“We do,” Ivanna said gently. “But no one expects you to do that.”
“I would save a lot of people, right? If I killed her?” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “There’s no way we’ll stop her before she kills more people—maybe hundreds, or thousands—and I could have saved them all if I just—”
“Em.” Ivanna stopped, taking both Em’s hands in hers. “No one expects that of you. Aren could probably kill her too. Would you ever ask that of him?”
“Of course not.”
“Your mother used murder as a solution often. It’s what Olivia always chooses. You’ve used it yourself. But you can choose to do things differently from now on.”
Em wiped a hand across her eyes. “I still have to live with the fact that Olivia will kill people that I could have saved.”
Ivanna shook her head. “You can’t think of it like that. Olivia is responsible for her own actions. Do you blame Cas for everything his father did?”
“No,” Em said quietly.
“And he doesn’t blame you for what your mother did. There comes a time when we have to accept that people make their own choices, and we’re not responsible for those choices, even if they’re our family. You’ve expected Casimir to stand against his family’s choices, even if it meant losing them. It’s time to expect the same from yourself.”
Em took in a shaky breath. She hadn’t thought of it like that, but Ivanna wasn’t wrong. She had expected Cas to turn away from Jovita, and his mother, when she was still alive, in order to do the right thing. She hadn’t really even considered how hard that would be for him. It had seemed so obvious to her—his family had committed genocide, and Cas had to make it right. But now that she was faced with a similar problem in Olivia, she realized just how terrible it must have been for him.
“And don’t forget that Olivia isn’t the only powerful Ruined,” Ivanna added. “Killing one Ruined won’t solve our problems, not long-term.”
“You’re right,” Em said quietly.
“I often am,” Ivanna said lightly.
Em linked her arm through Ivanna’s as they started walking again.
“Thank you,” Em said. “I don’t have a lot of people to talk to these days.”
“I noticed. I’ll be taking this walk every morning, if you’d like to join me.”
“That would be nice.”
They walked in a loop, until the sun rose higher in the sky, and they turned in the direction of Mariana’s house. She’d taken up residence two blocks over, on a quiet street with matching houses.
Mariana answered the door with a smile, though her eyes nervously scanned the street behind Em and Ivanna.
“No one followed us,” Em said. She looked Mariana up and down. She was wearing a soft pink dress that reached the floor, her arms bare. Her black hair was braided into a crown around her head, with the ends tucked into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her dark brown skin was radiant, and Em wondered if she’d done something different, or if she just hadn’t seen Mariana well rested in a long time.
“You look lovely,” Em said.
“Thank you.” Mariana swung her hips so the dress swayed. “I found the dress in a box. I don’t think whoever lived here wore it anymore, so I helped myself.”
“It’s beautiful,” Em said as they stepped inside. Mariana was only a year older than her. If none of this had happened, she’d probably be wearing pretty dresses to the Ruina castle and dancing with Aren or some other handsome Ruined boy.
Aren sat at the dining table to her left, along with Davi and a few other Ruined. Ivanna and Davi were in their fifties, two of the only remaining older Ruined and part of the Ruined council. The entire Ruined council was present, actually, with the exception of Jacobo. He never left Olivia’s side these days.
About thirty other Ruined were packed into the dining room, leaning against the wall and sitting on the floor. They’d only invited Ruined Em truly trusted, those who were horrified by what Olivia was doing and were willing to work with Cas.
Em slid into the seat next to Aren. His handsome face was tight with worry, which had been his constant expression since Iria had been taken back to Olso.
“Did Olivia leave again this morning?” Mariana asked as she took a seat across from Em, in between Ivanna and Davi.
“She’s still sleeping. She said she was going to train some of the Ruined today,” Em said.
“They’ve been in that field behind the bakery,” Ivanna said. “They bring out a few of the hostages for practice.” Em rubbed her forehead. Olivia had taken several humans hostage, and locked them in the town jail. Since discovering that Aren drew power from humans, she’d been trying to do the same.
“I did get word that she’s feeding them, at least,” Patricio said quietly. He was a young Ruined, with the power to ruin the body, like Aren. Em had never known him well, but he was close to Mariana, and she’d vouched for him. Beside him was Selena, who Em remembered as a little girl, but she must have been about fourteen now. Her face was solemn, making her look even older.
“She needs them alive,” Aren muttered.
“I’d suggest sneaking in to free them, but she’ll just go get more,” Em said. “I think we have to leave it for now.”
“If we’re not going to do anything to help them, then I don’t understand why we’re still in Lera,” Davi said.
“Olivia will kill everyone if we leave,” Em said. “You’ve heard her plan to conquer the north? At least if we stay, we can hold her off for a while.”
“I’m sorry, but how is that our problem?” a young woman named Gisela asked. She leaned against the wall behind Davi and Mariana. She was close to Em in age, with pale skin and straight black hair, and was often in motion, whether it was pacing, tapping her fingers, or tugging on her hair. She had the same power as Olivia and Aren, but Em knew she didn’t have even half the strength that they did.
“You don’t mind if Olivia kills all the people in Lera?” Aren asked.
