Page 20 of Powerless

I was completely and utterly alone in the world.

And when sunlight poured through the windows, shedding light on the gruesome scene, I couldn’t stand to be in my own home—not that I could afford to keep the house at thirteen years of age.

I tried to bury him. Tried so hard to drag him outside and give him a proper goodbye, give him the honor he deserved. But I was so small, and he was so large, so heavy, sodead. I slipped and slid in the pool of my father’s blood, unable to budge his body. So, I pulled the wedding ring from his finger, pushed it onto my thumb, and ran.

The same ring I’m now using to sink into the Silencer’s cheek.

If Father could see me now…

I hover over him, my rage finally beginning to fade as his black eyes widen. Blood streaks his face, gushing from his mouth, nose, and the other scattered cuts I’ve given him. I slide my dagger from my boot as something flickers in his eyes.

Fear.

He fears what he cannot control.

And in this very moment, that something he cannot control isme.

I bring the hilt of my dagger down hard against his temple, knocking him out cold. Still crouching over him, my gaze finds the gray one pinned on me. Emotions flash across the stranger’s face as he takes me in, takes in what I’ve done. Shock, awe, confusion, and amusement of all things, flicker across his face. I tear my eyes from him, returning my knife to my boot as astonished murmurs rise from the crowd. I turn, stunned to find a mass of people staring. Merchants, women, and children gawk at the scene, all whispering and pointing. Three Imperials suddenly push through the crowd, hastily throwing people out of their way.

I stiffen, preparing for some sort of punishment. Maybe a few more lashes to decorate my back with.

But they charge right past me, right past the unconscious Silencer, and drop to their knees before the stranger.

That’s...interesting.

And apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so. The hum of whispers from the crowd grows louder, allowing me to catch bits and pieces of their hushed conversations.

“—Silencer here in Ilya—”

“—it’s Prince Kai who fought off four men—”

“—fought the Silencer without using a power!”

I freeze, heart pounding, barely breathing.

Prince Kai.

I’d never seen the man. Never thought I would.

Never thought I would steal from him either.

But I’ve heard enough about his reputation. How he’s supposedly the strongest Elite in decades. How he’s the future Enforcer, said to be callused and calculating, yet charismatic and charming when he wishes to be—when he chooses to play the part.

I’ve heard how he’s a rare and powerful Wielder, able to sense another’s power and use it himself so long as they are close enough to him.

The Deliverer of Death, they call him.

The prince usually stays in the comfort of his cushy palace, so it’s likely that no one recognized the stranger as anyone of importance. And when he does leave the castle, well, the people he visits don’t typically live to tell the tale.

I slowly turn towards the Imperials huddling around the prince and watch as he shoves past them, irritated by their smothering. He barks an order, telling them to take the Silencer to the dungeons as well as clear the crowd from the street. The prince exudes authority and power with every step, every word. Imperials scurry to obey him as they round up the mob of people and push them back out onto Loot.

His eyes find mine.

Even with his countless injuries, he strides towards me, pushing the limp from his walk. A predator stalking its prey.

And that’s my cue.

I try to slip into the crowd unnoticed, hoping to be washed away in the current of bodies. Hoping he will forget that I saved him and let me leave quietly.

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