by Amy Tintera
“Why do you look so surprised?” Olivia asked. “You led me here hoping I would die, didn’t you? You and I are exactly the same. I just have the guts to kill you myself.”
Em finally wrenched her shirt from Olivia and took several steps backward. Em was breathing heavily, even though she hadn’t done anything strenuous. Tears pricked her eyes.
Olivia was pale, her shoulders sagging. The use of her magic on Ivanna had truly exhausted her. She glanced back at the other Ruined. They looked even worse.
She turned back to Em. Disappointment crossed her face, and Em realized with horror that she was upset she didn’t have the strength to kill Em now.
Em quickly turned. Aren took her hand and squeezed it.
“You can run now, sister,” Olivia said from behind her. “But I’m coming for you. I promise.”
TWENTY-ONE
GALO FOLLOWED AREN and the other Ruined away from Olivia. They were all silent as they hurried through the jungle, to the spot where the Ruined had left the horses and wagons.
“Are we still going to Royal City?” a young woman whispered to Aren. She glanced at Em, who was pale and shaky as she untied a horse from a tree. “Because this plan . . .” Failed. She didn’t have to say the word.
“We don’t have a choice,” Em said without looking at them. “We can’t stay with Olivia. And we can’t stay out here, with the Olso and Vallos armies so close by.”
“It’s the safest option,” Aren said. “We need to get far away before they regain their strength.” He looked over his shoulder, his face troubled. Galo knew he had to be thinking about his plan to go to Olso.
“It’s fine, Aren,” Em said. “You should go.” She turned to face a worried girl hovering around her. “Mariana, can you make sure the wagons are ready to go?” Mariana nodded and hurried away.
“I can’t go, Em,” Aren said as she mounted her horse. “Olivia is livid. She’s going to come after all of you.”
“She’s going to come after me,” Em corrected. “And I don’t need you to protect me from Olivia. We’re so close to the Olso border. It would be ridiculous not to go now.”
Aren rubbed the back of his neck, his face pained. He clearly wanted to go. “It’s too dangerous to go by myself,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll wait until things settle down.”
“When was the last time things settled down for us, Aren?” Em asked. “That may never happen.”
“I’ll go with you,” Galo blurted out. Em and Aren both looked at him in surprise. He shared the emotion. The idea had been in the back of his mind for days, but he wasn’t sure he was crazy enough to actually make the offer.
Mateo was going to be really, really mad.
He pushed the thought away and looked at Aren. “You need help, don’t you?”
“Sorry?”
“Going to Olso. You just said it was too dangerous to go by yourself, and none of the Ruined can go right now. Wouldn’t a human be more help to you anyway? You said we fuel your power.”
“Y—yes?” Aren stuttered, unable to believe what Galo was clearly getting at.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Why?” Aren asked, with growing incredulity.
“You need help. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I want to help.” He turned to Em before Aren could protest. “If that’s all right with you. Can you make it to Royal City by yourselves?”
“We can manage.”
“Tell Cas I went with Aren? And tell Mateo . . .” Galo winced. “Um. Tell him I’m sorry. But I had to.”
“Sure. I can do that.” She traded a look with Aren, raising her eyebrows just slightly, and Aren nodded. If Galo were going to guess, that was a You better not let him die look. Nerves exploded in his stomach. Mateo was right. He really did feel the need to save everyone.
Em reached down and squeezed Aren’s hand briefly. “Be careful in Olso. I hope you find Iria.”
“I will.”
Em took off, the Ruined following behind her. Aren strapped his bag to a horse, and Galo mounted another. He’d lost his bag when Olivia attacked, and he certainly didn’t have time to look for it now.
“That cut looks bad,” Aren said, pointing to his face. “Do you want to bandage it before we go?”
He gingerly touched the gash above his eyebrow. His fingers came away bloody. “It’s fine. I’d rather put some distance between us and Olivia first.”
Aren nodded. He looked down at his shirt, which was covered in blood. “Good idea.”
They rode west, in the direction of Olso, until it was pitch-black. Galo’s head was pounding and he wondered if perhaps he’d hit it so hard that he’d lost his mind.
He was going to Olso.
With Aren.
There was still time to turn back. He could apologize and say that perhaps the blow to the head had been harder than he thought, because he’d temporarily lost his mind. Aren wouldn’t try to make him stay.
Galo let out a long sigh. He wasn’t going to back out. As much as the logical part of the brain was screaming at him, he couldn’t ignore the little voice that said Aren needed, and deserved, his help.
“Let’s stop here,” Aren said after they’d been riding at least an hour. “There’s a stream over there, and we should let the horses rest.”
Galo nodded gratefully. He needed the rest as well. He hadn’t slept much the past few days. He’d been busy racing messages between Aren and the Lera soldiers.
Aren dismounted his horse, then took the reins from Galo and led both horses to the stream to drink.
Galo slumped down against a tree, letting out a breath as he pressed his palms against his throbbing forehead.
Aren grabbed his pack off the horses and opened it. He pulled out a clean rag and poured some water on it, then grabbed a jar from the bottom of his bag. He walked to Galo and sat down, lifting the rag to his head.
