by Amy Tintera
“Mary, have you officially met Galo?” Cas asked.
“I don’t think so. Nice to meet you, Galo.”
He tilted his head forward. “You too, Your Highness.”
Cas pushed open the door behind Em, and she followed him into the kitchen, with Galo trailing behind her. The first room was where the staff ate, with a door off to the side that led to a bustling area where they prepared the food. A few small tables were scattered around the room, and a boy sat at one, polishing a pile of forks.
The boy had a small scar above his left eyebrow, and he couldn’t have been more than thirteen or fourteen, though he was already quite tall and broad. Em’s mother hadn’t allowed children under the age of sixteen to work in the kitchens, or anywhere remotely dangerous in the castle.
Cas led them outside into the sunlight. They headed through the gardens, Cas glancing back at the castle once like he was checking to make sure they weren’t followed. Em got the impression they were sneaking out, and she was eager to see how Cas was going to do it. If there was a way to get out undetected, there was a way to get in.
They made it to the back wall, and Cas walked to the tree Em had already pegged as a good escape route. He grabbed a thick, low branch and hoisted himself up. He climbed until he could step onto the wall.
“When you’re king, perhaps you can use the gate?” Galo called to him. He still stood on the ground with Em.
“Not if my mother is still alive,” Cas said. He looked down at her. “Coming up?”
“I’d be happy to help you,” Galo said.
She snorted. “Thanks, but I’m fine.” She grabbed the branch and climbed up, easily hoisting herself onto the wall. Cas was peering over, and she followed his gaze to the other side. A guard lifted his hand.
“Hello, Roberto,” Cas said.
The guard’s mustache quirked up. “Hello, Your Highness.” He reached for the rope near his feet and tossed it to Cas.
Cas passed the rope to Galo, who had just climbed the tree. Galo tied it to the trunk and waved that it was ready. Cas grasped the rope with both hands.
He braced his feet against the wall as he climbed down. She noticed that he winced as he descended, favoring his right side. The left shoulder was still sore from the attack. She tucked that into the back of her mind, in case she needed to use it against him later.
Em grabbed the rope when he was on the ground and began her own descent. Galo followed, his boots hitting the ground with a thud. He straightened and grinned at the older guard standing by the wall.
“Usual warning,” Roberto barked at Galo.
“Yes, I know,” Galo said. “Endless shame and a lifetime of misery if anything happens to Prince Casimir.” He took a quick glance at Em. “Or Princess Mary.”
“I’ll also remind you that an attempt was just made on Prince Casimir’s life,” Roberto said.
“I’ll be fine,” Cas said. He gestured at Em. “I brought her.”
Em barely managed to hold back a laugh. That was her. Protector of the prince of Lera.
Roberto pointed out at the city. “Go ahead, then. If you’re not back by sundown, I’ll alert the king that you left.”
When Cas turned away, Roberto grabbed Galo by the arm and said something Em couldn’t hear. Galo nodded, his expression more serious when the guard let him go.
Em traipsed down the hill behind Cas. It was clear and sunny, the ocean breeze rustling the leaves of nearby trees. Green grass dotted with a few trees spread out in front of them, and Cas headed to a thin dirt path.
“Did you see Royal City when you came in?” Cas asked, slowing so he was walking beside her. Galo walked on his other side, scanning the area around them. She’d never seen this guard in action, but she liked the way he didn’t keep his hand poised over his sword. She could easily take it from him, if she caught him by surprise.
“No,” she said. “The royal escorts took us around the city.”
The dirt path rounded a corner, and the sounds of people talking and hooves clomping filled the air. They were suddenly in the center of Royal City, with people streaming in and out of shops and making their way through the streets.
Em watched a father and daughter walk across the street with bags full of food in their arms. She could see a food market, a clothing store, and a feed store just in her immediate area. Carts lined the street, with men and women selling jewelry, trinkets, and sweet-smelling breads.
There was nowhere like this in Ruina. Even before King Salomir destroyed their cities, they weren’t like this. A city was maybe made up of three shops, and it wasn’t unusual to find the food market had run out of everything except dried beans. She’d never even considered sneaking out to visit Ruina cities by herself.
Cas jerked his head, indicating that she should follow him. He had his hands in his pockets, his thin white shirt flapping with the wind against his chest. He didn’t look much like a prince to the unsuspecting public, but the people of Royal City must have known him.
“Does anyone ever recognize you?” she asked, glancing around at the people walking past.
“No. Sometimes I get a few looks, but no one expects me to just be wandering around the city by myself, so they don’t notice.” He stopped at a cart with an umbrella over it. “Three, please.”
The man reached into the cart with a pair of tongs and pulled out three steaming buns. He put each one in a separate paper bag, holding his open hand out to Cas without giving him much of a glance. Cas dropped a few coins in his hand and took the bags.
“Cheese bread,” he said, handing one bag to her, and another to Galo. “Every time you come to the city, you buy one. It’s a rule.”
She opened the bag and peeked inside, the smell of fresh bread wafting through the air. She grabbed the bun and took a small bite. It was soft and chewy, with a hint of cheese flavor, and she took a second, bigger bite.
