“That seems arbitrary, but all right.”
“I’m serious. General Amaro said it would be safer to have a few bodies in front of you.”
He turned to look for General Amaro, but the soldiers were in formation farther back, behind his guards.
“I’m the one who ordered them all here to fight for me. I’m riding in front.” He gave Galo a look that meant he was done discussing it.
“Fine,” Galo said with a resigned sigh. “But I’m staying next to you.”
“Good.” Cas smiled at him before focusing straight ahead again. They were so close to the city he could hear the murmur of voices, smell the scent of meat being cooked.
They turned onto the road that led into the town square, and Cas could see people standing outside their shops and homes just ahead. Cas breathed a sigh of relief that the warriors hadn’t killed all the townspeople. He knew that many of the people in Gallego City had escaped to the fortress, but he’d been worried about everyone in Royal City.
But the city looked mostly the same—a few shops were burned and being rebuilt, but other than that the road was still lined with colorful buildings, their windows advertising bread or sweets or clothing. The people in the road appeared scared but unharmed. He waved to them, which produced a few startled expressions.
He rode until he was almost in the town square, then jumped off his horse and drew his sword. A few dead bodies lay in the road, and he cast a quick glance at their uniforms. Warriors.
“That’s right, you better run!” a woman was yelling, as a few warriors ran down the east road, in the direction of the ocean. Jovita. She was standing in the middle of the road with several hunters.
“Jovita,” he called.
She whirled around, her lip curling. “Cas.”
Several of the townspeople gasped and bowed their heads, and he realized for the first time that none of them had known who he was. He wore plain black clothes, like many of the soldiers. Only a smattering had official blue Lera uniforms.
“Everyone needs to get inside,” he ordered. “Olivia Flores is here.”
Jovita paled. “What? Where?”
“She’s on the outskirts of town with a bunch of Ruined. She—”
“None of this would have happened if you hadn’t let her go,” Jovita said, her face red with fury. “If you hadn’t been so—”
“Jovita, shut up!” He yelled so loudly she jumped in surprise.
“I don’t have time to discuss any of this with you right now.” He pointed to the gawking townspeople. “All of you, inside, now. Stay there until we ring the castle bell.” They quickly scurried inside, doors slamming shut down up and down the street.
“Cas,” Aren said quietly. He pointed east, in the direction of the ocean. Flames lit up the night sky. The Ruined weren’t far from the castle.
“Em can stop Olivia, right?” Cas asked. Aren gave him a worried look in reply.
“We’re counting on Emelina Flores to save us?” Jovita strode to her horse. “We’re all dead.”
To his right, soldiers raced past the town and to the castle. Many of them were on foot, though a few horses galloped ahead. General Amaro led the pack, shouting orders as she charged toward the castle.
Cas ran to his horse and practically jumped onto the saddle. He kicked the side of the horse and took off, glancing over his shoulder at her. She glared at him.
He faced forward, looking at the flames again. Em could do it. He knew she could. She was stronger than Olivia, in every way that counted.
He rode to the castle, Aren and Galo running behind him. The warriors hadn’t fully repaired the walls they’d destroyed in the siege, and none of the front gate remained. He spotted a piece of it lying in the grass not far away. There were several huge holes in the wall, and the soldiers marched ahead of him. They streamed into the front lawn.
Cas jumped off his horse and drew his sword. Galo ran ahead of him and ducked through one of the holes in the walls. He positioned himself in front of it as Cas climbed through. He straightened. Stopped.
He’d been expecting Olso warriors guarding the castle. Weapons. Some of the impressive technology Em had told him about.
Instead, only Cas’s army was on the lawn. The front doors were open and he caught a glimpse of General Amaro as she ran inside.
Galo moved to stand at Cas’s side. “Is it a trap?”
“I don’t know,” Cas murmured.
Shouts and footsteps sounded from the back of the castle. He turned to grab the nearest soldier. “Go to the gardens. Find out what’s happening back there.” The soldier nodded and left, pulling a few others with him. Iria stood a few paces away, watching, and she took off behind the soldiers.
Cas lifted his chin, taking in the sight of his home for a moment. He’d so badly wanted for it to still be standing, and he was shocked he’d gotten his wish. The castle looked the same from the outside—white stone and large windows and peaks on the top of the four towers in the corners. He stood rooted in place for a moment, staring at it. He knew that there were probably warriors inside, and he was being no help by just standing on the front lawn, but he couldn’t help it.
He finally pried his gaze away. Soldiers were still running through the front door, and he followed them inside. Galo ran beside him.
There were no warriors inside, either. Soldiers rushed past him, scattering into hallways and up the stairs. Lanterns lining the wall were lit, casting a glow on the black marks snaking up the walls from the fire. The table that used to sit against the wall in the entryway was gone, a black mark in its place, and the bottom few steps of the staircase were burned. But otherwise the staircase was intact. The warriors must have put the fire out quickly.
“Your Majesty.” A soldier was in front of him suddenly. “Let me take you somewhere safe.”
He shook his head and sidestepped the soldier. He ran to the back of the castle and ducked into the kitchen. Plates with half-eaten food lay abandoned on the staff table. A mug of tea was still steaming.
Cas pushed open the back door and rushed outside. The warriors were all running away. They streamed across the lawn, hopping the wall and disappearing.
“They’re getting in a ship!” a voice above him yelled. Cas looked up to see Franco in the tower, pointing in the direction of the ocean.
“They didn’t even put up a fight?” the soldier beside Cas asked, clearly baffled.
“Olivia. They got word to run, not fight.”
“Smart,” a voice from behind him said. Cas turned to find Aren standing in the doorway of the kitchen with Galo.
“Will you stay here for a minute?” Cas asked Aren. “Yell if you spot any Ruined or warriors coming this way.”