“I don’t know.” Kate shook her head. “I tried not to pay attention. My sister Krista and I never cared that much for it. Dad tried to get us to join, but Krista eventually fell in love and moved to Edmonton with her boyfriend. I stayed here, but I spent as much time outside and away from them as I could.
“The only plan I ever really knew about was when Mina came to me and said she was going to a ball where she would make the King fall in love with her. It seemed ludicrous. I thought for sure Evert would recognize her, but she insisted that she’d only been ten the last time he saw her and now she was a woman of twenty.
“Not to mention that fact that Evert is our second cousin.” She wrinkled her nose. “I know royals do that all the time to keep the bloodlines pure, but it’s still always seemed so gross to me.”
“But Evert didn’t recognize her, and he did fall in love with her,” I said.
Kate snorted. “Much to my surprise. She came back once after the engagement, and she tried to promise me riches and glory. I told her that I didn’t want any of it, and I asked her to let it go. Vengeance never brings people happiness or peace. I said, ‘What kind of life is it to be married to your nemesis?’
“Mina looked at me, with her eyes cold and hard, and she said, ‘It will be my finest achievement, and I pity you that you’ll never understand that.’” Kate grimaced. “And that was the last thing she’s ever said to me.”
“Did you know Evert was murdered last week?” I asked.
Kate lowered her eyes. “No. I’m surprised it took this long, but I guess Mina’s plans are finally under way.”
“Do you have any idea what she might do next?” I asked.
“Not anything specific,” she said, looking at me with stormy gray eyes. “But honestly, I don’t think she’ll be happy until everything is suksraungiksuk.”
I shook my head and didn’t even attempt to repeat the word she’d used. “What’s that mean?”
“There’s not a literal translation in English,” Ulla explained. “But it means ‘destroyed’ or ‘finished.’ ”
“More like obliterated,” Kate said.
THIRTY
nanuq
I awoke just after the sun started to rise, which meant that it was only four in the morning. After sleeping fitfully all night with my usual nightmares, I was happy for the reprieve that being awake provided.
We’d left Kate’s hut not long after she’d confessed that Mina was her sister. Before we’d gone, I’d asked her why she’d been so open in telling us everything, and Kate had simply shrugged and said, “Why wouldn’t I? Mina’s never been much of a sister to me, and I have no reason to keep her secrets.”
Ulla had been very excited about everything we’d found out, even though she didn’t understand the implications of much of it. Growing up so isolated, she now fancied herself embroiled in plots of treason and espionage.
It had taken quite a bit of convincing for me to get her out of my room last night, telling her that I needed to get to bed early. But really, I just needed a chance to process it all for myself.
Once I did, everything Konstantin and Kate had said fit together perfectly, creating this portrait of a diabolical, unstoppable madwoman. Both Mina and Viktor had been incredibly patient, waiting years for their plan to come to fruition.
And now that it had, I was certain that Mina would do everything in her power to make sure that nothing got in her way. You don’t plan something for a decade and let it all fall apart at the end.
I needed to get back to F?rening. I thought I finally would have evidence to convince Queen Wendy that the Trylle needed to depose Mina. Assuming, of course, that Wendy believed me, since Kate wasn’t about to leave Iskyla to testify.
I packed my bag and opened my room door to find Ulla on the landing just outside my room. She’d changed clothes from last night, and she was asleep, using her own bag as a pillow and her coat as a blanket.
When she heard the door open, she sat up with a start. “Finally. You’re up.”
“Finally?” I asked. “What are you doing?”
“I was waiting for you.” She stood up and stretched. “I’m coming with.”
“You can’t come with. You heard what I told you last night. It’s too dangerous.”
“I know, but I can help,” Ulla insisted. “And besides that, nobody wants me here. I have no reason to say.”
“You may not have a reason, but I do. I can’t afford to take you back with me. I have barely enough money to charter a plane and get back home myself,” I explained.
“I’ve got money. I’ve saved up every dime and nickel I’ve ever made.” Ulla reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a surprisingly thick wad of cash. “I can pay my own way, and help you out.”
I sighed. “How old are you?”
“Fourteen and a half.” She stood up straighter, as if that would make her seem older. She was already taller than me, with slightly broader shoulders, probably thanks to her Omte genes. “I’m mature and strong for my age, though. I can help you.”