He stopped suddenly, hand still poised. “Do you mind? We should clean it so it doesn’t get infected.” He held up the jar. “It’s a salve to help heal the wound.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Aren pushed Galo’s hair back and wiped the cloth across the wound.
“You came prepared,” Galo said.
“I had nothing to treat my burns after fleeing the Ruina castle,” Aren said. “I’d never needed anything; Wenda Flores or Olivia healed me the few times I was injured. Now I always have a bag packed with medical supplies.”
Galo winced as Aren dabbed the salve over the cut above his eyebrow. “Olivia didn’t heal your burns after you rescued her?”
“She couldn’t. You can’t heal an old wound. The window is very short.”
“And you can’t heal at all?”
“Sadly, no.” Aren scooted back and lifted his shirt to examine his own wound.
“Do you want help?” Galo asked.
“I’m fine.” He grabbed a fresh rag and began cleaning the cut. “It doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
“What?”
“That Olivia can heal and I can’t. She has no interest in healing anyone.” His next words were quieter. “Your power is a gift, but you have to choose what to do with it. My mother used to say that.”
Galo didn’t know how to respond, and silence stretched out between them as Aren finished tending to his wound.
“Why did you come with me?” Aren asked softly.
Galo let out a short laugh and leaned his head back against the tree. “Because I’m crazy?”
“That was my first guess.” He paused. “You don’t really even know Iria, do you?”
“I think we’ve spoken maybe five words to each other.”
“So . . . ?”
Galo stared up at the sky, black in between the tree branches. “Mateo says I have to save everyone.”
“Is that true?”
“Maybe. A little. I was a king’s guard, it was my job to save people. Or protect them, at least.”
“True.” Humor
crept into Aren’s voice. “Are you going to protect me, then?”
“It seems so.”
“You should sleep,” Aren said, pulling a blanket from his pack. He tossed it to Galo. “I’ll watch.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll need to sleep more when we get closer to the Olso border, so my powers are sharp. And you look ready to pass out.”
Galo tucked the blanket under his head as he lay down. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Aren said quietly. “For coming with me.”
“You’re welcome,” Galo said. “Do you think Iria is expecting you to come?”
It took Aren several seconds to answer. “I don’t know. I told her I would, but . . . I don’t think she’s going to be happy to see me.” He said the second part quietly, almost to himself.
“Why not?”
“I was going to leave her in Lera and go with the Ruined. She was really mad.”
“You’re going to break her out of prison. I think she’ll come around.”
“Would you?”
“Yes.”
Aren looked at him skeptically. “Seriously?”
“Of course. You had a really tough choice to make. You couldn’t just abandon the Ruined to Olivia. Not when you’re the most powerful one.”
“The most powerful one,” Aren repeated under his breath, almost like he didn’t believe it. “This is crazy, isn’t it? Going to Olso right now?”
“Yes. But I’d do the same thing. Obviously.”
“I guess that means you’re crazy too.”
Galo smiled as he closed his eyes. “I guess so.”
TWENTY-TWO
CAS BURST OUT of the castle door and ran down the dirt path. The sun was setting, and he shielded his eyes as he squinted at the main gates. Four guards stood in front of them, matching terrified expressions on their faces.
“Open them,” Cas said breathlessly.
The guards did as he ordered. Beside him, Jorge tensed. He gestured at a few other guards to surround Cas.
Em stood on the other side of the gates. She wore black pants and a loose gray tunic, both of which were dirty. Her dark hair was pulled back haphazardly, and she had deep circles under her eyes. She was obviously exhausted, her olive skin paler than usual.
Behind her were more Ruined, most of whom Cas had never even seen before. There were about sixty, most of them just as haggard as Em.
But there was no one else. No Lera soldiers. No Galo.
His heart dropped as he met Em’s eyes again. She didn’t smile at him. He stepped forward slowly.
“Galo?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
“He’s fine,” Em said quickly. His heart shifted back into place. She closed her eyes briefly, like she was too tired to think. “I’m sorry. I should have said it right away. He went with Aren to Olso. To rescue Iria.”
“He went where?”
“I know, but he offered. He said to tell Mateo he had to, and he’s sorry.”
He blinked, his brain still trying to process it. “Olso. With Aren.” Mateo was going to love that. He glanced behind him, but Mateo wasn’t among the guards. He was probably on duty in a different part of the castle.
“The others, though . . .” Em took in a shaky breath, and he realized she was trying not to cry. “Olivia killed all the Lera soldiers. I’m sorry, Cas. She almost killed Galo, too, but Aren saved him just in time. And the Olso army—” She cut herself off suddenly, glancing at the guards and others around Cas like she’d just realized they were there. She looked so lost, so upset, that he couldn’t stop himself. He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her tight into his chest. She squeezed him in return, but it was a weak effort.
“I failed, I’m sorry,” she said into his neck. “The Olso and Vallos armies took off as soon as they spotted us. Olivia killed all the hunters and captured Jovita.”
