by Amy Tintera
Galo gave him a quick smile before turning to race back out of the castle. Past the gates, hundreds of Lera soldiers fought off the Olso and Vallos troops against the setting sun. Smoke rose from the north corner of the castle, where a cannonball had hit the building, but the damage looked minimal. The southwest tower was on fire, and he watched as a piece of it crashed to the ground.
He found Aren right where he’d left him, standing in front of the castle gates on an old potato crate. He was surrounded by Lera guards and soldiers.
Screams ripped through the air, and a sudden rush of Olso warriors plowed through the Lera soldiers. They were headed straight for Aren. The attacks directly on Aren were endless. The warriors had clearly been told to make killing Aren a top priority.
“More! We need more!” Galo followed the sound of the voice to see a soldier pointing at Aren. They needed more people to guard him.
Galo raced forward, pushing through the growing crowd of soldiers. He lightly wrapped his hand around Aren’s wrist.
“You got Em safely inside?” Aren asked without turning around. Galo wasn’t sure how he’d known it was him.
“Yes. Mateo took her to hide with Cas.”
Aren focused on the warriors to his left, throwing them all through the air at once. “I need to get somewhere higher.”
A body slammed into Galo’s, and he let go of Aren’s arm. He whirled around, gripping his sword. A warrior charged at him.
Galo lifted his sword, but the warrior was gone suddenly, his scream fading as he shot so far up into the sky he disappeared. The warriors around him shot off the ground as well, flying away one by one.
Aren jumped off the crate and took off in the direction of the castle. “I need to get higher!” he yelled again, shaking off a Lera soldier who tried to make him stay put.
Galo took off after Aren. Arrows whizzed by his head, and struck the soldier next to him. She fell with a gasp.
Aren ran through the castle gate and to the wall. He hooked his fingers onto the stone and began to hoist his body up.
Galo grabbed the edge of his shirt, pulling him back down. “You’ll be too exposed. Too easy a target for an arrow.”
“Trust me. I only need a few seconds.”
Galo didn’t release his shirt. It was too hard to protect him up there. “How do you feel? Are you getting weak?”
“Not even a little.”
Galo released his shirt. “Fine.” He grabbed the stone wall and began climbing up next to Aren. He could at least try to shield him.
They reached the top and Galo slowly stood, finding his balance on the narrow space.
“Get in position to catch him if he falls,” he said to the guards on the ground. He edged closer to Aren, trying to use his body to guard him without blocking Aren’s sight.
Aren stared out at the scene in front of him, and Galo followed his gaze. A line of soldiers stood in front of the castle, with Ruined placed at strategic points. He spotted Mariana collapsed in exhaustion, a group of castle guards trying to drag her to safety. It must have been difficult to distinguish between the Lera soldiers and the enemy on the ground, and Galo could see why Aren wanted to stand on the wall. Galo could easily spot the Lera soldiers, with their black long-sleeve shirts, the deep blue stripe on the collar standing out from the crowd.
Two arrows shot out from the crowd and Galo grabbed for Aren, pulling them both into a squat.
Aren shot up, using Galo’s arm to steady himself. He stared straight ahead, and warriors began flying backward and into the sky. They went in quick succession, leaving the area in front of the Lera troops completely clear.
The Lera soldiers ran into the now-empty grass, chasing the Olso warriors who were still standing. As Galo watched, several warriors fell, daggers and arrows sticking out of their chest.
Galo’s gaze followed a man jumping onto his horse, yelling something as he turned away from the castle. August. The remaining warriors began running away from the castle.
“He’s calling for a retreat,” he said with a laugh. He pointed, and Aren followed his finger. A smile spread across his face.
Galo turned to look in the other direction, at the warriors on the west side. He saw the warrior, standing with a dead Lera guard at his feet, a split second before she shot the arrow. It hurled straight toward Aren.
