“I need to go to the bathroom. ” I leaned in closer to the slot, peering up at him. I wanted to catch his eyes, but they remained out of my vision.
“And I told her to go inside the cell,” Ludlow said with pride.
“Oh, come, now. She’s not a common mänks. We can’t leave her in squalor!” Loki chastised the troll. “Open the door. Let her out. ”
“But sir, I’m not to let her out until the King calls for her. ” Ludlow looked up at him nervously.
“You think the King would want her treated this way?” Loki asked, and the hobgoblin wrung his hands. “You can explain to the Majesty that this is all my fault, if it comes to it. ”
Ludlow nodded reluctantly. He slid the slot shut, and I let him this time. I stood up and listened to the sounds of the bolts and locks clicking and turning.
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“I don’t like this,” Matt said in a low voice.
“We don’t have much of a choice,” I whispered. “I got us into this, and I’ll get us out. ”
The door opened a bit, and I stood back, expecting it to open farther. I thought Loki would step in, I would use persuasion, and we would be off. But he and Ludlow remained hidden outside.
“Well?” Ludlow asked. “I’m not holding this door open all day. ”
Ludlow had left the door open a few inches, giving me barely enough room to slide my body through. I squeezed my way out, and as soon as I had, Ludlow slammed the door shut. I stared down at him, already busying himself with locking it up.
“The bathroom is this way,” Loki said.
He gestured down the hall, which was made of the same dank bricks as the cell I’d been in. The floors were dirt, and torches on the wall lit the way.
“Thanks. ” I smiled at Loki and caught his eyes easily. They were really quite beautiful, a dark golden color, but I pushed that thought from my mind.
Concentrating as hard as I could, I started chanting silently, Let them go. Let us go. Open the cell and let us go. It took a few seconds before I saw any response, but the one I got wasn’t at all what I was expecting.
A bemused smile crossed his lips, and his eyes sparkled with wicked pleasure.
“I bet you don’t even have to go to the bathroom, do you?” Loki smirked at me.
“I—what?” I fumbled, startled that nothing had happened.
“I told you we shouldn’t let her out!” Ludlow shouted.
“Relax, Ludlow,” Loki said but kept his eyes on me. “She’s fine. Harmless. ”
I redoubled my efforts, thinking I hadn’t tried hard enough. Maybe I’d weakened myself by using persuasion on Rhys so recently. Healers were tired and aged after they used their abilities. I was probably the same way, even though I didn’t feel tired.
I started repeating it in my mind again when Loki waved his hand, stopping me.
“Easy, Princess, you’re going to hurt yourself. ” He laughed. “You’re persistent, though. I’ll give you that. ”
“So, what? You’re immune or something?” I asked.
No point in pretending I hadn’t been trying to use persuasion on him. He obviously knew what I was doing.
“Not exactly. You’re far too unfocused. ” He crossed his arms over his chest, watching me with that same curious expression he always seemed to have. “You’re quite powerful, though. ”
“I thought you said she was harmless,” Ludlow interjected.
“She is. Without training, she’s almost useless,” Loki clarified. “Someday she’ll be a great asset. Right now she’s little more than a parlor trick. ”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
I hurried to rethink the plan. I could probably take down Ludlow, but I didn’t understand how all the locks worked. Even if I got him out of the way, I wasn’t sure that I could open the door to Matt and Rhys’s cell to free them.
But Loki was my biggest problem, since I already knew how well I’d fare against him. Besides being taller and stronger than me, he had the ability to knock me out just by looking at me.
“I can see your mind spinning,” Loki said, almost in awe. I tensed up, afraid he might be able to read my mind, and I tried to think of nothing. “I can’t see what’s on your mind. If I had, I wouldn’t have let you out. But now that you are, we might as well make the best of it. ”
“What do you mean?” I asked warily, moving away from him.
“You overestimate my interest in you. ” Loki grinned broadly. “I prefer my Princesses in unsoiled pajamas. ”
My clothes would’ve been relatively clean if it weren’t for the blood on my sweater and some dirt on my knees. I was sure I was a mess, but it wasn’t my fault.
