EM WAITED NEAR the wagon and horses in front of the barn, her heart in her throat. Part of her wanted to run to Cas and apologize. The other part of her wanted to smack him and tell him to stop being stupid. Had he really intended to give up everything for her?
He was headed her way with Galo, Mateo, and Violet in tow. Galo and Mateo walked past her to the wagon. Violet nodded at Em, chewing her lip like she was nervous. She climbed into the back of the wagon.
Cas stopped in front of Em. He didn’t seem angry. Or happy. In fact, the blank look on his face was maybe the worst expression she’d ever seen from him.
“I shouldn’t have asked to stay,” he said flatly. “I’m sorry I put you in that position.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not that I don’t want you to stay, it’s—”
“Please, don’t,” he interrupted. “Don’t explain it anymore.”
She nodded, taking in a shaky breath.
“I have a proposition for you,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“I want to kill Jovita.”
She reeled back. “What?”
“Let me kill Jovita. I can get access to her.”
“How?”
“We’re going back to the fortress,” he said, gesturing to the wagon. “I’m going to tell Jovita I realized she was right about the Ruined.”
“She tried to kill you. She may lock you away again, especially if she’s suspicious of your return.”
“Let me take them information. Jovita claimed I was insane because I didn’t want to kill the Ruined—if I return having changed my mind, with useful information about you, she won’t be able to lock me up again.”
“What information do you want to take them?”
“The diarchy. Your impending marriage to August. Your plan to kill her. I’ll tell them I discovered a plot to attack the fortress and kill Jovita within a month.”
“And if we don’t attack within a month?”
“She’ll be dead by then.”
Em shook her head. “It’s too dangerous. Jovita has a lot of supporters, and the information you have isn’t enough.”
“Then give me something. A map, a plan, something concrete I can take to Jovita. I’ll say I stole it.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know if I have anything that …” She let her voice trail off, considering the various maps and plans she had locked away at home. “I wrote a letter for the Ruined and warriors to take to the soldiers at Gallego City. It basically details our position here and pledges our continued support of Olso. There’s nothing too specific, but I do allude to getting rid of Lera leaders. And I put the Flores seal on it.”
“Perfect. I’ll say I intercepted a messenger.”
Em started to turn, then reconsidered and faced Cas again. “Are you sure? You can’t just walk up to Jovita and stick a knife in her gut. Her people may revolt and kill you.”
“I know. Give me time. A few weeks. Let me bring some of the advisers over to my side. With Violet’s help, we may be able to turn some people. At the very least, I can take control of the southern province. Then I’ll figure out the best way to get rid of her.”
“Or you can allow us access to the fortress and we’ll do it.”
“Too many people would die. If you brought Olivia in …” He shook his head.
“She might get carried away,” Em finished.
“Yes.”
“In the meantime, I can be your eyes and ears in the fortress. They’ll attack you again soon, you have to know that.”
“We’re counting on it.”
“Then let me find out when. You’ll be prepared and Jovita will be humiliated a second time. It will be easy for me to convince everyone she doesn’t deserve the throne. Maybe I can take it back and then order her executed for treason.”
“Could you do that?” Em asked quietly.
“Yes.”
She rubbed her thumb across her necklace. Having someone inside the fortress was more than she could have hoped for.
“If anyone found out you were giving information to the Ruined …”
“They would chop my head off,” Cas finished.
“You’d have to sneak out of the fortress at least a couple times to bring me information. Could you do that?”
“I’m sure I could figure it out,” he said. “And you understand that this all hinges on our agreement? That the Ruined don’t attack us?”
“Of course. Once you reclaim the throne, we’ll all go back to Ruina and leave you alone.”
“And if you marry August?”
“What do you mean?” Her cheeks warmed.
“Will you be able to keep that promise if you marry August?”
“I have no control over the warriors, but I promise I’ll never send Ruined to Lera to help. I’ll make that clear if … if I marry him.” The words stuck in her throat, and she swallowed hard. “I’ll get you that letter.”
