Cas willed the image of Em out of his head. He needed to focus.
The governor of the northern province walked in, followed by a few important leaders from the western province. Cas knew he needed to start giving out official adviser titles to people since so many had died, but he hadn’t had the time. He was still focused on making it through each day without breaking down into hysterical sobs.
Jovita entered last. Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, and she wore a blue dress. Where had she gotten a dress? He’d rarely seen her wear one in the castle, much less in a fortress with limited supplies and clothing.
She took the other empty seat next to Cas. “How are you, Casimir?”
“Fine,” he said, unable to hide his suspicion at the friendly greeting. “You?”
“I’m well, thank you. I noticed you left the fortress again this morning to visit the scene of the queen’s death.”
Every pair of eyes in the room turned to Cas. He resisted the urge to squirm beneath their stares.
“You go there often,” Jovita said.
“Yes,” he replied. “It gives me a chance to think.”
“I understand that you’re grieving, but now is the time for action, not thinking. How do you expect to get anything done if you spend most of the day wandering around aimlessly?”
“I don’t spend most of the day there. But it appears you spend most of your day tracking my movements.”
Annoyance flashed across Jovita’s face. “I’m worried about you. And by extension, Lera. You’ve offered no plan, so—”
“I believe that’s what this meeting is about,” he said. “So if we’re done talking about how I grieve for my mother, I’d like to move on.”
Jovita snapped her mouth closed, her jaw twitching.
“Good.” Cas faced forward, trying to avoid looking at his cousin. “The fortress is already at capacity, but we still have people arriving every day. We’ll need more space soon, and I think the south is our best bet. I’d like to send a group of soldiers south to speak with the leaders of the southern province. We have the governor with us”—he gestured at Violet—“but I’d like to know how the people there are doing. None of them have joined us here.”
“The Ruined were headed south after the battle,” Danna said. “There may not be many people left.”
“They were going south to Ruina,” he said. “They didn’t attack anyone.”
Danna’s eyebrows shot up. “What makes you so sure?”
“They weren’t prepared for another battle when they left. They lost too many here.”
“A Ruined is always prepared for battle,” Jovita said. “The truth is, Emelina told you she wouldn’t attack anyone if you gave her Olivia, and you stupidly believe her.”
Cas tensed. He couldn’t deny it. He assumed Lera still controlled the southern province because the Olso warriors hadn’t invaded past the fortress yet. He didn’t actually know for sure.
“I’d like to be part of the group that goes south,” Violet said. She looked worried suddenly.
“Of course. As governor of the province you should lead the soldiers,” he said.
“As governor of the southern province she should stay here, where it’s safe,” Jovita said. “We can’t afford to lose any more leaders.”
“What do you suggest, then?” he asked. “That we all hide in here until Olso attacks again?”
“No. With the hunters back, we have enough soldiers to launch an attack.”
“On who, exactly?”
“The Ruined.”
Cas didn’t try to hide his incredulity. “You want to attack the Ruined?”
Jovita leaned forward. “Of course I want to attack the Ruined. The question is, why don’t you? Emelina Flores killed the princess of Vallos. She partnered with Olso, took the castle, and started a war. We are in this mess because of her, and you just let her go. You ordered the hunters to stop killing the Ruined, even though they will take every opportunity to kill us!”
“They left! We are the ones who should be feared, not the Ruined. We murdered them without provocation.”
“Without provocation?” Jovita reeled back. “Is that really what you think of the Ruined? That they’re not dangerous?”
“Not all of them, no.”
Jovita plastered a worried expression on her face. “I … I don’t really know what to say to that, Cas.”
“They’ve just attacked us,” General Amaro said. “I don’t know what else they’d have to do for you to consider them dangerous.”
An uncomfortable silence settled into the room. Cas searched the faces of his advisers, trying to find someone who agreed with him. Galo and Violet were the only ones who didn’t look angry or horrified. Heat rose up his neck.
“The Ruined are not my priority right now,” Cas said. “We need to focus on maintaining our hold in the south and prepare to retake the castle. The best thing for Lera is—”
“You have no interest in what’s best for Lera,” Jovita said.
“All I’ve ever done is what’s best for Lera!”
“You released Olivia Flores. She killed the queen and countless guards and soldiers. Was that really best for Lera?”
Cas’s stomach churned. His mind was suddenly blank. He had no good response to that.
“I don’t mean to attack you, Cas,” Jovita said softly. No one else seemed to notice her voice was thick with condescension. “I think you need to take a step back and consider your mental state right now.”
The room tilted, and Cas wondered for a moment if he had lost his mind. Surely going insane would be less painful than this?
“My mental state,” he repeated.
“You’re still grieving your parents. Your wife betrayed you. You were attacked in the jungle. I’m not judging you, Cas. Anyone would start to crack under those circumstances.”
“He is not insane,” Galo said fiercely.
Jovita held up a finger like she wasn’t interested in Galo’s opinion. “I didn’t say he was. I was simply suggesting that perhaps you’re not thinking clearly right now. Have you taken any time to rest? That might be just what you need.”
“I’m fine,” Cas said sharply.
