His daughter.
Then my eyes land on the smiling girl next to the light switch. Her olive skin seems to glow against the rich black of her waist-length hair, and her deep brown eyes watch me curiously.
“Sorry to keep you in the dark,” she sighs, “literally.” The girl crosses her arms over her orange tunic, taking me in. “Lenny’s bat ears heard the door open, so we plunged ourselves into darkness, just in case.”
Lenny gives her a sarcastic grin before he casually answers my unspoken question. “I’m a Hyper. I have enhanced senses, which some people like to make fun of. Even though it’s saved their life a few times.”
I give him a confused look. “You’re a Mundane? But Imperials—”
“Are normally Offensive or Defensive Elites,” he cuts in with a sigh. “Trust me, I know. It took forever to climb up the ranks to get to the position I have.”
Well, that only slightly cleared up one of the dozens of questions whirling around my brain. “Okay, can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”
Lenny shakes his head beside me, murmuring, “So demanding…”
“I wondered when you would find your way here.” It’s the boy from the ball who cuts in before I can kick Lenny’s ass like I promised. “I mean, after you stole half my silvers and the note in my pocket, I figured you would show up eventually.” He’s amused. “Took you long enough.”
I open my mouth only to find that I’m speechless.
Plagues, what is going on?
The blond man clears his throat before saying, “Finn, would you grab Paedyn a chair, please? We have a lot to catch her up on.”
Finn nods and does just that, adding another chair to the circle of seats awaiting us. The four strangers walk over and plop down without another word.
There’s a hand on my shoulder one moment, and the next, I’ve twisted it at an odd angle out of pure instinct. “Shit, Paedyn! Easy!” Lenny gasps. I blink, look at what I’ve done, and drop his hand.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “I’m a bit on edge.”
He’s rubbing his sore arm, looking at me cautiously. “So, note to self, the princess doesn’t like to be touched—”
“Don’t call me princess, Lenny.”
“Okay, so, the princess also doesn’t like to be called princess.” I fix him with a glare, but he rushes on. “Alright, look. You are going to hear a lot of information tonight. Information that will shock you. So just…” His eyes search mine. “Listen, okay?”
“Of course. I’m a great listener.”
He snorts. “We’ll see about that.”
“Why are you here?” I ask abruptly, my voice calmer than I currently feel.
“Patience, Princess. I’ll tell you that soon.” He slowly puts a light hand on my shoulder, eyeing me to make sure I don’t snap his wrist. When he deems himself safe, he gently guides us to the circle of chairs and sits beside me.
The blond man is seated across from me, sighing as he looks me over. “You must have taken after your mother because you don’t look much like your father.” My heart stops, my eyes widening at his words. “But you have his spirit, his will. That much is evident in how you showed up tonight.” I open my mouth to let the questions loose, but he cuts me off. “And I see you still have your father’s dagger. Good.” He nods to the knife still clenched in my fist, the handle now slick with sweat.
“My dear, you have…” His eyes bore into mine so intensely that I fight the urge to look away. “So many questions. For starters, I’m Calum. Welcome to the Resistance. Well, a small part of it. We’ve been patiently awaiting your arrival.”
“You’ve been awaiting—？” I start.
“Good listener, my ass,” Lenny mutters beside me. I cut him a look that makes Calum chuckle and Lenny squirm, eying the dagger still clenched in my fist.
“I promise I’ll answer all of your questions, Paedyn. But first, let us make our introductions. This is my daughter Mira,” he gestures to the blond girl beside him who barely offers me a smile, “and this is Leena.” He nods towards the girl with the raven hair falling elegantly down her back.
“You are smaller than I thought you would be,” Leena says with her head tipped to the side. “Now I’m even more impressed you survived the first Trial.” Her tone isn’t mocking, but rather, curious.
“I’m tougher than I look, I assure you. The strongest weapon a woman has at her disposal is that she is often underestimated,” I answer with a small smile. “And I wield that all the time.”
Leena’s face splits into a beautiful smile that lights up her features as she says to no one in particular, “I like this one. We’re keeping her right?”
“She’s not a dog,” Mira mumbles with a roll of her eyes.
“And you’ve already met Finn,” Calum cuts in. Finn gives me a quick wink and I almost scoff. “Now, I have a lot to explain in only a short matter of time, so I’ll get right into it.” He takes a deep breath. “Your father and I were very close.”
And yet I’ve never seen this man in my life.
“And I know you don’t know who I am.” His words cut into my thoughts. “And that is because your father kept me a…well, a secret. Just like he kept the Resistance a secret from you.”
My head is spinning and I’m suddenly thankful that I’m sitting down.
“But your father didn’t just know about the Resistance. You see, the Resistance has been around for nearly a decade now, and Adam was one of its original leaders. That is the very reason we are still in this house, using it as a headquarters like we did when he was alive.”
“Why did he keep this all a secret from me then?” I ignore the look Lenny shoots me at my interruption.
Calum heaves a sigh. “It wasn’t just you he kept the Resistance secret from. In those beginning years, we laid low, silently spreading word of our cause through those we could trust. It was dangerous for you to be a part of the Resistance, so he wanted to wait until you were older to join.” He pauses before quietly adding, “But he never got the chance to tell you. And when we found your father…you were gone.”
I manage a slight nod, swallowing the lump in my throat before I ask, “Is that why the king killed him? Because he learned of his role in the Resistance?”
A look of confusion crosses Calum’s face as he continues to stare at me. The intensity in his gaze is almost unsettling before he looks away and nods slowly. “That is what I assume, yes.”
I swallow, hoping I would feel lighter after finally discovering the reason for my father’s death after years of guilt and guessing. And yet, I don’t.
“You, and most of Ilya, are only just now beginning to hear of us because we have grown,” Calum continues. “Grown in size and strength. We have kept the Resistance quiet for many years now while we gained more members and found more Ordinaries. But the king is having difficulty containing us now. Difficulty keeping us under wraps and under control.”
“So where are the rest of you?” I quickly add, “Who are the rest of you?”