House Merandus and Whispers Rant because they are TERRIFYING . . .
One of my favourite underrated characters in the franchise is definitely Samson Merandus.
He's the only other Whisper we ever get to see beside Elara, and somehow he manages to be just as foreboding as Elara - if not more.
"You were wrong to kill Elara. She was a surgeon with minds. I am a butcher." -> Samson Merandus to Mare, King's Cage
He already manages to cement his presence in the very first chapter of Red Queen - where we see him effortlessly defeat Cantos Corros in the August Feat of First Friday. Mare immediately underestimates him - thinking that he was, quote: "the second son of a second son, trying to win renown in the arena."
At first, it appears that he would lose the Feat - being tossed around like a ragdoll and definitely breaking at the very least a rib or two. But despite his obvious injury, he manages to turn the tide at the very end - using his abilities to control Cantos into plunging his own sword into his stomach.
There's a lot to be taken from this scene. It's the first time that much Silver blood had been spilled on the arena sand, and whether or not this was the intention, it managed to instil the idea in Mare that Silvers can bleed just the same as Reds do. Mare, like a lot of other Reds, sort of dehumanize Silvers - seeing them as deities far above them. Unable to bleed or suffer the way they do. Because of course they do. Silvers have made sure that they believe so, because the more Reds that believe that Silvers are untouchable, the more control they have over them. But this had the opposite effect on Mare.
In King's Cage, after Elara's death, Samson stands up and takes her place at Maven's side. One of the most powerful quotes of the franchise was said by Samson before he used his ability to torture Mare by forcing her to relive the horror of Elara and Shade's death until she fell unconscious. His death nearing the end of the book is just as powerful - managing to actually hold his own against two extremely powerful fighters.
. . . though of course, you can really only win so much against Mare and Cal.
For some reason, Samson's death was one of the deaths that impacted me the most. I can't really say why it did. I think it's just because of the fact he served to be one of the most terrifying characters in the saga. And while his death was deserved and very beautifully written (in my opinion), I feel that he was very neglected during the saga.
Were Elara and Samson really the only surviving members of House Merandus?
Did House Merandus and it's legacy really end with the both of them?
I really want to know some opinions on this. The possibility that Samson wasn't the last Merandus to die is an interesting concept, and opens the doors for many possibilities. I don't think that Whispers and other mind-control-adjacent abilities went extinct with the two of them. We have Julian, of course - a Singer. And while his ability falls under a mind-control umbrella, they aren't nearly as powerful as a Whisper.
Elara had 'killed' Coriane by pushing her mental health to the limits. Samson nearly killed Cantos Corros by making him plunge his own sword into his stomach, as well as nearly slaying both Mare and Cal by making them battle each other. Would such a thing be possible for a Singer? Perhaps, but under very specific conditions. His ability isn't something to be messed with, of course - but not on the same level as Elara and Samson was.
Are there Newbloods that have these abilities?
We've seen a few Newbloods who have abilities very similar/exactly the same as some Silver abilities. Cameron, for example, has the Newblood ability to silence other abilities like an Arven silencer. But Mare has an ability that no other Silver is documented to possess. There is an apparent spectrum to Newbloods in this way - some abilities being known well and documented, with others being completely new ground.
Considering this, I think it's definitely possible that there are Newbloods out there somewhere that have an ability similar to a Whisper.
But that only opens the gate to a scarier realisation: Newbloods have been documented to, at times, be much, much more powerful than Silvers. Mare can conjure and control lightning, instead of just control it like most elemental Silvers can.
So a Newblood Whisper would be far more powerful than what Samson and Elara ever were. But how does one become more powerful than the all-powerful? Elara and Samson were so incredibly terrifying in their strength that it's difficult to imagine anything that could make them even stronger than they already are.
Could Newblood Whispers perhaps control multiple minds at once? Inflict more damage, psychological and physical? What could they be capable of, if they existed somewhere out there?
Such a scary concept to think about.