“I’m sorry. I usually look much nicer after I take a beating,” I said, and his smile faltered.
“Yes, well, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that now. ” Loki recovered quickly, his cocky edge returning. “I think it’s time you went and saw Sara. ”
“Sir, I really think that’s unwise—” Ludlow interrupted, but Loki glared at him and he shut up.
“What about my friends?” I pointed at the cell.
“They’re not going anywhere. ” Loki smiled at his own joke, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“I know that. But I’m not leaving without them. ”
“You’re in luck. You’re not leaving. ” Loki took a step back, still facing me. “Don’t worry, Princess. They’re perfectly safe. Come on. Talking to Sara is in your best interest. ”
“I’ve already met Sara,” I said, attempting some kind of a protest.
I looked apprehensively back at the cell door, but Loki took another step away. I sighed, deciding that talking to higher-ups would probably be the only way I could barter for Matt and Rhys’s release. Even if I couldn’t ensure my own.
“How did you know?” I asked as I fell into step with him.
We walked side by side down the hall, passing several more doors like the one on my cell. I didn’t hear much of anything or see any other hobgoblins standing guard, but I wondered how many other prisoners were here.
“Know what?”
“That I was … you know, trying to persuade you,” I said. “If it wasn’t working, how did you know?”
“Because you’re powerful,” Loki reiterated and gestured to his head. “It’s like a static. I could feel you trying to push your way inside my head. ” He shrugged. “You’ll feel it too, if anyone tries it on you. I’m not sure if it’d work, though. ”
“So it doesn’t work on Trylle or Vittra?” I asked, doubting he would give me a straight answer. I wondered why he was telling me anything in the first place.
“No, it does. And if you were doing it well, I wouldn’t have felt anything at all,” Loki explained. “But we’re harder to control than mänks. If you do a sloppy job of digging around in our heads, we’ll feel it. ”
We reached some concrete steps, and Loki bounded up them, barely waiting for me. He showed no concern for me escaping, and he had divulged more information than he needed to. As far as I could tell, Loki was a really terrible guard. Ludlow should’ve had more authority over him.
He pushed through the massive doors at the top of the stairs, and we stepped out into a grand hall. Not a hallway kind of hall, but hall as in a large room with vaulted ceilings. The walls were dark wood with red accents, and an ornate red rug lay in the center of the floor.
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It had the same kind of opulence as the palace in Förening, but the tones were deeper and richer. It felt more like a luxurious castle.
“This is really nice,” I said, not hiding the surprise and awe in my voice.
“Yes, of course it is. It’s the King’s home. ” Loki looked at me, bemused by how stupefied I appeared. “What else would you expect?”
“I don’t know. After being downstairs, I assumed something creepier and dirtier. ” I shrugged. “You didn’t even have electrici
ty down there. ”
“It’s for dramatic effect. It’s a dungeon. ” He led the way down a corridor decorated the same as the hall.
“What would happen if I tried to escape?” I asked.
I didn’t see anyone else. If I outran Loki, I could probably get away. Not that I knew where to go, and I still wouldn’t be able to free Matt and Rhys.
“I would stop you,” he replied simply.
“The same way Kyra did at my house?” A pain flared up in my rib, as if reminding me of the damage she’d caused.
“No. ” Something dark flickered across his face for a second. He quickly erased it and smiled at me. “I would simply take you in my arms and hold you there until you swooned. ”
“It sounds romantic when you say it that way. ” I wrinkled my nose, remembering how he’d made me pass out by staring into my eyes. It hadn’t been painful, but it hadn’t exactly been pleasant either.
“It is when I envision it. ”
“That’s a little twisted,” I said, but he shrugged in response. “Why did you kidnap me and take me here?”
“I fear you have too many questions for me, Princess,” Loki said, almost tiredly. “You’d do better saving them all for Sara. She’s the one with the answers. ”
We walked the rest of the way without saying anything. He led me down the hall, up a flight of stairs carpeted in red velvet, and down another hall before stopping at ornate wooden double doors. Vines, fairies, and trolls were carved into them, depicting a fantasy scene in the vein of Hans Christian Andersen.
