“Faster,” she said. Galo urged the horse forward.
It didn’t take long to get back to the Ruined on horseback. She spotted Jacobo still in his tree, his gaze fixed to the west. The rest of the Ruined weren’t in position yet. They’d moved the horses somewhere that Olivia couldn’t see, and were milling around, anxious looks on their faces. Several turned and spotted Galo and Olivia.
She ordered Galo to stop and slid off the horse. Ester strode out in front of the Ruined, her brow crinkled.
“Is that a human?” she asked.
“Yes it is,” Olivia said. “Aren! I found something of yours!”
He pushed through the crowd that was forming in front of her. The annoyance on his face immediately melted into horror. Em appeared next to him. She gasped, her fingers curling around Aren’s arm.
Aren took a step forward.
“Stop!” Olivia yelled. He had the good sense to obey. “Take another step toward him and I’ll snap his neck.” She glanced at Galo, making him topple off the horse. He landed on the ground with a grunt.
Aren stared at her. She knew he must be weighing his options—he could use his powers on her, but if she resisted just enough, she’d have plenty opportunity to kill Galo.
She smiled at him.
Around them, Ruined stood rooted to the ground, watching.
“Would you like to explain why there’s a Lera guard following us?” Olivia asked. “How about the Lera soldiers I just killed?”
“I—I don’t know,” Aren said, entirely unconvincingly.
“If you don’t know him, you won’t mind if I kill him, then.” She spun on her heel to face Galo and fixed her gaze on his neck. “Bye, Galo.”
NINETEEN
GALO’S BODY WENT numb. A scream echoed in his ears, and for a moment, he thought he was the one yelling.
But the scream wasn’t his. It was Olivia. She flew through the air and hit a tree with a thunk, her scream dissolving into a whimper.
Galo put a hand on his chest. His heart was still in his chest. His head was still connected to his body. He wasn’t sure how that was possible, considering the look Olivia had just given him. He thought that her hateful face was the last thing he was going to see before he died.
Olivia pressed a hand to her head as she stumbled to her feet.
Aren shot forward and placed his body in front of Galo’s. Right. Aren. There was no one else who could have tossed Olivia like that and saved him.
Considering the look that Olivia was giving Aren right now, she knew it too. She was breathing heavily, eyebrows lowered, face twisted with rage. Galo thought that maybe he should be the one standing in front of Aren instead.
Blood dripped into Galo’s eye. He’d nearly forgotten that Olivia had smashed his head into a rock. His body was still numb with terror, but he could feel a faint pounding beginning to form behind one eye. He wiped at it with the back of his shirtsleeve.
Around them, the Ruined were silent. A few were edging closer to protect Olivia, their eyes fixed on Aren and Galo.
“Don’t move,” Aren said quietly. He reached back and wrapped one hand around Galo’s wrist. Galo was scared to breathe too loudly, much less move.
Olivia turned her furious gaze to Em. Galo had seen Em in some horrible situations—fleeing the Lera castle, finding Cas near death, stumbling injured through the jungle—but he’d never seen her look so upset. He could see her hands shaking, and her lips quivered like she was trying not to cry.
“You knew about him, didn’t you?” Olivia spat at Em, pointing in Galo’s direction. “You knew he was following us with Lera soldiers.”
Aren turned his head over his shoulder. “Did she kill all the Lera soldiers?” he asked quietly.
“One may have survived,” Galo said. “I wasn’t able to check.”
Em didn’t reply to Olivia, which appeared to only make her angrier. She looked at the Ruined around her, still pointing at Galo. He wished she’d stop.
“Don’t you see what she’s doing? She betrayed you,” Olivia said.
“No, she didn’t,” an older Ruined woman said, stepping beside Em.
Olivia’s lips parted. She stared at each of the Ruined in turn, her expression growing more furious by the second. “You let this happen? You’re helping the people who murdered us?”
“Olivia,” Em said gently. “It’s complicated, and we—”
“It is not complicated!” Olivia yelled. “We do not partner with Lerans! We do not betray our fellow Ruined!”
“We have to make certain alliances to survive,” Ivanna said. “If you can’t see that, then—”
“Then what?” Olivia screamed. “What will you do?”
“Aren!” Em yelled. “Jacobo, behind you!”
Aren let go of Galo’s wrist, and they both whirled around. Jacobo charged at Galo with a sword. Galo actually felt a burst of relief. A sword he could handle. He reached for the blade at his waist.
Aren yanked on his shirt suddenly, pulling Galo back and darting in front of him as Jacobo lunged. Galo stumbled, his hand slipping from his sword. Jacobo’s eyes widened as he realized he was going to stab Aren, not Galo, and the blade twitched to the right. It sliced across Aren’s waist.
Gasps echoed across the forest. Aren’s shirt was immediately soaked through with blood.
“They’re coming!” someone yelled from the tree. “From the west! We have to get into position now!”
Galo stared at the blood spreading across Aren’s shirt. He put a hand out, ready to steady Aren if he was going to fall. “Is it deep?” he asked.
Aren didn’t reply. He and Em were communicating with their eyes. He didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the wound.
“It’s a trap,” Jacobo said.
Olivia stared at Em. “I killed all their Lera soldiers.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Em said quietly. “I have no control over the Olso army. You either need to run or prepare to fight.”
Olivia’s eyes flashed. Em took a step back.
“Let’s run,” Jacobo said. “They’re planning something.”
“No,” Olivia said sharply. “Get in position.”
“But—”
“Get in position!” Olivia screamed. “I don’t care what they’re planning.” She directed her next words at Em. “I can kill all the soldiers myself, if I have to.”
Galo took in a sharp breath. He didn’t think that was true, but Olivia looked determined enough to make it happen.
“Get in position!” Olivia yelled again.
Em took off first, headed into the trees to find a hiding spot. Aren grabbed Galo’s arm and pulled him, frequently looking over his shoulder at Olivia. Galo’s gaze was fixed on Aren’s bloody shirt.
Aren led him west, away from the Ruined, and in the direction the Olso army would be coming from. The trees were a little thinner this direction, and they had to crouch low behind a mess of vines. It wasn’t the best hiding spot, but they’d be the first to see the soldiers as they approached.
“Let me see,” Galo said to Aren. He tried to lift Aren’s shirt to examine his wound.
“It’s just a scratch,” Aren said, batting his hand away. “Get down.”
Galo obeyed, sinking a little lower to the ground. He looked over his shoulder to see the last few Ruined running into position—climbing trees, disappearing behind bushes, and making gestures to each other. He’d lost sight of Olivia and Em.
The jungle went still and quiet. Galo looked at Aren to find him lifting his shirt, examining the gash on his side. It was more than “just a scratch,” and actually looked rather painful.
“Why would you do that?” Galo whispered. “I’m good with a sword, I could have fought him off.”
“You’re welcome,” Aren said wryly.
“I didn’t mean—”