Trylle

by Amanda Hocking

  “But I suppose you think you are?” I asked with a sarcastic laugh.

  “No, of course I’m not good enough for you,” Loki said, and I lifted my head to look up at him, surprised by his response. “But I at least try to be good enough.”

  “You think Finn doesn’t?” I asked, standing up straight.

  “Every time I’ve seen him around you, he’s telling you what to do, pushing you around.” He shook his head and went back to making the bed. “He wants to love you, I think, but he can’t. He won’t let himself, or he’s incapable. And he never will.”

  The truth of his words stung harder than I’d thought they would, and I swallowed hard.

  “And obviously, you need someone that loves you,” Loki continued. “You love fiercely, with all your being. And you need someone that loves you the same. More than duty or the monarchy or the kingdom. More than himself even.”

  He looked up at me then, his eyes meeting mine, darkly serious. My heart pounded in my chest, the fresh heartache replaced with something new, something warmer that made it hard for me to breathe.

  “But you’re wrong.” I shook my head. “I don’t deserve that much.”

  “On the contrary, Wendy.” Loki smiled honestly, and it stirred something inside me. “You deserve all the love a man has to give.”

  I wanted to laugh or blush or look away, but I couldn’t. I was frozen in a moment with Loki, finding myself feeling things for him I didn’t think I could ever feel for anyone else.

  “I don’t know how much more laundry we can fit down the chute,” Duncan said as he came back in the room, interrupting the moment.

  I looked away from Loki quickly and grabbed the vacuum cleaner.

  “Just get as much down there as you can,” I told Duncan.

  “I’ll try.” He scooped up another load of bedding to send downstairs.

  Once he’d gone, I glanced back at Loki, but, based on the grin on his face, I’d say his earlier seriousness was gone.

  “You know, Princess, instead of making that bed, we could close the door and have a roll around in it.” Loki wagged his eyebrows. “What do you say?”

  Rolling my eyes, I turned on the vacuum cleaner to drown out the conversation.

  “I’ll take that as a maybe later!” Loki shouted over it.

  We worked all afternoon, and by the end we were all tired and cranky. Somehow, that felt good. It meant we’d done something today, and while it hadn’t helped anybody in Oslinna yet, it would.

  When suppertime came around, I wasn’t hungry, so I retired to my room. I was exhausted, and I should’ve slept, but I couldn’t. Tove came in shortly after I got in bed, and we didn’t say much. He just crawled in bed, and both of us lay awake for a long time.

  I wasn’t sure I’d even fallen asleep when Duncan burst through the door. He didn’t knock, and I was about to yell at him when I saw how he looked. He wore pajamas and his hair was mussed from sleep, but he was positively panicked.

  “What is it, Duncan?” I asked, already throwing my legs over the side of the bed so I could get up.

  “It’s Finn,” Duncan panted. “They were ambushed on the way to Oslinna.”

  ELEVEN

  defeat

  I don’t remember moving or running. It was all a blur of nothing until I was in the front hall with Finn. A small crowd had gathered around, including Thomas, but I pushed them out of the way to get to him.

  Finn was sitting on the floor, and I fell to my knees next to him. He was alive, and I almost sobbed at the sight of him. Blood covered his temple, and his clothes were disheveled. His arm hung at a weird angle, and it took me a moment to realize it had to be broken.

  “What happened?” I asked, and I touched his face with trembling hands, mostly to be sure he was real.

  “We caught them off guard,” Finn said. He stared off at nothing, and his eyes were moist. “They were going home, I think, and we happened to run into them. We thought we could get the best of them. But they were too strong.” He swallowed hard. “They killed the Chancellor.”

  “Oh, shit,” Tove said, and I turned to see him standing behind me. He’d been tending to Markis Bain, making sure that he’d made it through all right.

  “Tove, go get your mother,” I said. Tove nodded once and left, and I turned back to Finn. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m alive,” he said simply.

  Finn was in shock, so I didn’t push him for details. Markis Bain ended up filling in the blanks about what had happened. They were on their way to Oslinna when they saw the Vittra camped out. The way he described it, it sounded all very Rumpelstiltskin. The hobgoblins had a fire going, and they danced around it, singing songs and telling tales of how they had defeated Oslinna.

  The Chancellor thought they should get the drop on the hobgoblins. They could end the fight right there in the woods. Finn was initially against the idea, but he soon decided that if they had a chance to stop the Vittra before they hurt anybody else, they had to take it.

  The only reason any of the team had survived was because they had surprised the Vittra, but the Chancellor wasn’t the only one who died. Another Markis had been killed, and a second tracker was severely injured.

  All of them were battered and bruised. When Aurora came over to heal them, Bain kept saying it was amazing that any of them were alive. Aurora healed Finn’s arm, but that was all she’d heal on him. She wouldn’t waste her energy on a tracker, no matter what I said.

  Duncan and I helped Finn up to his room to rest, and Tove stayed behind. He wanted to make sure the others had gotten home okay, although he seemed particularly interested in making sure that Bain was fine. We’d have to plan another way to help Oslinna, but we couldn’t do it now.

  “I don’t need to lie down,” Finn insisted as Duncan and I helped him sit on his bed. “I’m fine.” He winced when I bumped his arm, and I sighed.

  “Finn, you are not fine,” I said. “You need to rest.”

  “No, I need to figure out how to stop those damned hobgoblins,” Finn said. “They’re going to come after us all eventually. We need to find a way to beat them.”

  “We will,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure that was true. “But we aren’t going to do anything right now. It can wait until the morning, when you’ve slept some.”

