by Amy Tintera
“Em,” Olivia said, without a trace of surprise.
Em jumped off her horse and walked to her sister. She took a deep breath to steady her voice. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?” Olivia’s tone suggested she already knew.
“The warriors dropped me in Lera. It was safer to stay with Cas until I found you.” She took a step closer to her sister. “Did you follow us here?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you show yourself sooner? I was worried.”
Something like regret flashed over Olivia’s face, but it was gone as soon as it came. “I wanted to see Royal City for myself.”
“If you destroy the city—”
“I have no intention of destroying it. I’m going to stay.”
“Stay,” Em repeated slowly.
“There’s nothing left for us in Ruina. I’d rather stay here. What will Cas think about that?”
Em stared at her sister. Cas would let them stay if they agreed to live peacefully. But she had a feeling that wasn’t what Olivia was planning.
“Wouldn’t you rather live in Lera?” Olivia asked. She took a step closer to Em, hope flitting across her face. “I know Ruina is our home, but …”
But it was destroyed. And it was never as nice as Lera, even before the invasion. Olivia didn’t finish her sentence—perhaps she didn’t want to say the words out loud—but Em knew what she meant.
“I would rather live in Lera,” Em admitted quietly. “If you agree to sign a peace agreement, Cas would let us stay. I’m sure of it.”
Olivia face hardened. “I’m not signing a peace agreement. Not unless it comes with the heads of the Casimir and all the advisers.”
“No.” The word came out harsher than she’d intended it. Em was tired of having this conversation with Olivia. She wouldn’t explain again why Cas didn’t deserve her rage.
“That’s what I thought.” Olivia whirled around, striding in the direction of the city. Most of the Ruined followed her, but a few hesitated, regarding Em worriedly.
“Stop!” Em yelled.
Olivia came to a halt, but she waited a few seconds before turning around. Her eyes flashed as she looked at Em.
“We agreed that I took care of our interactions with humans,” Em said. “This counts. As your queen, I’m ordering you all to stand down.”
Olivia muttered something to Jacobo. He nodded and slipped something into Olivia’s hand. She kept it behind her back as she strode to Em.
“You were queen because I let you,” Olivia spat. “You’ve lost that privilege now.”
Em took in a sharp breath. Olivia’s words hurt even more the second time.
“This land was originally ours, and I’m taking it back. Cas can get out of the way, or lose his life along with his kingdom.” Olivia snapped her fingers and Jacobo and another Ruined rushed to her side. She pulled out a rope from behind her back.
Em took a step away from her sister, but it was too late. The two Ruined grabbed her by either arm, holding her in place.
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said as she wrapped the rope around Em’s hands. Em tried to pull them free, but the men’s grips were too tight. “I’ve cleared this area, so you should be safe until I come back. This is for the best. Trust me.”
I don’t. Tears pricked Em’s eyes as the words surfaced. She didn’t trust Olivia. Not even a little.
The men pushed her to the ground, and Olivia wrapped a leather belt around Em’s legs. She nodded as she stood.
“Good. That should hold her until we’re finished.” She squinted past Em. “I don’t sense Aren in the area. He must have stayed with the others.” She looked at Em for confirmation.
Em stared down at the ground. She’d been cocky when she told Cas she could stop Olivia. Had she really thought she could reason with her sister?
Olivia patted Em’s head. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”
Em rested her chin on her knees, refusing to meet Olivia’s gaze. Her sister walked away, the Ruined following her. None of them stayed with Em.
FORTY-FIVE
CAS LOOKED OVER his shoulder, even though it had been several minutes since he’d rode away from Em and he couldn’t see her anymore. Part of him could still feel her standing there, staring after him like he was insane.
She was going to make the right decision. He’d been certain of it before, but after seeing the way she looked at him, he would bet his life on it. She would come back to him soon.
He rode toward the city, weaving in between his soldiers until he was at the front of the line. Galo jogged to him on foot, looking up at Cas in concern.
“You should stay in the middle of the pack, Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty? We’re being formal today?”
“I’ve decided to call you Your Majesty when we’re going into battle.”
“That seems arbitrary, but all right.”
“I’m serious. General Amaro said it would be safer to have a few bodies in front of you.”
He turned to look for General Amaro, but the soldiers were in formation farther back, behind his guards.
“I’m the one who ordered them all here to fight for me. I’m riding in front.” He gave Galo a look that meant he was done discussing it.
“Fine,” Galo said with a resigned sigh. “But I’m staying next to you.”
“Good.” Cas smiled at him before focusing straight ahead again. They were so close to the city he could hear the murmur of voices, smell the scent of meat being cooked.
They turned onto the road that led into the town square, and Cas could see people standing outside their shops and homes just ahead. Cas breathed a sigh of relief that the warriors hadn’t killed all the townspeople. He knew that many of the people in Gallego City had escaped to the fortress, but he’d been worried about everyone in Royal City.
But the city looked mostly the same—a few shops were burned and being rebuilt, but other than that the road was still lined with colorful buildings, their windows advertising bread or sweets or clothing. The people in the road appeared scared but unharmed. He waved to them, which produced a few startled expressions.
