Ruined (5 page)

She gave him a grateful smile, her steps more confident as they continued dancing.

“I noticed you ignored my suggestion yesterday,” he said softly. “For the Union Battle.”

“I thought it might be a trap.”

“A trap?”

“Yes. Like part of the tradition was trying to steer me to the easy choice, to see if I took it.”

He laughed softly. “You're not terribly trusting, are you?”

“No.”

He moved his hand from her back as he spun her, then returned it. He wasn't sure what to say to that.

“It wasn't a trap, then?” she asked.

“Of course not.” He stole a quick glance at his parents. “My father would be furious if he knew I helped you. It's not allowed.”

“Oh.”

“You clearly didn't need any help, though.”

“No.” Her fingers curled around his shoulder. “Thank you, though.”

“You're welcome.” He looked down at her to find her lips slowly curving up. It was the first genuine smile he'd seen from her, and by far his favorite. That smile held secrets he desperately wanted to know.

She nodded at the musicians, and then the crowd as the song ended. They burst into applause, his mother beaming as she stood and clapped.

Cas offered Mary his arm, and she took it. A piece of hair had fallen loose and brushed against her shoulder, and he was struck by the sudden urge to push it behind her ear.

She cocked her head, her gaze on something in front of them. She took in a sharp breath.

Cas turned just in time to see the blade as it sank into his flesh.

EM'S FIRST THOUGHT
was
What luck!

This man with a sword was going to kill Prince Casimir, and she didn't have to do a thing but stand there and watch. She wouldn't even have to worry about the wedding night.

Her second thought, however, was for her plan. If Cas died, she would be sent back to Vallos, and Jovita would be named as the next heir. She would accomplish nothing if Cas died tonight.

The man pulled his sword out of Cas's left shoulder as screams ripped through the ballroom. Cas stumbled backward, his arm slipping out of hers. The man aimed his sword straight for Cas's heart. The prince was unarmed and blinking as if in a daze, blood dripping from his fingertips. He clearly wasn't used to being attacked.

The situation was this: one man with a sword, at least twenty members of the guard already running toward them, and—most importantly—her. Easy.

Em lunged for the man. She was plenty used to being attacked. This felt like home.

She launched her foot into the man's knee seconds before his blade could find its mark. He stumbled, his sword lurching to the side and missing Cas entirely. He spun toward her and she slammed her fist into his face, using her other hand to wrench the sword out of his hand.

He dove for her, but three members of the guard were behind him suddenly, pulling him back. Aren was one of them, and he gave Em a wide-eyed look that was either approval or confusion.

“Cas! Cas!” the queen screeched as she flew past Em. Cas was on his knees, his hand to his shoulder. His gray coat hid most of the blood, but a small pool had collected on the floor as it dripped down his arm. He'd gone pale.

Hands wrapped around Em's arms, holding tighter when she tried to jerk away.

“We need to take you to safety, Your Highness,” a guard said, pulling on her arms. Two others closed in around her.

She glanced over her shoulder at Cas as they dragged her away, but people swarmed around the prince, hiding him from view.

Please don't die,
she prayed.
Not yet.

The guards delivered her to her room, closing and locking the door behind them. All three stood stiffly in front of the door, hands clasped behind their backs.

Pain shot through the hand she'd used to punch the man, but she ignored it. “I want to go see if Cas is all right.”

The tallest guard shook his head. “I'm sorry, Your Highness. Procedure dictates that we keep you here until they've made sure the castle is safe.”

“Does this happen often?” she asked, surprised. She'd been under the impression that Lera was the safest of the four kingdoms. They'd beaten everyone else down to make sure of it.

“We have procedures outlined for all possible situations,” the guard said.

That wasn't an answer, which was interesting.

“Do you know who that was?” she asked. “Why did he want to kill Cas?”

“I'm sorry, Your Highness, I wouldn't know. He'll be questioned soon.”

Em walked to her bed, hopping onto the mattress as she frowned in thought. She didn't know who would want to kill the prince. Well, besides her.

