Powerless

Paedyn has also woken up in the Whispers. She has collected a bow and a quiver and fashioned some arrows. While looking for water, she comes across a pool in which she sees a floating dead body. She becomes alarmed when the body turns out to be Kitt’s, but when she jumps into the water, the pool disappears. She is soon surrounded by multiple images of herself and realizes that it is Ace’s illusion work. He appears from his hiding place and tries to get her armband, but Paedyn shoots an arrow in his leg and runs aways. However, she is unable to avoid Ace’s spear, which leaves her with a wound in her gut as she flees.

With her deep wound, Paedyn struggles to stay conscious but eventually comes across a stream with a fire lit next to it. She knows that another contestant may be lying in wait, but she risks being out in the open anyway because she needs water. She is surprised to find that it is Kai’s fire, and he seems delighted to see her. Paedyn threatens him with her bow, but she is unable to keep up her facade and collapses in front of him. Alarmed, Kai urges her to stay awake.

While looking for one of his canteens, Kai finds a box that Braxton dropped during their fight. It contains a healing salve and some medical needles and thread. Kai uses the salve on a now unconscious Paedyn, who wakes up confused about why he is helping her. While sewing up her wound, Kai asks Paedyn questions about her life in the slums, and she tells him about her father, which makes the prince admire her strength and resilience even more.

The next morning, Paedyn wakes up to realize that Kai is still there and has not taken her armband. He evades her questions about his true feelings and instead proposes an alliance between them. Paedyn reluctantly agrees and then decides to make a salve to heal her new partner’s burns. While she applies the salve, she returns Kai’s questions, and he tells her about growing up in the palace with Kitt. Paedyn then asks the prince about his training as an Enforcer, and he confesses that his father has taught him how to kill and inflict torture by withstanding it himself. Kai resents his upbringing, but he accepts his role, viewing himself as a monster whose duty is necessary for the kingdom. Paedyn is horrified at the king’s cruelty and understands that the Trials are merely a game for Kai to prove himself to the king. As the two of them start to become friendlier, they are suddenly surrounded by a group of wild wolves. They fight the animals off, but Kai’s shoulder is injured. Paedyn makes another salve to heal him.

Kai and Paedyn spend a few days in the forest but do not meet any of the other contestants. Kai is growing more and more confused and frustrated about his feelings for Paedyn, who remains distant toward him. However, she is troubled by Kai’s attention and keeps asking him questions about his intentions. The prince makes a deal to answer her if she agrees to dance with him. Paedyn does so and realizes that she feels comfortable around Kai. They continue to learn about each other’s lives until Sadie interrupts them.

Sadie tries to get their armbands by having one of her clones threaten Paedyn’s life. However, the latter fights her off, and a battle ensues. Kai fights by borrowing Sadie’s power and multiplying into different versions of himself. Paedyn identifies the real Sadie and tries to take her on, but the Sadie clones soon overpower her. Despite Sadie’s admitted reluctance to become a killer, Paedyn is about to die, but Kai kills Sadie first. Paedyn starts panicking as she watches Sadie die, but Kai comforts her and takes Sadie’s body away.

Kai comes back later, having buried Sadie and laid flowers on her grave. Paedyn confesses that she feels angry, confused, and scared. The prince lets her keep Braxton’s armband, which she stole while they were dancing, and keeps Sadie’s for himself. In exchange, he asks that they keep each other warm by huddling together during the night, leaving Paedyn flustered once again.

On the last day of the Trials, Kai and Paedyn receive a message from a Sight calling the contestants to meet at the edge of the forest at dawn. Although they realize that the king is trying to bait the contestants to fight one another, they follow directions and meet Jax and Andy on the way. Each pair recounts their adventures to the other until they reach a clearing where an audience is waiting to witness the Trial’s finale. A fight begins when Blair, Braxton, and Hera show up one after the other, but Kai spots Ace waiting on the side of the chaotic scene. As the prince decides to fight the Illusionist, Ace conjures up mirages to distract him. Kai channels the others’ powers to defend himself against Ace, who uses an image of an injured Paedyn to appeal to his emotions. Kai initially lets his guard down before his anger redoubles. When he spots Ace nearby, the prince sends a blade flying into his chest. However, the figure was actually Jax wrapped in an illusion, and the young boy collapses.

Heartbroken and desperate, Kai picks up his adoptive brother and runs toward the audience, where he finds a Healer to draw power from and heal Jax. At the same time, the sun rises above the horizon, marking the end of the first Trial.

Paedyn recalls the chaotic end of the first Trial as she and the other contestants sit with the royal family in the Bowl. Hera was killed by Braxton during the fight. The rest of the contestants are now watching the Sights’ recordings of the events from the last week being projected for the audience to see. Paedyn is particularly troubled by the vision of her and Kai’s relationship being displayed publicly, and she wonders how it will affect people’s opinions of her as they cast their votes after the show.