  “Wendy.” He looked up at me, his eyes stormier than usual. “You didn’t see them. You don’t know what they’re like.”

  “No, I don’t,” I admitted, and the tone of his voice made my stomach twist up. “But you can tell me all about it. Tomorrow.”

  “Let me at least talk to Loki,” Finn said, almost desperately.

  “Loki?” I asked. “Why would you want to talk to him?”

  “He has to know how to handle these things,” Finn said. “There’s got to be some secret to defeating them, and if anyone knows it, it would be a Vittra Markis.”

  “He’s probably sleeping—”

  “Then wake him up, Wendy!” Finn yelled, and I flinched. “People are dying!”

  I twisted my ring around my finger and relented. “Fine. If you promise to lie down, I’ll let Loki talk to you. But once he’s done, you have to rest until tomorrow. Is that clear?”

  “Fine,” Finn said, but I had a feeling he’d agree to anything to be sure I got Loki.

  “Duncan?” I looked back to where he waited in the doorway. “Can you get Loki? Tell him I asked for him.”

  Duncan left me alone with Finn. I motioned for Finn to lie back. He sighed but did it anyway. I sat next to him, and he stared at the ceiling, looking annoyed. His shirt was torn and bloody, and tentatively I reached out to touch a cut on his arm.

  “Don’t,” he said firmly.

  “Sorry.” I dropped my hand. “And I’m sorry about what happened. I should’ve gone with you.”

  “Don’t be stupid. If you’d gone with us, you’d only have gotten yourself killed.”

  “I’m a stronger fighter than you are, Finn.”

  “
I’m not going to argue with you,” he said, his eyes still staring straight up. “You don’t even need to be here. I’m fine. I can talk to Loki alone.”

  “No, I’m not leaving you alone with him.” I shook my head. “Not when you’re weak.”

  “You think he’d hurt me?” Finn asked.

  “No, but I don’t want you getting all riled up.”

  Finn scoffed. I hated how strained things had become between Finn and me, but I didn’t know how to fix it. I wasn’t even sure it could be fixed. We sat in silence until Duncan came back with Loki.

  “This is not at all what I had in mind when the Princess summoned me in the middle of the night,” Loki said with a sigh, standing in the doorway to Finn’s room. His light hair stood up all over, and he had red marks on his face from sleeping.

  “Thank you for getting up,” I said. “Did Duncan tell you what happened?”

  “Obviously not,” Loki said.

  “The team we sent out to help Oslinna was overwhelmed by hobgoblins,” I said. “Some of our people were killed.”

  “You’re lucky not all of them were killed,” Loki said.

  “Good men died tonight,” Finn growled and tried to sit up in bed, but I put my hand on his chest and pushed him back. “They fought to protect the people here! To protect the Princess! I would think that was something that mattered to you!”

  “That wasn’t a slam against the lives you lost,” Loki said, managing to sound apologetic and irritated at the same time. “The hobgoblins are hard to beat. And from what I heard about the damage to Oslinna, it’s astonishing to me that anyone in your rescue team lived.”

  “We caught them by surprise.” Finn settled back down in bed again.

  “That does help,” Loki said. “The hobgoblins may be strong, but they’re stupid.”

  “How do we defeat them?” Finn asked.

  “I honestly don’t know. I’ve never tried defeating them.”

  “You must know how it’s done,” Finn insisted. “There must be a way.”

  “Maybe there is,” Loki admitted. “But I’ve never even fought beside them. The King usually doesn’t let hobgoblins leave the grounds. He’s afraid that humans will catch on to what we are if they see them.”

  “Why is he letting them out now?” Finn asked.

  “You know why he is.” Loki sighed and sat down in a chair in the corner of Finn’s room. “The King’s fixated on Wendy. He’ll do anything to get her.”

  “How do we stop that?” Finn looked over at him.

  Loki stared thoughtfully at the floor, biting his lip, then shook his head sadly. “I don’t know.”

  “What if we can’t stop him?” I asked.

  “We’ll find a way,” Finn assured me, but he wouldn’t look at me when he said it.

  “The hobgoblins aren’t very bright,” Loki added quickly. “And they’re helpless against abilities. Any power you have works twice as well on them as it does on humans.”

  “What do you mean?” Finn asked.

  “Like persuasion or any of Wendy’s abilities.” Loki gestured to me. “It works on them like that.” He snapped his fingers. “That’s why I was in charge of guarding her at the Vittra palace. She could’ve convinced the hobgoblins to do anything for her.”

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

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

  “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 the Vittra, they’ll have to do it.”

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

  “Your people are spoiled,” Loki said. “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 why you find my comment 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 much that she wants me around?” Loki asked, 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 he’s trustworthy—I assure you of that. Plus, his intimate knowledge of the Vittra is invaluable.”

  “I’ll tell you as much as I know, but I don’t know very much that can help you, Wendy,” 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 lovesick ex-boyfriend.”

  “You think you have everything figured out, but you don’t know anything,” Finn growled. “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!” I snapped. “It’s up to me. 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.”

  He nodded and got up. “Feel better,” Loki said to Finn, and he actually did sound sincere.

  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 I needed it too.

  “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. The morning would bring endless meetings, but for now, everyone had returned to their beds. The hall was dark, and I could see the warm glow of 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 d
own at it. 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.”

  He smiled. “For you, anything,”

  “I want you to take me to Ondarike,” 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, Wendy.”

  “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. Just tell me how to get there.”

  “Wendy, you’re not listening,” he said. “I’m not 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.”

  “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.”