The terror spread, like shards of ice pelting my mind.
I stood tall, the way I had against Amir’s Gift, lifting my chin and pressing my lips together. But my eyes betrayed me as I glanced at Kadin, still vacant and expressionless. Not that he could stop what was coming next. They could easily call for a Severance... for my execution.
Prior to this moment, the idea would’ve made my heart race. But I’d faced death once today already. Instead of fear from my secret being revealed, I felt pure relief, like an enormous weight being lifted off my shoulders.
“It’s true,” I called above the clamor of voices. “But I’m not the one abusing my Gift.” I licked my lips, calling on my upbringing to find the right words to twist the public opinion in my favor. “Amir, with his Gift of Persuasion, has convinced each of you that you were attending a happy union today. You can see with your own eyes that this was never the case. My Gift is theonlything preventing him from taking my father’s kingdom by force!”
“YourGift,” Amir replied with a sneer, and once again I felt tendrils of Persuasion stretch out across the room, trying to touch each mind, despite how weak his influence must be when spread across such a vast number of people. “Your Gift is to rip open a person’s innermost thoughts and use them to your advantage.”
Cries of outrage sounded.
People were listening to him.
“Someone with a power like that can’t be trusted,” he continued, pounding the nails in my coffin. “Especially not a Gifted woman. You should be put on trial immediately.”
I swallowed, fighting the urge to run. “You’re misusing your Gift right now,” I shouted back, aware that I was losing. “Close your minds to him. Don’t let him influence you.”
“Be silent,” the king said over me. “You will obey me now.”
Pain built up behind my eyes, the result of my growing Gift clashing with Amir’s. It felt like an impossible battle, but I pushed further. “Heshould be put on trial. Reading minds is nothing compared to reshaping them completely without their consent!”
“So, you really can read minds?” Rena spoke up.
I’d completely forgotten she was present. A silence radiated from her. This girl was undoing all my efforts with her innocent question.
I swallowed and it felt as if every single person within earshot held their breath, waiting for my answer. “Yes.”
Spikes of emotion hit me as people digested my admission. Fear and surprise rose to new levels, as well as a fresh new wave of emotion that felt putrid and dirty. It took me a moment to recognize it: hate.
They muttered to each other, and I closed my eyes, wishing I could bring back the glass shield or find some way to hear one at a time instead of this swarm of thoughts like attacking hornets.
As I stood there taking deep breaths, I began to feel the differences between them.
One silvery thread of hope stood out.
When I focused on it, someone else’s thought came through, clear and strong, stopping me in my tracks:I’m not alone.
