Ascend

“So the Markises and Marksinnas, they can defeat the hobgoblins?” Finn asked. “But I can’t?”

  “Not in hand to hand combat, I wouldn’t think. ” Loki shook his head.

  “We’re not going to get a Markis or Marksinna to fight in the war,” I said. “Especially not when a Markis was killed tonight, along with the Chancellor. They’ll be too afraid. ”

  “We can convince them,” Finn said. “If it’s the only way we can stop them, they’ll have to do it. ”

  “It’s not the only way,” I said, but both Loki and Finn ignored me.

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  “Your people are spoiled,” Loki smirked. “You can’t convince them to do anything. ”

  “We’re spoiled?” Finn scoffed. “That would mean something if it weren’t coming from a brat Prince. ”

  “I don’t know how you find that so offensive. ” Loki sat up straighter. “I’ve seen the way these people treat Wendy, and she’s their Princess. They’re insolent. ”

  “They don’t know her,” Finn said. “It takes time, and it doesn’t help that she spends so much of it with Vittra prisoners. ”

  “I’m not a prisoner. ” Loki looked disgusted. “I’m here on my own. ”

  “I do not understand that. ” Finn shook his head in disbelief.

  “Finn, he asked for amnesty, and I granted it,” I said.

  “But your motivations completely baffle me,” Finn said. “We’re fighting with the Vittra, and you let him stay without consequence. ”

  “It really pisses you off that she wants me around?” Loki asked with a sly smile, and Finn glared at him.

  “I don’t –” I stopped myself and shook my head. “It doesn’t matter why Loki’s here, but he is here now. And his knowledge of the Vittra can help us. ”

  “I’ll tell you as much as I know, but I honestly don’t know that much that can help you, Princess,” Loki said. “If you want information about policies and procedures, I can help. But if I knew a way to stop the King, I would’ve done it myself. ”

  “Why?” Finn asked. “Why would you stop the King?”

  “He’s a bastard. ” Loki lowered his eyes and pulled at something on his shirt. “Beyond measure. ”

  “But hasn’t he always been one?” Finn asked. “Why did you defect now? Why here? There are other troll tribes and hundreds of cities that aren’t at war with your King. ”

  “But only the Trylle have Wendy. ” Loki’s smile returned but his eyes were pained. “And how could I pass on that?”

  “She is married, you know,” Finn said. “So it might be a good idea if you stopped trying to flirt with her. She’s not interested. ”

  “It’s up to her to decide who she’s interested in,” Loki said, with an edge to his voice. “And it’s not exactly like you’re following your own advice. ”

  “I am her tracker. ” Finn sat up in bed, but this time I didn’t try to stop him. His eyes were burning. “It’s my job to protect her. ”

  “No, Duncan is her tracker. ” Loki pointed to where Duncan stood in the doorway, staring wide-eyed at their confrontation. “And Wendy’s stronger than the both of you combined. You’re not protecting her. You’re protecting yourself because you’re a love sick ex-boyfriend. ”

  “You think you have everything figured out, but you don’t know anything,” Finn growled. “You are sneaky and manipulative, and if it were up to me I’d have you sent back to the Vittra in a flash. ”

  “But it’s not up to you, is it?” Loki tilted his head, taunting him. “Because you’re just a tracker. You can’t make decisions. ”

  “But I can!” I snapped. “And this conversation is over. Finn needs to rest, and you are not helping anything, Loki. ”

  “Sorry,” Loki said and rubbed his hands on his pants.

  “Why don’t you go back to your room?” I asked Loki. “I’ll be over to talk to you in a minute. ”

  “Sure,” he nodded and got up. “Feel better, tracker. ”

  Finn grunted in response, and Loki and Duncan left. I wanted to reach out and touch Finn, comfort him in some way because I felt like he needed it. Maybe even I needed it. The thought of losing him had terrified me. He had nearly died.

  I couldn’t let anybody else die over this. I had to do something.

  “Get some sleep,” I told Finn, since I could think of nothing better to say to him. I got up, but he reached out and grabbed my wrist.

  “Wendy, I don’t trust him,” he said, referring to Loki.

  “I know. But I do. ”

  “Be careful,” Finn said simply and let go of me.

