Ruined - Amy Tintera Page 0,94

spotted one Lera guard dead on the ground, but the staff had swarmed the warrior.

Two warriors were fending off an attack from four guards, and clearly losing. A guard sliced his blade into the chest of one of the warriors as Cas watched.

In a matter of minutes, five of the six warriors were dead, and Mateo was engaged in a heated battle with the last one. The guard was clearly not as good with a sword as he was with a bow and arrow.

Cas ran for them, slamming his body against the warrior’s. They both tumbled to the dirt, the warrior keeping a grip on his sword as he went down. Cas barely ducked his head as the man swung at his neck.

The warrior scrambled to get up, but a few of the women from the wagon had him pinned.

Cas quickly rolled away from the warrior, and Mateo put both hands on his sword, driving it into the warrior’s chest. He smiled at Cas as he withdrew the blade.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Cas nodded as he got to his feet. The clearing was almost silent, the warriors’ dead bodies littering the ground. Only the one guard had died, but Cas found himself unable to look in that direction. The death felt heavy in his chest.

He looked back at the wagon to see Daniela, the older woman he’d met earlier in the wagon, climbing out. She teetered to him and threw her arms around his neck.

He gave her a gentle squeeze before releasing her. He regarded the dirty, exhausted faces around him. “Is everyone all right?”

Heads nodded in unison.

“Did they feed you?”

“A little dried meat yesterday,” one man said.

“It’s not far to Fort Victorra,” he said. “Feel free to get back in the wagon if you’re too weak to walk.” He gestured for a couple of guards to take over the wagon.

“Thank you,” Daniela said, her eyes shining with tears. Several more thank-yous rumbled through the crowd, and he gave a tired smile before turning away. Galo stood behind him, watching the staff.

“I think you’ve just created thirty people who would do anything you say,” the guard said.

Cas walked to his horse. “It looks like a few died since the last time I saw them.”

“That’s not your fault.”

Cas shrugged as he mounted his horse. The guard climbed atop his as well, and the rest of the guards spread out in front and behind him as they started down the trail.

“I’m sorry about your father,” Galo said after a long silence.

“A warrior came through the window and stabbed him before I could react,” Cas said. “I couldn’t save him.”

“No one expected you to,” Galo said. “You shouldn’t have had to face a warrior alone anyway. I failed you.”

“No, you didn’t,” Cas said, frowning at him. “If I remember correctly, you stayed behind to fight off a rather large number of warriors. I’m surprised you made it out alive.”

“I am too.”

“It’s a good thing. I don’t know who else I would have named captain of my guard.”

Galo looked at Cas in surprise. “I’m too young to be captain of the king’s guard.”

“Well, I’m too young to be king, but here we are.”

“Here we are,” Galo repeated quietly. He gave Cas a sad smile. “All right. Thank you.” He paused, glancing at Cas for several moments. “We haven’t found a trace of Emelina Flores.”

“Ah.”

“You hadn’t asked.”

“I guess I figured you would say if you had.”

Galo gave him a thoroughly suspicious look but didn’t push further. Cas would confide in him eventually, but not when the other guards were so close.

Cas glanced at his friend, realizing for the first time that Galo was the only person he trusted enough to tell the truth about Emelina. His mother and Jovita would have a nervous breakdown. None of his father’s advisers had ever taken him seriously enough to build any kind of relationship.

“I’m glad you’re not dead, Galo,” he said softly. He wanted to say more, to tell Galo everything and ask for advice, and he could see Galo reading that emotion on his face. Cas turned away, kicking his horse until it began galloping. “Let’s go.”

THIRTY-FIVE

LERA SOLDIERS SWARMED the fortress. Jovita had described Fort Victorra to Em as “simple,” and she wasn’t wrong. While the Royal City castle was all windows and lavish decorations, the fort was nothing but a square pile of bricks.

Two towers flanked the main building, with openings at the very top, presumably for the soldiers to keep watch. A brick wall ran around