“I have amnesty, you know.” Loki leaned forward, sounding irritated. “That means she trusts me. I’m an accepted member of your society.”

“No one wil ever accept you,” Finn said cooly. “And I sincerely doubt that –”

“Just spit it out!” I snapped. “I am very tired. I’ve had a very long weekend. So if there’s something I need to know, you should hurry up and tel me.”

“My apologies.” Finn lowered his eyes. “I was in a security briefing this morning with my father. Apparently there’s been a Vittra attack on Oslinna, and it was brutal.”

“Oslinna?” I asked. “I have a meeting with their head Markis tomorrow morning.”

“I doubt that anymore,” Finn said quietly. “He’s dead.”

“They kiled him?” I gasped, and I heard Tove swear under his breath. “When did this happen? How many others were kiled?”

“We’re not certain of the total loss yet,” Finn said. “It happened sometime during the night, and we’re stil getting word on it. But so far, the death tol is in the thousands.”

“Oh my god.” I put my hand to my mouth, and I wanted to throw up or cry.

Thousands of people had been kiled while I was dancing. My people, who I was sworn to protect. And it might have been my father after he left the wedding. It was a ten-hour drive to Oslinna from here, but it would be possible for him to get there. He could have slaughtered them al because he was angry with me.

Or maybe not. This might have been his plan al along. He agreed to peace with Förening, and then went after our changelings, and now he’s attacking the other Tryle communities. This could be his first step toward total war.

I swalowed back any emotion I had, because that would only get in the way. I needed a clear head if I wanted to help what was left of the people of Oslinna.

“We have to do something,” I said numbly.

“My father is arranging a defense meeting now,” Finn said.

“Is that why he didn’t come to get me?” I asked. Finn’s father, Thomas, was head of security, and he was the one who usualy reported the problems to me.

“No.” Finn gave me an apologetic look. “He didn’t want to inform you. He thought we should wait until we knew more, since you’d just gotten married.”

“I’m stil the Princess!” I stood up. “This is stil my duty. It doesn’t stop because of a sily party.”

“That’s why I came to get you,” Finn said, but he’d looked away, and I didn’t think that had been his only motivation for retrieving me this morning.

“Is this why you’re here?” I asked Duncan.