Long minutes ticked by, and Em moved from the bed to the window, and back again. It was at least an hour before the door finally opened.

Jovita stood on the other side of the door. Em jumped up from the bed and rushed to her.

“Is he alive?” Em asked.

“He's fine,” Jovita said. “It's just his shoulder.”

Em breathed a sigh of relief, which was echoed by all three guards.

“He'd like to see you,” Jovita said, placing her back against the open door and beckoning at Em with two fingers.

He surely didn't want to continue with the wedding night after getting stabbed, did he? Em swallowed as she walked out the door and started down the hallway with Jovita and two guards. Maybe his wounds weren't very serious after all. There had been a lot of blood, but Em had suffered injuries that bled profusely but hadn't slowed her down.

“We should have a discussion soon about what to do in case of an emergency,” Jovita said. “We have a meeting spot in case the castle is taken or unsafe.”

“Where is that?” Em asked.

“Fort Victorra, in the Southern Mountains. Do you know it?”

“I do. It's near the Vallos border.”

“Good. I'll give you a map later, just in case. All members of the royal family get one.”

Five guards were outside Cas's rooms. Jovita led Em past them and through a dark office full of books. The door to Cas's bedroom was ajar, light streaming out through the crack.

“You should rest, Cas,” the queen said from the other side of the door.

“I will, Mother.” Then, in a softer voice: “I'm fine.”

Jovita knocked and pushed the door open. The room was even bigger than Em's, with an impressive dresser and ornate mirror on one side of the room, and two big plushy chairs on the other, in front of a massive window currently obscured by deep-blue curtains. Cas lay on the big bed in the center of the room,
shirtless, with a white bandage covering his left shoulder. He was still pale, but he smiled as she walked into the room.

The queen turned, and Em found herself crushed against the woman. She held Em so tightly it was difficult to breathe.

“Thank you,” the queen whispered.

Em resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she extracted herself from the queen's embrace. The king stood next to his wife, his face full of gratitude. Em quickly crossed her arms over her chest so he wouldn't get any ideas about hugging her too.

“May we have a minute?” Cas asked.

The queen wiped at her cheeks. “We'll be right outside.”

The king put a hand on Em's shoulder as he passed her.

“We owe you a debt of gratitude,” he said softly.

Em tried not to appear too pleased. She couldn't have found a better way to endear herself to the king and queen than if she had planned this herself.

The door closed with a quiet thud as they left, and she clasped her hands in front of her, suddenly nervous. An elaborate jeweled sword hung on the wall not three steps away, and another one, sheathed and ready to be grabbed, sat on the dresser in the corner. Five seconds to kill the prince. If she hadn't just saved his life, she might have been tempted.

Cas was still smiling at her, and he gestured with his good hand. “Come here?”

He said it as a question, and she nodded in agreement as she stepped forward. She was tempted to stop in the middle of the room, but that seemed awkward, so she walked all the way
to his bed and stood next to it.

She'd never seen a boy shirtless in his bed before. She and Damian had shared a tent many times, but that was different. They were both fully clothed, in the dirt, and usually Aren was there as well. This felt more intimate. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she wiped a sweaty palm against her dress.

“I just wanted to say thank you.” Cas kept his gaze steady with hers, and she found it hard to look away. In a certain light his eyes were blue, in others they seemed a bit green. Either way, they were clear and striking.

“You're welcome.”

“It's really above and beyond the call of duty to save my life on our wedding day.”

“It was nothing.”

One side of his mouth quirked up, his eyebrow rising with it. He was amused, but also . . . intrigued? He was looking at her as if he liked her. She didn't think she wanted him to like her.

But she had to admit that it would be helpful if he did. She couldn't ignore him and expect to be given inside information about Olivia's location and Lera's defenses.

She took a tiny step closer to the bed. “Are you in pain?”

“A little. It's subsiding.” He glanced at the bandage. “The doctor gave me something. He said it would make me drowsy, so don't be alarmed if I suddenly pass out.”

She tried not to let her body sigh with relief. If he was going to pass out, then there would be no expectation of her climbing into bed with him. She had another day or two until
she had to face that particular challenge.

