“What do you plan to do?” Loki asked, ignoring my feeble excuse. “Even if you find the dungeon, how will you get them out?”
“I won’t, now. You’re gonna run and tell on me, aren’t you?” I studied his eyes, trying to get a read on him, but he looked as amused as he always did.
“Maybe. ” He shrugged as if he hadn’t decided yet. “Let me hear your plan. It’s probably not even worth bothering anyone with. ”
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“You seem like a self-saboteur,” he said. I opened my mouth to protest, and he laughed at my obvious indignation. “Don’t take it personally, Princess. It happens to the best of us. ”
“I’m not going to stop until I get my friends out of here. ”
“Now that I believe. ” He leaned in toward me. “This all goes so much easier when you’re honest. ”
“Like I’m the one being devious,” I scoffed.
“I haven’t lied to you yet,” he said, sounding oddly serious.
“All right, then,” I said. “How do I break my friends out of the dungeon?”
“Just because I don’t lie doesn’t mean I’ll answer you. ” Loki smiled.
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“Fine. I’ll find them myself. ”
I felt confident he wouldn’t stop me, although I didn’t know why he wouldn’t. If Oren found out that he was even indulging my plans for escape, I’m sure it wouldn’t bode well for him.
When I brushed past him, walking down the corridor to where I thought the main hall was, he followed me. I tried to walk quickly, but he matched my pace with ease.
“You think it’s this way, do you?” Loki asked, a teasing lilt in his voice.
“Don’t try to confuse me. I know my directions. I don’t get lost,” I lied. I got lost a lot. “Isn’t that a Trylle affinity or something?”
“I don’t know. I’m not Trylle,” he replied. “And neither are you. ”
“I’m half Trylle,” I said defensively.
Why was I defending it? I didn’t even want to be Trylle, or Vittra, or anything. Plain ordinary human had suited me just fine my whole life. Now that I found myself in this ethnic quagmire, I felt strangely protective of the Trylle and Förening. Apparently, I cared more than I thought I did.
“You’re rather feisty for a Princess,” Loki remarked, watching me as I walked purposefully down the hallway.
“How many Princesses have you met?” I countered.
“None. ” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “I suppose I thought you’d be more like Sara. She isn’t feisty at all. ”
“Sara’s not my mother,” I said.
When we reached the main hall, I wanted to jump up and down, but it didn’t seem appropriate. Besides, I’d only found the doorway to the dungeon. I still had to actually rescue Matt and Rhys.
“Now what?” Loki asked, pausing in the center of the hall.
“I go down and get them. ” I pointed to the large doors leading down to the basement.
“No, I don’t very much care for that idea. ” He shook his head.
“Of course you don’t. You don’t want me to get them out,” I said. My heart beat rapidly, and I wondered exactly how far Loki would let me take this.
“That’s not why. It just doesn’t seem very interesting. ” He pushed up the sleeves of his sweater, revealing his tanned forearms. “In fact, I’m rather bored with the whole thing. Why don’t we do something else?”
“No, I’m getting them out,” I said. “I won’t let you keep us prisoner here. ”
He laughed darkly at that and shook his head.
“Why is that funny?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You say that as if I’m the one holding you captive. ” He’d glanced away from me, but when he looked back, he smiled bitterly and his eyes were sad. “This is Ondarike. We’re all prisoners here. ”
“You expect me to believe that you’re being held against your will?” I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You’re roaming around the castle freely. ”
“As are you. ” He turned away from me then. “Not all prisons have bars. You should know that better than anyone, Princess. ”
“So you’re not the King’s head henchman?” I asked.
“I didn’t say that either. ” Loki shrugged, apparently tiring of the conversation. “I’m saying that since I can’t help you with your friends, we ought to find something else to do. ”
“I’m not doing anything else until I get them,” I insisted.
“But you haven’t heard what I’d like to do instead. ” His expression changed from morose to playful, and there was something in his eyes that made me feel funny.
Not bad, and not the same as when he made me pass out. It wasn’t a magic Vittra power or anything. It was just a look that made me feel sort of … fluttery inside.
Before I had time to analyze what I felt or what he meant, a loud banging at the main doors interrupted us. The hall where we stood contained two sets of doors—the ones leading to the lower level, and the massive ones leading outside. These dwarfed the ones in the King’s and Queen’s chambers.