Galo threw his arm back, sending Aren off the wall and tumbling to the guards below. He tried to turn his body, to avoid the arrow, but it struck him so hard it sent him flying backward. He flew off the wall and collided with a body. Someone grunted as they broke his fall.
Pain seared through his chest, and there was suddenly a crowd around him. Everyone was shouting.
“Don’t pull it out,” someone said. “It might bleed too much.”
Mateo appeared in front of him, horror on his face as he looked down at the arrow. It was sticking out of his chest on the lower right side, in his ribs. He let out a sigh as he let his head fall back in the grass.
“That’s good.”
“What?” Mateo was blinking back tears. “How is this good?”
“That seems like an all right place to have an arrow.” He winced as pain shot through his chest. “Painful, though.”
Aren laughed. “He’s not wrong. Thanks for the push, by the way.”
“Anytime.”
Mateo wiped his eyes. “You idiot,” he said with a smile.
Aren watched as guards disappeared into the castle with Galo. He wanted to follow them in, to make sure Galo was all right, but he needed to find Iria first. He’d lost track of her after she killed Olivia and helped Em inside.
The sun was almost completely gone, the last wisps of light shining across the grass in front of the castle. There were bodies scattered everywhere, some of them Lera soldiers, and Aren swallowed down a wave of panic as he scanned the area.
He spotted Olivia, her body still crumpled on the grass where she’d died. A few Ruined stood nearby. He dared a quick glance around the area, trying his best not to look at Olivia as he searched for Iria.
Mariana was trudging slowly toward the castle, Patricio and Gisela on either side of her. She smiled weakly at Aren.
“Did we lose any Ruined?” he asked.
“Not one.”
He breathed a sigh of relief.
“What should we tell them to do with Olivia’s body?” Mariana asked.
Aren closed his eyes briefly. “Um, I think Em will want to bury it.” His throat closed as he said the words. He didn’t have much affection left for Olivia, but he knew that Em had to be devastated. All of this had started as a way to get her sister back, and in the end, she’d failed.
Mariana nodded. “I’ll let them know.”
He scanned the area behind them again, squinting at the soldiers returning to the castle. He purposefully didn’t look at the dead bodies on the ground. He didn’t want to even consider that she could be there. “Have you seen Iria?”
Mariana shook her head.
“Go rest,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder briefly. He walked farther away from the castle, his heart sinking further with each step. Soldiers and guards passed him, some of them smiling and thanking him, but he didn’t see Iria.
He turned back to the castle. Two guards were helping a soldier to her feet a few paces away.
“You were incredible,” the woman said to Aren.
“Thank you. Do you know if there was any fighting in the back of the castle?”
One of the guards shook his head. “No, but there was some on the southeast side.”
“Thanks.” He broke into a jog and headed southeast. There was nothing there but a few dead bodies, many of them killed by Olivia, judging by the state of their necks.
The soldiers around him were celebrating as he walked back to the front of the castle. Two Ruined passed him, one briefly grabbing his hand and saying something kind. His heart was pounding in his ears so loudly that he couldn’t even make out everything she had said.
“Have y
ou seen Iria?” he asked a familiar guard as she passed.
“Not since she brought Em in.”
He stopped, bracing a hand against the castle wall. He should have grabbed her after she passed Em off to Galo. He’d wanted to, but he’d had warriors coming at him from all sides at the time. He’d taken his eyes off her for a moment and she was gone.
“I took this shield from a soldier. I’m not sure who it was.”
Aren’s head snapped up at the sound of the familiar voice. Iria stood not far away, passing a Weakling shield to a guard.
“You’re the one who killed Olivia,” the guard said. His face broke into a smile. “I’m sure you can keep the shield. I think you can probably have anything you want.”
Iria shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t need it.” She looked up and spotted Aren watching them, and a tentative smile crossed her face. She lifted her hand in a wave.
He strode forward, reaching her in only a few quick steps. Whatever expression he had on his face, she seemed surprised by it, because her eyes widened a little as he approached.
