“Fine,” Annali said reluctantly. “But when you come for me, you better bring my son with you, alive and intact. If not, you might as wel not come at al.”

“I know,” he nodded.

Annali stared up at her husband for a moment, not saying anything.

“Ember, say goodbye to your father,” Annali said. Ember started to protest, and Annali puled at her arm. “Now, Ember.” Ember did as she was told. She hugged Thomas, and he kissed her cheek. Annali cast one more look at Thomas over her shoulder, and then she and Ember left out the front door. Thomas stayed behind for a moment, his whole body sagging.

He’d sent his family away to protect them. He’d seen the painting the same as I had, and he knew the destruction that was set to befal the palace. It was no place for innocent bystanders.

But then something occurred to me. I had been trying to find a way to change the outcome of the painting, to do something that would alter the course of events and make it so we wouldn’t al die, and I finaly figured it out.

22. Offense

“We take the fight to them,” I said, and I was met with five blank stares.

Thomas, Tove, Wila, Finn, and Loki stood across from me, none of them looking pleased with what I proposed. I’d caled them al into the War Room to discuss things, but so far, I’d done most of the talking.

“That’s your grand idea?” Loki asked, looking vaguely bemused, and that was the most positive response I’d gotten. “Get kiled there instead of here?”

“The idea is not to get kiled anywhere,” I said and leaned back against the table behind me.

“Wel, if this is what you want to do, Wendy, I’l support it,” Wila said, but she sounded reluctant. “But I don’t know how much it wil help. The Vittra wil have home-field advantage.”

“Loki knows his way around the Vittra palace.” I gestured to Loki, who grimaced when I volunteered him to lead the way. “And we’l surprise them. That was how Finn survived the hobgoblin attack before.”

“I barely survived that, Princess,” Finn reminded me. “And we don’t have much of an element of surprise. The Vittra are about to come here and take the kingdom. As soon as they get word of your ascension to the throne, they’l be on their way.”

“That’s why we need to move now,” I said.

“Now?” Finn and Wila said in unison, both shocked.

“Yes,” I nodded. “I’ve arranged to have my coronation in two hours. Then I’m Queen, and as my first order as the ruling monarch, I wil declare war against the Vittra. We wil go to them, we wil attack, and we wil win.”

“You want to hit them tonight?” Tove asked.