save me from brutality.” Kitt takes a step closer. “We make a great team.”

A dark shadow crosses the Enforcer’s face. “So, just like your father, you will use me as a weapon.”

“I am not using you, Kai,” he says earnestly. “We are working together. Using our strengths.”

The Enforcer’s response is biting. “And mine is death.”

“It is a gift. Brother”—Kitt lifts his arms as though awaiting an embrace—“together, we will rule the greatest nation this world has ever seen. The kingdoms will be loyal to me, to us, for strengthening them.” He smiles, and it is unnervingly genuine. “Father has trained me my whole life to rule over Elites. I will make them fall into place, and your troops will help. The surrounding cities willwantto follow me.”

Silence stifles the room. I step into it, facing the man I’ve married. “This is madness. The Kitt I knew once would know that this—”

His biting laugh makes me wince. “The Kitt you knew?” A fit of coughs steals his breath, but still, he attempts to laugh. “The Kitt you knew was naive enough to tell his father that you wouldn’t dare betray me.”

My voice is choked. “You knew about Edric’s plan for the Resistance?”

“Calum sent you to go find the tunnels beneath this castle, and Father used me to ensure you did.” He shakes his head. “I was stupid enough to think you wouldn’t use me like that.”

“Calum wasn’t controlling you,” Kai states. “You were working together.”

“No, he wasn’t controlling me.” The king nearly laughs. “But I was happy to go along with that theory. I already knew of Calum and his role to the king when Father died. So when the Mind Reader foundme, hoping to continue Father’s plan of exterminating Ilya’s remaining Ordinaries, I was hardly surprised.” Kitt takes a step closer, and Kai shifts toward me slightly. “At first, I mourned my father deeply, as you know. So when Calum advised I marry Paedyn to draw out the remaining Ordinaries, I agreed. But that was before I found Father’s letter. I was reminded then how inferior his goals were, how little he cared for me. So with the knowledge of a man-made Plague that could be replicated, I suddenly knew how to bury Father’s legacy with my own.”

My body begins to tremble. “And Calum agreed to this?”

“He recognized that my plan was far superior.” Kitt waves an inky hand. “But he did become a liability once I discovered those letters in the jewelry box. If I was a bastard, I couldn’t have him telling the kingdom that.” Slowly, his eyes find mine. “But he was not the only loose end.”

Blood rushes to my cheeks when reminded of its royal qualities. “I’m not a threat to your throne, Kitt.”

“I saw the way all of Loot kneeled before you,” Kitt hisses. “If the slums discover the truth of your lineage, they might rise against me to see you on the throne.”

“This is absurdity, Kitt.” A look of concern crosses Kai’s face. “You’re not thinking straight.”

The king’s laugh is hysterical. “What, because this isn’t your caring Kitt? Because I’m clever enough to devise a plan you’ve both played into?” Another step forward. He looks like a shell of the boy I once knew, his mind frayed and body frail. “I must not be thinking straight because no one is used to me thinking at all.”

“What about the Trials?” I blurt. “Kai training your troops?”

Kitt’s sigh is exasperated. “For Kai, a distraction and safeguard against stubborn Elite kingdoms. For you, a death sentence.”

My face pales.

“But you just wouldn’t die,” he says softly. “The bandits, the crew, theWielder in that Pit—none of them could rid you from our lives. And that was fine, because I was going to let this next dose of Plague take you on its own terms.” His gaze softens. “I’m not a monster. I didn’t want to kill you, Paedyn. But now you have a claim to my throne.”

My stomach churns, threatening to spill its contents on the worn carpet below.

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