She took off to her apartment. It was mercifully empty when she stepped inside, and she let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to explain this to Olivia.
She grabbed the letter from the desk drawer in her bedroom, turning it over to make sure the green Flores seal was still intact. It was. She turned and jogged out of the apartment.
She extended the letter to Cas as she approached him. “Don’t forget to break the seal before you get back to the fortress. Otherwise you might have a hard time explaining how you know what it says.”
He nodded and pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his pocket. “I’m going to try to get away in five days. I’ve marked on that map where I’ll be.”
She unfolded the paper and looked at the rough sketch of the fortress and land in between.
“Can someone meet me in five days? I’ll relay information then,” he said.
“I can do it.”
“If I’m not there, try to come the next day. If I don’t show up either day, assume I’m dead or something went wrong.”
She folded the map back up and clutched it a little too hard. “Please be careful, Cas. Jovita’s not an idiot. She’ll be suspicious of you.”
“Of course she will. But I’m sure she’ll appreciate being told she was right.”
“Don’t—” She cut herself off, unsure if he wanted her opinion about this.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t be nice to her. Or to anyone. Go in there and threaten to execute everyone for treason.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I don’t think that will earn me any friends.”
“You need their respect, not their friendship. Don’t cower when you go back. You’re their king. Remind them of it.”
He held her gaze for a moment. “I will.” He began to walk past her and she grabbed his wrist, pulling him to a stop.
“I don’t want to marry August,” she whispered. His eyes darted to hers. “I have to make smart choices, but it’s not what I want. You’re the only one I want.”
He shook her hand off, and for a moment she thought he was going to walk away. But he turned, grabbed her around the waist, and roughly pulled her against him. She wrapped her arms around him.
He put one hand on the back of her head, holding it steady as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks for the push.”
He released her and quickly turned away.
Cas sat in the back of the wagon with Violet, their legs hanging out the open back door. Mateo hung a blue shirt as a makeshift flag on top of the wagon, and it flapped in the breeze as the horses plodded through the forest.
He ripped open the letter as they neared the fortress. Em’s handwriting was messier than he’d expected, the letters loopy and running into each other. It made his chest ache. He slipped the letter into his pocket.
“I can’t decide if this is brave or stupid,” Violet said.
“I guess we’ll find out.” The sun was sinking lower in the sky, and he lifted a hand to shield his eyes. “Thanks for sticking with me.”
“Don’t make me regret it.” She grinned and bumped her shoulder against his.
He had to force his smile. “I’ll try.”
“I see the fortress!” Galo called from the front of the wagon. “I think we’re being watched. They’re letting us get close. Do you want to go to the front or back?”
“Front,” Cas replied. “Stop a good distance from the gate and we’ll walk the rest of the way.”
Galo obeyed, and the horses came to a stop a few minutes later. Cas offered Violet his hand as they jumped out. The gates of the fortress loomed ahead of them. The wall had been almost fully repaired while he was gone. Five guards stood in front of the gate.
“Behind me,” Cas said to his friends. Galo, Mateo, and Violet lined up behind him.
One of the guards had an arrow pointed at him, and Cas lifted his hands in surrender as he walked. “I don’t think you want to shoot your king!”
The guard slowly lowered his bow. “Your Majesty?”
“Nice to see you again, Jared,” Galo said from behind him.
“We didn’t know you’d be returning, Your Majesty,” Jared said. He whispered something to the other guards. The gate opened. One quickly hurried inside.
“Why wouldn’t he return?” Galo asked. Jared just swallowed.
“Should I wait here?” Cas asked, stopping a few paces from the guard.
“Um …” Jared looked behind him, obviously flustered. “The order was not to let anyone in without Jovita’s approval… .”
“He’s your king,” Galo spat.
“It’s fine,” Cas said. “Best to be cautious. I’ll wait here.” Jared. Loyal to Jovita. He repeated the name several times in his head. He needed to memorize it.
