by Amy Tintera
“You can do that?”
“Yes.” He extended his hand to her and pulled her to her feet. It was probably the Olso army, and he wasn’t letting her out of his sight this time. They ran inside, Iria moving surprisingly well in her new boot. Her limp was still there, but she was learning to move quickly again.
“Galo!” he yelled as he ran into the castle. “Cas!” He probably shouldn’t have been casually shouting for the king in the castle, but it was an emergency, and he didn’t have time for formalities.
He sprinted up the stairs to find Cas emerging from his office. Galo and Mateo appeared behind him, along with Franco and Violet.
“What is it?” Cas asked.
“There’s an army coming,” Aren said.
“What? No. Our lookouts would have seen,” Franco said. “I didn’t hear them give the signal.”
“Aren can sense people farther out than we can see,” Galo said.
“Sound the alarm,” Cas said. Violet and Franco took off running and disappeared down the stairs. “Where is Em?”
“She and Mariana went into town with Mateo a little while ago,” Aren said.
Fear flashed across Cas’s face, but he recovered quickly. “Prepare the Ruined. I know you haven’t had a chance to get them training with our soldiers, but we need them to help if they’re willing.”
“They’re willing.”
“Can you tell exactly where they are?” Cas asked. “And how many?”
“No,” Aren said regretfully. “I think they’re southwest, but I’m not a hundred percent sure. You’ll have to wait until the lookouts can see for an exact number, but I would count on a lot.”
“That’s fine,” Cas said. “Go get the Ruined and coordinate with General Amaro.”
Aren nodded, reaching for Iria’s hand again, but she was focused on Cas.
“I can tell you the most likely plans of attack, if you’d like,” she said. Aren looked at her in surprise.
Cas wore a matching expression. “I would definitely like that, if you’re willing.”
“I can’t say for sure, but there are three strong possibilities. And if I go up to a lookout, I can probably take a good guess.”
“I’ll get someone to take you to one,” Cas said.
Aren wrapped his fingers lightly around Iria’s wrist, a silent protest.
“It’s fine,” she said. “Go get the Ruined ready.”
He held on to her wrist a little tighter, reluctant to leave her, but Cas was already walking, calling orders to his guards. Iria pried her arm from his grip with a hint of a smile, and then stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.
“Go do what you’re best at, Aren.” She took a step back.
“What am I best at?”
She laughed like it was ridiculous that he didn’t already know. “Saving everyone.”
Cas was trying not to panic about Em. He’d gotten Iria to the lookout, and met with General Amaro, and reassured everyone that yes, they are actually coming, even though you can’t see them yet, but it was all done with panic bubbling just under the surface.
“—lock down the castle,” Jorge was saying, and Cas snapped back to attention. They were standing in the front entryway, Galo at Cas’s side. People zipped by them, shouting orders.
“Not until Em and Mariana and Mateo get back,” Galo said before Cas could. Jorge clearly wanted to protest.
“We can’t even see the army yet,” Cas said. “And Mariana is a very powerful Ruined. She’s the one who clouded the vision of our lookouts when Olso attacked. We need her here.”
“Fine, but as soon as they get back we need to put you in hiding,” Jorge said.
“I can’t hide. I need to . . .” It occurred to him that he wasn’t sure what he needed to do. He’d put Aren in charge of the Ruined. General Amaro was in charge of the soldiers.
“You need to stay safe, because everything will be thrown into chaos if you die,” Galo said. His gaze cut to Cas’s sword, which Cas had grabbed after parting with Aren. “So don’t even think about it.”
The castle doors banged open suddenly, and Cas whirled around, hope blooming in his chest. Em charged through the door, her face grim. She was followed by Mariana, Mateo, and several members of the Royal City Watch, and then, to Cas’s surprise, Jovita. His cousin had her hands bound in front of her, and her hair was wild and dirty, but she was just as disgusted as ever when her eyes met Cas’s.
