were obviously weary, their uniforms wrinkled and dirty from travel. But they stood tall in straight lines, ready for battle. Cas looked down at his grungy blue staff shirt.
“Can I get a guard uniform?” he asked the colonel as they returned to the front lawn. “It’ll be easier to fight if I blend in.”
“Will you be joining us, Your Majesty?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have someone find one.”
Cas thanked him and turned on his heel, shaking his head when a guard made a move to follow him. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
He walked through the front doors and across the large room. There were two arches on the back wall leading to the rear rooms, and he glanced over his shoulder before ducking through the left one. The guards watched him, but none made a move to follow.
He headed across the parlor, sidestepping the table and cluster of chairs in the center of the room. If he remembered correctly, the doorway at the back left corner of the room led to the dungeons.
He pulled open the door and quickly descended the stairs. A heavy wooden door was at the bottom, and he pushed it open to reveal a long hallway with cells on either side. Galo stood in front of one of the last cells, and he looked up at the sound of the door opening.
“This is Olivia?” Galo asked, pointing to the cell in front of him. His face was pulled tight with worry, and Cas quickly walked toward him. All the cells he passed were empty. Oddly, it smelled strongly of flowers or perfume the farther he went into the cells.
“Is she all right?” Cas asked.
The last cell was the only one occupied. It held a teeange girl. She was chained to the bed, facing the wall instead of out at the bars. A blindfold covered her eyes. She wore loose pants and a white shirt, both smudged with dirt and grime. Her dark hair was wild. She had more Ruined marks than Damian. The pale lines covered her arms and crept up her neck into her hair.
“I think that’s her,” Cas said quietly.
“Have they had her chained to that bed the whole time?”
Cas ran a hand down his face with a long sigh. “I don’t know.” What had he expected? That she had several rooms and a nice bed? That she was allowed to bathe regularly and given enough to eat? Neither had happened, given the state of her.
He held his hand out. “Do you have the keys?”
Galo handed them over. “They’re labeled. It’s the green one.”
He held the green key up to the lock. “Olivia—”
The dungeon door banged open and he jumped away from the cell. His mother and Jovita strode down the hallway, followed by four guards.
The queen extended her hand as she stopped in front of Cas. “Keys, Casimir.”
He took a step back, his shoulder brushing against Galo’s. He cleared his throat, trying to sound authoritative. “Could you all please give me a moment?”
“You can’t release her.” The queen shook her head. “I know that’s why you’re down here. I know Emelina put ideas in your head about the Ruined, but you can’t just let Olivia go. You don’t know what she’s capable—”
“She’s chained to the bed!” He pointed at her, anger rising in his chest. “She’s not capable of anything!”
“It’s a failed experiment, Cas,” Jovita said. “We’ll admit that. We learned a few things, and we thought Olivia’s healing powers could be useful, but she couldn’t be conditioned to—”
He pointed at the guards. “Get them out of here.”
None of the guards moved. His mother looked at him apologetically. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
The guards sprang forward. Hands closed tightly around Cas’s wrists. He tried to jerk away, but they held firm. One of them pried the keys out of Cas’s hand.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” one of them murmured.
Galo’s fingers curled around his sword.
“You’re too emotional,” the queen said.
Cas fought down a swell of rage. “You—”
“Lera isn’t about the opinions of just one person,” the queen interrupted. “Even if that person might be the next king.”
Might be the next king. Might? He swiveled his head to Jovita. She didn’t meet his gaze.
“We’re engaged in war,” his mother said. “Now isn’t the time to drastically change policies. If you were thinking clearly, you would see that. You’ve barely slept in days—we can all tell—and I can certainly understand you still being traumatized by the death of your father.”
His mother gestured at a cell. “Only for a few hours,