He rode until he was almost in the town square, then jumped off his horse and drew his sword. A few dead bodies lay in the road, and he cast a quick glance at their uniforms. Warriors.
“That’s right, you better run!” a woman was yelling, as a few warriors ran down the east road, in the direction of the ocean. Jovita. She was standing in the middle of the road with several hunters.
“Jovita,” he called.
She whirled around, her lip curling. “Cas.”
Several of the townspeople gasped and bowed their heads, and he realized for the first time that none of them had known who he was. He wore plain black clothes, like many of the soldiers. Only a smattering had official blue Lera uniforms.
“Everyone needs to get inside,” he ordered. “Olivia Flores is here.”
Jovita paled. “What? Where?”
“She’s on the outskirts of town with a bunch of Ruined. She—”
“None of this would have happened if you hadn’t let her go,” Jovita said, her face red with fury. “If you hadn’t been so—”
“Jovita, shut up!” He yelled so loudly she jumped in surprise.
“I don’t have time to discuss any of this with you right now.” He pointed to the gawking townspeople. “All of you, inside, now. Stay there until we ring the castle bell.” They quickly scurried inside, doors slamming shut down up and down the street.
“Cas,” Aren said quietly. He pointed east, in the direction of the ocean. Flames lit up the night sky. The Ruined weren’t far from the castle.
“Em can stop Olivia, right?” Cas asked. Aren gave him a worried look in reply.
“We’re counting on Emelina Flores to save us?” Jovita strode to her horse. “We’re all dead.”
To his right, soldiers raced past the town and to the castle. Many of them were on
foot, though a few horses galloped ahead. General Amaro led the pack, shouting orders as she charged toward the castle.
Cas ran to his horse and practically jumped onto the saddle. He kicked the side of the horse and took off, glancing over his shoulder at her. She glared at him.
He faced forward, looking at the flames again. Em could do it. He knew she could. She was stronger than Olivia, in every way that counted.
He rode to the castle, Aren and Galo running behind him. The warriors hadn’t fully repaired the walls they’d destroyed in the siege, and none of the front gate remained. He spotted a piece of it lying in the grass not far away. There were several huge holes in the wall, and the soldiers marched ahead of him. They streamed into the front lawn.
Cas jumped off his horse and drew his sword. Galo ran ahead of him and ducked through one of the holes in the walls. He positioned himself in front of it as Cas climbed through. He straightened. Stopped.
He’d been expecting Olso warriors guarding the castle. Weapons. Some of the impressive technology Em had told him about.
Instead, only Cas’s army was on the lawn. The front doors were open and he caught a glimpse of General Amaro as she ran inside.
Galo moved to stand at Cas’s side. “Is it a trap?”
“I don’t know,” Cas murmured.
Shouts and footsteps sounded from the back of the castle. He turned to grab the nearest soldier. “Go to the gardens. Find out what’s happening back there.” The soldier nodded and left, pulling a few others with him. Iria stood a few paces away, watching, and she took off behind the soldiers.
Cas lifted his chin, taking in the sight of his home for a moment. He’d so badly wanted for it to still be standing, and he was shocked he’d gotten his wish. The castle looked the same from the outside—white stone and large windows and peaks on the top of the four towers in the corners. He stood rooted in place for a moment, staring at it. He knew that there were probably warriors inside, and he was being no help by just standing on the front lawn, but he couldn’t help it.
He finally pried his gaze away. Soldiers were still running through the front door, and he followed them inside. Galo ran beside him.
There were no warriors inside, either. Soldiers rushed past him, scattering into hallways and up the stairs. Lanterns lining the wall were lit, casting a glow on the black marks snaking up the walls from the fire. The table that used to sit against the wall in the entryway was gone, a black mark in its place, and the bottom few steps of the staircase were burned. But otherwise the staircase was intact. The warriors must have put the fire out quickly.
“Your Majesty.” A soldier was in front of him suddenly. “Let me take you somewhere safe.”
He shook his head and sidestepped the soldier. He ran to the back of the castle and ducked into the kitchen. Plates with half-eaten food lay abandoned on the staff table. A mug of tea was still steaming.
Cas pushed open the back door and rushed outside. The warriors were all running away. They streamed across the lawn, hopping the wall and disappearing.
“They’re getting in a ship!” a voice above him yelled. Cas looked up to see Franco in the tower, pointing in the direction of the ocean.
“They didn’t even put up a fight?” the soldier beside Cas asked, clearly baffled.
“Olivia. They got word to run, not fight.”
“Smart,” a voice from behind him said. Cas turned to find Aren standing in the doorway of the kitchen with Galo.
“Will you stay here for a minute?” Cas asked Aren. “Yell if you spot any Ruined or warriors coming this way.”
Aren nodded, and Cas turned and walked back into the castle. “Tell the guards to check every room of the castle,” he said to Galo. “Every place someone could hide. Make sure the castle is clear.”
Galo nodded and grabbed the nearest guard, repeating the order quickly. He stayed at Cas’s side as he turned a corner. Cas considered going up to the tower to watch the warriors leave, to his bedroom, to Em’s room, but his feet led him directly to a sitting room on the first floor. He stepped inside.
