Ruined

  “What happens after they see the king?” Em asked, resisting the urge to let Iria suffer a few seconds more.

  She cleared her throat, obviously still uncomfortable. “They’ll be taken to a ship. We have several that will be headed this way in preparation for the attack.” She turned to Em. “We’ll need you to find out what their defenses are on the shoreline near the castle. They have people on watch, and if you can tell us where, we want to put a Ruined on each person. Cloud their minds so they don’t even see the ships coming until it’s too late.”

  “I like that plan,” Em said. “I’ll work on it.”

  “And if we’re going to partner, we need to know about the Ruined’s weaknesses. We’ve gotten word about a flower called Weakling? Apparently some hunters are carrying it?”

  Em and Aren exchanged a look. Weakling, named because it made a Ruined weak (or dead, if exposed long enough), had been a closely guarded secret for generations. The blue flower grew in Ruina, and her mother had taken her and Olivia to a small patch of it once. She still remembered the disappointment in her mother’s eyes when Em stuck her nose between the petals, took a deep breath, and nothing happened. Her mother said Em’s immunity was a strength, but she hadn’t meant it. Her immunity meant she was doomed to be useless forever.

  Her mother had spent a lot of time burning every field where the Weakling flower grew, like every king or queen before her. It always grew back, a constant plague that could never be fully erased.

  “The hunters say that a Ruined can’t use magic on them if they have the flower on their body,” Iria continued. “Is that true?”

  Aren rubbed the back of his neck. “Somewhat. Depends on how powerful the Ruined is. And it may not protect the whole body from someone like me. If you have it on your chest, I may still be able to control your legs.”

  “Interesting,” Iria murmured. “And it harms you?”

  “It closes the throat, so we can’t breathe. And if it comes in contact with the skin, it can cause the skin to split open at the Ruined marks.” Aren peered at his arms, searching for his Ruined marks. He’d had many, evidence of the impressive power that ran through his veins.

  Only charred flesh stared back at him, and he twisted his face into a blank expression.

  “Would it still have that effect on you?” Iria asked quietly.

  “The marks are still there, you just can’t see them anymore. And more will appear eventually. Hopefully not anytime soon.” His gaze hardened. “But I know the hunters have been testing out Weakling on some of the Ruined, so I suspect you already knew what it did.”

  “We only wanted to know in order to protect you,” Iria said.

  She was right, of course. The Ruined’s numbers were so diminished that partnering with the warriors was the only option. The Ruined needed their help, and their protection.

  “Anyway.” Iria cleared her throat. “Find out where the royal family goes in case of an emergency. If any of them escape, we want to know where they’ll be headed.”

  “They’ve already told me.” Em crossed the room and opened a dresser drawer. She pushed aside a dagger and pulled out a map. She held it out to Iria. “The day after Cas was attacked, Jovita gave this to me. She said there’s a small fortress in the Vallos Mountains—they call them the Southern Mountains here—and in case of an emergency, I can always go there. It’s called Fort Victorra.”

  “I know that place,” Iria murmured, twisting a lock of hair around her finger as she examined the map.

  “I don’t think the location is much of a secret, but you shouldn’t be found with that map.” Em held her hand out for it, and Iria took one last look before giving it back. Em returned it to the drawer, putting the knife back in its place.

  “My parents argued for immediate action. They wanted to go in and help as soon as we heard the king killed Wenda and took Olivia.” Iria lowered her voice. “For what it’s worth.”

  “Not worth much now, considering that didn’t happen and most of the Ruined are dead,” Aren said, striding toward the door. “I have to get to training. Careful with that one guard, Galo. He’s friends with the prince, and rumor has it he reports everything back to Cas.”

  “Is he captain of the prince’s guard?”

  “No, that’s Julio. But Galo is the one who knows everything.”

  “Good to know,” Em said.

  “I’ll get you the guard’s schedules and rotations soon. I’m still working them out.”

  “Thank you,” Iria said. Aren walked out the door, pulling it closed behind him. Iria stared at the spot where he’d been.

  “He’s not the same as he was,” Em said.

  “I barely knew him before. He only spoke to me to tease me when I visited the castle.”

  He’d probably been flirting with her—Aren was a terrible flirt when he was younger—but Em decided not to point that out.

  She gestured for Iria to follow as she walked to the door and headed out into the hallway. “I’ll keep you updated,” she said quietly.

  Iria nodded at something behind Em. “Your Highness.”

  Em turned to see Cas coming down the hallway. He wore dark pants and a gray shirt that had several buttons undone, and he tossed a piece of hair out of his eyes as he approached.

  She really wished he wouldn’t do that thing with his hair.

  “Hello, Iria,” he said.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” the warrior said. “I need to find Koldo and Benito before the meeting.”

  Cas watched Iria go, then turned to Em. “Good morning.”

  He was smiling. He should definitely stop smiling. “Good morning.”

  “I thought we could walk to the meeting together. My father is always late, so we can entertain the warriors until he gets there.” Cas offered his arm, and she took it.

