“It’s only a matter of time,” Ivanna said quietly. “Before Olivia is killed, I mean.” She cast a sympathetic look in Em’s direction.
Aren swung his arm over Em’s shoulders and she leaned against him. She’d stopped talking about Olivia to him, besides their conversation with Galo last night. He couldn’t blame her. He didn’t know what to say either.
“I’m leaving with Galo tonight,” Aren said. “We’re going to present the plan to Cas and see if he’ll provide Lera troops. Our plan is for them to hang back, to help us escape after we leave Olivia and her supporters to fight the army on their own.”
“So we flee,” Selena said.
“Yes. We’ll go back to Royal City with the troops. We’re hoping to get word as soon as they cross the border, so we’ll have to travel into the Lera jungle to head them off.” They’d probably be almost halfway to Olso by the time they caught up with the troops, if everything went to plan.
Halfway to Iria.
Was he really going to turn around and go back to Royal City, if he was already so close to her?
Em started talking about logistics, and he leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Could he leave the Ruined after they defeated Olivia? Maybe she would be weak enough (or dead, he thought with a shudder) for him to go to Olso, just for a few days.
The meeting was coming to a close, and Aren stood. A few Ruined surrounded Em to ask more questions about Olivia, and he lifted a hand in good-bye as he stepped away.
Be careful, she mouthed.
He nodded and slipped out the door before any Ruined could corner him. The sun had just completely set, and he and Galo needed to go.
He stopped by his house to grab the bag he’d never unpacked. It was the same bag he’d carried since before all this had started—it was filled with medicine, food, clothes, and extra water. Even as a guard in the Lera castle, he’d never unpacked that bag. It was always ready to go. He couldn’t really imagine life without being constantly prepared to run.
He swung the bag onto his back and headed outside. He went quickly, checking over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. He didn’t see anyone, but it was dark. He probably should have gone earlier, but it had been hard to get all the Ruined together without Olivia noticing. They’d had to wait until she retreated inside her house.
He ducked under a low branch, headed to the spot where he could sense Galo hiding. He felt the familiar burst of relief when he found Galo in front of him, unharmed. The agreement with Lera was shaky at best, and it certainly wouldn’t be helped by the king’s best friend getting his head removed by Olivia.
Galo was on his feet, sword drawn, and he let out a sigh as he squinted in the darkness. “Hi, Aren.” He sheathed his sword.
“Expecting someone else?”
“I couldn’t tell for sure who it was in the dark.”
Galo had packed up his bag and pushed his blankets and books beneath a shrub. “We’re good to go?” he asked.
“Yes. The Ruined are on board.” He turned and started walking east, Galo falling into step beside him. It was too risky to take horses from the barn, so they had to go on foot until they reached the point where soldiers were permanently stationed to transport Galo back to the castle. It would only take a few hours to walk there.
They didn’t talk as they left Westhaven behind. Aren was on constant alert, searching the area around him for Jacobo or Olivia.
“You’re making me nervous,” Galo said as Aren glanced over his shoulder again. “Do you think someone is following us?”
“No. I mean, I hope not. I can’t sense when a Ruined is nearby, so I just want to make sure Olivia or Jacobo didn’t spot us.”
“Can you sense when there’s a human nearby?”
Aren nodded. His power had grown stronger recently, and he could sense humans even from great distances. “I can feel lots of them,” he said quietly. “There are a bunch to the east, so there must be a town there.”
“Yes, but it’s pretty far,” Galo said with a hint of amazement.
“And I can feel the prisoners back in Westhaven.”
“You have human prisoners?”
“Olivia does,” Aren replied.
“Right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply you were also part of it.”
“I can’t save them, so maybe I am.”
Galo stared at him, but Aren couldn’t read his expression in the darkness. “I was just going to suggest that we don’t bring that up.”
Aren raised his eyebrows. “You think we should lie about the prisoners?”
“Let’s say we omit it. I’ll tell Cas, and he can decide what to do with that information. But I don’t think we should make it any harder for the advisers to come to your side. They might ask why you’re allowing it.”
“Fair question.”
“I know you’re doing what you can to keep Olivia under control.”
Aren rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. He’d avoided the prisoners since his one and only visit to them. It was too painful, to be confronted with his own worthlessness.
“Em said she’s trying to draw power from them?” Galo asked. “Because you can?”
“Yes. She’s still failing, last I heard. I have a theory about that.”
“What’s that?”
He reached his hand out. “May I have your arm for a second?”
Galo slowly extended his arm out. Aren wrapped his fingers around his wrist.
Energy flowed through him suddenly. His Ruined magic stirred inside of him, almost like it was thanking him for the boost.
Aren let go. “Can you pretend to be afraid of me for a minute?”
“How do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Just . . . don’t trust me. Don’t let me have your arm.”
Galo dropped his arm, but he still looked confused. Aren winced. If this test was going to be effective, he probably needed to make Galo actually afraid of him.
He spun on his heel so he was facing Galo, and froze him in place. Galo’s eyes widened, a twinge of panic crossing his face as he clearly tried to move his limbs and failed. Aren roughly grabbed his arm.