Loki knocked once with dramatic flair, then opened the doors without waiting for a response. I followed behind him.
“Loki!” Sara shouted. “You are to wait to be let into my chambers!”
Her room was much the same as the rest of the house. A large four-poster bed sat in the center, with unmade crimson sheets on top of it.
A dressing table sat on one side of the room, and she was perched on a small stool in front of it. Her hair was pulled up in the same tight ponytail as before, but she’d changed out of her clothes. A long black satin robe hung about her.
When she turned to look at us, the fabric moved as if it were liquid. Her brown eyes widened with shock at the sight of me, but she hurried to compose herself.
A hobgoblin stood next to her, the same kind as Ludlow. He had attempted to dress up, wearing a small butler’s uniform, but he had the same horrible skin and haggard appearance. Long necklaces, layered in diamonds and pearls, hung from his hands. At first I didn’t understand why, but soon I realized he was holding them for her, like a living jewelry box.
A yapping ball of fur jumped off the bed when we came into the room. It stopped just short of us, and I saw it was only a Pomeranian. The majority of its rage seemed directed at me, and when Loki told it to be quiet, it fell silent. Eyeing me warily, the dog walked toward Sara.
“I didn’t expect to see you so soon. ” Sara forced a smile at me, and her eyes turned icy when she looked at Loki. “I would’ve dressed if I had known you were coming. ”
“The Princess was getting restless. ” Loki lounged on a velvet couch near the end of the bed. “After the day she’s had, I thought she deserved a break. ”
“I understand that, but I’m a tad unprepared at the moment. ” Sara continued glaring at him and gestured to her robe.
“Well, then you shouldn’t have sent me to retrieve her so soon,” Loki said, returning her stare evenly.
“You know that we had to do—” Sara cut herself off and shook her head. “Never mind. What’s done is done, and you’re absolutely right. ”
She smiled at me, her expression leaning toward something warm. Or at least something far warmer than my mother Elora ever managed.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Even after all they’d done, I still had no idea what the Vittra really wanted with me. I knew only that they refused to stop coming after me.
“Yes, we should talk. ” She tapped her fingers on the table for a minute while she thought. “Can you give us a minute, please?”
“Fine. ” Loki sighed and got to his feet. “Come on, Froud. ” The little dog ran happily to him, and Loki scooped him up. “The grown-ups need to talk. ”
The hobgoblin carefully set the jewelry on the table, and then headed toward the door. He walked slowly, his gait wobbly thanks to his stature, but Loki loitered so that the troll made it out of the room before him.
“Loki?” Sara said when he reached the doors, but she didn’t look at him. “Make sure my husband is ready for us. ”
“As you wish. ” Loki made a small bow, still carrying the dog. When he walked out, he shut the doors behind him, leaving me alone with Sara.
“How are you feeling?” Sara offered a smile.
“Better. Thank you. ” I wasn’t certain that I should be thanking her. She had healed me, but she had something to do with me getting hurt in the first place.
“You’ll want to get changed. ” Sara nodded at my clothes as she stood up. “I might have something in your size. ”
“Thanks, but I don’t really care about my clothes. I want to know what’s going on. Why did you kidnap me?” I felt exasperated, and I knew it came out in my tone, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“I’m sure I have something,” Sara continued, as if I hadn’t said anything. She walked over to a large closet in the corner and opened the door. “It might be a little big on you, but I’m sure it’ll work. ” After looking for a matter of seconds, she pulled out a long black dress.
“I really don’t give a damn about the clothes!” I snapped. “I want to know why you keep chasing after me. I can’t give you what you want if I don’t know what it is. ”
As she walked to the bed, I realized she was uncomfortable looking at me. Her eyes seemed to go everywhere but to me. And anytime they did land on me, she was quick to look away. She went over to the bed, laying my dress on it.
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“You sent them out so we can talk and now you won’t say anything?” I asked, growing even more frustrated.
“I’ve imagined this day for a long time. ” Sara lovingly touched the dress, smoothing it out on the bed. “Yet here it is, and I feel so unprepared. ”
“Seriously, what does that mean?”