“It’s delicious,” she said.
“I’m glad you like it. The marriage might not have worked out if you didn’t.” The edges of Cas’s mouth twitched.
“How tragic. The union between Lera and Vallos destroyed over cheese bread.”
Cas laughed, revealing the dimple on his left cheek. His eyes sparkled in the sun, and it was easy for Em to forget for a moment that he was the prince of Lera. He was more relaxed than she’d ever seen, like the castle sucked half his energy away.
“Cas takes his food very seriously,” Galo said. The prince didn’t blink at being called “Cas” by a guard.
“I don’t blame you,” she said. She took another bite of her bun.
They finished their bread and Cas led them down the street. Em realized they hadn’t even been in the busiest part of town, as the crowds and stores increased the closer they got to the shore. Something must have made Galo nervous, because he said something to Cas, and they cut across to a less populated street, lined with small homes and apartments.
The ocean came into view, and Cas looked both ways before crossing the wide street dividing the city from the beach. Em followed him, stepping one boot into the sand, then the other.
The beaches of Vallos and Ruina were rocky and often chilly. She’d never seen one with white sand stretching out as far as she could see in either direction, the ocean glittering in the sun. Several ships were docked at the harbor in the distance, their sails flapping in the wind.
A few groups of people dotted the sand, many dressed in strange outfits. The men wore loose, short pants, with sleeveless shirts. The women wore something like very small dresses. The hems barely reached mid-thigh, and their arms were totally bare. Em’s mother had been a fan of flesh-baring fashion—Em remembered a dress with a neckline that went all the way down to her belly button—but this would have gotten an eyebrow raise even from Wenda Flores. Then she would have immediately demanded one of her own.
Cas took off his shoes and socks and left them in the sand like he didn’t care if someone came along and took them, so she did the same. Galo left his on
, hanging back as they headed closer to the ocean. They walked until the cool water rushed over their feet, and Em curled her toes around the sand.
“Can I ask you a question?” Cas asked.
“Sure.”
“Why didn’t you bring anyone with you? Friends or maids or guards? If I were leaving my home, I’d want to bring as many people with me as possible.”
“There aren’t that many people left,” she said, squinting out at the ocean. “My parents are gone. A lot of people I knew were killed after the attacks on the Ruined began.”
“And your parents never had any children besides you, did they?”
“No,” she lied, a sharp pain stabbing through her chest as she thought of Olivia. “My mother wanted to have more, but she couldn’t. I would have had ten brothers and sisters, if it was up to her.”
“Was it lonely?” he asked.
“Sometimes. It was tough, not having anyone around who really understood what my life was like. You know what I mean?” She looked to him for confirmation, and he nodded. “But my mother brought other children our—my—age into the castle, so there was always someone around to play with. Two boys became very good friends. Aren is one of them, actually.”
“Just friends?”
She glanced at him. His voice seemed intentionally flippant, and she wondered for the first time if he was jealous of Aren.
“Yes, just friends,” she said honestly. “He’s like my brother.”
“Ah.”
“You don’t think I would bring a boy I was in love with to watch me marry someone else, do you?” she asked with a laugh.
He shrugged, his expression a bit sheepish at having been caught. “I guess not.”
“We did try to kiss once. We were thirteen. Neither of us could stop laughing long enough to actually do it.”
“Did you have someone you left behind?” Cas asked. “Someone you loved, I mean.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Are you sure you want to know that?”
“Sure. You can tell me the truth.”
“Not really.” Damian’s face flashed in front of her eyes. “I had a friend who would have liked to be more, but it never became anything. My mother was very disappointed in me, I think.”
“Why? She liked him?”
“Everyone liked him. He came from a powerful family, but he was still everyone’s best friend. The kind of guy who never forgot a name. Always made everyone feel special. It would have been a good match, but my mother didn’t force me.”
She didn’t know why she’d blurted out that story about Damian, but Cas’s expression brightened as she told it. She might be inclined to tell him all her stories, if he was going to look at her like that.
She took a tiny step away from him. It was easier to think when he wasn’t close enough to touch, and she needed to use this opportunity to get information about Lera’s defenses.
She pointed to a tall, round tower in the distance, at the edge of the coastline. “Is that your coastal defense?”
He nodded. “Those towers are scattered up and down the coast, though we have three just in this area.”
“Have you had any threats since the last war with Olso?” she asked.
“No. An Olso ship was spotted several years ago, but when they contacted the crew, they claimed it was off course. It turned around when the guard in the tower fired a warning. Once the warning is fired, troops immediately come down from the castle and surrounding areas. By the time the ship arrives, an army is ready for them.”
She pointed to the ships in the harbor. “Where are they coming from?”
“Vallos and Ruina.”
“Do you have a lot of ships from Ruina?” she asked.
“We have people there, working the coal mines. The criminals who aren’t suited to be hunters are sent there to work.”
“The hunters are criminals?” she asked.
“Yes. We didn’t have enough volunteers, so my father sent most of the prison population.”
“Were they given a choice?”