The banging came again, making me jump, and Loki moved in front of me. Was he protecting me? Or hiding me?
The doors flew open, and joy surged through me.
Tove had blown the doors open with his abilities, and he stood on the other side of them, looking astonishingly badass. Tove was a rather foxy and very powerful Trylle I’d known in Förening. His quirky, antisocial personality had endeared him to me, but he was also the last person I’d expected to see here. His abilities did allow him to move objects with his mind, though, so he was a very powerful ally to have.
Then I caught sight of who he had with him. Duncan and Finn stood behind him, letting him throw open the doors while they waited to rush in. As soon as I saw Finn, my heart wanted to explode.
I’d been so afraid he had been hurt or I might never see him again, and there he was.
“Finn! You’re okay!” I rushed past Loki and ran to Finn.
I threw my arms around him, and for a brief second he hugged me. The strength of his embrace let me know how worried he had been about me. But almost as soon as I felt it, he cut it short, and pushed me away.
“Wendy, we have to get out of here,” Finn said, as if I’d suggested that we vacation here.
“Matt and Rhys are here. We have to get them first. ”
I turned to start telling Finn about the dungeon, and I saw that Tove had Loki pinned up high on the wall. Tove stood several feet back, holding his hand out at Loki, and Loki hung suspended in the air, his face grimacing in pain.
“No, Tove! Don’t hurt him!” I yelled.
Tove glanced at me but didn’t question my command. He lowered Loki to the floor and released him, leaving Loki gasping for breath. Loki held his side, bending over.
Tove wasn’t a violent guy by nature, but after the horrible battle he’d had with the Vittra a few days ago, I didn’t blame him for being a little preemptive.
“Let’s get you out of here,” Duncan said, grabbing my arm as if he meant to drag me out. I glared at him, and he instantly dropped his hand. “Sorry, Princess. But we need to hurry. ”
“I’m not leaving without Matt and Rhys,” I reiterated, and turned to Loki. “Will you help me get them?”
His eyes met mine, and his cocky demeanor had completely disappeared. He looked conflicted and pained, and I knew it wasn’t just from Tove hurting him. A few moments ago, he’d seemed to understand what I was going through, but he’d felt unable to help. Now he had a chance, an excuse, and I hoped he would take it.
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“We can come back for them,” Finn said.
Nobody had rushed to the hall yet to investigate the commotion, but it was only a matter of time before someone did. And I knew it would serve us well not to tangle with Oren.
“No. We ca
n’t leave. If we do, he’ll kill them. ” I kept my eyes on Loki, pleading with him. “Loki, please. ”
“Princess…” Loki let his voice trail off.
“Tell the King we overpowered you. Blame it all on us,” I said. “He never needs to know you helped us. ”
Loki didn’t answer immediately, and that was too long for Finn. He left my side and went over to Loki, grabbing his arm roughly.
“Where are they?” Finn demanded, but Loki didn’t respond.
Knowing we had to hurry, I ran toward the dungeon and everyone followed, Finn dragging Loki along with us. “This way,” I said with anxious fervor.
I threw open the basement door and almost tumbled down the stairs in my hurry, but Finn caught my arm before I fell. Duncan actually did trip, thanks to his shoelaces, and I rolled my eyes as I waited for him to catch up.
“What the heck is that?” Duncan asked when he saw the hobgoblin guarding Matt and Rhys’s cell. It wasn’t Ludlow, but a hobgoblin just like him.
They all stopped short at the sight of him. The shocked reaction of Duncan, Finn, and Tove pleased me. Apparently I wasn’t the only one unfamiliar with this particular type of Vittra. I wasn’t sure if that meant Oren was very good at keeping secrets or if Elora was, but I had a feeling it was probably both.
“Never mind him. ” I walked over to the door, pushing the troll out of my way easily.
He didn’t put up much of a fight. At the sight of the four of us, with Loki as a hostage, he knew he didn’t stand a chance. He started to take off, but Tove stopped him, pinning him against a wall and preventing him from alarming anyone.
“This is pretty weak security,” Duncan said. He watched the hobgoblin wiggle against the wall, while I went over to unlock the door.