  “Is this an appropriate outfit?” she asked, gesturing down to the loose black dress. It was short-sleeved and casual, with a long, simple skirt that moved around her legs when she walked. “I didn’t know if there was a certain type of dress for your meetings. Your mother didn’t give me any instructions.”

  “No, there’s not. The meetings are casual.” He paused, then cleared his throat. “You look very nice.”

  “Thank you.” Em stole a quick glance at him. She wasn’t sure what to make of last night. He hadn’t even seemed angry that she didn’t want to consummate the marriage. Maybe he didn’t want to have sex with her either.

  The thought should have been more comforting than it was.

  They walked to the Ocean Room, and when Cas opened the door, she understood why the king took meetings there. The space was huge, easily bigger than all her rooms combined. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the east wall showed off an impressive view of the ocean in the distance, and the deep-blue curtains were all open.

  Several chairs and couches surrounded the fireplace, and the white carpet spread throughout the room was immaculate. A long wooden table with chairs on either side was in the middle of the room, and a generous spread of fruit and pastries sat in the center.

  Besides two staff members, they were the first ones there, and Em took a seat next to Cas. The servants poured them tea and piled their plates with food. Em reached for a pastry covered in sugar, noting that there were no knives on the table. Her chair was made of wood, though, and could easily be broken. The king would probably sit at the end of the table, and she could smash the chair over one of his advisers’ heads, and then use a sharp edge to cut the king’s throat or maybe jam it into his chest.

  “Feel free to speak up at this meeting, if you want,” Cas said. “I didn’t ask enough questions or talk when I first started attending, and everyone took it to mean I was bored and uninterested.”

  She ran a napkin over her mouth. “Were you?”

  “No. I just thought it was best to listen first. Get all the facts before forming an opinion.” He laughed. “My father is more of the type to form an opinion and then ignore facts later, so I don’t
think he quite understood.”

  She barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the mention of his father. She stuffed the rest of the pastry into her mouth instead.

  The warriors entered and took the seats across from Cas and Em. The staff served them food and tea as well, but the warriors all just sat there, regarding the provisions suspiciously.

  Koldo’s full red cheeks made him appear younger than the other two, and he glanced at Iria and Benito, as if asking for permission to eat. Benito frowned at him.

  “We didn’t poison it,” Cas said with a laugh, then took a sip of his tea. “If we were going to kill you, we would come up with something much better than poison.”

  The warriors chuckled. “Perhaps we just don’t like the food here, Your Highness,” Iria said.

  “Sure you don’t,” Cas said with a grin. He took a big bite of a meat pie on his plate. There was really no arguing that Lera had delicious food down to a perfect science.

  “We don’t usually eat at meetings in Olso,” Benito said, but he reached for his tea, his huge hand engulfing the cup. Koldo’s eyes brightened, and he reached for a pastry.

  The queen and Jovita entered the room, followed by four of the king’s advisers. They all took their seats, Jovita sliding into the chair next to Iria. The advisers sat down next to Em, opposite the warriors.

  Em leaned closer to Cas, speaking in a whisper. “Is Jovita usually in these meetings?”

  He nodded. “She’s being groomed to take over her late mother’s advisory spot. She’s only begun attending in the last year or so.”

  The king strolled into the room, his usual big smile plastered on his face. The Olso warriors stood for him, and Em begrudgingly got to her feet with Cas.

  “Good morning,” he said as he pulled his chair out and sat down. Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone else sat. “How was your first night in the castle?”

  “Very nice, Your Majesty,” Benito said.

  “You should visit the shore while you’re here,” the king said, sweeping his arm out to the window, in case they’d missed the view. “It’s lovely, you know.”

  The warriors nodded without reply. Em suspected they would rather stab themselves in the eye than frolic on Lera’s beaches. She couldn’t blame them.

  “Let’s get started right away,” the king said. “You’re here because your trade agreements with Vallos are no longer valid, since we control the country now. So tell me what you want.”

  Iria slid a piece of paper across the table. “Those were our terms with Vallos. We’d request the same from you.”

  The king frowned at the paper for a moment, then pushed it aside. Cas nudged it closer to him, and Em noticed him stealing a glance. The terms were most likely purposefully terrible, since the warriors had no intention of signing any new trade agreements. It was simply a distraction, so they could remain in Lera to plot the attack.

  “No,” the king said.

  “Do you have terms you’d prefer?” Koldo asked.

  “No. That’s your job. Come up with something better.”

  “We will send word to our king and draft new terms,” Iria said. “Should we move on? We’d like to discuss the port of Olso.”

  The king folded his hands together and rested them on his stomach as he leaned back in his chair. “Yes?”

  “The clause in the peace treaty that gave you the port expired five years ago,” Iria said. “Yet Lera ships are still there.”

  “The clause expired only if Lera was satisfied that Olso didn’t pose a threat to any of the other kingdoms,” the king said.

  “We don’t,” Koldo said.

  “No?” the king asked. “I’ve just received word from my hunters that the Ruined were spotted trying to enter Olso.”

  Em’s breath caught in her throat, and she looked at Iria, trying to keep her expression neutral. The warrior’s face showed genuine surprise. Koldo and Benito wore matching expressions.