He put both hands on her cheeks and kissed her. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and rose up on her toes, drawing them closer together. His whole body almost collapsed with relief. He might never let her out of his sight again.
“I’m sorry about Olivia,” she said as soon as they broke apart. “She was coming for you. I had to.”
“I know,” he said softly. He kept his hands on her cheeks, refusing to let her go yet.
“Is Em all right?”
“I haven’t seen her yet. But she knows you did it to protect us.” Aren thought that Em might have even been a little grateful, deep down. Iria saved Em from having to do it herself.
He leaned down and kissed her again, wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him. She pressed both hands to his chest, and he took one as he pulled away, lacing their fingers together.
“Where were you?” he asked. “I lost you after you gave Em to Galo. Did you go into the castle?”
“No, I helped Mariana and a few other Ruined fight off the warriors.”
He took in a sharp breath and looked down at her foot. “You really weren’t in shape to fight yet. You should have stayed where I could protect you.”
“I don’t need you to protect me. I did just fine on my own, obviously.”
“You’re still healing. Once you—”
Iria cut him off with another kiss, a low laugh sounding from the back of her throat. “Are you yelling at me or kissing me?” she asked. Her arms tightened around his waist.
“Both, I think.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her again.
FORTY-NINE
“ARE YOU EVER going to die?”
Cas pressed his lips together to keep in a laugh. The words were spoken by Jovita, who glared at him from the other side of her cell. She’d been locked up beneath the castle since the day of the battle, and it seemed she’d assumed he was dead.
“He’s immortal,” Galo said, stepping off the stairs behind Cas. “I guess you didn’t hear.”
Jovita looked between the two of them, like she couldn’t decide if they were telling the truth. The Ruined had clearly damaged her mind, because he could see the confusion all over her face as she frowned at them. It had been nearly a month since she’d returned to the castle on the day of the battle, and she hadn’t improved at all.
He felt a flash of sympathy for Jovita that she didn’t deserve. She didn’t deserve any of what he was about to do, but he knew it was the right decision. It was the first time he’d felt at peace about Jovita since his mother had died.
“I’m sending you to the fortress,” Cas said, stepping forward and pulling out the key to the cell. “There are guards waiting at the top of the stairs. They’ll escort you to a carriage, and then south, to the fortress.”
She regarded him suspiciously as he pulled the door open. “And then what?”
“And then you may do whatever you want, in the confines of the fortress. You’ll be given a room, not a cell, and you’ll have full access to the grounds. But you’ll be guarded at all times.”
She laughed. It was short and loud, and not at all amused. “You’re lying. You’re going to send me away so you can kill me without getting your hands dirty.”
“No, that’s what you would have done. The guards have been ordered not to harm you.” He swept his arm toward the stairs. “Go. We may come up with a different arrangement in the future, but for now, you will live in the fortress, and I will live here, and with a little luck, we will never see each other again.”
She stood slowly, never taking her eyes off him as she walked to the cell door. She stepped out of the cell and darted quickly past Cas, like she was afraid he was going to grab her. She ran up the stairs at full speed.
“No good-bye, then,” Galo said as he watched her go.
“I’m heartbroken,” Cas said dryly. He walked up the stairs, Galo following behind him, and watched as guards escorted Jovita down the hallway. It was strange that he’d been so scared of her a few months ago that he’d agonized over killing her. Now she just seemed like a sad reminder of the past.
Aren rounded the corner, and Jovita shrank toward one of the guards as soon as she spotted him. He laughed as he came to a stop next to Galo.
“At least I still scare some people,” he said. “My reputation has taken a hit recently. No one refers to me as ‘the bad one’ anymore.”
“I’m sure there are still a few people in Olso who call you that,” Galo said.
“Thank you. That makes me feel better.” Aren bumped his shoulder against Galo’s. “Come on. I think most of the Ruined are already waiting.”