“I mind, but I’m not ready to stick my neck out to defend them. They’ve never done anything to defend us.” Murmurs of agreement rose up around the room.
“I know the people here don’t deserve our help,” Em said. “I know we can never fully forgive them for what they did to us. But we don’t have to be the same as them. We can be better, and not let them suffer the same fate that we did.”
Several people turned to Aren. They still did that sometimes: consulted a Ruined with power to back up what Em was saying.
“I agree,” Aren said. He rolled his eyes as he said it, like he was tired of playing this game. “I’m not just leaving Olivia here to murder anyone she chooses.”
Em gave him a grateful look. They’d had a serious conversation about leaving right after arriving, and Aren hadn’t been convinced at first that they should stay. He wanted to go to Olso to break Iria out of prison. Em felt terrible asking him to stay, but he was the most powerful Ruined alive. Em needed his help to stop not just Olivia, but the Ruined loyal to her as well.
“But if half the Ruined leave, Olivia can’t carry out this plan to invade all the cities,” Mariana said.
“We’re not half,” Em said, looking around the room. Maybe a third of the Ruined were solidly with her. “And clearly Olivia isn’t counting on your support anyway. Notice that she isn’t training any of you.”
“I guess you’re right,” Mariana said, chewing on her lip.
“What’s your plan, then?” Ivanna asked. “You’re going to stop Olivia from taking over Lera?”
“Eventually, yes,” Em said. “I think if we partner with the Lera army, we stand a chance of fighting off Olivia. But for now, I’d like to get a head count of all the Ruined. I’m not sure how many we have total, so let’s find that out. Then, if you guys are willing, I’d like to start finding out who would agree to work with King Casimir.”
“Work how?” Mariana asked at the same time Gisela said “No.”
Em looked at Gisela. “No?”
br /> “No.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s my answer about working with Casimir. No.”
“We have to start thinking long-term,” Em said, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. If she couldn’t convince the Ruined to help Cas, he was doomed. “Are we going back to Ruina?”
“Why not?” Gisela asked. “It’s our home.”
Patricio scrunched up his face, a look mirrored by several other Ruined in the room. “Not really, not anymore. There’s nothing left. They took our home.”
“We’d have to start completely from scratch,” Em said. “It will take years to rebuild even half of what we had.”
“You’re suggesting we stay here instead?” Mariana asked.
“It’s a possibility. But if we stay, we have to deal with the king eventually. None of this is ours.” She gestured to the house around her. “Invading a town and stealing everything isn’t a long-term plan.”
“Olivia has a long-term plan,” Gisela said. She raised her eyebrows at Em, as if to challenge her.
“A plan that includes killing everyone,” Aren said.
“A plan to doesn’t include working with someone who murdered all of our families,” Gisela shot back.
Em swallowed a wave of panic. At least half the Ruined in the room were nodding in agreement with Gisela.
“What would convince you?” she asked quickly. “If you could have anything you want from King Casimir, what would you ask for?”
“Some people mentioned that the king should pay us reparations,” Ivanna said. “And I have to agree. They took everything from us.”
“Good,” Em said. “That’s reasonable.”
“I’d like my parents back,” Gisela said. “Ask him if he can give me that.”
“We can’t change the past—” Em began.
“I don’t want money, I want my parents—” Gisela interrupted.
“You’re being completely unreasonable,” Aren cut in. “She’s just trying—”
“One at a time!” Ivanna yelled over their voices. Gisela leaned back against the wall, a scowl on her face. Silence fell over the room.
“What if he gives up the throne?” Mariana finally asked.
Em looked at her quickly. “What?”
“It’s his family that did this to us. Maybe someone else should lead Lera.” She looked at Gisela. “Would that convince you?”
Gisela shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I don’t think I can ask for that,” Em said. “I’m not even sure that’s a good idea. He’s sympathetic to us. We may not get so lucky with a new leader.”
“If he’s the only person in all of Lera sympathetic to us, this won’t work anyway,” Ivanna said.
Em swallowed. She had a point.
“It’s not . . . entirely unreasonable,” Aren said reluctantly. “There should be consequences for what his family did to us. But maybe he doesn’t need to give up his throne entirely.”
Gisela made an annoyed sound.
“We could ask that they strip some power from the monarchy,” Aren said. “So that he has less authority as king.” He looked at Gisela. “That’s a good compromise, wouldn’t you say?” She just shrugged.
“Would he even agree to that?” Mariana asked.
“I don’t know,” Em said.
“Is there any way we can communicate with him?” Ivanna asked.
“Em could go to the castle,” Aren said, and Em looked at him in surprise. “What? There are plenty of horses in the barns around town, and it would only take half a day to ride there.”
“What will I tell Olivia?” Em asked.
Aren rubbed the back of his neck in thought. “Maybe go for more food? Or feed for the horses? We are actually running a little low on feed, I think.” He glanced at Mariana for confirmation. She nodded in agreement. “If Cas could give you a wagonful, you could come back and say you stole it.”
“Olivia will still be suspicious,” Gisela said.
“She’s already suspicious,” Em said.
“We have to set up a way to communicate with them. You can go have an initial talk with Cas, then set up a way to talk in the future,” Ivanna said. “None of this matters if they aren’t willing to negotiate with us.”