Cas rushed forward, putting his hands on Em’s cheeks. “I’m so glad you’re back. Aren—”
“Cas, Jovita told—”
“There’s an army coming, and you can’t—”
“Cas!” Em said sharply, taking his hands off her cheeks and holding them tightly. “Jovita told Olivia about the secret passageway from the kitchen, the one they took to escape the Olso warriors. She could be in the castle right now.”
“It’s sealed,” Galo and Jorge said together, before Cas could even begin to panic.
Em was clearly surprised. “It is?”
“Of course,” Galo said. “I had it sealed off as soon as we took back the castle.”
Jovita let out a loud, extremely annoyed sigh. She muttered something Cas couldn’t hear.
“The Olso warriors were in here for weeks,” Jorge said, looking a bit insulted. “There’s no doubt they discovered it. We’d be fools to leave it open.”
“Oh,” Em said. Her brow crinkled. “What were you saying about an army?”
Cas quickly relayed Aren’s message, and her face grew more serious as she listened.
“That’s why Olivia let Jovita go today,” Em said. “She was tracking the army, and she knew when they were going to attack. Olivia needs that kind of chaos right now.” She took a step back, dropping Cas’s hands. “We know where she’ll be, then—at the lookout tower, trying to get in the passageway.”
“She can get in the passage from the tower,” Galo said. “We haven’t fully filled it in yet, so it’s just blocked off once she gets to the other side. She’ll have to turn around and go back.”
“I’m going to go find her. She’ll start killing people when she can’t get in.”
Cas shook his head. “No. You have to go beyond the castle walls to get to that lookout, and there’s an army coming.”
She held her hand out. “I’ll need your sword, then.”
He made an exasperated noise, but he unsheathed his sword and handed it to her, knowing that arguing would be pointless. She rose up on her toes and kissed him quickly before turning to run out the door.
“Your Majesty?”
Cas turned to find Franco in front of him, out of breath.
“The lookouts have spotted the army.”
FORTY-FIVE
AREN RACED DOWN the guards’ quarters, where he found half the Ruined lounging in their rooms or in the common area.
“Attack, now,” he said, walking down the halls and shouting it several more times. Ruined streamed out of their rooms, shrugging on jackets and lacing up boots. A guard stumbled out of a room with Gisela, blinking in surprise as he buttoned up his shirt.
“Attack? Where? Who?” he asked.
“I assume it’s the Olso army,” Aren said. “And they’re coming here, so I hope you remember your emergency assignments.”
“Yes? Yes.” The guard blinked at Gisela, who was halfway down the hallway and gathering up the Ruined. Aren turned and jogged toward them.
“You guys must be attacked often,” the guard muttered from behind him. Aren might have laughed, if he wasn’t still thinking of Iria’s retreating back as she headed to a lookout tower.
Gisela led them out of the guards’ quarters. At the end of the hallway, in the room where they’d been working on the Weakling armor, several soldiers raced in and out, grabbing shields and chest plates and piles of clothing.
They walked upstairs and outside, to the east lawn. The sun was sinking lower in the sky, casting an orange glow across the grass. Hundreds of soldiers and guards were already t
here, with more streaming out from every door of the castle.
About a quarter of the soldiers had Weakling armor or shields. There was no way to know if Olivia or any other Ruined would be attacking with the humans, so they’d been ordered to put it on just in case. Aren thought Em was right—if Olivia had been spotted following the army, she was going to attack at the same time.
He spotted Galo weaving through the soldiers. Three men and two women followed him—the soldiers assigned just to protecting Aren. Behind them, Mariana made her way toward General Amaro.
“Em made it back?” he asked Galo.
“Yes. We think Olivia is going to the southeast tower to try to use an old, closed tunnel into the castle. Em’s going to meet her.”
Aren’s body went cold. “Just Em?”
“Em is going to the tower by herself. We’re sending people with Weakling armor to that side, to help if needed. Do you want to go meet her?”
