Chapter 51
Contains spoilersOverview
Wren attends the Jubilee ball under strain from earlier crises and searches for Ivy and Lyddie while exchanging tense telepathic updates with Cross Redden. General Merrick Redden begins his commemorative speech but rapidly descends into confusion and incoherence, which Wren suspects is caused by Adrienne manipulating his mind from the crowd. As Cross and his brothers move to contain their father and Travis tries to calm the guests, panic spreads. The chapter ends with an explosion interrupting the event.
Summary
Wren enters the ornate Jubilee ballroom alone, uneasy after the day’s events and intent on locating Lyddie and Ivy. She worries that Ivy may expose her after seeing Wren’s bloodmark, but recalls Ivy previously kept quiet about seeing Cross leave Wren’s quarters and considers using that to reinforce her cover story.
Cross finally links with Wren, and they exchange terse updates. Wren admits Lyddie and Ivy saw her bloodmark and that she told them a cover story: she is an undercover Aberrant asset within Elite, sanctioned by command, with a briefing to come. Cross is alarmed but contemplates leaning into the “secret weapon” narrative, while Wren refuses the idea of a loyalist tattoo. Wren also thinks she briefly spots Adrienne in the crowd but loses sight of her.
The orchestra stops as General Merrick Redden arrives, and Cross, Travis, and Roe join him on stage. The General begins a triumphalist speech about the Coup and the fall of President Severn, but his remarks become oddly digressive and then incoherent, mixing non sequiturs about his wife and family with fractured slogans. Guests exchange confused looks as his delivery deteriorates.
Scanning the room, Wren confirms Adrienne’s presence near the stage, dressed plainly and focused on the General. As the General’s speech collapses into gibberish, Wren realizes his mental disintegration is happening in real time and suspects Adrienne is actively corrupting his mind. The General grows erratic, thumping his head and lashing out when Travis tries to intervene, while Cross moves in cautiously and Roe looks shaken.
The scene devolves further as the General alternates between vacant mumbling and self-slapping. Travis takes the microphone to reassure the crowd with a flimsy explanation about medication, but the audience remains unconvinced. Wren loses sight of Adrienne amid the shifting crowd.
As Travis continues attempting to calm the room and Cross and Travis attempt to manage their father, the situation abruptly escalates. A sudden explosion drowns out Travis’s words, cutting off the speech and plunging the ballroom into crisis.
Who Appears
- Wren Darlington
protagonist, Modified telepath and Silver Elite operative; maintains her undercover cover story with Lyddie and Ivy; observes and infers Adrienne’s interference; witnesses the explosion.
- Captain Cross Redden
Wren’s commander and partner; links telepathically with Wren, considers damage control for her cover; joins his father on stage and tries to help manage the crisis.
- General Merrick Redden
ruler; begins a formal speech that devolves into incoherence and erratic behavior, appearing mentally corrupted before the explosion.
- Travis Redden
Cross’s brother; moves to the stage, attempts to calm the crowd and restrain the General.
- Roe Redden
Cross’s brother; appears stimulated, then frightened as events spiral; remains on stage.
- Adrienne
Uprising leader; seen near the stage, seemingly concentrating on the General; Wren suspects she is corrupting his mind.
- Ivy
Wren’s teammate; present in the ballroom, watches Wren and Cross; potential threat to Wren’s cover.
- Lyddie
Wren’s teammate; at the event meeting her parents; her reaction to Wren’s bloodmark drives Wren’s ongoing cover story.
- Ballroom guests and orchestra
crowd witnesses the General’s breakdown and the ensuing explosion.