“Is it common for people to attack you?” she asked.

“This would be a first.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Lera is usually very safe. Especially the castle. You don't need to worry.”

“I wasn't worried. I won.”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “You did. It was impressive, actually.”

“I've been attacked more times than I can count.” She said it almost smugly.

Cas's smile faded. “I guess you have. The Ruined are all over Vallos, aren't they?”

“They were. There are less now.”

“And they attacked often?”

Anger swirled in her gut as his features dropped in sympathy. Sympathy because she had to deal with those awful, evil Ruined.

“They were being hunted down and murdered, so yes, they defended themselves often.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. She didn't care. She'd say them again, just to watch that stupid baffled expression cross his face.

“Do you—” He sat up straighter, wincing in pain.

“I should let you rest,” she said quickly, before he could finish that sentence. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about the Ruined with the prince. It was unlikely she'd be able to keep her temper in check.

She took a step away from the bed and he reached out, catching her hand in his. He wore a thoughtful expression, his eyes soft and completely unlike his father's. “I'd like to hear about
your experiences with the Ruined sometime. If you don't mind talking about it.”

“Sure,” she lied, hoping he would forget that request.

He rubbed his thumb across her fingers. She noticed for the first time that red and purple had bloomed across her knuckles, where she'd punched the man.

“Do you need the doctor to look at your hand?” He loosened his grip, as if he was afraid he was hurting her.

“No, it's fine,” she said. “Just a bruise.”

He slowly released her. She ducked her head as she walked to the door, but she couldn't resist glancing back at him before she left. Light flickered off his bare chest from the lantern next to his bed, and he tossed a piece of dark hair out of his eyes.

“Good night,” he said.

She grasped the knob, mumbling a good-night as she wrenched the door open and walked out of his room.

CAS QUICKLY TURNED
his head at the sound of footsteps approaching his door. He'd been alone most of the morning, and his first thought—or hope—was that it was Mary. He shifted against his pillows, running a hand through his hair.

The door opened to reveal Galo, and Cas tried to convince himself he wasn't disappointed.

“Your Highness,” Galo said as he stepped into the room.

“Are we being formal this morning?”

“Seems appropriate, considering I let you get stabbed last night.” There was an edge to Galo's voice, and he wouldn't quite meet Cas's eyes.

“Almost every member of the guard was in that room. I'm not sure we can hold you personally responsible,” he said lightly,
but Galo didn't crack a smile. “Did my father yell?”

“And your mother. And Jovita. They fired the guards at the door, the ones who let the man slip in.”

Cas leaned back with a sigh, pain rippling through his shoulder. “Do they know who he was?”

“I haven't heard. The king is with him now.” Galo rubbed a hand over the scruff on his jaw. “I need to apologize for—”

“No, you don't,” Cas interrupted. “I don't want guards hovering at my side all hours of the day. You can't protect me all the time.”

“That is actually our job. Protecting you all the time. Though it appears Mary is more than willing to pick up the slack.”

“Yes, she is,” Cas murmured, the image of her fist connecting with that man's face flashing through his brain. Years of battling the Ruined had made her an excellent fighter.

“But I do need to apologize on behalf of your entire guard,” Galo said. “We wouldn't blame you if you replaced all of us.”

“You know I'm not going to do that,” Cas said.

“It wouldn't be the worst idea.” Jovita appeared in the doorway. She jerked her head, indicating that Galo should leave, and the guard quickly exited the room.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “How's the shoulder?”

“Fine. It's not that bad of an injury, but the doctor insisted I stay in bed today.”

“I'm glad it wasn't serious.”

Cas snorted. “Sure you are.”

Jovita gave him an annoyed look, but a smile tugged at her mouth as she plopped down in the chair near the window. “I would be very sad if anything happened to you, Cas.”

“I'm sure. You'd be devastated all the way to the throne.”

Jovita sat sideways in the chair, her long, dark braid dangling off the armrest as she tilted her head back. “You've caught me. It was me who hired that man to try to kill you at your wedding. I'm horribly jealous of you.”