Aren shook his head, even though he desperately wanted to sprint to that tower as fast as possible. It wasn’t just that he thought Em was in danger. He worried what she would be forced to do if it were just the two of them. Would Em kill Olivia in an effort to save the rest of them?
But he knew Em would want him to stay here, to protect the castle and help the Lera troops fight off the impending attack. He’d been given instructions, and the soldiers assigned to him were ready. He wasn’t deserting them now.
“Let’s get in position,” Galo said. Aren noticed him cast a glance over his shoulder at Mateo, who was with a group of guards headed back inside the castle.
Aren followed the soldiers around the side of the castle, to the front and out the gates. The area in front of the castle was nothing but grass, the buildings of Royal City to the right and homes in the distance to the left.
“They’re coming from that direction,” Galo said, pointing south.
The soldiers rushed past him, getting into formation. Galo took a crate from one of them and put it on the ground. Aren stepped onto it, able to see better with the height.
“Anyone operating a cannon first,” Galo reminded him. Aren nodded.
They waited. Aren had sensed the army when they were pretty far out, it seemed. August had already lost the element of surprise by threatening Cas, but Aren had given the Lera soldiers a huge head start with the early warning.
Galo stood directly in front of Aren, the other soldiers forming a circle around Aren. The other Ruined were scattered among the soldiers and guards, dressed the same so they were impossible for most to spot. Aren saw Mariana standing behind two women with swords, and Gisela talking to a guard, but he wasn’t able to pick out any of the other Ruined. They were lost in the sea of blue and black uniforms.
He looked over his shoulder, to the southeast lookout tower. He could see the tip of it, but the castle hid the bottom from view. Em and Olivia might have been there now.
“Aren,” Galo said quietly.
Aren’s head snapped forward. The Olso army had just appeared at the top of a small hill. The first wave was all on horseback and from this distance it looked as if many were wearing their battle armor. They didn’t slow when they saw the Lera army waiting for them. Maybe Aren had been wrong. Maybe August counted on him warning the Lerans early.
The warriors kept coming over the hill, hundreds of them. Horse hooves pounded the ground. Blasts erupted from either side of their formation. Smoke rose from the spot where Aren had just seen Gisela.
He focused on the warriors with the cannons first, tossing their bodies high into the air. He wasn’t close enough to be very accurate, and warriors all around them launched into the air as well.
The warriors reached the Lera soldiers, yells echoing as swords met and bodies crashed together. The ground began shaking and a tree toppled over, crushing several warriors and their cannon. Vallos soldiers flew through the air. Gisela pointed to them as she threw them.
But the warriors kept coming, their red uniforms fighting their way through the Lera soldiers. Aren took in a deep breath and focused his magic on them.
Jorge asked Cas to move out of the castle foyer as the soldiers and guards rushed out to get into formation.
“We think the small library is the safest place for you,” Jorge said, lowering his voice so only Cas could hear. “We’ve just redesigned the closet in that room so that it locks from the inside. You should go there until this is over.”
“Will you come get me as soon as there’s any word about Em and Olivia?”
“Of course.” Jorge looked at Jovita, who still stood glaring with her hands tied. “What would you like to do with her?”
Cas sighed. “Let her have a bath, and then put her in the basement cells.”
Jorge nodded, and gestured for the two guards with Jovita to bring her. She shuffled forward, scowling at Cas from behind strands of hair that had fallen in her face.
Cas looked over his shoulder as they turned down a hallway, glancing at the familiar blade one of the guards was holding. “Is that her sword?”
“Yes. Mateo gave it to me to give back to you. He said it was a Gallego family s—”
Jovita whirled around so quickly Cas barely saw her reach for the weapon in her pocket. The ropes flew off her wrists, then she pulled the dagger from her pants and plunged it into the guard’s neck. Jorge lunged, but she launched her foot into his chest. He staggered back with a gasp.
Cas reached for the sword slipping from the dead guard’s hand, but it was too late. Jovita grabbed it, elbowing the other guard in the face as he tried to grab Cas.
