Silver Elite: Chapter 46
Nov. 23rd, 2025 03:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaLess than 10 chapters left in the book.
Wren bursts into laughter, despite the knife at her throat.
Wren asks him about his history, and he tells her his only power is telepathy and that he isn't very strong, the only person he has ever telepathed with is Daisy. Wren immediately tries to lie to him, but Cross guesses at once that she is the inciter who acted during her uncle's execution.
Wren lies and tells Cross that her uncle was the one who could incite, and Cross then moves to telling Wren how amazing she is.
Thank you, Wren, for telling us it was a menacing, foreboding thought. I could never have worked that out otherwise.
Cross then guesses that Wren is working for the Uprising and has been feeding them information. Wren wants to ask Cross how he reconciles his Modified status with everything else he is doing in his life, but instead asks him about his mother. At which point she reveals to him that she, like him and his mother, has veins that don't change color when she uses her powers. I mean, they are naked in bed right now, so it's not like Cross couldn't have worked that out on his own.
Cross tells her that he never kills Mods, and therefore he:
It feels like there is a lot more good Cross could be doing then avoiding personally murdering Mods. Like helping the Uprising himself. Or undermining the system that he still serves. I don't think this is bad characterization that he thinks this way, this is actually perfectly in line with Cross's behavior in the book, but I do also think he sucks and if I were Wren I would ask a lot more of him. But if I were Wren I wouldn't have spent most of the book slavering over his abs.
Before they can continue their talk, an Uprising jet crashes into one of the weapons depots and they have to flee.
Wren bursts into laughter, despite the knife at her throat.
“Who are you?” he repeats, his breath escaping in a hiss. “Who told you that story?”Cross immediately gets the hint and embraces her. They link telepathically.
“Can I…” I try to speak through the laughter. “Can I ask you something?”
He raises the knife. Just millimeters. He’s still wound tighter than a cobra. He can slice my throat at any second.
“Is your favorite animal still a wolf?”
He freezes. Staring at me, as if he can’t comprehend what I’m asking.
“Because mine isn’t a daisy anymore. My favorite flower, I mean.”
Wren asks him about his history, and he tells her his only power is telepathy and that he isn't very strong, the only person he has ever telepathed with is Daisy. Wren immediately tries to lie to him, but Cross guesses at once that she is the inciter who acted during her uncle's execution.
For the first time in my life, I’m actively lying to my closest friend. It rips a hole in my heart. I never thought I would lie to Wolf. Only by omission. But I’m unsure about our level of trust now. Because Wolf isn’t Wolf anymore. He’s Cross Redden.I mean, again, Wren has never told Wolf anything personal about herself on page. And they rarely speak. She has spent so much more time interacting with Cross, to the point of falling in love with him. So all of this feels like it's come out of nowhere.
Wren lies and tells Cross that her uncle was the one who could incite, and Cross then moves to telling Wren how amazing she is.
“Your shield held up against Lieutenant Colonel Valence. Wren. Do you realize how extraordinary that is?”
“Maybe she’s not as good as she claims to be.”
“No, she’s better. I’ve seen her read the mind of someone a thousand yards away. As long as she has them in her eyesight, she draws their energy to her.”
I shiver. It’s a menacing, foreboding thought. For once, I’m grateful I have my own internal alarm system that allows me to feel it when someone tries to penetrate my mind.
Thank you, Wren, for telling us it was a menacing, foreboding thought. I could never have worked that out otherwise.
Cross then guesses that Wren is working for the Uprising and has been feeding them information. Wren wants to ask Cross how he reconciles his Modified status with everything else he is doing in his life, but instead asks him about his mother. At which point she reveals to him that she, like him and his mother, has veins that don't change color when she uses her powers. I mean, they are naked in bed right now, so it's not like Cross couldn't have worked that out on his own.
Cross tells her that he never kills Mods, and therefore he:
“I do more good here than I would anywhere else,” he says out loud. Groaning, he rakes both hands through his hair. “This is…a lot. It isn’t something we can talk through in one evening, Wren.” He pauses. “Daisy.” His features soften as he touches my face again. “This is unbelievable.”
It feels like there is a lot more good Cross could be doing then avoiding personally murdering Mods. Like helping the Uprising himself. Or undermining the system that he still serves. I don't think this is bad characterization that he thinks this way, this is actually perfectly in line with Cross's behavior in the book, but I do also think he sucks and if I were Wren I would ask a lot more of him. But if I were Wren I wouldn't have spent most of the book slavering over his abs.
Before they can continue their talk, an Uprising jet crashes into one of the weapons depots and they have to flee.
