“Is that safe?” Violet asked.
“The soldiers Jovita sent to check the area returned saying they found no warriors. I figured we could go after—” He cut himself off, not sure he wanted everyone to know he was meeting with Em. “Day after tomorrow,” he said. Violet nodded knowingly.
“That doesn’t leave us a lot of time to assess the guard,” Galo said.
Cas shook his head. “You and Mateo stay here. Just Violet and I will go.”
“No,” Galo and Mateo said together.
“It will be a short trip,” Cas said. “We’re already in the southern province. And we’ll attract less attention just the two of us.” He turned to Violet. “If that’s all right with you.”
“It’s no problem. May we go by my home? I’d like to see if it’s still there and check on my grandmother and the staff.”
“Of course.” He wished he could go by his home too. He wondered if any part of the castle was still standing.
“Venturing out without even one guard right now is not going to help convince everyone you’re sane,” Galo said.
“Galo!” Violet exclaimed.
“What? It’s true. What sane king would wander around without a guard during wartime?”
“One who wants to travel inconspicuously,” Cas said. “Most people in the southern province don’t know what I look like. And I can defend myself. So can Violet. I’ve seen her use a sword.”
“I’m also solid with a bow and arrow,” she said.
“Good. We’ll get you one before we leave.” He looked around the table. “Anything else?” Everyone shook their head. “Thank you for this. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
Blanca squeezed his hand as she stood, and the rest of the table followed suit.
“Galo, stay for a minute,” Cas said. He waited until everyone else had left before turning to his friend. “Jovita claims she didn’t poison me.”
“Of course she does.”
“I’m sure she’s lying, but can you keep an ear out, just in case?”
Galo nodded. “I don’t see who else it could be. Unless one of the advisers is making a play for the throne… .” His face tensed in thought. “Are you sure you want to leave her alone here? You just returned.”
“It’s only a few days. The southern province is more important than anything happening here.”
“What are you going to do if it wasn’t Jovita who poisoned you?”
“It was her,” he said, but he’d had the same thought as Galo. There was a slim possibility an adviser or governor had seen an opportunity and run with it. “But if it wasn’t … it doesn’t change anything.”
Aren bent down to the stream, tipping his canteen so the water flowed in. He raised it to his lips and took a sip. Beside him, Iria did the same.
They’d crossed into the southern province of Lera, and soon the air would be warmer, the trees greener. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn’t mind being back in Lera. The trees were already thicker around them, a few of them still with all their leaves.
As far as he could tell, the warriors hadn’t infiltrated southern Lera yet. Iria said that after they lost the battle at the fortress, most of the warriors had been ordered north, to Royal City or Gallego City. They were the two most populous areas, and it made more sense to keep a hold on them.
Aren walked back to his horse. There was no talking today, and he quietly hooked his canteen back to his bag.
He turned around. Iria was walking back from the stream. She stopped suddenly. Her face tensed.
Aren put his hand on his sword. She met his gaze, sliding her eyes to her right.
An arrow flew out of the bushes. It was headed straight for Iria.
“Attack!” he yelled, holding one arm out. He focused on Iria and her feet left the ground. She flew at him with such force that she almost knocked him over. The arrow sailed through the empty space where she used to be.
“Clara!” he yelled. She ran through his eye line, and the tree where the arrow had come from swayed left, then right. It toppled over, bringing screams with it. Three men darted out of the way, straight at Aren.
He shot all three of them back at once. He hadn’t detached, hadn’t used any of the training Olivia had given him. His legs should have been shaking right about now.
Instead, he could feel his power shooting through his veins. It tingled pleasantly, fueling him instead of draining him.
“Kill the Ruined!” someone yelled. A Lera hunter with several blue pins pointed at him. A warrior took off toward him.
“I’ve got it!” Aren called. He reached out to Iria. “May I …”
She looked at him in confusion, but she held her arm out. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist.
He turned back to the hunter, who was now running away from him at top speed. Aren stopped the man’s feet suddenly, causing him to fall flat on his face. A warrior laughed.
Aren lifted the hunter off the ground, which usually took so much energy it made him feel sick. But he felt steady, calm, even as he snapped the man’s neck.
The man hit the ground with a thud. Aren stared at him, regret filling his chest. He had to kill the hunter, otherwise he would have run back to the fortress and given them away. But sadness trickled in anyway.
He didn’t mind. He liked the sadness. With this kill, at least he still felt like himself. At least he wasn’t numb.
The warriors swarmed the remaining men. Aren was still holding on to Iria. He had one arm around her waist, clutching her to his side. He quickly released her.
“Thank you,” she said, looking at the ground as she stepped away from him.
He wanted to touch her again as soon as she was gone. It was as if his entire body was bending toward her, begging to be close.
He looked down at his hand. It was almost like he could still feel her on his skin. Like her warmth was still radiating through his body, making him strong. He didn’t feel the least bit weak, even after using his magic.
Iria had her head cocked to the side, watching him with a mixture of interest and confusion.