Cas whirled around, preparing to run, but Jovita roughly shoved him through the open door and into the small library. He stumbled but didn’t fall, and quickly turned. Jovita slammed the door shut and clicked the lock into place. She pointed the sword at him and smiled.
He took a step back, taking stock of the room out of the corner of his eyes. Shelves of books lined the walls. A sofa and several chairs sat in the middle of the room, around a small table. More chairs were near the windows. But there were no swords in this room, and he’d given his to Em. His heart pounded in his ears as he stared at his cousin.
“They said you could barely hold a sword,” he said. “That you were standing on top of a building, ranting and raving.”
She moved a little closer to him. “I was. But you don’t think a Ruined could break me that easily, did you?” She blinked three times, twitching the last time. They had broken her, at least a little.
Cas closed his fingers around the back of the chair next to him. Outside the door, guards yelled, followed by a heavy thud. The wall rattled. They were breaking down the door.
Jovita held the sword steady, but she was breathing heavily, and she kept glancing to her left, like she saw something there. He was worried that her panic might actually make her more dangerous.
She lunged, blade aimed at his chest. He grabbed the chair, holding it up in front of his chest like a shield, and darted out of the way.
“They will never let you be queen,” Cas said. Jovita lunged again, aiming for his arm this time. She nicked him, blood seeping from the scratch. He tried to dodge her, but his back hit the wall.
He threw the chair at her head. She ducked, and it sailed over her and crashed into the wall, breaking into several pieces. A chair leg rolled across the floor.
Cas took advantage of the momentary distraction to dart around Jovita. He ran across the sofa, on to the table in the center of the room, and jumped down to grab the chair legs.
He spun around just in time to see her blade swinging at his face. He blocked it with the chair leg, the wood cracking as the sword hit it. He swung the leg as hard as he could, connecting with Jovita’s face.
She stumbled backward, blood dripping down her forehead. Cas hurled himself at her, knocking them both to the ground. The sword skittered across the floor.
She twisted beneath him, reaching an arm out to try and grab the sword. He yanked her arm back, holding it tight t
o the ground.
“They will never let you be queen,” he said again, slower. She kicked her legs and let out an annoyed scream. She blew a piece of hair out of her face and glowered at him.
“I wasn’t going to ask permission,” she said. “That’s your problem. You’re always asking permission.”
A crashing noise came from behind him. “Again!” Jorge yelled.
Jovita squirmed, managing to free one of her arms from his grasp. She wriggled away, making a beeline for the sword.
Cas grabbed the edge of her shirt, pulling her back and diving for the blade. His hand closed around the handle.
She grabbed for his ankle, but he barely managed to avoid her fingers. He jumped to his feet, the sword stretched out in front of him. He took several steps back, still breathing heavily. Jovita sat up but didn’t bother getting to her feet. There was no point in fighting anymore, now that he had the only sword in the room.
She leaned against the couch, tilting her head back as she let out a humorless laugh. “It was much more theatrical this way, right?”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“We joked once, after that man tried to kill you at your wedding. I said I wouldn’t have used poison. I preferred something more theatrical.”
“But you did poison me.”
“Well, desperate times called for desperate measures. And that stupid Olivia failed to kill you again, it seems.” She waved her hand in disgust.
Cas walked to the door, reaching for the lock. The door shook as something heavy hit it. “I’m fine!” he called. He turned the lock, then looked at Jovita, hand on the doorknob. “You didn’t send that man to kill me at my wedding, did you?”
“No.” She lowered her head with a frown. “Not that I remember.” She blinked twice, pulling her knees to her chest and muttering something he couldn’t understand.
Cas opened the door to find the hallway packed with guards. Jorge held an ax, and he quickly lowered it.
“I got it!” a guard yelled, rounding a corner with a key held up in the air. He skidded to a stop when he spotted Cas. “Oh.”
“Are you all right, Your Majesty?” Jorge asked.