Dread settled into Em’s chest. She’d been the one who convinced Cas to go back to Lera when he wanted to give up his throne. Now she was going to tell him they wanted to strip him of his power?
She glanced at Gisela. Olivia has a long-term plan. If Em didn’t act, she might lose the few Ruined she had on her side.
She nodded grimly. “I’ll go talk to Cas.”
EIGHT
EVERYONE WAS LYING to Olivia.
Everyone who mattered, anyway.
Olivia stared at her sister. Em stood in the kitchen, stirring a pot of soup on the stove. Her stance was casual, like she’d just remembered something and wanted to mention it to Olivia.
“I’m riding out to find more feed for the horses,” Em said, holding her sister’s gaze. Em always had been a good liar. “First thing in the morning.”
“By yourself.” Olivia didn’t say it as a question.
“I’ll be wearing a cloak; no one will be able to tell who I am. And I don’t need help.”
“A bit risky just for feed, wouldn’t you say?”
“We need the horses, Liv. I’m not going to let them starve.”
Olivia blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. Go.” Part of her wanted to believe Em. Maybe they really did need feed for the horses.
Or maybe—probably—she was going to see Casimir.
“I shouldn’t be gone long. A day, maybe.”
“No problem,” Olivia said with a flippancy she didn’t feel. “Why don’t you take Aren with you?” The words came out as a challenge. She couldn’t take Aren with her, and Olivia knew it. Who would keep Olivia in check?
Em had the decency to look ashamed. She lowered her gaze to the soup. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
Olivia could send a Ruined to follow Em. If she told Jacobo right now, he’d stay up all night just to make sure he caught Em as soon as she left.
But Em wasn’t stupid. She would be checking to see if she was followed, because she didn’t trust Olivia anymore.
The feeling was mutual.
Besides, Olivia didn’t need to confirm what she already knew. Her sister was a traitor. Olivia hadn’t figured out how deep Em’s betrayal went, but it would reveal itself in time. And Olivia wasn’t worried about her useless sister.
Aren, on the other hand . . .
Olivia pushed back a swell of anger at the thought of Aren. He’d dared to use his powers on her, but that wasn’t what really enraged her.
He could pull power from humans. He could use them to make himself stronger. Stronger than her.
And she couldn’t do it. She’d captured a few humans to practice on, but so far, nothing but failure. It was infuriating.
She marched out the door, shoulders squared. No. She hadn’t failed. If she simply kept trying, she would figure it out eventually.
“This is almost done, if you want dinner,” Em called as Olivia stomped away.
“I’m not hungry.” She let the door slam shut behind her.
She squinted in the late-afternoon sun as she walked the two blocks to the Westhaven courthouse. It was a tiny building, nestled beneath tall trees in the middle of Oak Street.
Inside, it was quiet, nearly deserted. Jacobo sat at the desk in the middle of the room, his feet propped up in front of him. He sprang up when Olivia walked inside.
“Olivia.”
She liked how he said her name. His voice had a hint of reverence in it. Everyone should say her name the way Jacobo did.
“Hello, Jacobo.” He was several years older than her, with dark hair and eyes like daggers. He was good-looking, in an angry sort of way. She hadn’t known him well before she was taken. She hadn’t paid much attention to him after coming back either, thanks to her preoccupation with the traitor,
Aren.
But Jacobo was proving to be almost as powerful as Aren. He could rip trees from the ground and command wind so powerful a small home couldn’t withstand it. It was a useful power, occasionally.
“How are the prisoners?” she asked.
“Fine. I fed them about an hour ago. Ester is in with them now.”
“You don’t need to stay, you know. They’re not going anywhere.” Olivia had the only keys, after all.
“I know,” he said, then met her gaze. He’d been waiting to see her.
She smiled, pleased. “You can go now. I’ll see you at dinner.” She knew that he was disappointed. She’d seen the expression on his face several times lately, as he’d worked to prove himself to her.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, it was just that she didn’t trust him—or anyone—anymore. The two people she’d trusted most in the world, Em and Aren, had betrayed her. She couldn’t rely on anyone but herself.
That was just fine with her. There was no need to rely on someone else. She was the most powerful Ruined alive.
Jacobo’s footsteps faded as he walked out of the building. She walked down the hallway and slipped through the door. The town only had six cells, three on either side of her, and from the pristine look of them, they weren’t used often. Each had a small bed, a sink, and toilet, and bars perfect for keeping humans right where she wanted them.
The man to her left shrank back against the wall when she walked in. His arm was in a sling. A Ruined woman named Ester sat on the floor in front of the last cell, her gaze fixed on the man inside.
“What are you doing?” Olivia asked.
Ester didn’t turn. “Practicing. I’m trying to make him see the ocean.” She shook her head, her short dark hair swinging. “No, not just see it. Feel it. Smell it.”
Olivia walked to the cell to see the man on the floor, eyes turned to the ceiling. He blinked very slowly, then shivered.
“I think you’ve about worn that one out,” Olivia said. “His mind won’t bounce back if you keep it up.”
Ester sighed and got to her feet. “You’re right.”