  It was well after midnight, and the rest of the palace had fallen silent. Tomorrow would bring endless meetings, but for now, everyone had returned to their beds. The hall was dark, and I could see the warm glow from the lamp in Loki’s room.

  He didn’t hear me in the hallway, so I stood outside, watching him. He was making his bed, and when he’d finished, he chewed his thumb and stared down at the bed. He shook his head and pulled back the blanket a bit, so it looked more unmade. Then he changed his mind and smoothed out the bedding again.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Nothing. ” He looked startled for a second, then smiled and ran a hand through his hair. “Nothing. You wanted to talk? Why don’t you come in?”

  “Were you just straightening up the room for me?” I asked.

  “Well…” He ruffled his hair again. “Whenever I have a Princess stopping by, I try to make my room presentable. ”

  “I see. ” I went into his room and shut the door behind me, which only delighted him.

  “Why don’t you have a seat?” Loki gestured to his bed. “Make yourself comfortable. ”

  “I need to ask you a favor. ”

  “For you, anything,” he smiled.

  “I want you to take me to the Vittra palace,” I said, and his smile fell away.

  “Except that. ”

  “I feel horrible asking, because I know what Oren did to you, and I wouldn’t expect you to go inside or anything,” I said quickly. “I don’t know how to get there or how to get inside, but you could tell me and drop me at the door. I’d never put you in danger or risk your life. ”

  “But you expect me to risk yours?” Loki smirked and shook his head. “No way, Princess. ”

  “I can promise you your safety,” I said. “Once I am there, I doubt he’d even care about you. You don’t have to go anywhere near the palace even. Tell me how to get there. ”

  “Wendy, you’re not listening,” he said. “I’m not just worried about me. I won’t let you do that. ”

  “I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “He’s my father, and I’m strong enough to handle myself. ”

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  “You have no idea what you’re up against,” Loki laughed darkly. “No. This is completely ludicrous. I’m not even going to entertain the idea. ”

  “Loki, listen to me. Finn almost died tonight –”

  “Your boyfriend gets hurt, and suicide becomes the only viable option?” Loki asked.

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I corrected him.

  “Fine. Ex-boyfriend,” he said. “That doesn’t make this better. And as much as I hate to admit it, Finn was right. We can find a way around this. I know I didn’t help very much tonight, but I’m sure, if given time, I can come up with something. ”

  “But we don’t have time, Loki!” I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m not saying that I’ll offer myself to Oren as a peace treaty, but I have to talk to him at least. I have to do something to postpone the war a little longer. We need more time to get an army ready. And he’s out there killing our people now. ”

  “So you want me to take you to the Vittra palace so you can have a little meeting with the King?” Loki asked. “While you’re in there, I’ll wait outside, and after the meeting is done, you’ll come out, and we’ll drive back
here? Is that the plan?”

  “Not exactly, but sorta,” I said.

  “Wendy!” Loki sounded exasperated. “Why would he let you go? He is doing all of this for you. Once he has you there in the palace, why would he ever let you leave?”

  “He can’t stop me, for one thing,” I said. “I can defend myself against him and the hobgoblins and anything else he might have. I can’t fight an entire war on my own and defend every person in the entire kingdom all at once. But if I’m alone, I can take care of myself. ”

  “Even if that’s true, it’s still too great a risk,” Loki said. “If you try to leave, he could kill you. Not just hold you hostage. Not just threaten you. Actually murder you. He would rather do that than see you return here. ”

  “No, not yet. ” I shook my head. “Someday, yes, that’s true. But he wants me to be Queen. That’s why he agreed to the embargo. He wanted to ensure that I would be the Trylle Queen. ”

  “He wants both kingdoms,” he said quietly. “You’re going to give him what he wants?”

  “Yes,” I nodded. “I will agree to rule alongside him over both the Trylle and the Vittra if he stops the bloodshed until I am crowned Queen. ”

  “He won’t rule ‘beside’ you. He’ll take it from you. ”

  “I know, but I would never let him rule anyway,” I said. “I don’t plan to follow through with it. ”

  Loki whistled and shook his head. “If you went back on your deal, he would destroy everything. And I do mean everything that you have ever cared about. ”

  “I won’t go back on it,” I said. “It will never get to that point. I’m only buying us time to build up the army, and then we’ll attack the Vittra, take them down, and I will kill Oren. ”

  “You’ll kill him?” He raised any eyebrow. “Do you even know how to kill him?”

