Ruined (19 page)

CAS FELL TO
the ground, the arrow sticking out of his left shoulder. Em frantically scrambled across the dirt to him.

“You missed,” Iria said from behind her.

“Tell her to move out of the way, and I'll make sure the next one's in his heart,” Miguel said.

Em yanked the arrow out before Cas could protest. He pressed his lips together to muffle his scream. He looked like he wished he'd killed her.

“Move, Emelina,” Miguel said.

Her eyes met Cas's. His father deserved to die. Lera deserved to be burned to the ground. But Cas didn't deserve any of this.

“No,” she said, her voice sounding stronger than she felt. Boots stopped next to her, and Aren frowned down at her.

“If you're going to kill him yourself, do you mind being quick about it?” Miguel asked. “I know your mother was fond of extended torture, but we don't really have time—”

“No one is killing him,” she said. Some of Cas's anger melted into confusion.

“Em . . .” Iria's voice trailed off, and she glanced at Miguel.

“We have to,” Miguel said. “King Lucio ordered the royal family killed.”

“I do not take orders from King Lucio, and I say that he lives.” Em looked at Aren. “Will you help me move him to the river? That arrow was probably filthy. We should boil some water and clean the wound.”

“We should
what
?” Miguel let out a disbelieving laugh.

“No one needs to help me,” Cas spat, sitting up with his hand braced against his bloody shoulder. “I can walk.”

“Oh good,” Miguel said. “He can walk. Let's catch him some fish and make him a lovely meal while we're at it, why don't we?”

Cas eyed his sword, just beyond his reach, and Aren quickly scooped it off the ground. He knelt down next to Em, lowering his voice so Cas wouldn't overhear. “He tried to kill you, Em.”

“He wasn't going to do it. He was lowering his sword.”

“It looked like he was going to kill you from where I stood.”

She glanced over her shoulder to see the four warriors in a huddle, talking among themselves. Miguel kept throwing his arms around in annoyance.

“Come on,” Em said, jumping to her feet and extending her
hand to Cas. He glared at it. “You have to get that wound clean.”

He struggled to stand on his own, almost falling over in the process. He blinked, obviously light-headed from the loss of blood. “Why? Just kill me and get it over with.” He let out a strangled laugh.

“No one is killing you.” She gestured for him to walk in front of her, because she didn't trust that he wouldn't take off running. He didn't stand a chance out in the jungle with that wound and no sword.

He walked past her and toward the river, casting a quick glance at the warriors. They all followed him with their eyes, and Em kept careful watch on Miguel's bow and arrow. There were four warriors, and only she and Aren. Em didn't think she could count Cas on their team, even if he weren't injured. She had Aren, at least. He made their odds much better.

“Tell them you want to offer him as a trade,” Aren whispered to Em.

She looked at him quickly. “What?”

“Tell them you want him alive so you can trade him for Olivia. Fort Victorra will be well protected by Lera soldiers by the time we get there—tell them you have doubts that the warriors will be able take the area. He's your backup plan.”

“That's a good idea. They may actually go for that.”

“I think you should kill him, for the record,” he said. “But if you really can't, I trust your decision.”

“Thank you,” she said as they approached the river. Cas stood near the water, a muscle in his jaw twitching. He looked
at them suspiciously, obviously wondering what they were whispering about.

“How do you expect to boil water out here?” he asked.

Aren snorted. “How sad. Prince Casimir doesn't even know how to build a fire. Life's a bit tough without Mommy and Daddy's maids, isn't it?”

Cas flushed, his eyes sparking with fury, and Em cleared her throat.

“Aren, would you mind gathering some branches and kindling?” she asked. She pointed at Cas. “You. Sit down.”

He stood there for several seconds, like he wasn't sure he wanted to obey her. But then he slumped to the ground, blowing a piece of hair out of his face. The warriors hadn't moved; their heads were still bent together as they talked. She knelt down in front of Cas, careful to keep the warriors in her sight.

“What. Are. You. Doing?” He spit out every word, like it pained him to talk to her. “Why are you helping me?”

“It looks like you need it.” She knew what he meant, but she didn't think she had the words to explain why she was helping him.
Because I have feelings for you
was too pathetic now, given the utter fury on his face. “Where are your guards?” she asked. “Why are you alone?”

“I imagine most of my guards are dead, thanks to you.”