Nothing. The energy was gone.
Aren dropped his arm and released his hold on him. “I’m sorry. I needed to test something.”
Galo regarded him suspiciously. His shoulders had stiffened. Aren turned and started to walk again.
“I won’t use my Ruined magic on you again, I promise. I just wanted to know for sure why she can’t do it and I can.”
“Why?” Galo asked.
“You have to give it willingly, it can’t be taken.”
“Oh.” Galo held out his arm. “So you got nothing the second time?”
“Nothing. Don’t tell Olivia that.”
“We don’t have many conversations.”
“Lucky you.”
“That’s why you discovered it with Iria, then,” Galo said. “She was the first human who really trusted you.”
A lump suddenly formed in Aren’s throat. “Yes,” he said quietly. “She was.”
It felt strange to be headed back to the castle without Iria. They hadn’t been very close when they’d been in Lera together, but she’d still been a safe space for him. He’d be surrounded by Lera guards, his heart pounding, when he’d see the flash of her red uniform. They rarely spoke—they weren’t supposed to know each other—but she smiled at him often. He hadn’t told her how comforting that was.
“Do you have any plans to go to Olso or . . .” Galo let his voice trail off. Or are you abandoning her? was what he meant.
“I’m going to Olso,” he said immediately. The words were a relief, finally spoken out loud. “As soon as I can, I’m going to Olso.”
FIFTEEN
THE CASTLE WAS lonely with Galo gone again. Cas was surrounded by people all day—staff members, guards, advisers—but everyone was rushing in and out, many of them stiff and formal with him.
Mateo came to talk to h
im a couple of times, but he’d left on a recruitment trip to some of the neighboring cities, and wouldn’t be back for a few days. Cas had warned him that he might miss Galo returning briefly with information, but Cas got the feeling that maybe that was the point.
He was alone in his office this morning, listening to the murmured sounds of the castle staff on the other side of the door. He understood his father a little better these days, as much as he hated to admit it. The king had been so outgoing, so friendly, to everyone. Cas had thought it was an act. Now he thought that his father was probably just trying to stave off the loneliness of constantly being surrounded by people who had to obey, not befriend, him.
A knock sounded on the door and he sat up straighter in his chair and tried to appear as if he hadn’t just been sulking.
“Come in!” he called.
Violet stepped inside, a smile on her face. “Galo’s returned.”
Cas jumped to his feet, relief coursing through his veins. “How is he?”
“Great. He’s at the gate. He brought Aren with him, and the guards weren’t sure he should be allowed in.”
“Of course he should,” Cas said, though he was surprised Aren had come. “Just Aren? Em didn’t come with them?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
He edged around his desk and walked out of the office with Violet. “Let the guards and the staff know that Aren is always welcome here.”
“I’ll do that right away.”
“They probably won’t like that, will they? Do the guards hate Aren?”
Violet cocked her head in thought as they descended the stairs. “From what I’ve heard, he was very reserved when he was part of the guard here. No one really knew him. So they don’t hate him any more than they hated Em.”
Cas couldn’t help but take note that hated Em was past tense. He hoped it was intentional.
He walked across the front foyer with Violet, his guards falling into place around him as he stepped outside. Galo and Aren were standing on the other side of the iron gate. Galo waved when he spotted him.
Two guards pulled open the gate. Cas strode across the dirt and embraced Galo for a moment, then turned to Aren.
“Aren. Nice to see you again.”
Aren’s eyes skipped over the guards, all of whom were staring at him. He shifted uncomfortably, but he managed a small smile for Cas.
Cas led them inside and up to his office. Violet split off from them, taking instructions for lunch to a staff member.
Cas grabbed the door to his office and held it open for Galo and Aren. He stepped inside and started to close the door, when Jorge suddenly grabbed it.
“Your Majesty, may I suggest you go to a dining room, where I can put a few guards with you, out of earshot?”
“You may suggest it, but the answer is no,” Cas said. He suppressed a smile as Jorge tried to hide his annoyance.
“You’re making his life miserable, aren’t you?” Galo asked as Cas shut the door. “That’s the new captain of his guard,” he explained to Aren.
“I don’t know what you mean; I am pleasant and reasonable all the time,” Cas said. Aren snorted.
He took a seat in one of the chairs near the window, and gestured for them to sit as well. Aren stared outside as he lowered himself into a chair, his expression unreadable.
“Aren, I didn’t expect you,” Cas said. “If I’d known you could get away, I might have suggested Galo not go at all.”
Aren turned to him. “I didn’t expect to come either. But we needed Olivia to see me leave for a day or two.”
“Why?” Cas asked.
“We want to tell Olivia about the impending attack from Olso and Vallos,” Galo said. “Aren will say he heard about the troops while traveling, and he won’t even have to suggest Olivia go after them. She’ll insist on it.”
“What’s the point of that?” Cas asked.
“We’ve gotten over half of the Ruined to agree to step away from the battle, at a crucial moment,” Aren said. “Olivia and her followers will have a very hard time fighting on their own. It will solve two problems at once.”