  “No. Not yet,” I admitted. “That’s why I haven’t killed him. But I will. ”

  “I don’t even know if he can be killed,” Loki said.

  “Everyone can be killed. ”

  “Many, many people have tried,” he said. “And they’ve all failed. ”

  “Yes, but none of those people have his blood pumping through their veins,” I said. “I think I’m the only one strong enough to do it. ”

  “What if you can’t?” Loki asked. “What if you do all this, and you can’t find a way to stop him?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I will have to find a way. He’s going to keep coming until he has me. I would gladly hand myself over to him if I thought that would be enough, but I’m not sure that it is anymore. ”

  Loki stared down at the floor, his golden eyes wide as he thought it through. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but he didn’t look happy.

  “So, will you take me?” I asked.

  “No. ” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Princess. I can’t. ”

  “Fine. ” I took a deep breath. “I’ll find someone who can. ”

  “Who?” Loki asked. “Who else would possibly take you?”

  “I’ll find the way on my own,” I said.

  Tove and a few other trackers probably knew how to get to the Vittra palace, but they didn’t know the intricacies of it like Loki did. But if I had to, I could take a map from the War Room.

  I turned to reach for the door handle, but Loki stopped me before I could. He grabbed my wrist and stood right in front of me.

  “You can’t go by yourself,” he said.

  “Yes, I can. ” I tried to pull my wrist from his grip. “Let go of me. ”

  “No, Wendy, I won’t let you do this,” Loki said.

  “You can’t stop me. ”

  “I’m much stronger than you. ”

  I tried to shove him out of my way, but it was like pushing on concrete. He pressed me back against his bedroom wall and put an arm on either side of me. His body didn’t touch me, but it was so close I couldn’t move away.

  “You may be physically stronger than me, but I can have you on the floor writhing in pain in minutes. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. ”

  “You don’t have to,” Loki said emphatically. “You don’t have to do this. ”

  “Yes, I do. I will do whatever it takes to save lives,” I said. “I have to do this. If you can’t, that’s fine. But get out of my way. ”

  He bit his lip and shook his head, but he didn’t move away from me.

  “It’s the middle of the night, and you want to run away with me,” Loki said. “What will you tell your husband?”

  “Nothing. ”

  “Nothing?” Loki raised an eyebrow. “The Princess goes missing without any word? That would be total pandemonium. ”

  “I’ll have Duncan tell them in the morning where I’ve gone,” I said. “That’ll buy us a few hours to get there before somebody comes after us. ”

  “If the King doesn’t let you leave, he’ll kill the rescue party that they send,” Loki pointed out. “That would be Finn, Tove, Duncan, maybe even Willa. You’re willing to risk them on this?”

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  “This might be my only chance to save them,” I said thickly.

  “I can’t talk you out of this?” he whispered, his eyes searching mine.

  “No. ”

  He swallowed and brushed back a hair from my forehead. His hand lingered on my face, and I let it. His eyes were strangely sad, and I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I didn’t want to speak.

  “I want you to remember this,” he said, his voice low and husky.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You want me to kiss you. ”

  “I don’t,” I lied.

  “You do. And I want you to remember that. ”

  “Why?”

  “Because. ” Without further explanation, he turned away from me. “If you want to do this, hurry and put some clothes on. You don’t want to see the King in your pajamas. ”

  12. Rendezvous

  Loki liked alternative country, and the satellite radio in the Cadillac had been playing Neil Young, Ryan Adams, the Raconteurs, and Bob Dylan since we left Förening. He sang along with it sometimes, in an off key-way that was strangely endearing.

  It was still dark out, and snow was falling around us, but Loki didn’t seem to mind. The car slid in a few places, but he always corrected it. I’d put my makeup on in the car, and he’d managed to keep it steady enough so I didn’t poke myself in the eye with liner.

  Loki had teased me about the makeup and my choice of clothing. It was a long, dark violet gown, covered in lace and diamonds with a black velvet cloak over it. I’d chosen it because I knew reverence would go a long way with Oren.