His father’s blood still stained the wooden floor. The window Cas had used to escape was closed, and his father’s body was gone, but other than that, it was exactly the same as he remembered it. He took in a shaky breath.
“We’ll have someone clean that,” Galo said quietly.
Cas didn’t think that would help much. He turned on his heel and quickly walked out of the room. He kind of wished the fire had destroyed that room.
The hallways had once been brightly colored—red and orange and blue and green, different every time you turned a corner. They were mostly black now, and he trailed his fingers along a formerly green wall as he walked back to the front of the castle. He would have them painted to match the original color. So many things had to change, but he thought maybe he’d leave just this one thing the same.
He rounded a corner and stepped back into the foyer at the main entrance. Some of the staff was trickling in, and he heard a laugh from somewhere in the castle. The air was full of excitement and anticipation suddenly. Their bright faces filled Cas with hope.
Mateo ran to the front door, his eyes finding Cas. Jovita, he mouthed.
Cas weaved around the staff members and stepped outside. Jovita stood in front of the remains of the gate, a small group of hunters behind her. Her gaze was above his head, on the castle, but she slowly lowered it until their eyes met. She lifted an eyebrow.
“Should I call some guards to make sure she doesn’t come in?” Galo asked.
Jovita took a step back, like she knew what Galo had just said. She held Cas’s stare for another moment before turning and walking away. The hunters followed her. One of them grinned at Cas as he left and ran a finger across his neck.
“Did he just—” Galo darted forward and Cas grabbed his arm.
“Let them go.”
“He just threatened the king.”
“I have bigger things to worry about.”
“You’re going to have to deal with her eventually,” Galo said.
“I know.”
Cas stepped inside and he and Galo closed the doors. The staff members were clustered at the bottom of the stairs, looking at him excitedly, and he squeezed Daniela’s arm as he passed her.
He hurried across the castle, back through the kitchen, and out the back door again. Aren was still there with a few soldiers and Franco. They were all looking at the sky. Cas followed their gaze.
“What?” he asked.
“The Ruined are close,” Aren said.
Franco looked from Aren to Cas. “Do the warriors have the right idea? Should we be running?”
“We don’t have anywhere else to go.” Cas’s voice was calm. “Have faith in Em.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. You’ll make the right decision.
FORTY-SIX
AREN HAD ALL the faith in the world in Em, but he couldn’t deny that the wind whipping across his face was Ruined-made. They were close.
Screams sounded from beyond the wall. He’d seen Iria run across the gardens toward the back wall just a few minutes ago.
“Go inside,” he said to Cas. “Stay there until I say it’s safe.”
Cas nodded and strode back inside the castle. Franco and the soldiers followed him.
Aren ran across the lawn and through the gardens, to what remained of the stone wall. Large chunks of it still stood, but parts of it had been blown away by the Olso attack. He jumped over the rubble.
The area behind the castle was nothing but open land. It was dark and mostly deserted, but he could see the backs of warriors as they scurried away from him. He followed them.
Homes and shops were to his left, but he ran in the direction of the ocean, where he could see several large ships docked. Red Olso flags flapped in the breeze.
Surely Iria wouldn’t try to go back to Olso? He hadn’t killed all the warriors they were with. Plenty of them knew that she’d betrayed them and taken off
with Aren.
He ran up a hill and skidded to a stop. The scene in front of him was such chaos he had to blink a couple times to take it all in. Warriors ran in all directions, shouting orders at each other. Some of them scurried onto the boats, others were running off the ship, swords drawn. Olivia strode toward the dock, a group of Ruined behind her. Her coat billowed in the wind, and Aren could see the fury etched on her face, even from this distance. She left a trail of dead warriors behind her.
Em wasn’t with her.
“Aim! Warriors, aim!”
Ten warriors stood their ground in the grass just in front of the docks. A long metal cylinder was perched on each of their shoulders. Another warrior was behind each of them, a small torch in each of their hands. They were all staring at the Ruined.
Aren ran as fast as he could down the hill, but a hand caught his before he could reach the bottom.
“Don’t move,” Iria said, pulling his hand in closer to her like she was afraid he wouldn’t obey.
“What are those?” he asked, pointing to the cylinder on the warriors’ shoulders.
“Hand cannons. Tell the Ruined to run.”
“Run!” Aren yelled without question. “Ruined, run!”
A few chins lifted to look at him, but no one followed the order.
“Aren, move those warriors. Just—”
Fire exploded from the cannons, the ground shaking from the force of the blast. Aren jumped, instinctively throwing an arm over his face.
Ruined bodies flew through the air and landed hard in the dirt. Smoke curled up to the sky, obscuring the rest of the Ruined. Aren squinted, but he couldn’t see anything. Dread rose in his chest as the screams started.
Then, all the warriors rose off the ground and launched across the dock. Their bodies landed in the water with a splash. Olivia strode through the smoke, her expression wild as she used her Ruined magic to completely clear the area of warriors. A piece of metal was lodged in her arm, blood running down her hand and dripping off her fingers, but she didn’t appear to care.