He started a bit at the information that Olivia had taken Jovita. He wasn’t sure what Olivia could possibly want from her.
“I’m just glad you’re here,” he said softly. He pulled away, lacing his fingers through hers, and looked at the Ruined behind her. Nerves twisted in his stomach. “We have rooms prepared. Will you come inside?”
A stone-faced young woman just stared at him. “Em,” she said.
Em pulled her hand out of his and walked to the Ruined, saying something to them that he couldn’t hear. Several of the Ruined looked alarmed at the prospect of going into the Lera castle.
“You’ll be safe here,” Cas called.
The woman leaned to look around Em and rolled her eyes. “Please. We won’t be safer here than we are anywhere else.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but the look Em shot him made him shut it. The Ruined was right, as much as he hated to admit it. The castle could be attacked tomorrow for all he knew.
Em said something that finally made them all trudge forward. He took her hand again and led them down the dirt path. Several people were gathered in the front entryway to see what the commotion was about, Violet and Franco among them.
“The Lera soldiers?” Violet asked. Cas shook his head.
“I’ll set up a meeting right away and Emelina can tell us what happened,” Franco said. “Violet, get Julieta from—”
“No,” Cas said quickly. Em was staring straight ahead, her eyes dull like she wasn’t even listening. “They’ll rest first.”
Franco seemed like he was going to argue, but Cas gave him a look that meant there was no room for argument.
“I can tell them,” Em said. She’d been listening after all.
“It can wait,” he said, squeezing her hand.
He led them through the castle and to the west wing, where the guards’ quarters were. The rooms had been half empty since they returned anyway, and they’d squeezed an extra cot into each room so it could house three people. Staff members scurried around him, opening doors down the long hallways and ushering the Ruined in. They were visibly nervous, and he watched as one girl quickly darted away from a Ruined to avoid touching him.
“They’re bringing some food,” he said, to no one in particular. A passing Ruined man looked at him suspiciously. He glanced at Em, who was still by his side. “Is this all right? There are some rooms upstairs as well, if you want to take some Ruined up there.”
“I think they’d rather be together.”
“Will you stay with me?” he asked quietly. He couldn’t imagine leaving her here, not when she looked ready to crack at any moment.
“Just give me a moment,” she said, and walked away from him. She stepped into a room and emerged a few minutes later, looking upset.
“It’s fine if you need to stay down here with them,” he said. “If it will make them feel better.”
“Nothing will make them feel better.” She said it a little bitterly as she passed him. He turned to follow her, and they went through the corridor and up the stairs. He gently steered her in the direction of his room. She looked over her shoulder at the royal suite, which he still hadn’t moved into, but didn’t say anything as they went to the room that had always been his.
They walked through his library and into the bedroom. Em looked down at her hands, like she’d just realized something.
“I left my bag on my horse.”
“A staff member will bring it in,” he said. “Your clothes from before are all still in your old room. I’ll have someone bring them over.”
She walked across the room and sat on the chest at the end of the bed. She looked down at her arms, which were flecked with dirt. “I need a bath.”
Cas knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his. “I’ll have them draw one for you.” He was quiet for a moment, unsure if he should ask what happened. She looked devastated, and he didn’t know if it was about Olivia, or if something was going on with the Ruined. He realized suddenly he knew very little about Em’s relationship with her own people.
“Olivia wants to kill me,” Em
finally said. “She already tried, actually. She and the other Ruined were just too weak to fight me.”
He tightened his fingers around her hands. “She can’t, though, can she? Kill a useless Ruined?”
“Not with her powers, no. But she can find other ways. She will. Find other ways.” She met his gaze. “It may not be safe for you to be near me.”
Cas shook his head. “We’re safe here, for now. For tonight, at the very least.”
She nodded, closing her eyes briefly. He got the impression that she didn’t agree, but she was too tired to argue about it.
He stood and lightly kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his waist, letting out a long sigh as she leaned against his chest.
“We’re together now,” he said quietly. “Everything will be fine.”
TWENTY-THREE
AREN HAD UNDERESTIMATED Olso.
He’d thought their defenses would be weakened, that the border would be less guarded than usual with all the warriors in Lera.
If they were spread thin, Aren had picked the wrong spot to try to cross into Olso. All the border posts were manned, warriors stationed in basic wooden towers placed at strategic points.
Aren and Galo stayed hidden in the trees as they crept along the border, scoping out the posts.
“I think in between these two,” Aren said. He looked left, then right, but it was too dark to see either post from this location. It was unlikely they could pass through without being spotted, but if they were fast enough, the warriors might not be able to catch them. “I guess.”
“That doesn’t instill a lot of confidence,” Galo said.
“Do you have a better idea?”
“No,” Galo said. “But they’re going to aim for the horses.”
Aren glanced back at them. “I think we should leave them.”
“And go on foot?”
“Like you said, they’re going to aim for the horses, whether with arrows or the cannons. We likely won’t make it far on them, and I don’t want you getting crushed to death under a horse.”
“I see your point,” Galo said. “So we’re going to run fast. And hope their aim with those cannons isn’t great?”