  After they’d kidnapped me, Sara wouldn’t let me see him without wearing a gown. Respect was important to him, and making sure I looked nice when I saw him would show him that.

  I’d actually been lucky that I’d been able to find something this nice to wear. Most of my clothes had been moved from my old room into the Queen’s chambers that I shared with Tove, but some had been left behind. I’d gone to my old room to get dressed because I didn’t want to see Tove and tell him what I was doing.

  After I had changed, I went to Duncan’s room. He’d freaked out when I told him what my plans were, and I knew he’d run to tell Tove as soon as I’d gone, if he didn’t before I left. I’d used persuasion to get him to hold off until after eight a. m. That way we’d be almost to the Vittra before anybody found out.

  Since I was the Princess, I had access to everything. I’d gone to the garage and taken the keys to a black Cadillac. We’d left Förening without anybody else seeing us, except for the guard at the gates. I used persuasion on him to keep him from alerting anyone, and we were on the road.

  “You can sleep,” Loki said as I stared out the window at the snow falling around us. “I will get us there. ”

  “I know, but I’m fine. ” Even though I hadn’t really slept la
st night, I wasn’t tired. My nerves had me on edge.

  “We can always turn back,” he reminded me, not for the first time.

  “I know. ”

  “I thought I would offer,” he said, sounding disappointed. He sat in silence for a minute before singing along to the radio.

  “Your father was Trylle, wasn’t he?” I asked, cutting off his singing.

  “My father was born in Förening,” Loki answered carefully. “But he was more closely related to a snake than Trylle or Vittra. ”

  “You’re being metaphorical, right?” I asked. “Your father wasn’t literally a reptile?”

  “No,” Loki laughed a little. “He wasn’t an actual snake. ”

  “How did he end up with the Vittra?” I asked. “Did he leave for your mom?”

  “No. ” He shook his head. “He was the Chancellor in Förening, and he met your father when Oren came around courting your grandparents for Elora’s hand in marriage. ”

  “I didn’t realize your father was a high-ranking official,” I said.

  “That he was,” Loki nodded. “In arranging the marriage, my father had to work with Oren a lot, and Oren’s lust for power appealed to him. Evil attracts evil, apparently. ”

  “So he left to join the Vittra?” I asked.

  “Not exactly,” he said. “The plan at the time was to unite the kingdoms. Oren would rule both of them, once your mother was Queen. This was before she’d even come back to Förening, but they had already begun working on it. As Chancellor, my father was sent as an ambassador for the Trylle to the Vittra kingdom. That’s how he met my mother. ”

  “I thought you said he didn’t leave for her,” I said.

  “He didn’t. She was a means to an end. He married her so he’d have a reason to leave, not the other way around,” Loki said.

  “So he didn’t love her?” I asked.

  “No, he couldn’t stand her,” he said. “She was beautiful. ” He paused, thinking of her. “But I don’t think he even cared. She was a powerful Marksinna. My father wanted power, and she had it.

  “For a time, he was both the Trylle Chancellor and a Vittra Prince,” he went on. “I’m not technically a Prince, and neither was he, but since we have the title as the highest-ranking Markis, they refer to us that way. ”

  “Your father committed treason, didn’t he?” I asked.

  “Do you know?” Loki glanced over at me. “Did they tell you what my father did?”

  “Elora said that your father told Oren where my grandmother and mother were hiding,” I said. “Because of that, Oren found them and killed my grandmother. ”

  “He did,” Loki said. “He did more than that, actually. He tried to tell Oren where you were, but he was never able to find out.

  “And because he did that, he became Oren’s right-hand man,” Loki continued with a bitter smile. “He got everything he ever wanted, and you think that would make him happy, but no. ”

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “When I was nine, Oren married Sara, and my father was furious,” Loki said. “There was a chance they might produce a healthy child, and my father didn’t want that. Without a child, I was the only viable heir to the throne. ”

  “But Sara can’t have kids?” I asked.

  “We didn’t know that at the time,” Loki explained. “She has some Trylle blood in her, two generations back, and that’s how she has the ability to heal. But the Vittra blood must have thinned out the Trylle in her too much, because she’s been unable to have kids. ”