  “When did you hear this, Your Majesty?” she asked.

  “Just yesterday.”

  “I don’t know anything about that, but we can’t control what the Ruined try to do, Your Majesty,” she said.

  “I have other reports saying that warriors have been spotted in Vallos as well. What would warriors be doing in Vallos?”

  “Enjoying the countryside?” Iria guessed, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. Em pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

  The king narrowed his eyes. “Many of the Ruined are currently in Vallos.”

  “As is the entire population of Vallos. We are allowed to visit Vallos, Your Majesty,” Iria said. “Their entry laws are far more relaxed than yours.”

  “That will be changing.”

  “I’m sure,” Iria said.

  “Partnering with the Ruined is an act of war,” the king said.

  “Understood. But like I said, I don’t know anything about that. And regardless, that clause is five years expired. We’ve been patient, and we ask that you honor your agreements.”

  “It’s not happening.”

  “Why not?” Cas asked.

  All heads swiveled to him, matching expressions of surprise on the faces of every adviser. The queen’s eyes widened, and she put a hand on Jovita’s arm, like she was afraid the girl would jump in with her own questions. Jovita merely raised an eyebrow.

  “Casimir!” his father exclaimed.

  “I wasn’t agreeing with them, I was asking a question,” he said. “Why do we still control that port?”

  “Because of the clause in the treaty,” the king said.

  “Is it true the treaty said we’d return the port to them five years ago if they hadn’t shown violence against other kingdoms?”

  The king paused for a moment. “I would need to see a copy to be sure.”

  Em barely held back a snort. It was smart of him not to admit to that, even if it was true.

  “I’d like to think we honor our word,” Cas said.

  His father rose suddenly, shooting his son a look so full of venom that even Em was tempted to crawl under the table. To Cas’s credit, he just stared back at his father.

  “We will continue this discussion another time,” the king said. He glared at the warriors. “I’ve ordered any Ruined attempting to sneak into Olso captured and brought to me for questioning. If you’re lying about helping them, I will find out.”

  Em gripped her hands together so tightly it almost hurt. It wasn’t unexpected that the hunters had noticed the Ruined moving into Olso. She had hoped they would have more time before the king became suspicious, but that was all he had. Suspicions.

  The king walked out of the room, and the advisers followed suit. The queen and Jovita stood behind Cas’s chair until he finally noticed and stood as well.

  The queen leaned over and said something to Cas as Em followed them out of the room. He shrugged, which was apparently not the answer his mother wanted. She marched away, her skirts swishing around her feet.

  Jovita lingered, and Cas gestured for Em to follow them. She obediently walked down the hallway and into the library. Jovita pushed the door closed behind them.

  “What are you doing?” Jovita had a way of speaking that was both furious and quiet and calm.

  “What do you mean?” Cas asked, plopping down in a chair and stretching his long legs out in front of him.

  Jovita glanced to where Em stood by the door, as if just noticing she was still with them. Jovita hesitated, but Cas looked at her expectantly.

  “Defying your father in front of the warriors is inappropriate. And not helpful.”

  “I wasn’t defying him. I asked a question.”

  “It was an inappropriate question,” Jovita said, planting her hands on her hips. Em edged around her and sat down in a chair across from Cas.

  “It was not,” Cas said. “What is the point of making treaties if you’re not going to honor them?”

  Jovita sighed like Cas was an idiot. “You just don’t under
stand, Cas.”

  Cas imitated her sigh. “Neither do you, Jovita.”

  Em choked back a laugh, brushing her fingers across her mouth. Cas caught her smile and his lips turned up as well.

  Jovita rolled her eyes. “Gross. I don’t need to see your budding romance right now.”

  “Jovita,” Cas said in a warning tone.

  “Your father is going to throw you out of the meetings if you disagree with him.”

  “I’ve been in those meetings longer than you. I’m allowed to start asking questions.”

  Jovita walked to the door. “You may have been in them longer, but at least I know when to keep my mouth shut and obey.”

  Cas pulled on his knuckle, turning away from Jovita. She left the room, letting the door shut behind her.

  A long silence settled after Jovita left, and Em watched as Cas stared at the floor.

  “It was a fair question,” she finally said.

  “You don’t have to agree with me just because we’re married,” he said with a hint of amusement.

  “Trust me, there’s no danger of that.”

  He cocked his head, studying her for a moment. “How do you feel about a little adventure?”

  “I’m for it.”

  “It’s kind of dangerous. And my parents will be furious if they find out.”

  “Then I’m definitely for it.”

  He hopped up. “Good. Change into pants. Something discreet.”

  ELEVEN

  EM WAITED FOR Cas outside the door to the staff kitchen, as he’d instructed her. She’d changed into black pants and a loose green shirt. She rolled up the sleeves as she waited.

  Cas rounded the corner with a guard, the young dark-haired one who was always at his side. The guard smiled at Em, revealing a tiny gap between his two front teeth. His square jaw, wide nose, and green eyes all worked together to make an unexpectedly handsome face.