I told them everything. It just came flooding out of me, about Kalda and I being kidnapped, about the lab and the experiments. When I came to the part about Kalda's death I couldn't stop the tears, but I dashed them away angrily, determined to finish my story before I broke down. Telling them about leaving Fiske behind felt like a confession, but neither the king nor the queen looked at me like they were judging. They just looked...shocked. At the entire story.

Neither of them said a word until I was done. Finally I ran out of words, and my shoulders slumped. I was done. This was what I had come to do, it was what I had left Fiske behind for, it was why I had abandoned him and Eli. It was why Ake and Gunny had died to get me here.

My mission was complete.

There was a small commotion from behind, and I turned to see a crowd had gathered just beyond where commander Erik stood. The short blond woman in the green robe had brought her group with her, and there were a few nobles crowded around her. They must have approached while I was mid-story, I'd been too caught up to hear them.

The short woman nodded at me, then at the queen. "She's telling the truth."

Someone else from the crowd added, "Or she believes she is."

"Well." Loki pushed himself up, climbing to his feet. "There's an easy way to tell, isn't there?"

The throne room went silent as the king reached over and plucked a delicate champagne glass off the tray beside him. "The wine is mostly water."

I flinched when he stepped towards me, coming down from the dais to hand me the glass. Taking it with shaking hands, I stared at him. Did he want me to do something with it?

Megan nodded. "Go ahead,Valka. Whatever you're comfortable with."

"I — Yes, all right." Taking a sharp breath in, I pressed my lips together hard, concentrating. King Loki was right, the wine was watery, maybe a cheap vintage. When I stretched my senses out I could feel it easily. Shutting my eyes, I let myself relax.

There was no way I was going to screw this up. Not now.

I pushed the water upwards, felt it slide along the rim of the glass, then up over it. There was a collective gasp from the crowd behind me, and a low, appreciative whistle.

Someone from the back said in a deep, gravelly voice. "She could certainly come in handy, Loki."

My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment I watched the bright droplets of wine float above the champagne glass, perfectly spiracle and deep red, almost blood colored. Then I let them drop back into the glass, landing in the center, spreading ripples over the surface of the wine.

"Didn't spill a drop."

The gravelly voice again, this time it was coming from right next to me. I glanced down, startled to see the large black wolf that had been standing beside the blond woman. The wolf blinked, mismatched eyes shining brightly.

"The name of the wolf you went missing with was Fiske, you say?"

King Loki had settled back onto his throne, but he was leaning forward on the edge of the seat instead of lounging this time. "Someone you know, Fenrir?"

The black wolf grumbled. "Cousin's child. A runt, always in trouble. We thought he'd run away." He stared up at me again, which was a little unnerving. "Cousin will want to rip human throats out when he hears about this."

Megan frowned. "We need a plan. Valka, do you have any idea if they have other jotun still? If they do, we'll have to be far more careful. We can't just storm in."

All I could think about was the rows upon rows of cages, some of them empty. Others...there was no way of knowing. The night of my escape had been a blur. "I don't know. But I would guess they have some."

Queen Megan came down the steps slowly, brows knitted. "We'll bring the wolves, and the elite guard." She stopped in front of me, expression concerned. "We're going to need you to guide us there. Are you all right with that? You'll be well protected."

I nodded, and Eli's face popped into my head, his smile, his eyes. The way he'd looked when he'd argued that he was coming with me. I couldn't leave him. "I have someone who knows the way even better than me though. He's at the safehouse right now. He helped me escape."

"We leave tomorrow at first light then," Queen Megan said. "We'll shut down this so-called lab and get our people back if there are any."

"And Fiske," Fenrir rumbled.

"And Fiske," I agreed, and my stomach gave a lurch. If he was alive, we would bring him home. But what if he wasn't?  Fenrir would stare at me, shining eyes filled with accusation. It would be my fault for leaving him behind.

I had to go back of course, to lead the elite guard, to get Fiske. But every time I thought about returning to that place it made my blood run cold. Returning to the cold metal tables, the plastic cages, to Cain...I don't know what I would do if I saw his face again.

If I would run, or punch him, or maybe just break down in tears.

I didn't want to see him again.

Footsteps at the door jerked me upright, sent my heart thundering in my ears. One of the guards was leaning in the doorway, breathing hard.

"Gunny?" Her name ripped out of my throat before I could stop myself. I shouldn't let myself hope. I'd seen Ake go down, and she'd been right there with him.

The guard was shaking his head. "She's hurt bad. I just took her to the infirmary."

The weight on my chest lifted. "But she's alive. What about Ake?"

"We couldn't do anything for him. He was dead when he hit the ground."

I flinched, and King Loki flicked one hand at him, catching the guard's attention. "Did you get him? The traitor?"

Again, he shook his head, and the king and queen both looked grim.

"That means he'll tell them." My voice cracked. "He has a radio. They know we're coming now."

Megan and Loki exchanged a long look, and then Megan turned to the rest of the crowd. "Valka is right. They know we're coming, and they're humans. Humans don't fight fair."

King Loki nodded. "We'll need your help, Charlotte."

