“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’l wait outside, and after the meeting is done, you’l come out, and we’l 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 al 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 al at once. But if I’m alone, I can take care of myself.”

“Even if that’s true, it’s stil too great a risk,” Loki said. “If you try to leave, he could kil you. Not just hold you hostage. Not just threaten you. Actualy 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 Tryle Queen.”

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

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

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

“I know, but I would never let him rule anyway,” I said. “I don’t plan to folow 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 wil never get to that point.

I’m only buying us time to build up the army, and then we’l attack the Vittra, take them down, and I wil kil Oren.”

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

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

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

“Everyone can be kiled.”

“Many, many people have tried,” he said. “And they’ve al 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 al this, and you can’t find a way to stop him?”