“I knew it. Though I always thought you'd go with poison.”

“Much more theatrical this way.” She turned her head, grinning at him. “I've come with official news, though,” she said, swinging her legs around and sitting straight in the chair. “The man who stabbed you talked. He was a hunter.”

Cas's eyebrows lifted. “A hunter? Of the Ruined?”

“Yes.”

“What did he want with me?”

“A small group of hunters have organized against the king. They've been demanding changes to the hunter policies for a while. Mainly that we make it a voluntary position.”

“Would people actually volunteer to hunt down and kill Ruined?”

“Not many, which is why the position is used as a punishment instead of prison.” She rubbed a few fingers across her chin. “What criminals want is irrelevant. We need hunters. The king had heard rumblings about them organizing, but clearly we need to start taking them more seriously. He hasn't given up any others yet, but he must have had help. We'll find them. In the meantime, we still
have plenty of hunters making multiple Ruined kills every day.”

They were being hunted down and murdered, so yes, they defended themselves often.
Mary's words ran through his brain for the hundredth time since she'd said them. He'd never heard anyone even come close to defending the Ruined. No one used the word
murdered.
They were
eliminated
or
killed
or
disposed of
. Mary's word hung in the air, taunting him.

“Do you ever wonder whether it was the right decision, to kill all the Ruined?” he asked slowly.

Jovita's eyebrows shot almost to her hairline. “No.”

“Are they really all bad? Every single one of them?”

“Yes, every single one of them,” Jovita said, a hint of exasperation in her tone. She'd only been an adviser to the king for a year, but she always acted like she knew more than Cas. “The Ruined ruled over us for centuries without an ounce of compassion. We're returning the favor.”

“True,” Cas said quietly. He hadn't been alive to see the days when the Ruined enslaved humans and killed them for sport, and neither had his father. His grandfather had driven them out of Lera, but the Ruined had lost their hold on humans years before, after their powers weakened. Punishment from the ancestors for misuse of them, his grandfather used to tell him.

The ancestors had nothing to do with the Ruined losing their power,
Cas's father had said with a roll of his eyes. He was never the type of man to believe in things he couldn't see.
The Ruined will rise again. Unless we stop them.

The Ruined will rise again
used to send a chill down Cas's
spine. Now he felt nothing but the weight of those lost lives. For all the Ruined's power, they couldn't rise from the dead.

Jovita stood. “The warriors from Olso arrive in two days. Will you be well enough to attend the dinner?”

“I'm sure I will be. I'm not going to miss the warriors' first visit to Lera in two generations.”

“Good. Try not to get stabbed at that event too. We don't want the warriors thinking we need someone from
Vallos
to save our prince.” She said
Vallos
as if it were distasteful, but a smile crept onto her face.

“The horror. Almost as embarrassing as getting beaten by their princess in the Union Battle.”

She glared at him, and he laughed as he sank down farther into his pillows.

“I wasn't planning to poison you before, but now I definitely am,” she said as she threw open the door. “Watch your back, Prince Casimir.”

He grinned at her. “I have Mary to do that for me.”

“Why is it always sunny?” Aren looked up at the sky in disgust, shielding his face with his hand. “Even their weather is mocking me.”

Em followed his gaze to the clear blue sky. The air was fresh and cool, the birds soaring in the direction of the ocean. The castle gardens bloomed with red, yellow, and pink flowers, and various citrus fruits hung from trees. It really was disgustingly beautiful in Lera.

“The ancestors blessed them,” she said with a mock-serious expression.

Aren rolled his eyes. “If I have to hear that one more time, I'm going to kill someone. Don't be surprised if you see one of their heads just suddenly separate from their body.”

She glanced over her shoulder, at the empty path behind them. “Say that a little louder. I don't think they heard you on the other side of the gardens.”

“Sorry.” He lowered his voice. “My mother used to tell me the ancestors had blessed me. I don't like hearing it out of their mouths.”

“I know,” Em said softly.