Her expression grew pained for a minute, then returned to the same blank, serene look she’d worn before.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to get dressed. ” She turned her back to me, walking over to a folding screen in the corner.
A fantasy scene similar to the one on the doors had been painted on it, and a black-and-red ball gown hung from the edge. Sara took the dress and went behind the screen to change in private.
“Do you know where Finn is?” I asked with a painful ache in my chest.
“That’s your tracker?” Sara asked, draping the robe over the screen. I could only see the top of her head above it.
“Yes. ” I swallowed hard, fearing the worst.
“I’m not sure where he is. We don’t have him, if that’s what you’re asking. ”
“Then why hasn’t he come for me? How did he let you take me away?” I demanded.
“I assumed they detained him until they got away with you. ” She slipped the dress over her head, so her words were muffled for a moment. “I’m not certain of the specifics, but they had orders not to hurt anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. ”
“Yeah, and Kyra’s orders were not to hurt me, right?” I asked wryly, but Sara didn’t say anything. “Can you just tell me if he’s okay?”
“Loki didn’t report any fatalities,” Sara said.
“He was in charge of bringing me here?” I looked at the closed doors behind us, realizing too late that I should’ve been asking him these questions. I thought about going after him, but then Sara came out from behind the screen.
“Yes. And other than
Kyra’s … outburst, Loki recounted that everything went well. ” She ran her hands along her skirt, then pointed to the dress on the bed. “Please. Get dressed. We’re going to see the King. ”
“And he’ll answer my questions?” I raised my eyebrow.
“Yes. I’m certain he’ll tell you everything. ” Sara nodded, keeping her eyes locked on the floor.
I decided to go along with it. If he tried to give me the runaround, I would bolt. I didn’t have time to waste on vague answers and evasive language. Matt and Rhys were captive, and Rhys couldn’t even sit down.
But I also needed them to like me so that maybe I could talk them into letting Matt and Rhys go. If that meant I had to put on a silly little dress, so be it.
I went behind the screen and changed, while Sara continued getting ready. She put on one of the necklaces that the hobgoblin had left on the table and let down her hair. It was black and straight, shining like silk down her back. It reminded me of Elora’s.
I wondered what Elora would make of all this. Would she send out a rescue mission to get me? Did she even know I was gone?
After I put on the dress, Sara tried to tie a loose ribbon on the back, but I wouldn’t let her. She had reached out to touch it, and when I snapped at her to leave it alone, her expression fell into something tragic. Her hands hovered in the air for a moment, as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened. Then she let them fall to her side and nodded.
Without saying anything, she led me down the hall. At the end, we came to another set of doors that mirrored the ones on her chamber. She knocked, and while we waited for a response, she smoothed down her crimson and black lace skirt again. It already lay perfectly flat, so I suspected this was some kind of nervous habit.
“Come in,” a strong gravelly voice boomed from the other side of the doors.
Sara nodded, as if he could see her, then pushed open the doors.
The room was windowless, as had been every room I’d seen, and the walls were dark mahogany. Despite its massive size, the room had a cavelike quality. One wall was covered floor-to-ceiling with bookcases, and a heavy wooden desk sat nearby. Several elegant red chairs were the only other furniture.
The largest one, with intricate designs on the wooden feet, sat directly across from us, and a man sat in it. His dark brown hair ran long, past his shoulders. He wore all black—pressed pants, a dress shirt, and a long jacket that resembled a robe. He was handsome, in a battled kind of way, and he appeared to be in his forties.
Loki had been sitting in a chair, but he stood up when we came in. Froud the small dog had disappeared entirely, and I hoped they hadn’t eaten it or something equally horrible.
“Ah, Princess. ” The King smiled when he saw me but didn’t get up. His gaze flitted over to Loki for the briefest of seconds. “Loki, you are dismissed. ”
“Thank you, sire. ” Loki bowed and hastily departed. He left me with the impression that he didn’t enjoy the company of the King, and that made me all the more nervous.
“So are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” I asked the King directly, and his smile widened.
“I suppose we should start with the basics,” he said. “I’m the King of the Vittra. My name is Oren, and I am your father. ”