“And almost everyone I ever cared about is dead, thanks to you,” Aren said as he dropped an armload of branches off.

“Aren,” she said softly, in a warning tone. He stomped away. She passed Cas her canteen. “You should have some water.”

He snatched it from her and took a few gulps.

Miguel turned away from the group of warriors, planting his hands on his hips. “Why are you giving him water? What do you expect to do with him?”

“He's coming with us,” Em said. “As our prisoner. When we get to the Southern Mountains, I want to trade him for Olivia.”

Cas laughed, a hollow, almost manic sound. “Your prisoner. Wonderful. It's so lovely to meet the real you, Emelina. You're just how my father described.”

Em struggled to keep a neutral expression as she ignored him.

“Trade him and Lera will have their king back,” Miguel said.

“No, they'll have a new king. A powerless one, since Olso will have full control of the country by then, I assume?”

Miguel just frowned.

“I'm not letting you kill my biggest bargaining chip. I made it clear when we entered into this agreement that my most important goal was to get Olivia. Once I have her, you can resume hunting down the royal family, if that's how you want to spend your time.”
After Cas has had time to get far away from you,
she added silently.

“And if he tries to kill you again?” Miguel asked.

“Then I guess I'll be dead.”

Miguel took the bow and an arrow off his back. He pointed the arrow straight at Em. “Enough of this. Koldo, Iria, grab her before that other one comes back. Move her out of the way.”

Koldo strode toward her and Em scrambled to her feet, reaching for her sword.

Iria jumped forward, grabbing Koldo by his jacket. “Wait, wait, wait.” She moved between Em and Miguel, extending her arms in either direction. “Let's just calm down.”

Koldo stopped in his tracks, looking worriedly from Miguel to Iria. Miguel didn't lower his arrow.

“She is not our prisoner,” Iria said. “We have control of the Lera capital because of her. All of this is because of her.”

“No kidding,” Cas muttered.

Iria ignored him. “If she wants to take Casimir as her prisoner, that's her choice. She's earned at least that.”

“I don't take orders from Ruined,” Miguel said through clenched teeth.

“And they don't take orders from you,” Iria said.

“I certainly don't.” Aren emerged from the forest, dropping another armful of branches off for the fire. Miguel spun to face him, arrow still ready to launch.

Miguel's legs flew out from under him suddenly, the arrow soaring to the sky as his butt hit the ground. Aren strode forward, kicking the bow out of Miguel's grasp. He grabbed the warrior's collar, leaning down to bring Miguel's face in line with his own.

“Point that thing at me again and I'll crack every one of your ribs in half and pull them out through your belly button.”

Miguel swallowed. Aren shoved him away and straightened. He grabbed the bow and held it out to Iria, some of the anger draining from his face when he looked at her.

“Maybe you should hold on to that.”

She took it with a nod. Aren spun on his heel, walking past
Miguel and grabbing the sticks to start arranging them for the fire.

“Thanks,” Em said quietly to Iria.

One side of Iria's mouth turned up. “Sure.” She glanced back at Cas. “It's your choice. But if he kills you, I'll never hear the end of it from those guys.”

“I'll try to avoid it.”

“Good.” She took a step away, turning to face Em with a smile. “I'd be a little sad if you died.”

“Only a little, huh?”

Iria held up her thumb and pointer finger, leaving a small amount of space between them. “A tiny bit.”

Em laughed, turning back to Cas. The sound died in her throat as soon as she looked at his angry face. “Thank you for not killing me earlier.” She kept her voice low, only for him. “And please understand that if I die, no one else here will hesitate to kill you. I'm on your side.”

His lip curled, and he leaned closer to her. “You have never been on my side. You're a liar, and a murderer. Maybe my father was right to exterminate every last one of you.”

She stood, clasping her hands behind her back to hide the fact that she was shaking. “He was right to kill my mother and slaughter almost everyone living in the castle? Even the staff? Children?” She cocked her head. “At least he'd be proud to see you've turned out the same.”

Em marched away from Cas, blinking away tears.

CAS TRUDGED BEHIND
the horses, his hands bound together in front of him. His shoulder ached and burned, but he kept his expression neutral and walked in silence.

Emelina was next to him. Aren and the three male warriors were on the horses, and Iria walked beside them. She kept glancing back at him and Emelina.