“No. And my father used the entire prison population, even petty thieves and people who would have served only a few months. He promises everyone a pardon, but with no end date for their service. Just offers them money for each Ruined kill and sends them out.”
She had no room inside of her to feel compassion for the hunters, but maybe she understood them for the first time. Maybe they were as trapped by their circumstances as she was.
“No wonder they want to kill you.” She glanced over her shoulder. They were alone except for Galo, standing a few paces away. “Come to think of it, I should have brought my sword. There are probably a few people nearby who want to kill you.”
“Oh, at least a few?” He looked like he was trying not to smile.
“I’m sure. They might try to kill me simply for standing next to you. Perhaps you could keep a larger distance between us?” She scooted away from him, a grin spreading across her face almost against her will.
He laughed. “I think I’d actually prefer to have you close by.”
He extended his hand to her, and her breath hitched in her throat as she realized she wanted to take it.
“Walk?” he asked.
She slipped her hand into his, and when he laced their fingers together, her entire traitor body flushed. She ducked her head, pretending not to notice the bursts of happiness exploding in her chest.
TWELVE
CAS WOKE TO someone shoving his shoulder, and he rolled over, squinting in the sudden light. His father stood next to his bed, holding a lantern in the pitch-black room.
“Get up,” the king said. “I want you to see this.” Light flickered off his face, and Cas could see his father’s mouth pulled into a thin, grim line.
Cas hurried out of bed and didn’t question his father.
He pulled on pants and his boots and followed the king out of the room. The castle was quiet as they headed quickly down the hallway to the stairs.
Several guards waited at the main door, including Galo. They formed a circle around the king and the prince as they strode out the door and into the cool night air.
Cas glanced at his father’s tense face. They hadn’t spoken since the meeting with the warriors last week, but he got the feeling the serious expression the king was wearing didn’t have much to do with Cas.
They walked so quickly they were practically jogging. They passed the front gate, where horses waited, and Cas jumped onto one. He followed his father to the east, away from Royal City, the horses at a trot.
They rode for only a few minutes before the glow of several torches lit up the night sky. The king slowed, then stopped and dismounted his horse. Cas and the guards did the same.
His father motioned for him to come closer, and Cas fell into step beside him as they headed in the direction of the torches. A large group of guards surrounded something Cas couldn’t see yet. Four men dressed in black-and-gray hunter uniforms stood with the guards.
“We’ve caught one of them,” the king said. “One of the Ruined trying sneak into Olso.”
Cas took in a sharp breath and turned his attention back to the circle of guards, hoping to catch a glimpse. He’d never seen a Ruined before.
“We’re bringing him to the castle for questioning, but not while he’s at full strength. It’s not safe. I want you to see what they’re capable of.”
“How will you weaken him?” Cas asked.
“A Ruined can only use so much power before it starts to wane. The more power you bring out, the weaker they get.”
Cas suddenly wished he’d brought his sword. It had been stupid to run out of his room without grabbing his sword first. His father had one at his hip.
The circle of guards parted as they approached, revealing a young man in the middle. He sat in the dirt, his hands tied behind his back. He was dressed in all black, with spots of dust on his pants and shirt. He had a small cut under one eye, but he was otherwise unharmed. His arms were covered in
an intricate web of marks, and Cas squinted to see them better. He’d always assumed the Ruined marks were ugly. But this Ruined’s were a shade lighter than his olive skin, a series of thin lines that wrapped around his flesh like a complicated series of vines. They were more art than ugly.
“He hasn’t spoken, Your Majesty,” one of the guards said to the king.
The Ruined straightened, and he looked from the king to the prince. He stayed focused on Cas, his eyebrows furrowing.
The Ruined was staring at him like he was considering the best way to murder him. Now Cas really wished he had a sword.
“He will,” the king said. “But that’s not my concern at the moment.” He frowned at Cas. “Plant your feet. Watch the trees.”
Anticipation and fear fluttered in Cas’s chest. He nodded solemnly. The Ruined was still staring at him. He pretended not to notice. Galo stepped next to him, sword drawn.
“Up,” a guard said to the Ruined, kicking him in the side. The Ruined glared at him, slowly getting to his feet. He was young. Maybe the same age as Cas.
The guard delivered a punch straight into the Ruined’s stomach, and the gasp echoed through the trees. The wind blew Cas’s hair into his eyes, and he pushed it away as the guard punched the man across the face.
“What is he doing?” Cas asked his father quietly.
“Making him angry.”
The Ruined stumbled backward, hitting the ground with a thump. Another guard hauled him to his feet, shoving him back to the center of the circle.
Another gust of wind blew across Cas’s face, this one stronger than the last. A hunter stepped forward, pulling a dagger off his belt. He held his hand up to the guard, indicating that he should stop.
“You have to work harder with this one. He has pretty good control.” The hunter grabbed the Ruined by the arm, cutting off his ropes with a quick slice of the knife. He pulled one hand behind the Ruined’s back.
The hunter sliced off one of the Ruined’s fingers.
A scream tore through the night, and Cas’s entire body went cold. Blood dripped from the Ruined’s hand, his face twisted in pain.