“We didn’t really expect anyone to break in,” Loki said. He enunciated his words more than he needed to, as if he were in pain or talking to a small child, but he made no attempt to free himself from Finn’s grip.
“Well, that was pretty stupid. ” Duncan laughed. “I mean, she’s the Princess. It’s not rocket science that we’d come after her. ”
“No, I suppose not,” Loki said tightly.
“I don’t understand this!” I said after futilely twisting at things that did nothing. It had to be the most labyrinthine system of locks I’d ever encountered. I looked to Loki. “Can you do this?”
He sighed, and Finn jerked on his arm. Both Loki and I glared at him, but Finn only acknowledged mine.
“Just help her,” Finn said, reluctantly releasing him.
Wordlessly, Loki went over to the door and began unlocking it. I watched him, and I still didn’t completely understand what he did. The bolts clicked loudly, and I could hear Rhys shouting something from inside the cell. Finn kept his eyes on Loki, watching for a wrong move, and Duncan looked around, commenting on the dankness of the dungeon.
As soon as the door opened, Matt and Rhys shot out, nearly knocking over Loki in the process. Rhys hugged me in his enthusiasm, and while I couldn’t see the angry look I’m sure Finn gave him over that, I could see the way Matt glared at Finn.
This whole situation could become an awful mess, but we didn’t have time for it.
“You had something to do with this, didn’t you?” Matt asked, his eyes locked on Finn.
“Matt, knock it off,” I said, untangling myself from Rhys’s hug. “He’s here to rescue us, and we have to get out of here. So shut up, and let’s go. ”
“Somebody has to come after us soon, right?” Duncan asked, bewildered by the lack of a counterattack.
“Let’s just get out of here,” Matt said, taking the cue.
Tove released the hobgoblin pinned to the wall, and the guys all rushed ahead, leading our escape from the dungeon.
I paused, looking back at Loki. He stood in front of the cell door, looking weirdly forlorn. His earlier bravado had completely disappeared, and his golden eyes settled on me.
“Wait a few minutes to tell Oren we’re gone, okay?” I asked.
“As you wish,” Loki said simply. Something in the way he looked at me stirred up that fluttery feeling I’d had upstairs.
“Thank you for letting us go,” I said, but he didn’t say anything to that. After hearing what he’d said earlier, I considered asking him to come with us. In fact, I almost did, but then Finn jarred me from the idea.
“Wendy!” Finn snapped.
I ran to catch up, then Finn took my hand. That small touch felt strong and safe, and sent warm tingles running through me. As we raced up the stairs, holding his hand almost made me forget that he’d hurt me or that we were escaping from an enemy prison.
The cold night air hit me when we ran outside. Duncan led the way, stumbling through the dark with Rhys at his heels. Both Tove and Matt kept stopping to make sure that Finn and I were coming, with Matt’s gaze particularly wary.
The ground felt icy, and branches and rocks stung my bare feet. Whenever I slowed down, Finn squeezed my hand, and that spurred me on. The air smelled of winter, like ice and pines, and I heard an owl hooting in the distance.
I glanced behind me once, but since the palace had no windows to light it up, I could hardly make out its dark shape looming behind us.
Finn’s silver Cadillac waited for us at the edge of the trees. The moon filtered through the branches, glinting on the car, and I quickened my pace. I didn’t have the stamina to run all the way to Förening, and I had become a little afraid I might have to.
When we reached the car, Duncan had already jumped in back, and Matt stood next to the open car door, waiting for me to get there. Rhys stood next to him, but he was far more anxious, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.
“Get in the car! Let’s go!” Finn commanded, looking at them like they were idiots. Tove was the only one who complied, climbing in the front passenger’s side.
“Wendy,” Rhys said. “I can’t sit down. ”
“What?” Finn looked irritated, his eyes bouncing between Rhys and me.
“I used my persuasion on him, and I got him stuck—” I tried to explain lamely, but Finn cut me off.
“Just tell him to get in the damn car,” Finn said. I didn’t understand, so he elaborated. “Use the persuasion. Make him sit in the car. We’ll sort it out when we get home. ”
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I looked at Rhys, barely able to make out his eyes in the moonlight, but I didn’t know if seeing him actually mattered. Using all my concentration, I told him to get in the car. A few seconds later, he got in the car and let out a massive sigh of relief.