He stole a quick look at Emelina. She wore the same dress she'd had on last time he saw her, but now it was smeared with dirt and grime and ripped in places. Her dark hair was pulled back, her expression grim. She'd cleaned his wound and spread some berol root on it without a word, and she'd barely acknowledged his presence since they'd started walking.

Guilt tore through his chest, and he hated her even more for
making him feel it. The words had tumbled out of his mouth without him pausing to think about them—
maybe my father was right to exterminate every last one of you
—and Cas couldn't stop replaying them in his head.

He hadn't meant it. He knew, with absolute certainty, that his father had been wrong to kill the Ruined without cause. He'd killed them out of fear, and he'd died because of it. Even if Cas hated Emelina with every fiber of his being, he didn't blame the entire Ruined species for her actions.

“What happened to the real Mary, Emelina?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“I killed her. When she was on her way to Lera.”

“You just killed her. Without provocation.”

“She killed my father and left his head on a stick for me to find. I wouldn't say I wasn't provoked.”

Cas swallowed, determined not to feel sorry for her. But he also didn't feel particularly sorry he never had the chance to meet the real Mary.

“And it's Em,” she said, quieter. “Most people call me Em.”

A flash of memory—
I was educated at the castle with Em and Olivia
—and Cas drew in a breath. “You knew Damian.”

“Yes. He was a friend.”

“And I let you argue to set him free. I'm such an idiot.”

“You're not an idiot. You were kind to him. You don't know what that meant to me.”

He didn't know how to respond to that. He could have told her that he would do it again, because Ruined didn't deserve to
die simply for being magical, but he wasn't in the mood to be nice to her. He kept his mouth shut.

“Do you have to walk so close to him?” Iria called over her shoulder. “It makes me nervous.”

“He's not going to hurt me, Iria,” Em called, and Cas felt a surge of anger that she didn't seem to think he was actually a threat to her.

Maybe because he'd squandered the opportunity to kill her. He could still see her face as he pointed his sword at her head. His blade had been locked in place, the terror at actually having to go through with murdering her making his stomach rise up into his throat. Even now, as he stared at the scratch on her neck where he'd nicked her, he felt a little sick.

He should have been able to kill her. He should have enjoyed it. She hadn't just betrayed him, she'd made him care about her so thoroughly that he couldn't even hate her properly. And now he was a hostage, injured and still at her mercy.

“I do want to apologize, Cas, for—” Em began.

“Don't apologize to me,” he spat. “You're not sorry. You manipulate people. You say and do what you think they want and then turn around and use it against them. Your apology means nothing to me.”

“Well, I'm apologizing anyway!” she yelled, making everyone turn around and stare at them.

He rolled his eyes. “I'm sorry if I doubt the sincerity of an apology
screamed
at me.”

“I tried being nice. That just seemed to make you more angry.”

“When were you being nice? Was it somewhere between you taking me hostage and yelling at me?”

“I saved your life.”

He snorted. “Your bar for
nice
is awfully low.”

“I don't—”

“Would you two be quiet?” Iria interrupted. “The entire jungle can hear you.”

Em shut her mouth, casting an angry look in Cas's direction.

“I don't accept the apology,” he whispered.

She took in a breath, like she was preparing to really let him have it. Then her body deflated, the last wisps of anger leaving her face as she shrugged.

“I understand. But I am sorry, Cas.”

He didn't want her to understand. He didn't want her to act all quiet and contrite. He wanted to see her being haughty and unashamed. He wanted her to laugh in his face and tell him he was stupid. He wanted to scream at her, to shake her and tell her he would never forgive her. But the traces of her last words—
I am sorry, Cas—
lingered in the air, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything at all.

“Should we tie up his legs?”

Em looked over at the sound of Iria's voice and shook her head. “No, I think he's fine.”

Cas glared at Iria. They'd stopped not long after the sun set, and he'd collapsed against a tree without a word. Em suspected
he was far too tired to run.

Em sat down on the ground near him, watching as Miguel leaned over and muttered something to Francisco. It was dark, but the moonlight cast a glow over their faces, and they both seemed to be very pointedly avoiding her.

Koldo stopped in front of her, offering some dried meat. She took two pieces and passed one to Cas.

“Thanks, Koldo,” she said, smiling at him.