Jovita cast a worried look across the table. The advisers were buying this charade, it seemed. None of them wanted to meet Cas’s gaze.
“Why don’t you take some time to think about my plan to launch an attack on the Ruined?” Jovita said. “We can reconvene tomorrow after you’ve given it some thought.”
Cas stood, his chair scraping the floor. “I don’t need to think about it. The answer is no.”
“But—”
“No,” he repeated firmly. He strode out of the room, Galo following close behind. Whispered voices drifted out of the room as the door shut.
“They can’t do anything without the king’s approval,” Galo said.
Cas ran a hand down his face. He wasn’t so sure about that.
Almost two hundred faces stared up at Em. She swallowed, trying not to let her nervousness show on her face. She half expected the Ruined to start rioting.
Olivia stood beside her, in front of all of the Ruined who had made it to Ruina so far. They’d set up tents near the castle, and Olivia had called everyone out and ordered them to sit in the dirt as she announced the new leadership plans. The tents flapped in the wind behind the Ruined and a light rain had started to fall. Em wished, not for the first time, that they had a place to go with actual walls. She hated seeing them out in the cold.
“A diarchy,” Olivia repeated. “We will rule together, as equals.” Her eyes were alight with excitement, like she thought this announcement would be met with wild enthusiasm.
She was met with skepticism instead. A murmur went through the crowd, and every pair of eyes landed on Em. Perhaps that was a good sign. The day they’d removed her from the throne, she’d known something was wrong. No one wanted to look at her.
But today, they all stared at her. Not everyone wo
re a kind expression, and she swallowed hard. Maybe she should say something. Explain that all she wanted was to make Ruina safe for them again. To build a home they could be proud of.
“We plan to rebuild Ruina into something even better,” Olivia said before Em could get a word out. The crowd just blinked at her. They didn’t have faith in either of them, apparently. Em wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.
A long silence followed Olivia’s words. Pink spots appeared on her sister’s cheeks. “We’ll let you know more soon,” she snapped. “Right now, we’d like to see Mariana, Aren, Ivanna, Davi, and Jacobo.”
Ivanna and Davi were seated next to each other, two of the only older Ruined left. Ivanna nodded at them, but Em could see the skepticism on her face.
Aren stood, reaching out to squeeze Em’s arm as they waited for the others to join them. Once they had all made their way through the crowd, Olivia led them to the tent she and Em shared. It was a tight squeeze, but they all managed to fit, sitting cross-legged in a small circle.
“I imagine you know why you’re here,” Olivia said. “Em and I are putting together a council to advise us on Ruined matters.”
Between the five Ruined Olivia had called, all the Ruined powers were represented—Aren controlled the body, Jacobo and Ivanna the elements, and Mariana and Davi the mind. Em and Olivia had come to the decision about the council easily—there weren’t that many qualified Ruined left.
Ivanna pushed her gray hair behind her ear. “I appreciate that, but I think we need to talk about leadership.”
Olivia cocked her head. “Do we?”
“Yes. You are aware that after you were taken, the Ruined abolished the monarchy and elected a new leader?”
“Illegally abolished the monarchy,” Olivia corrected. “And your elected leader is dead.”
Davi glared at Em. “Because she let him die.”
A lump rose in Em’s throat. She could have done more to save Damian. She’d tried so hard to stop the Lera king from executing him, but she could have acted faster. She’d made that clear when she told the Ruined the story. She didn’t want to have any secrets from them.
“I was there too,” Aren said tightly. “I had to hold Em back. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
“Yes, let’s blame them,” Olivia said flippantly. “The only two among you who actually got anything done. If it weren’t for Em and Aren, you would all still be running for your lives. Or dead. But let’s continue to talk about your leader, who got himself caught.”
“He was helping us cross into Olso!” Davi said, his face turning red.
“To help Em and Aren take down Lera. His sacrifice isn’t forgotten.”
“Is there someone you would prefer to lead?” Em asked quietly. Olivia frowned at her.
“No,” Jacobo replied, but he was smiling at Olivia.
“Well, we …” Ivanna cleared her throat. “There are some who would prefer an elected leader. Why wasn’t Aren even given the opportunity to—”
“Decline,” Aren said immediately.
“Aren, you’re the most powerful one here, besides Olivia,” Davi protested. “And you went to Lera at great risk to yourself.”
“Because of Em’s plan,” Aren said. “Forget it. I won’t accept.” He gestured at Olivia. “Besides, I’m the second most powerful person here. Why wouldn’t you want the first to lead you?”
“Valuing Ruined power over everything else has gotten us nowhere,” Ivanna said. “Wenda Flores was powerful but had no talent for negotiation. She just killed everyone who didn’t agree with her.”
“That’s a perfectly valid negotiation tactic,” Olivia said. Em winced. Her sister was just proving Ivanna right.
“Em has a talent for negotiation,” Aren said. “I think the whole point of this diarchy is that they balance each other out.”
Ivanna glanced at Em, but didn’t quite meet her eyes. “We’ve never had a useless leader before.”
“And yet you just said we overvalue Ruined power,” Em said. “Which is it?”