“We have a meeting,” Galo explained as he stepped away from Cas. “We have a few things to discuss before the Vallos king arrives tomorrow.”
Cas sighed. The new king of Vallos had reached out to start peace talks, and Cas didn’t look forward to his visit. The kingdoms of Vallos and Olso had made it clear that they did not support Lera’s decision to let Ruined participate in government. He’d yet to hear from August at all on the subject of a peace treaty. Violet said he was probably too embarrassed after their humiliating defeat at the Lera castle. Rumor had it that everyone had heard that Iria, the most notorious traitor in Olso, had been the one to defeat Olivia Flores. There had even been a movement to pardon her and let her return home. She’d told Cas that August would never agree to that, and even if he did, she had no interest in returning to Olso.
“Iria’s waiting for you in one of the sparring rooms,” Aren said.
“I know, I’m headed up there now,” Cas said.
Galo winced. “You’re sparring with Iria? Poor girl.” Cas laughed.
Aren whacked him on the shoulder as they began walking away from Cas. “Hey.”
“Have you ever sparred with Cas? It’s a humbling experience.”
“I have no use for a sword.”
“How do you always manage to say that so smugly?”
Aren laughed, and their voices faded as they disappeared around the corner. Cas walked to the stairs and started up them, smiling at a maid as he passed her. The castle buzzed with noise around him. They were back to full staff, and new guards came in every week. The castle was almost back to how it used to be.
It felt empty without Em, though. She’d been gone for almost three weeks.
She’d actually laughed when he suggested burying Olivia in Lera. Olivia would come back from the dead just to kill them both if she buried her in Lera, Em had said. Cas couldn’t argue with that.
Em decided that Olivia would probably want to be with her mother, so she decided to take Olivia’s ashes back to Ruina. Cas had protested, pointing out that Em had a broken ankle, and the Ruined who had been loyal to Olivia had gone back to Ruina, but she wouldn’t be swayed. Ten Ruined went with her, including Mariana, who assured Cas they’d be fine. We made it this far, she’d said. We’re certainly no
t dying now.
That hadn’t completely eased his worries, but he did have to admit that she was right. The Olso warriors had retreated, and it looked like they had no plans to invade again. The new Vallos government was too scared of angering Lerans united with Ruined to make a move against Em. And Aren said that the war between Ruined died with Olivia.
Cas reached the top of the stairs and headed in the direction of the sparring room. He found Iria waiting in the middle of the room, sword already in hand.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “I was seeing Jovita off.”
“Was she grateful? To be going to the fortress?”
Cas pulled on his sparring jacket and grabbed a sword. “I don’t think grateful is the word. She might have lost her mind, but she remembers her hatred for me just fine.”
“I’d take that as a compliment. It would have been worse if she hadn’t thought of you at all.”
“Excellent point.”
“Thank you for doing this with me,” Iria said.
“I enjoy it,” he said. “Besides, Galo is busy and important these days, and most of the guard lets me win. You never let me win. I mean, I always do, but I have to actually work for it.”
“There is never any danger of me letting you win at anything.”
He laughed as he raised his sword. Iria stepped forward and they sparred in silence for several minutes, Cas tagging Iria twice. She moved smoothly now, her foot healed and her limp slight when she was wearing the boot. She hadn’t chosen a specific post in the Lera government yet, but General Amaro had suggested that she might start a program similar to the warrior program in Olso, to train elite Leran fighters.
She stepped back suddenly, nodding at something behind him. He turned to find Mateo standing at the door.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty,” Mateo said, a smile spreading across his face. “But the queen has returned.”
Em tilted her head back and closed her eyes, the sun warm on her face. She rode in the open-air wagon pulled by horses, her legs stretched out in front of her, the left one still bandaged at the ankle.
She was alone in the wagon, Mariana and Patricio on horseback on either side of her, the other Ruined riding just ahead. Royal City stretched out to her left, and the castle was so close it was hard not to jump out of the wagon and run to it.