Kitt catches Paedyn as she is going back to her room and takes her to the palace gardens. She is amazed at the colorful beauty of the place. The crown prince confesses that he enjoys and admires Paedyn’s honesty toward him, which contrasts most people’s submissiveness. When he asks her genuine opinion about the Trials, Paedyn tells him that celebrating the Purging is immoral. She expresses her doubts that the Ordinaries are dangerous and her belief that killing them is cruel and unnecessary. Kitt seems to believe her and promises Paedyn that he will keep listening to her. Their conversation ends on a playful note when they start splashing each other with water from one of the gardens’ fountains.

Making good on her promise to herself, Paedyn returns to Loot to try and find the Resistance. She sneaks into her old home, where the secret message she stole indicated a meeting would take place. There, she is surprised to be warmly greeted by Lenny, the Imperial assigned to her at the palace. Despite Paedyn’s suspiciousness, she is intrigued enough to follow him to her father’s former study, where Lenny opens a secret passageway. He leads Paedyn to a cellar where other people are waiting: Finn, the servant and messenger that Paedyn recognizes; Calum, a Mind Reader; his daughter Mira, a Silencer; and Leena, an Ordinary. Calum reveals that he was a friend of Adam’s, Paedyn’s father, who was a Resistance leader before he was murdered. The Resistance movement has slowly been growing over the years, and they are now ready to make themselves known to the public. Their plan is to infiltrate the Bowl on the last day of the Trials to confront the king and demand freedom for the Ordinaries and the Fatals. They have identified Paedyn as Adam’s daughter, who they believed to be dead, and are now recruiting her. Lenny, who is also an Ordinary, explains that Paedyn will need to earn the princes’ trust to find a tunnel that could help the Resistance enter the Bowl undetected. She is elated to be given a chance to fight for a worthy cause, so she accepts.

Kai is practicing in the training ring, but he is very troubled because of the events of the last few days. He observes Paedyn and Kitt laughing together, feeling jealous of their bond, until Paedyn joins him. She challenges him to an archery competition, which Kai accepts because it provides a welcome distraction. Paedyn is unexpectedly skilled at archery and excels during the first rounds, heightening Kai’s competitiveness. He decides to distract her by flirting with her, which successfully drives her to make mistakes. The tension between them increases, and when Kai’s turn comes, Paedyn retaliates the same way and wins.

Paedyn plays at catching chocolates in her mouth with the crown prince to make Kitt trust her. She is more and more charmed by Kitt’s genuine kindness and care, and this leads the conversation toward his feelings about being trapped in the palace. She suggests that he should visit the slums to get to know his people, hoping that Kitt knows some secret passages like the tunnel she is looking for. The prince sounds intrigued by the idea, but she does not push the topic for fear of raising his suspicions. They are interrupted by the king, who asks Kitt to meet with him. Once the prince is gone, the king warns Paedyn that she will not win the Trials and that she should stop trying to get close to the princes.

Later, Ellie and Adena help Paedyn get ready for the second ball, which is to take place in the gardens. This time, she wears a tightly laced red dress.

Paedyn finds it easier to be friends with Kitt now that she knows him better, and they begin to trust each other. She dances with him at the ball until Blair cuts in, so Paedyn walks away and runs into Kai, spilling his wine all over his shirt. Paedyn drags him away to help him clean up and realizes that the prince is inebriated. They exchange their typical flirtatious banter, but Paedyn asks him not to touch her while he is drunk. When Kai gets closer, she is flustered by her contradicting feelings for him and starts hyperventilating. The prince helps her through her panic attack by unlacing her dress, which irritates her, although she is grateful for his kindness.

Kitt and Kai are drinking together, now back at the ball. Kitt worries about his brother’s state of mind and asks about his opinion of Paedyn. The crown prince reveals that he is fascinated by her, so Kai pretends to be indifferent to her. Their conversation is interrupted by Tealah announcing that a surprise brawl is about to take place between the Trial contestants to heighten tension before the second Trial the next day.

Paedyn and the other female contestants change out of their gowns before joining the others next to a fighting ring. Kai and Braxton are paired first, and Kai easily wins the brawl. Andy and Ace go next, with Andy winning quickly as well. Finally, it’s Blair and Paedyn’s turn. Before she steps onto the ring, Kai whispers some advice to Paedyn. Blair uses her power to throw waves of weapons at Paedyn, who evades them but quickly grows tired. She distracts Blair by throwing some weapons back at her so that she can get close to Blair and punch her in the face. Blair throws her off and walks away victorious, but Paedyn knows that she has made her point.