Ivanna snapped her mouth shut. Silence fell over the group.
Olivia chuckled for no apparent reason, and every head swiveled to her. “Do you think this is a debate? Just because a few of you want an elected leader doesn’t mean it will happen. Our community was fractured a year ago. We’re putting it back the way it should be.”
Ivanna set her mouth in a hard line and said nothing. Davi began to protest.
“Besides, Aren will marry one of us,” Olivia said. “Then he’ll rule as well.”
Em’s eyebrows shot up at the casual mention of Aren marrying her or Olivia. Aren gave her a completely baffled look. Em pointed to herself and shook her head, which made him chuckle.
Cas’s face flashed through her vision. She was already married. She’d married him as Princess Mary, but every moment of their relationship after that was real. She couldn’t imagine marrying anyone else. Her chest hurt just thinking about it.
“Moving on,” Olivia said. Em tried to pry her thoughts away from Cas, and only half succeeded. “We’ve picked a position for each of you. You may decline and suggest someone else for the position, if you choose. Aren, we’d like you to be director of combat. You’ll handle Ruined training and weapons. Everything we need to prepare for battle. Davi, director of health. You’ll be in charge of clean water and making sure everyone has clothes and is generally in good health. Ivanna, director of rebuilding. You’ll manage getting the castle back up and rebuilding the city. You three will report to me.”
“The other two will report to me,” Em said. “Jacobo, we’re asking you to be director of nutrition. We need someone to oversee fishing and hunting and farming. And Mariana, we’d like you to be director of foreign affairs. You’ll help me maintain relations with the Olso warriors.”
Mariana nodded enthusiastically. She was young, near Em’s age, and clearly excited to be chosen for the job.
“We’re leaving tomorrow for the miner’s cabins, and we’ll need your help getting everyone ready. We want the five of you to be the voice of the Ruined. To relay what’s happening to us, and to carry out our orders to them. Any problems with that?” Em asked. Everyone shook their head. “Good. Some of these positions are old, but some of them—like rebuilding—we’re making up as we go along. We’re open to ideas.”
“But not new leadership,” Davi grumbled.
“Oh, and that reminds me!” Olivia said. “Since we’re at war, the Wartime Loyalty Amendment is in effect. All threats against the government or either queen will be considered treason and punished as such.” She cocked her head, smiling widely at Davi. “Understood?”
Davi’s face paled. Em clenched her hands together. She and Olivia hadn’t actually talked about that. The Wartime Loyalty Amendment hadn’t been in effect since their mother was a teenager. It didn’t allow for the slightest disagreement with the royal leaders. It had not been popular.
“Understood,” Ivanna said, her voice clipped. “Your Majesty.”
“Fabulous.” Olivia clapped her hands together. “I think we’ll all work well together, don’t you?”
Em glanced at the faces around her. Davi and Ivanna both looked like they wanted to smack someone. Mariana and Aren appeared nervous. Only Jacobo mirrored Olivia’s smile.
Em had a feeling the council was already doomed to failure.
FIVE
“WHAT DO YOU think, Your Majesty?” Aren asked Em with a hint of amusement, and she smiled at him. He was more proud than amused, and he got the feeling she knew it.
“They look perfect.”
Aren squinted at the line of log cabins in the distance. He’d set out on foot with Em, Olivia, and Mariana to find the coal miners’ cabins that morning, and it had only taken a couple hours to reach them. Olivia and Mariana walked ahead of them.
There were about thirty cabins. Half of them were old, with patchy roofs and lopsided porches. They’d been there since Aren could remember. The r
est were new, built by the Lera intruders.
“They must have had a lot of people here, working the mines,” Aren said. “I didn’t realize Lera had such an interest in coal.”
“Olso does,” Em said. “My mother said it’s why they maintained such good relations with us.”
“What do they use it for?”
“Good question.”
“Their ships!” Mariana called, turning around to face them. She stopped, letting them catch up. “They use the coal in their ships to power them. I was in one on the way from Olso to Lera.”
“Power them how?” Em asked.
“They said it’s an engine that runs on steam. I’d never been on a ship that fast.”
Olivia frowned over her shoulder at them. “So we probably haven’t seen the last of the warriors, then.”
“I’m sure we haven’t,” Em said.
Olivia made a face before turning back to the cabins. “These are depressing.”
“Better than tents,” Aren said.
“How long do you think it will take to rebuild the castle?” Olivia asked.
“Years,” he said.
Olivia turned to him in horror. “Years?”
“That’s what Ivanna said.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m going to talk to her about speeding things up. The Ruined will never be taken seriously in these dinky little cabins.”
Aren didn’t think it mattered much where they lived. Castle, tent, cabin—it was all unsafe. The castle that had once been his home was gone, and he didn’t particularly care about building a new one. His parents would never live there with him again, so it would never feel like a home.
Olivia broke into a jog, her dark ponytail bobbing. “Let’s at least pick the best one for ourselves, Em!”
Em laughed. “Whichever one you want!”
“We’re going to have to put a lot of Ruined in each cabin,” Aren said. “Don’t put me with Jacobo. He snores.”
“You can be with me and Liv,” Em said.