“What …” Iria let her voice trail off.
He wanted to tell her. He wanted to grab her arm again and ask her to let him experiment. But Clara and Santino and all the warriors were watching, listening.
Clara had her back pressed to a tree, something he’d seen elemental Ruined do often. Damian used to lie on the ground, arms and legs spread, saying that the dirt and the grass fueled him. He claimed he was stronger in Vallos than Ruina, because of their abundant crops and water. Ruina was too dry and desolate to fuel his Ruined magic, he said.
Aren thought they were imagining things. Elemental Ruined were always going on about being connected to nature, but he didn’t think they meant it literally.
He walked away from Iria. He could almost feel her eyes following him.
“Clara,” he said softly as he stopped in front of her.
“What?”
“Does leaning against that tree help you get your strength back faster?”
She nodded. “Feels like it. Some Ruined disagree. I think they’re just not focusing.”
“Focusing?”
“Yeah.” She reached both arms back, curling her fingers around the trunk. “You can’t think of it as taking energy from the tree. You’re connecting with it. You’re asking it for help. When you ask, it responds.”
“The tree responds.”
“Hey. Don’t make fun of me. You don’t know. A tree is a living thing. A living thing I can command. You don’t think I can communicate with it?”
“I guess you can,” he murmured.
“I definitely can.”
“Is there, like … a feeling?”
“Sure.” She leaned her head back against the bark. “It’s like I can feel the energy in my veins.”
He glanced back at Iria. Was that what was happening? Could a human actually help fuel his Ruined magic?
“Why?” Clara followed h
is gaze. “Did something happen with that warrior?”
“I don’t know.”
“Aren! That’s crazy.”
He shushed her. “I said I don’t know.”
She leaned forward, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Figure it out. Do you know what that could mean for us? What Ruined like you could use humans for?”
His body tensed at the word use. She’d talked about communication and requests with a tree, but with a human it was use?
He stepped back. “I think I was imagining things. Olivia’s been training me. I’m just getting stronger.”
“Test it out anyway. Tell me how it goes.”
“I will.” He knew the words were a lie as soon as they left his mouth.
He walked back to Iria, who was standing next to her horse. Her face was open, curious, as she watched him, and he realized with a start that there was no one here he trusted more than her. Not even his fellow Ruined.
“I’ll tell you later,” he said under his breath as he passed her.
She mounted her horse. “Thank you saving my life, by the way.”
“You already said.”
“Oh. I did?” Pink tinged her cheeks, and she ducked her chin into her chest as she grabbed the saddle of her horse.
He tried to hide his amusement. Was it wrong that he liked that he flustered her?
“Duck next time,” he said with a grin. “I can’t constantly be saving you.”
She was obviously trying not to smile. “I would have, if you hadn’t decided to throw me around with your Ruined magic.”
“Sure you would have.”
“I would! I have very fast reflexes, you know.”
He laughed, and she grinned at him, her cheeks still pink.
TWENTY-NINE
EM WAITED UNTIL Olivia was asleep to sneak out.
She put her sword and canteen on her belt and walked down the quiet, deserted street to the barn. They had Ruined and warriors on watch nearby, but she would find a way to explain later. For now, she needed to get to Cas and find out if Jovita had bought his story.
She saddled a horse and led him outside into the dark. She kicked his sides until he broke into a gallop. They slowed as the town disappeared behind them.
It wasn’t far to the meeting spot—about halfway between the fortress and Sacred Rock, but her heart beat too fast the entire way. What if he wasn’t there? What if Galo was there, with news of Cas’s death?
The journey was mostly out in the open—no trees or hills to hide behind—and she had to admit that meeting Cas was wildly risky. There weren’t any towns between Sacred Rock and the Fortress, but there were farms, and she could be easily spotted. Hopefully the farmers were asleep or had long abandoned their homes when the Ruined moved in.
She spotted a dark figure as she finally approached the meeting spot. Her heart jumped into her throat.
Two figures, actually. A shorter, slimmer person was next to the man.
She jumped off her horse and practically ran to them. It was Cas and Violet. “You’re here.”
“I said I would be.” Cas’s voice had an edge to it. She couldn’t blame him, but still, it stung.
“How is everything?” she asked. “Did you make it to the fortress?”
“We made it,” Cas said. “Jovita took me back. She claims she didn’t poison me.”
“What?”
“It’s a lie. I’m sure of it.”
It was too dark to read the nuances of his expression, but his tone sounded sure. The Cas she knew wouldn’t be so certain. He’d question and ponder and hesitate. Perhaps he was fooling himself now, but what about in a year? Ten years? When he looked back on murdering Jovita, would he still wonder?
“Let me do it,” she said quickly. “I’ll kill Jovita. Find a way to lure her out and I’ll take care of it.”
“Why?” Cas asked.
“You know why. To spare you from killing your own family.” “She’s not my family.” He shrugged. “Besides, whether it’s your sword or mine doesn’t matter. I’ll be responsible for her death.”
