“One day, the orm comes across the tiger, who is starving and cold,” Duncan said. “The orm begins to laugh at how pitiful the tiger is doing, and the tiger asks him why he’s laughing. When the orm explains how he tricked the tiger into betraying his friends, the tiger becomes enraged, and using his sharpest claw, he cuts off the orm’s head.
“Usually, the ending is told more dramatically than that, but that’s how it goes,” Duncan shrugged.
“Wait.” I leaned forward on my book. “The Vittra killed the orm?”
“Well, yeah, the tiger represents the Vittra,” Duncan said. “Or at least that’s what my mom told me. But the tiger is really the only animal capable of cutting off the snake’s head. At best, a fox could just bite it and the birds could peck out its eyes.”
“That’s it, isn’t it?” I asked, and it suddenly seemed so obvious to me. I pushed aside my book and jumped up.
“Wendy?” Matt asked, confused. “Where are you going?”
“I have an idea,” I said and ran out of the room.
In the ballroom, all the trackers were busy practicing moves on each other. Loki stood near the front, teaching a young tracker how to block. I tried not to think about how young that kid looked or about how he’d fight in battle soon.
“Loki!” I yelled to get his attention.
He turned toward to me, smiling already, and his attention dropped from the tracker. Seizing the opportunity, the tracker moved forward, punching Loki in the face. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, and the tracker looked both frightened and proud.
“Sorry,” the tracker apologized. “I thought we were still training.”
“It’s fine.” Loki rubbed his jaw and waved him off. “Just save the good stuff for the hobgoblins, alright?”
I smiled sheepishly at Loki as he made his way across the ballroom over to where I stood at the door. I couldn’t see Finn or Thomas, but I knew they had to be somewhere in the room, working with the other trackers.
“I didn’t mean to distract you like that and get you sucker punched.”
“I’m alright,” Loki assured me with a grin and stepped out into the hall, so we could have some privacy from onlookers. “What can I do for you, Princess?”
“Can I cut off your head?” I asked.
“Are you asking for my permission?” Loki tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow. “Because I’m going to have to say no to this one request, Princess.”
“No, I mean, can I?” I asked. “As in, am I capable of it? Would you die if I did?”
“Of course I would die.” Loki put one hand against the wall and leaned on it. “I’m not a bloody cockroach. What’s all this about?
What are you trying to find out?”
“If I cut off Oren’s head, would that kill him?” I asked.
“Probably, but you’ll never get close enough to him to do that.”
He put his other hand on his hip and stared down at me. “Is that your plan? To decapitate the King?”
“Do you have a better plan?” I countered.
“No, but…” he sighed. “I’ve tried that before, and it didn’t work. You can’t get close enough to him. He’s strong and smart.”
“No, you can’t get close enough to him,” I clarified. “You don’t have the same abilities as I do.”
“I know that, but I can’t knock him out,” Loki said. “His mind is impenetrable. Even your mother couldn’t use her powers on him.”
His eyes softened when he mentioned my mother. “I’m sorry about that by the way.”
“No, don’t be.” I shook my head and lowered my eyes. “That’s not your fault.”
“I wanted to see you, but I knew you’d have your hands full,” Loki said, his voice quiet. “I thought you’d rather I be here, helping the Trylle.”
“You’re right,” I nodded.
“But I still feel like a dick,” he said. I could feel him studying me, his eyes all over me, but I didn’t lift my head. “How are you doing with all this?”
“I don’t have time to think about it.” I shook my head again, clearing it of any thoughts of Elora, and looked up at him. “I need to find out how to stop Oren.”
“That’s a noble goal,” Loki said. “Cutting of his head would probably do it, or running him through with a sword. It’s never been a matter of killing him. It’s getting close enough to do it.”
“Well, I can do it,” I insisted. “I can find a way. I have tiger blood, so I’m strong.”
“Tiger blood?” Loki arched an eyebrow. “What are you going on about, Wendy?”
“Nothing. Never mind.” I smiled thinly at him. “I can stop Oren.
And that’s what matters, right?”
“How?” he asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” I took a step back, walking away from him. “You concentrate on getting them ready. I’ll deal with Oren.”
“Wendy,” Loki sighed.
I hurried back to the library where Duncan and Matt were still waiting. I didn’t let Matt know of my idea, because he would only disapprove. The last few days felt epic and long, and I told Matt to get some rest. We could pick things up in the morning.
I did need to rest myself. One thing I had learned from Tove was that my powers weakened and got more uncontrollable if I was overly tired. I’d been so completely exhausted lately that I wouldn’t stand a chance against Oren.
Everything was so simple it was almost infuriating. Everyone had made it sound so difficult to kill Oren, but it would be the same as killing any other Vittra. I thought I’d need a magic spell or something. But all I had to do was get close to him.
I knew Loki was right, and it would be easier said than done.
Physically, Oren was still much stronger than me, he healed quickly, and his mind was virtually immune to my abilities. When he had interrupted my wedding, I’d tried to throw him back against the wall, and I’d only ruffled his hair.
Stopping him would be difficult, but it would be possible.
But I’d need my abilities to be up to full strength, which meant that I needed to rest. It felt lazy going to bed when so much was happening in the palace, but I didn’t have a choice.
I went upstairs to go to my room, and I heard Willa rallying the displaced Trylle from Oslinna. She’d gathered them in one of the larger bedrooms and told them how they could make a difference, how they could avenge their loved ones.