her feel better.
“I’m glad he’s being kind to you, at least,” Damian said quietly, so only she could hear.
“Give the information to Cas, not his father,” Em said. “Show that you respond better to reason than torture.”
“They’ll still kill me, Em. The king isn’t going to keep a Ruined for more than a few days.”
“I’m going to get you out of this,” she said fiercely. “I won’t let them execute you.”
He shook his head, his expression turning serious. “You can’t stop it without making them suspicious.”
“The Ruined can’t lose another leader. They’re looking to you—”
“They’re looking to you too, they just don’t know it yet. When they realize what you did to save Olivia, they’ll worship you as much as they do her.” He lifted his head from the bars. “Have you found out where she is?”
“Not yet. But I’ve gained Cas’s trust and—”
“I think you’ve gained more than his trust.” Damian’s lips turned up. “But I’m not surprised, to be honest.”
Her cheeks warmed, and she snuck a glance over her shoulder at Aren. He’d disappeared into the stairway, giving them some privacy.
“You’re here to save thousands, not break me out of a Lera dungeon,” Damian said.
She stared at her feet, nodding as she blinked away tears.
“If I can think of something to tell Cas, I will. An old location of a camp, maybe. But they’re still going to kill me, Em.” He wrapped his fingers around hers through the bars. “We knew we risked our lives with this plan. I honestly didn’t expect to make it out of this war alive.”
“I expected you to make it out alive.” She took in a ragged breath. “I thought you’d be there when we went back to Ruina. I thought that you and I . . .” She thought she had more time to figure out what was between them. She needed more time. She needed her friend beside her.
“I appreciate that optimism.” His fingers gripped hers tighter. He jerked his head. “Now go. I don’t want that guard telling the king you were down here forever.”
She wiped a tear off her cheek, forcing a smile before she headed to the stairs. Aren strode to the cell, leaning his head close to Damian’s to speak to him.
She didn’t care about the risks. Whatever it took, she would find a way to save him.
SIXTEEN
CAS RAISED HIS hand to knock on Mary’s door, a flutter of nerves exploding in his stomach. He cracked a knuckle as he waited for her to answer.
No one answered the door, and he stepped back. A maid approached from the other end of the hallway with a handful of linens, and she paused when she spotted him.
“Have you seen Mary?” he asked.
“I believe she’s in the sparring room, Your Highness.”
He murmured a “thanks” and headed down the stairs to the back of the castle. Laughter spilled into the hallway.
He stopped at the open doorway of the sparring room and found Iria with a dull sword in her hand, Mary across from her.
Mary wore a determined expression as she took a step to the side, her sword extended in front of her. The trainer, Rulo, watched them from the corner of the room.
Iria lunged first, and Mary lifted her sword to stop the attack. He leaned against the door frame, watching as they circled the room, the swords noisily crashing against each other. An Olso warrior wasn’t an easy opponent, but Mary’s skills with a sword were almost unmatched.
“I heard she went to visit Damian last night.”
Cas jumped at the sound of the voice to find his mother leaning against the wall on the other side of the door. She was out of view from the two women inside, which wasn’t a coincidence.
“Mary?” he asked.
“Yes. Did she ask you if she could do that?”
“I . . .” He watched as Mary ducked Iria’s blade. “She doesn’t really ask my permission to do things.”
“She should.”
He snorted. “Really. You ask Father for permission regularly?”
The queen’s lips twitched. “I see your point.” She peeked around the doorway. “She’s very good. Odd for a girl from Vallos.”
“Talent, I guess.”
“That’s not talent. That’s hard work and training. The kind of training they don’t usually have in Vallos.”
“Why do you sound suspicious?”
“Not suspicious. Just impressed. Does she ever talk about her training?”
“No. But I’ve never asked.”
“You know what I think is sad?” the queen said. She talked slowly, in that way she did when she was saying one thing but meant another. “She didn’t bring any