She wished she’d told him no. She wished she’d taken him up on his offer to stay with her, despite the cost. This cold, hollow version of Cas was almost too much to take.
“I don’t have any information for you yet,” Cas said. “But Jovita is definitely in a holding pattern right now, so there’s no need to worry about an attack.” He gestured at Violet. “We’re leaving from here to visit some people Violet knows in the southern province. So we should wait awhile before meeting again.”
“Jovita didn’t find that suspicious?”
“I told her I wanted to go home and check on my grandmother,” Violet said. “It’s not far.”
“But, yes, she was suspicious.” Cas smiled at Violet. “She knows the power Violet has over the southern province. Our friendship makes her very nervous.”
Violet laughed softly, and the lump in Em’s throat grew three sizes. She didn’t have a right to be jealous. She was practically engaged to someone else.
Still, the knowledge that Cas and Violet were going to be traveling together, alone, made her want to curl up in the dirt and scream.
“How long until you return to the fortress?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“We figure we’ll be gone about three or four nights,” Cas said. “Let’s plan to meet again in ten days. I’ll send Galo if I can’t get away.”
She wanted to ask why he didn’t think he’d be able to get away. She wanted to ask if he was even going to try. She wanted to ask if this was the last time she was going to see him.
“Sounds good,” she said instead. Her voice betrayed the fact that nothing was good about this situation.
“Do you have any information for me?” Cas asked.
She shook her head. “We’re also in a holding pattern. A group of warriors and Ruined are going north to find out the status of the warriors in Gallego City and Royal City. Aren is with them. I’ll let you know what they find out.”
“How far north?” Cas asked.
“Not farther than Gallego City.”
“Oh.”
“If I hear anything about the castle …”
Cas cleared his throat. “You’ll tell me. I know.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “And August? Are you officially engaged?”
Violet must have taken that as her cue to leave, because she turned and walked back to her horse.
“No,” Em said quietly. “I’m still not sure it will happen. Olivia isn’t crazy about the idea. And neither am I.”
He stared at her but said nothing. She desperately wanted to ask about Violet, but she couldn’t bring herself to betray just how jealous she was.
“I’ll see you in ten days,” he said. “Or Galo will.”
“Try to come,” she said. “Please?”
He nodded. “I will.” He turned away and trudged to Violet. She waved at Em, and Em lifted her hand in reply. At least Violet stood by him. At least she seemed kind, and strong, and she was his friend. Cas had to marry someone else eventually. If it was Violet, at least Em knew he’d picked well.
It didn’t make her feel any better. Tears pricked her eyes as she turned away.
She mounted her horse and rode back to Sacred Rock a little slower than she’d come. The air was cold, but she barely felt it stinging her face.
The sun was starting to come up when she approached the barn. A tall, broad figure stood in front of the doors. His hands were planted on his hips.
“Em?” he called as she drew closer. August.
“Hi,” she said, trying to sound casual. She jumped off the horse and grabbed the reins. “Would you mind opening the doors?”
August pulled them open and she guided the horse inside. “Where were you?”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“So you rode off in the middle of the night? They say you’ve been gone hours.”
She led the horse into his stall and turned to face August. “
I didn’t go far. I was just scouting the area. I stopped for a while and sat by a stream.”
“At night. By yourself.”
Her heart pounded, but her voice came out smooth. “Olivia scouts this area every day. No one with any sense is nearby.”
“You expect me to believe that you were just wandering around by yourself? I’m not stupid, Emelina.” His voice turned angry so quickly she laid a hand on her sword.
“I never said you were, August.” She strode past him out of the barn, and he followed her. She pulled the door closed behind them.
He stared at her, his jaw twitching in anger. “You’re really not going to tell me what you were doing?”
“I told you. I was scouting the area. We have Ruined do it every day, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
“I honestly don’t know what else you want from me.” He let out a humorless laugh. “I bring you food and supplies and warriors and an offer of marriage and you still can’t be bothered to even look at me twice.”
“I told you I was considering your offer of marriage.”
“What’s there to consider?” he snapped. “The alliance is mutually beneficial. I’m sending a warrior back to Olso to say you’ve accepted.”
“That’s funny, I don’t remember actually accepting.”
He took a step closer to her. “You need me. And you should be grateful I consented to this. There are plenty of women in Olso who would fall all over themselves to marry me.”
“Then why did you agree?” She crossed her arms over her chest, holding his furious gaze. “Could it be that you need me too? Perhaps more than I need you? You’d be king of the Ruined if I married you. You’ll never be king of anything in Olso.”
His face flushed. He had no reply to that, it seemed.
She smirked. “I can’t promise you an answer until after we’ve taken care of Jovita. If you can’t wait, then you’re free to leave.”
“And what will your advisers think about that?”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “I think you overestimate their affection for you, August. They’ll trust my judgment.”
He gave her a sour look and she smiled in return.
She was never marrying him.
THIRTY