The short woman grimaced. "I was afraid you might say that. If we're leaving tomorrow at first light I had better start getting ready." She turned, the green robe flowing out behind her. The blond women trailed after her, but the rest of the crowd stayed behind. Everyone was watching the king and queen, and the room was so silent you could hear the echo of footsteps as Charlotte and her group were leaving.

"We'll need kevlar," King Loki said. "Magic or no magic. I won't have anyone falling to a bullet."

"Kevlar and magic will even out the playing field." Queen Megan started chewing on one of her fingernails, which startled me. I didn't expect a queen to bite her nails. "And a plan. We should outnumber them though."

When she glanced over at me, as if to confirm, I shrugged helplessly, feeling a stab of panic. "I think so? I mean, we have an army. But I didn't get to see much as I was running." I hesitated. "The facility is big though. And it's on an island."

"That complicates things." King Loki frowned. "They could fortify the beach by the time we get there. Take us out while we're still in the water."

"Uh, I think while we're in the water you don't have to worry." Now I let myself smile, just a little bit. "I think King Aegir might help us out if it comes to any water battles."

Queen Megan exchanged a grin with her husband, and for a moment I felt like I was catching a glimpse of how they normally were. Playful, teasing one another. Then it was back to business.

"Great, Vee, it's good not to have to worry about that." Queen Megan began pacing back and forth, nearly brushing by me as she did so. I stepped back, a little startled she'd started calling me by my nickname so fast.

There was a scuffle in the doorway, a flurry of nervous, muffled activity. When I glanced up my heart leapt. Peering around the doorframe was the flushed, excited face of my mother. Even from here I could see how the lines around her eyes had deepened.

I half turned, caught between her and the king and queen. My mother, ever worrying, it must be killing her to hold herself back right now. Queen Megan turned, spotting her in the doorway.

"Oh, of course, how rude of us. Your family must have been worried sick. Go back to your quarters, visit with them as much as you can before tomorrow."

"But the plan?" I was already turning to go to her, hands shaking.

"We'll sort it out." King Loki waved at me. "Go. Be with your family. We'll send someone to get you tomorrow morning."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I flew across the icy floor, footsteps echoing, already laughing at the look of pure joy on my mother's care-worn face. We crashed together, and then her arms were gripping me so tightly I could hardly breath, and she was laughing and crying at the same time. Gasping out words I could barely hear.

"You're home...you're back...oh, Vee."

The next morning it was hard to tear myself from mother's side. I had to talk her out of climbing onto the back of my horse, tell her that everything would be okay, and that I wasn't actually fighting anyone. I was just a guide. She'd been a wreck last night, alternately so relieved I was home that she would beam and laugh, and horrified at what I'd been through, bursting into tears at the drop of a hat.

It had taken a long time to calm her down last night, and I hoped she wouldn't start again as we rode off. I waved at her until the entire procession was out of sight around the bend. Then I turned back to the front, relieved.

My breath made long trails of silvery smoke in the air, and I noticed a few of the guards were staring at me. Could they tell I was less jotun now? That something had happened to me? Maybe my cheeks were glowing, they felt a burnt with the cold. All things that would give away the fact that I wasn't full frost jotun anymore. That I was...something else.

Now wasn't the time to second guess my place in this world though. Now we were riding to the safehouse, on our way to get Eli. It was going to be a long journey, considering the fact that I kept glancing over at the trees, nerves making my stomach roil.

It wouldn't make sense for Bolthur to be lurking around here, or following us. He would have bolted straight back to the human world. So there was nothing for me to worry about. Still, in my mind I kept seeing Ake fall, the bright blood sinking into the snow around him.

My fingers tightened on the reigns, and I bit my lip hard enough to hurt. If I saw that man again, I wouldn't hesitate. I would rip the water right out through his stomach.

He'd killed Ake, who had kept fighting for me even as he fell, and he'd come damn close to killing Gunny. I'd asked the healer if I could visit her that morning, and a nervous, white-faced young man had told me she was too sick to be seen. That she was fighting a fever caused by an infected wound.

He hadn't said it, but it didn't sound like she was doing well.

I grimaced and sat up straighter in my saddle as another soldier rode past me. I could feel their eyes on my back. My story had spread like gasoline and flame, so quickly it made my head spin. All the servants knew, all the soldiers knew, no doubt people outside the palace in the nearby villages had heard by now.

They all knew I was some kind of water jotun freak. That my DNA had been irreversible changed. Damaged.

And I hadn't even told them what King Aegir had told me. That none of my predecessors had survived. That I might drown in my own body's water in the next few years. Or weeks. Or even days. I didn't know how long I had.

I pushed the thought away. The soldiers rode past me and stared, and I didn't want them to think I was weak. I wasn't a victim, I'd survived everything so far, I didn't need pity.

The soldier that had been riding past slowed down, and I turned, ready to give him an even look. To show that I wasn't afraid.

A pair of bright brown eyes met mine through the helmet's guard. My own eyes widened and my heart jumped. It couldn't be.

A low, musical laugh, and then the soldier choked and coughed, jamming a fist into her side. "Owch, I have to remember not to let you make any jokes. I'm held together with tree sap and wishes right now."

My mouth dropped open, and I stammered. "Gunny?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Keep it down, kid. They'll kill me permanently if they find out a slipped the sick room."