“Maybe the ancestors didn't bless anyone. Maybe they never even existed,” Aren said, his voice wobbling. His mother had been the castle priest, and his words weighed heavy on Em's heart. He never would have dreamed of saying those words a year ago.

She reached over and squeezed his hand briefly. He squeezed it back.

The castle wall came into view as they reached the edge of the gardens. A wide swath of grass stretched between the wall and the gardens, making sure that anyone who jumped it would be in plain view of the guards.

“There's one guard in that tower,” Em said without looking back at it. The tower was on the east side of the castle, stretching higher than the rest of the building. A perfect spot to watch the entire wall.

“Maybe two,” Aren said. “And did you see that watch post
when we came in? From where it's positioned, the guard would also have an excellent view of the entire castle grounds.”

“I couldn't see anything in that stupid carriage.”

“It's in the trees, not far from the main castle gate.”

“Find out how those shifts are assigned. I want to know if it's always the same few people, or if they rotate.”

“Got it.”

She touched the wall. Stone. It was very tall, but there was a tree near the wall ahead that could easily be climbed, though it would be quite a jump to the other side.

“Guards posted on the other side of the wall?” she whispered.

“Yes. Not a popular position. Very boring, apparently. And you have to stand the whole time.”

“Find out how many and where.”

“Already on it.”

“A Ruined could take this wall down, right?” she asked. “At least a piece of it?”

“Damian could take down a large chunk of it at full strength.”

“Good.”

They continued walking, Em making a note of how long it took to walk the entire perimeter. If a hasty escape was necessary, the wall would pose a significant problem.

“How was the prince last night? You saw him, didn't you?” Aren asked.

“Fine. It's just a shoulder injury.” She blew out a breath of air. “He wants to talk to me about the Ruined.”

“What? How did that come up?”

“It's my fault. I can't keep my mouth shut. I may have said they were murdering us.”

“Mary would have hated the Ruined, Em. They murdered her parents.”

“So? No one here ever met her. They don't know that for sure.”

“Was he mad? Was it like, ‘We'll discuss this later, peasant. Now leave me to my murdering'?” He lowered his voice in an impression of Cas and grinned.

“No. It was more like he was intrigued. Like he was willing to talk about it,” she said, and Aren gave her a baffled look. “I know! I never considered the possibility that I could actually talk sense into him.”

“It's not a possibility,” Aren said. “Even if Cas is willing to listen to you and the king died tomorrow, it wouldn't change anything. The king's advisers support the Ruined policies. Besides, he's what . . . seventeen?”

“Yeah.”

“He's been able to take the throne for two years. He was in those meetings when they decided. If he had something to say, he would have done it already.”

“True. Sympathy doesn't mean much if you don't take action.” She shuddered as the image of a shirtless Cas ran through her head. She didn't like him in her head.

“Have you heard anything about Olivia yet?” Aren asked.

“No. I'm waiting for a natural way to slide it into conversation. I don't want them getting suspicious. So far all anyone will
talk to me about is dresses and the wedding. They haven't even bothered to tell me the Olso warriors are coming. I've been practicing my surprised face.” She lifted her eyebrows, parting her lips dramatically. “How is that?”

“Terrible. Don't do that.”

“Maybe Cas will remember to tell me today, since they're supposed to arrive very soon. He'd barely spoken to me before yesterday, so I guess there wasn't much opportunity.” She scrunched up her face. “Now I think he likes me.”

“That was the point, wasn't it?”

“I guess.”

He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “We never talked about . . . uh . . . the sex part.”

“And we will continue to not talk about it.”

“Are you going to ask him to wait? I don't think that's unreasonable. You just met, after all.”

“Aren, we're not talking about it.”

“Right. Sorry.” He slid his hands in his pockets, taking a few steps away from her. “I have to get back. I told them I was just checking in with you, so they'll expect me back soon.” He grinned. “Plus, we shouldn't be seen together too often. People will think we're having sex.”

Em wrinkled her nose, trying to keep a smile off her face. “Gross.”

“The feeling is mutual.”