His cousin burst through the gate, utter disbelief on her face. Danna and Julieta followed her. People flooded the courtyard behind them. Jovita yelled for them to go back inside, but no one moved.
Jovita let out an annoyed breath and stomped to Cas. “Cas.” The scar on her cheek twitched. “I thought …”
“You thought perhaps I was still locked in my room? You did make it very hard for me to leave.”
Silence fell over the crowd. Shock colored a few faces.
Jovita narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought you abandoned your kingdom. Considering you ran away in the middle of the night like a criminal.”
“I was poisoned. I thought it best that I leave while I recovered.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“Are you all right, Your Majesty?” Julieta asked.
“I am, thank you. Galo took care of the guard who did it.” Cas strode forward, sidestepping Jovita. “Advisers, follow me.” He looked over his shoulder to see Jovita rooted in place. “Now.”
The guards rushed to open the front door for him, and he walked inside and straight to the meeting room. He took the seat at the head of the table. Violet sat next to him, and the other advisers took their seats around her. Cas motioned for Galo and Mateo to stay in the room. They both hovered near him.
“The attack on the Ruined,” Cas started, before Jovita had settled in her seat. “I understand it didn’t go well. We lost all soldiers except one, correct?”
“That’s correct,” Danna said. She shot an angry look at Jovita.
“It was only our first—” Jovita began.
“Enough,” Cas interrupted. “You’ve had plenty of time to speak. It’s my turn now.”
Jovita turned red, but she snapped her mouth shut.
“I’ve come to a few conclusions. One, sending our soldiers to attack the Ruined without proper preparation was deeply stupid. It was reckless and immature and caused us to lose soldiers when we need them most.” He leveled his gaze at Jovita, but she refused to meet it. “Two, locking me up under the pretense of being insane simply because I disagreed with all of you was treasonous, a crime punishable by death in Lera.”
Silence descended on the room. General Amaro’s throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.
“Three, you were right about the Ruined, and because of that, I will spare your lives.”
Julieta’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean, we were right?”
“The Ruined are plotting to attack the fortress again. Emelina and Olivia have formed a diarchy and they’ve taken up residence in Sacred Rock. I’ve been there.”
“You went to Sacred Rock?” Jovita sat up straighter.
“Briefly. I went to speak with Emelina about the possibility of a peace treaty between the Ruined and Lera. She was not amenable to the discussion.”
Jovita snorted. “No kidding.”
“However, it turns out you did accomplish one thing by attacking the Ruined.” Cas turned to Jovita. “Emelina has plans to kill you. You’re her highest priority.”
The smug look on his cousin’s face faded. “I—I guess that was to be expected.”
He reached into his pocket for the letter and slid it across the table to her. “I intercepted a letter from Emelina on my way out of town. I suspect you’re the leader she’s talking about in it. She sent Ruined after us to kill me—she must have thought I was already taken care of.”
Jovita hastily opened the letter, frowning as she read it. “It’s to an Olso leader. They still have an alliance.”
“They will continue to have one. Emelina is considering an offer of marriage from August, the youngest prince of Olso.”
Julieta pressed her palms to her forehead. “We thought the Ruined might reject the warriors once they were back in Ruina.”
“Perhaps they would have. Then you attacked them and made their alliance even stronger.” Cas looked at each adviser in turn. “This nonsense about me being insane ends now. I will admit that I was wrong about the Ruined. And you will admit that the attack on them was a mistake. From now on, we will be cautious and smart. We will form a plan to defeat the Ruined and retake the castle when it makes the most sense.”
“The castle isn’t a priority,” Jovita said. “We still have the south, so—”
Cas slammed his hand against the table, making her jump. “It’s a priority because I say it is. Argue with me again and I’ll reconsider those treason charges.” He stood. “That goes for all of you.” He turned and walked out of the room, Galo and Mateo following him.
Cas looked over his shoulder at Galo as soon as they were out of the room. “Find all the guards who are loyal to me. Quickly. I’m going to need their protection.”