“It feels sooo good to sit down!” Rhys said, and a fresh guilt washed over me.
Matt got in the car after him, but he didn’t close the door. He was waiting for me to get in back with him, but Finn still had my hand. He led me around the front of the car, and I got in the driver’s side. I slid over so he could drive and sat on the armrest hump in the middle.
Matt started to voice his complaints, but Finn put the car in drive. Matt swore, slamming the car door shut as Finn sped off down the road. The rest of us settled into a tense silence. I think we all had expected the Vittra to put up more of a fight, especially after the way they’d pursued me. This felt almost … too easy.
“That’s weird,” Duncan said. “They didn’t do anything. They didn’t even try to stop us. ”
“We did just damage their army,” Tove said, offering some kind of an explanation. “I’m sure most of their people are recuperating or…” He trailed off, unwilling to verbalize that the Trylle had been forced to kill some of the Vittra in the attack.
Duncan made a few more comments about how strange it was and how Ondarike was different from how he’d thought it’d be. Nobody said anything in response, so eventually he stopped talking.
I got as comfortable as my seat would allow. Once I felt safe, my exhaustion really had a chance to take hold, and it no long
er mattered where I was sitting.
I rested my head on Finn’s shoulder, taking a small, private glee in being close to him. As I drifted off to sleep, I could hear him breathing, and that definitely helped me relax.
EIGHT
predictions
It may have felt good falling asleep next to Finn, but it did not feel good waking up. My body still felt sore from Kyra’s recent attack, and the uncomfortable way I’d slept had left me full of kinks and aches.
When Finn pulled up in front of the house, I stretched, and my neck screamed at me. I got out of the car, rolling my shoulders, and Matt stared up at the mansion with shock.
Opulent and gorgeous, it really was a palace, resting on the bluffs of the Mississippi River, vines covering the white exterior. It hung off the edge, held up by thin pillars, and the entire wall facing the river was made of glass. I remembered how the mansion’s elegance had hit me when I first arrived, but now I was too angry to even look at it.
I wanted to talk to Matt about everything, but I had to talk to Elora first. She had lied to me, again. If I had known that the Vittra King was my father, I never would’ve taken Rhys to see Matt. I would never have put them in danger that way.
When we went into the house, I left Rhys to help show Matt around. I hadn’t figured out how to fix him yet, so I’d settled for telling him to stand up, and leaving Finn and Tove to help him sort it out.
Finn told me I should calm down first, but I ignored him and stormed down the hall to see Elora. She didn’t scare me anymore, not in the slightest. Oren would actually hurt me. At her worst, Elora would just humiliate me.
The palace was divided into two massive wings, separated by a rotunda that served as the front hall. All of the official business took place in the south wing, where there were meeting rooms, a ballroom, a massive dining hall, offices, the throne room, as well as staff quarters and the Queen’s bedroom.
The north wing held the more casual rooms in the house, like my room, guest bedrooms, and the kitchen. Elora’s sitting parlor was at the far end of the north wing. It was a corner room, so two walls were made entirely of windows. She spent most of her free time there, painting and reading, and whatever else she did to relax.
“When were you gonna tell me that Oren is my father?” I demanded, throwing open the door.
Elora lay on her chaise lounge, her dark gown flowing out around her. Even in repose, she had an innate elegance to her. Her poise and beauty were qualities I’d been envious of when I first met her, but now I saw them as nothing more than a weak façade. Everything she did was for appearance, and I doubted that anything went deeper than that with her.
I stood just inside her parlor, my arms crossed over my chest. She held her arm over her eyes, as if the light were too painful to deal with. She was plagued by regular migraines, so that might have been the case now. Or maybe not, since she left the blinds open on the glass walls, letting the morning light stream in.
“I’m glad to see you’re safe,” she said but didn’t move her arm so she could actually see me.
“I can tell. ” I walked over and stood directly in front of her. “Elora. You need to tell me the truth. You can’t keep hiding stuff from me this way, not if you want me to rule someday. I’d make a very horrible Queen if I was ignorant to everything. ”