Page 119 of Powerless

He takes a deep breath before casually carrying on the conversation. “Now, as I was saying, the Resistance is made up of both Ordinaries and Elites, including the Silencers, Mind Readers, and Controllers. Since the king also tried to kill the Fatals off and has continued to do so, they want justice as well. Other Elites have joined the cause for their own reasons. Those who care enough to think about it don’t buy in to the idea that the Ordinaries were suddenly banished because of a disease.”

“So, the Resistance members don’t believe the Ordinaries are weakening the Elites,” I say, watching as Calum nods. “Does anyone have proof to use against the king and his Healers?”

Calum’s eyes search mine before he sighs. “No, we don’t have proof.”

Lenny adds, “We are just the Ilyans who care enough to realize that it doesn’t add up. Ordinaries lived with the Elites for decades before the Purging, and even now, they hide under the king’s nose and live right alongside the Elites with no complaints of any abilities dwindling.” He sighs. “But just because the king and his Healers said the Ordinaries were diseased, most of the Elites won’t think twice if it means their powers and lives are at stake.”

I nod slowly as my brain is suddenly flooded with questions once again.

What exactly is the Resistance’s goal, and what could I possibly offer them?

I open my mouth to ask this, but Calum beats me to it. “The Resistance is finally ready to take action. And unlike what the king has said about us, we are not radicals who kill for the sheer fun of it. We want justice. We want the truth to be told. We want Ordinaries and the Fatals to live in peace with the rest of the Elites once more. To not be hunted and killed for things they cannot control simply because the king wants an Elite society and is willing to lie about Ordinaries to get it. So that is our goal. That is our cause.”

And that’s exactly what I want, exactly what I’ve hoped for all my life. To be accepted andfree.

I realize it then, how badly I want to be a part of this. How badly I want to help and make a difference. I think I’ve been waiting all my life to find such a purpose.

“What about the ball?” I blurt out. “Why attack at the ball?”

Lenny and Calum exchange a look before the latter sighs and says, “Our attack was as much of a surprise to us as it was to the guests.” I’m reminded of how unprepared the few Resistance members looked, how they were trying to fight their wayoutof the ballroom.

“It was never part of the plan,” Lenny interprets as I raise an eyebrow, urging him to explain further. “So, basically, the ball was the perfect cover to sneak in a small group to search the castle, using the festivity as a distraction. And, well, let’s just say they got caught.”

My gaze slides to Finn. “You were there and escaped. What happened?”

Finn clears his throat. “I won’t bore you with the details, but a guard found me in a back hallway during my search, and thought it was rather suspicious that a serving boy was so far from the festivities. So, when he asked prying questions, naturally, I lied my ass off.” He ducks his head, shaking it at the floor. “Only after he dragged me back into the ballroom did I discover he was a Bluff who could sense each of my lies.”

“But Finn wasn’t the only one caught,” Mira cuts in, looking grim. “Turns out, there were a lot more Imperials crawling around the castle than anticipated.”

Finn heaves a heavy sigh. “We were all equipped with low-damage bombs, knives, and suicide capsules, though we weren’t planning on having to use any of it. But we discreetly wore our leather armor and had our masks as a precaution in case we needed to fight our way out. And that’s exactly what it came to. An Imperial was the first to set off one of our bombs, not knowing what it was, and that’s when the ballroom broke out into chaos. We tried to escape, but Elites started fighting us, and all we could do was try to fight our way out.” He pauses, swallowing his sorrow. “In the end, we all used the bombs while those who were caught used the suicide capsules.”

Leena’s pretty face is pinched with grief, her next words hallow. “Our secrets are too valuable to lose, and they were too loyal to divulge them. They knew they would lose their lives anyway.”

The room goes silent as if taking a moment to honor the lives of those they lost.

“We weren’t intending for the kingdom to learn of the Resistance that night, or in that way, but it seems fate had other arrangements,” Calum says softly. “Sadly, sometimes it takes martyrs to show people that there is something worth fighting for.”

I let the information sink in, sitting silently before voicing the question that has slithered its way to the forefront of my mind. “What was it that you were searching for?”

It’s Lenny who offers me an answer. “As an Imperial, I’ve been informed that the final Trial will be held in the Bowl, and that is where we are going to show ourselves to Ilya. Now, the castle is riddled with secret passageways and tunnels that lead in and out to various places. We need to find the one that leads right under the box in the arena. Securing the king is the trickiest part of this, so we need to use the element of surprise against him while the rest of the Resistance can come through the many tunnels leading into the Bowl.”

My brows knit together in confusion. “How do you know there is even a tunnel leading into the waiting room beneath the box?” I don’t remember seeing a door down there before the interviews, but then again, I suppose I was rather distracted.

“Because I’ve seen it,” Lenny says simply. I open my mouth, but he quickly cuts me off. “And that’s all good and dandy, except that the tunnel doors only open from theinside, and I have no idea where the other end of that passage is.”

“Oh,” I say softly.

Lenny’s laugh is dry. “Yeah.Oh.”

I look between all of them expectantly. “So, what, you need me to find the tunnel that leads there?”

Their response is practically in unison. “Yes.”

I choke on a laugh. “If Lenny hasn’t been able to find it yet, I’m not sure I—”

“Yeah, well, it would be a hell of a lot easier if I had the future king wrapped around my finger,” Lenny murmurs under his breath.

I shoot him a look as Calum slowly says, “Your relationships with the princes are...valuable. Specifically, yourconnectionwith Prince Kitt.” He leans forward, urging me to understand. “Paedyn, I believe you hold far more sway over that boy than you give yourself credit for.”

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