He let her down when they reached it, and Galo gave him a boost over. Aren used his Ruined magic to pull her and Galo over, and offered his back to her again when she was on the ground. She climbed on.
He ran slowly with her on his back, but his breathing was steady. She buried her face in his neck and refused to look back at the prison.
“Do you want me to take her for a while?” Galo asked as they turned a corner onto a tree-lined road.
Aren shook his head. “I’m fine.” They jogged in silence for several minutes, Galo often running backward as he checked to see if they were being followed. In the distance, Iria heard shouts, but no one appeared as they turned another corner.
Aren slowed to a walk after a few more minutes, turning to peer behind him.
“I haven’t seen anyone,” Galo said.
Aren nodded, leaning down to let Iria slide off. They stood in front of a small, unfamiliar house. The front door opened a crack, then a little more. A familiar face stuck her head out. Bethania.
Tears sprang to Iria’s eyes as she limped forward. Bethania eased the door wider and opened her arms, enveloping Iria in a hug as soon as she stepped over the threshold.
Iria couldn’t stop the tears now that they’d started, and her shoulders shook as Bethania held her tighter.
“I can’t believe they actually did it,” Bethania murmured, her tone almost amused.
Iria smiled through her tears. “They had a bit of help from you?”
“Some. But I let those crazy boys go in on their own.”
Iria laughed as she pulled away. Her bruised eye stung as she wiped her tears away. “That was probably smart.”
Bethania stepped back, waving Aren and Galo in. “Come on. Quickly.”
Iria stepped farther into the house. The front two rooms were completely empty, a few pieces of trash scattered on the wooden floors, like someone had just moved out.
“I knew the house was vacant,” Bethania said, following her gaze. “We have some clothes for you, and food. We don’t think it’s smart to stay long in this area, because they’ll probably go house to house when they can’t find you on the road.”
“We’re going to wait until they sweep the roads in this area, then we’ll go back out,” Aren said. “Bethania got us some horses.”
“I stole them,” Bethania admitted.
“You always were stealthy,” Iria said. She slid down the wall and hit the ground heavily.
“Why are you limping?” Bethania asked.
“I was injured,” Iria said, closing her eyes briefly. It seemed easier to not look at any of them. All of them had matching worried expressions on their faces. Even Galo, a man she’d barely spoken to, seemed alarmed.
“How?” Aren asked.
“A knife. They had to take off part of my foot.”
“Who?” Aren asked sharply. “One of the guards?”
Iria nodded wordlessly.
“Does it hurt?” Bethania asked. “I can maybe find bandages, if you need.”
She started to say no, but the bandages hadn’t been changed today and the last thing she needed was an infection.
“We should probably change them,” she admitted.
“I have some fresh clothes for you too,” Bethania said. She ushered Galo and Aren out of the room and sat in front of Iria with new bandages.
Iria leaned her head back against the wall. “Thank you. For asking them to leave. I need a moment.”
“I could tell.” One side of Bethania’s mouth lifted as she unwrapped the old bandages on Iria’s foot. “I can also tell you’re happy to see Aren.”
“Yes, well.”
“It’s complicated?”
Iria blew her hair out of her face. “Yes.”
“I like him. He’s crazier than you are, which is saying something.”
Iria laughed, her first genuine laugh in weeks. Bethania had thought she was insane to volunteer for the mission to Lera to help Em, and she hadn’t been shy about expressing that feeling.
Of course, this whole situation proved her right. Iria decided not to mention that.
“They really took off a substantial portion of your foot,” Bethania said as she bandaged it. “Was it that bad of an injury?”
“I don’t know, I passed out. It was a very large knife, though they might have decided to amputate instead of treating just to spite me.”
“Bastards,” Bethania muttered. She finished and sat back, glancing over her shoulder. Aren and Galo were still out of sight, and Iria could hear mumbled conversation from another part of the house. “They’re taking you back to Lera. Is that what you want?”
“Do I have any other choice?”
“I’m sure we could come up with something.”
“Lera is fine. Is Aren . . .” She trailed off, her eyes darting to the door. “What part of Lera? Is he dropping me somewhere?”
“Let’s change your clothes and you can ask him yourself.” She tossed Iria brown pants and a white shirt. Iria slowly got to her feet and changed, tossing her prison clothes aside. The new clothes were softer against her skin, and she gratefully shrugged into a warm coat. It wasn’t that cold, but she was shivering nonetheless.
Bethania opened the door and called for Aren and Galo as Iria plopped down on the floor again.
“Iria was asking where you’re going,” Bethania said.
Aren met Iria’s gaze. “Em’s at the castle with a bunch of other Ruined. We’re going there, if that’s all right with you.”
“And Olivia?”
“She’s on her own. I’m staying with you in the Lera castle. I won’t leave you.”
She felt more relieved than she wanted to admit. She didn’t want to go to Lera by herself, especially not now.
Aren reached into a bag and pulled out a canteen and something wrapped in a cloth. He sat down in front of her, crossing his legs. A piece of the cloth flopped over, revealing a sandwich.
Her fingers brushed his as she took the sandwich. He looked at her as if he had a million things he wanted to say, but he just lowered his eyes. Maybe it was because Bethania and Galo were there, or maybe he just felt too awkward. She’d thought he was going to kiss her that night in the woods, when he’d told her she’d have to go to Royal City without him, and the uncomfortable buzz of that night still lingered between them.
“Thanks, Aren,” she said quietly. She was expressing gratitude for more than the sandwich he’d just handed her, and he smiled like he understood.
“You’re welcome.”
THIRTY-THREE
CAS RETURNED TO the castle just before sunrise, and found Em half asleep in his bed. She jerked awake as he climbed in, and he quietly relayed his conversation with August. She didn’t say much as he told her about August’s plan to betray the Ruined; she just wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, like she’d never expected a different answer from Cas.
She was gone when he woke up, the sun now high in the sky, and he dressed and headed to his office. He’d recounted the story for Violet and Franco last night, but he was asked to explain it again to General Amaro, which led to a tense discussion on possible Olso plans of attack.
Cas slipped away, leaving a message with a guard to have Em come and find him when she was done working with Weakling today. He retreated to the tallest point of the castle—an attic filled with dusty memories of his grandparents and ancestors he’d never known. There was a loft area above the storage with a tiny round window that looked out all the way to the ocean, and he’d made the space his own years ago. A blanket and a few pillows were scattered on the floor, books stacked in the corners. Only a few guards had known about the spot, before, and he was never disturbed when he came here.
Now, he heard a guard cough on the other side of the door. Two had followed him up here.
He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, pretending for a moment that he was back in the world he’d known a few months ago—when he and Em had just started to get along and his parents were still alive and his biggest worry was his father’s approval.
He felt a stab of guilt as he opened his eyes. It was easy for him to think fondly of the way things used to be, when Lera was great, but it meant ignoring the fact that it wasn’t great for Em, or the Ruined. Reminiscing about those times was selfish and ignored the pain they’d caused.
Behind him, the door creaked open. It really wasn’t a great hiding spot.