“The army will likely take severe casualties, as will the Ruined,” Galo explained quietly.
Cas raised his eyebrows as he looked at Aren. “Are you all right with that? Is Em?”
“It was her idea. It’s our only option.”
“Has there been any movement spotted at the border?” Galo asked.
“Yes, we got reports yesterday of troops crossing the border. It’s a sizable army, over a thousand soldiers, but slow-moving. They have a lot of equipment with them. You should have time to cut them off in the jungle.”
Aren scrubbed a hand down his face. “That’s good,” he said, in a tone that didn’t sound like it was good at all. “But we’ll need to leave immediately.”
“And we could use some Lera troops as backup,” Galo said.
“I can’t spare many soldiers,” Cas said regretfully. “I can’t leave the castle unguarded, even with the army supposedly still far away. I won’t let my guard down.”
“I understand,” Aren said. “Our hope is they won’t actually have to fight, and if they do, it will be against Vallos and Olso. But we’d mostly need them to bring the Ruined to Royal City after the battle. We don’t know if we’ll have any horses or supplies. We may just have to run.”
“I can spare a few for that. And I’ll start making space for the Ruined. I think we still have some room in the guards’ quarters, and there are several other empty rooms.”
“You want to put them here?” Aren asked in surprise.
“That seems like the safest option, don’t you think?”
“What will the people here think? Will they consent to sharing space with Ruined?”
“They’ll just have to get used to it,” Cas said. “Besides, we’ll all be safer with the Ruined in the castle. You’ll be close if we’re attacked again.”
“And if you’re not attacked?” Aren asked.
Cas laughed. “I’d be surprised, but that would be nice.”
“I meant what happens to the Ruined?”
“We’ll find a place for you, of course. I can start negotiations with Em right away, and we’ll start settling you into Royal City.”
Aren nodded, but his brow was creased, his gaze on the floor.
“Is that not what you want?” Cas asked.
“No, that’s . . .” Aren swallowed. “That’s fine. That’s good.”
Cas suspected there was something more Aren wanted to say, but only silence followed his last words.
“We were hoping to stay one night, if that’s all right,” Galo said.
“Of course,” Cas said. “I’ll have the staff make up a room for you, Aren.”
Galo hopped to his feet and strode across the room. He opened the door and relayed instructions about Aren’s room to a staff member.
“Do you mind if I go now?” Aren asked as he stood. “I need to wash up.”
“Sure,” Cas said. “We’ll have some food sent up.”
Galo stepped back to allow Aren to walk through the door. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“I’ll be fine, thanks.”
Cas got to his feet as a thought occurred to him. “Aren.”
He was halfway out the door, and he turned to face Cas again. He raised his eyebrows expectantly when Cas hesitated.
“You can come to me if you have any problems. I’d just ask that you don’t use your powers here.”
“Hadn’t planned to.”
“Thank you.”
Aren turned and walked out of the room. Cas watched him go, wondering if perhaps he’d insulted him. He wished Em were here. He’d gotten used to communicating with the Ruined through her.
Galo closed the door, leaving the two of them alone. “Should I go with him anyway?” he asked Cas.
“No, I don’t want him to think we don’t trust him.”
Galo walked across the room and they both took the
ir seats again. “You do trust him, right?”
“Yes,” Cas said quickly. “Mostly. Do you think I insulted him? Why did he suddenly want to leave?”
Galo stared at the door like Aren was still there. “He probably would have told you if you insulted him. I think he’s sad, actually.”
“Sad,” Cas repeated.
“Both he and Em are. They’re having a hard time with the decision to betray the Ruined. And Aren lost Iria.”
Cas sat back in his chair, his chest suddenly heavy as he thought of Em, alone in Westhaven.
A staff member entered with a tray of food, and Cas waited until she was gone to speak again.
“So,” he said. “You got angry at Mateo before you left.”
Galo looked up at him quickly. “He told you?”
“Yes. I don’t blame him for not wanting you to go. It’s just because he cares about you.”
Galo let out a long sigh as he pressed his palms to his forehead. “I was a jerk when I left, wasn’t I?”
“Yes, you were,” Cas said.
“Hey,” he said, dropping his hands with a startled laugh. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m kind of leaning toward Mateo.”
Galo laughed again, then slumped back in his chair. “I don’t blame you.”
“He’s not here, you know. He went on a recruitment trip.”
“Oh.” Galo couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Probably because he was still mad, huh?”
“I think so, yes.” Cas leaned forward. “I could pass along a message, if you’d like.”
Galo was silent for a few moments. “Just tell him I’m sorry.”
Galo left the castle with Aren the next morning. A carriage took them halfway, but now they were on foot, still a couple of hours from Westhaven. They mostly walked in silence.
Galo had hoped Mateo might return that morning, but no luck. Galo wasn’t sure what he would say to him anyway. He wasn’t sorry that he’d gone, but he was sorry about how he’d left things. He wasn’t sure how to express either thought.
He glanced at Aren, who was staring at the ground as he walked. He’d barely seen Aren yesterday, after he retreated to his room. He’d come out once, to discuss troops joining the Ruined with Cas’s advisers.