He mumbled, “You're welcome,” without meeting her eyes, pink spots appearing on his cheeks.

She tore off a hunk of meat with her teeth and watched as Koldo handed a piece to Iria. None of the men had talked to Iria much since she'd defended Em, but Koldo looked visibly uncomfortable just being near her. Iria stretched her legs out in front of her, apparently oblivious.

“I'm going to see if I can find some bananas,” Aren said.

“No,” Em said quickly, hopping to her feet. “I'll do it. Will you stay here and watch him?” She gestured at Cas.

Aren's head tilted, like he knew something was wrong. She touched his arm as she passed him.

“They're planning something,” she murmured. “I'll stay close by. Let them think I've left you and Cas alone.”

He barely nodded, and she let her hand drop from his arm as she walked away. She walked into the thick trees, making noisy footsteps as she jogged into the darkness. Then she stopped, silently doubling back.

She ducked under a vine, crouching behind a bush. Francisco, Koldo, and Iria were exactly where she'd left them. Miguel was gone.

She slowly removed her sword from her belt, casting a quick glance around her.

A cricket jumped across the ground in front of her, and she watched as it disappeared into the darkness. Rustling noises and chirps echoed from the jungle, making it difficult to hear if someone was nearby.

She waited several minutes, barely breathing. Finally, Miguel emerged from the trees behind Aren, making a slow and silent approach. A piece of cloth dangled from his hands. Probably for Aren's eyes. If they blindfolded him, he wouldn't be able to use his Ruined magic, and she and Cas were screwed.

Francisco had moved in front of Iria, standing over her and blocking her view of Aren. Em watched as Miguel took another step toward Aren.

“Aren, behind you!” she yelled.

Aren sprang to his feet and whirled around. Miguel's arm swung straight up, the blindfold fluttering to the ground. The arm twisted backward with a horrible crunch.

Miguel's scream echoed through the trees as Em darted out of the bushes. Cas scrambled to his feet, stumbling as his bound wrists threw him off balance. Francisco rushed at him, sword drawn. Cas barely jumped out of the way in time.

Francisco lifted his sword again, and Em ducked beneath it, planting herself between him and Cas. The warrior's blade
crashed against hers, and she quickly blocked his next attack.

Miguel's screams made Francisco glance away for half a second, and Em lunged. She drove her sword into his side, aiming to wound, not kill. If she was ever going to make peace with the warriors, it was best not to leave them dead.

She grabbed Cas by the ropes around his wrists and sliced her blade through them.

“Aren! Sword!” she yelled, holding her hand out.

He turned away from Miguel, tossing her Cas's stolen sword. She caught it and thrust it into Cas's hand.

“The horses,” she said, jerking her head in their direction.

Cas's eyes widened at something behind her. He slammed his hands down on her shoulders so hard she crumpled to the ground. He leaned back as Koldo's blade sailed over Em's head.

Em kicked Koldo's knee, and the warrior went down with a yelp. “Go!” she yelled at Cas.

He ran past Iria. She stood a few paces away, her mouth in an O as she surveyed the scene.

Koldo scrambled across the dirt, his hand reaching for Em's ankle. His wrist cracked suddenly, the back of his hand hitting the top of his wrist. He howled, cradling the arm against his stomach. Aren was slumped against a tree, his chest heaving up and down.

She took off after Cas. A body slammed into hers and she hit the dirt, hard. Two hands pinned her to the ground.

“Punch me,” Iria said in her ear. “Make it look good.”

Iria loosened her grip and Em wriggled free, springing to her
feet. She whirled around and swung her fist, connecting with Iria's jaw. The warrior hit the ground with a grunt.

Em winced and gave Iria an apologetic look before turning back to Cas. He'd just freed the second horse. Koldo sprinted toward them, and she took off running, grabbing the reins of the horse. Cas moved toward the third horse, but she shook her head.

“Leave it!” she yelled.

He jumped on the horse. Em mounted the other horse, aiming her boot straight for Koldo's face as he tried to pull her off. He stumbled backward, landing on his butt as she rode past.

Aren still stood by the tree, and he reached his hand out as Em's horse galloped his way. She grabbed his arm and pulled him up. His body was limp from the exhaustion of using his magic, and he slumped against her back as soon as he was on the horse. She kicked at the side of the horse and they took off at a gallop, leaving the warriors in the dust.