EM WAITED UNTIL Olivia was asleep to sneak out.
She put her sword and canteen on her belt and walked down the quiet, deserted street to the barn. They had Ruined and warriors on watch nearby, but she would find a way to explain later. For now, she needed to get to Cas and find out if Jovita had bought his story.
She saddled a horse and led him outside into the dark. She kicked his sides until he broke into a gallop. They slowed as the town disappeared behind them.
It wasn’t far to the meeting spot—about halfway between the fortress and Sacred Rock, but her heart beat too fast the entire way. What if he wasn’t there? What if Galo was there, with news of Cas’s death?
The journey was mostly out in the open—no trees or hills to hide behind—and she had to admit that meeting Cas was wildly risky. There weren’t any towns between Sacred Rock and the Fortress, but there were farms, and she could be easily spotted. Hopefully the farmers were asleep or had long abandoned their homes when the Ruined moved in.
She spotted a dark figure as she finally approached the meeting spot. Her heart jumped into her throat.
Two figures, actually. A shorter, slimmer person was next to the man.
She jumped off her horse and practically ran to them. It was Cas and Violet. “You’re here.”
“I said I would be.” Cas’s voice had an edge to it. She couldn’t blame him, but still, it stung.
“How is everything?” she asked. “Did you make it to the fortress?”
“We made it,” Cas said. “Jovita took me back. She claims she didn’t poison me.”
“What?”
“It’s a lie. I’m sure of it.”
It was too dark to read the nuances of his expression, but his tone sounded sure. The Cas she knew wouldn’t be so certain. He’d question and ponder and hesitate. Perhaps he was fooling himself now, but what about in a year? Ten years? When he looked back on murdering Jovita, would he still wonder?
“Let me do it,” she said quickly. “I’ll kill Jovita. Find a way to lure her out and I’ll take care of it.”
“Why?” Cas asked.
“You know why. To spare you from killing your own family.” “She’s not my family.” He shrugged. “Besides, whether it’s your sword or mine doesn’t matter. I’ll be responsible for her death.”
She wished she’d told him no. She wished she’d taken him up on his offer to stay with her, despite the cost. This cold, hollow version of Cas was almost too much to take.
“I don’t have any information for you yet,” Cas said. “But Jovita is definitely in a holding pattern right now, so there’s no need to worry about an attack.” He gestured at Violet. “We’re leaving from here to visit some people Violet knows in the southern province. So we should wait awhile before meeting again.”
“Jovita didn’t find that suspicious?”
“I told her I wanted to go home and check on my grandmother,” Violet said. “It’s not far.”
“But, yes, she was suspicious.” Cas smiled at Violet. “She knows the power Violet has over the southern province. Our friendship makes her very nervous.”
Violet laughed softly, and the lump in Em’s throat grew three sizes. She didn’t have a right to be jealous. She was practically engaged to someone else.
Still, the knowledge that Cas and Violet were going to be traveling together, alone, made her want to curl up in the dirt and scream.
“How long until you return to the fortress?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“We figure we’ll be gone about three or four nights,” Cas said. “Let’s plan to meet again in ten days. I’ll send Galo if I can’t get away.”
She wanted to ask why he didn’t think he’d be able to get away. She wanted to ask if he was even going to try. She wanted to ask if this was the last time she was going to see him.
“Sounds good,” she said instead. Her voice betrayed the fact that nothing was good about this situation.
“Do you have any information for me?” Cas asked.
She shook her head. “We’re also in a holding pattern. A group of warriors and Ruined are going north to find out the status of the warriors in Gallego City and Royal City. Aren is with them. I’ll let you know what they find out.”
“How far north?” Cas asked.
“Not farther than Gallego City.”
“Oh.”
“If I hear anything about the castle …”
Cas cleared his throat. “You’ll tell me. I know.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “And August? Are you officially engaged?”
Violet must have taken that as her cue to leave, because she turned and walked back to her horse.
“No,” Em said quietly. “I’m still not sure it will happen. Olivia isn’t crazy about the idea. And neither am I.”
He stared at her but said nothing. She desperately wanted to ask about Violet, but she couldn’t bring herself to betray just how jealous she was.
“I’ll see you in ten days,” he said. “Or Galo will.”
“Try to come,” she said. “Please?”
He nodded. “I will.” He turned away and trudged to Violet. She waved at Em, and Em lifted her hand in reply. At least Violet stood by him. At least she seemed kind, and strong, and she was his friend. Cas had to marry someone else eventually. If it was Violet, at least Em knew he’d picked well.
It didn’t make her feel any better. Tears pricked her eyes as she turned away.
She mounted her horse and rode back to Sacred Rock a little slower than she’d come. The air was cold, but she barely felt it stinging her face.
The sun was starting to come up when she approached the barn. A tall, broad figure stood in front of the doors. His hands were planted on his hips.
“Em?” he called as she drew closer. August.
“Hi,” she said, trying to sound casual. She jumped off the horse and grabbed the reins. “Would you mind opening the doors?”
August pulled them open and she guided the horse inside. “Where were you?”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“So you rode off in the middle of the night? They say you’ve been gone hours.”
She led the horse into his stall and turned to face August. “I didn’t go far. I was just scouting the area. I stopped for a while and sat by a stream.”
“At night. By yourself.”
Her heart pounded, but her voice came out smooth. “Olivia scouts this area every day. No one with any sense is nearby.”
“You expect me to believe that you were just wandering around by yourself? I’m not stupid, Emelina.” His voice turned angry so quickly she laid a hand on her sword.
“I never said you were, August.” She strode past him out of the barn, and he followed her. She pulled the door closed behind them.
He stared at her, his jaw twitching in anger. “You’re really not going to tell me what you were doing?”
“I told you. I was scouting the area. We have Ruined do it every day, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
“I honestly don’t know what else you want from me.” He let out a humorless laugh. “I bring you food and supplies and warriors and an offer of marriage and you still can’t be bothered to even look at me twice.”
“I told you I was considering your offer of marriage.”
“What’s there to consider?” he snapped. “The alliance is mutually beneficial. I’m sending a warrior back to Olso to say you’ve accepted.”
“That’s funny, I don’t remember actually accepting.”
He took a step closer to her. “You need me. And you should be grateful I consented to this. There are plenty of women in Olso who would fall all over themselves to marry me.”
“Then why did you agree?” She crossed her arms over her chest, holding his furious gaze. “Could it be that you need me too? Perhaps more than I need you? You’d be king of the Ruined if I married you. You’ll never be king of anything in Olso.”
His face flushed. He had no reply to that, it seemed.
She smirked. “I can’t promise you an answer until after we’ve taken care of Jovita. If you can’t wait, then you’re free to leave.”
“And what will your advisers think about that?”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “I think you overestimate their affection for you, August. They’ll trust my judgment.”
He gave her a sour look and she smiled in return.
She was never marrying him.