Ruined - Amy Tintera Page 0,95
the entirety of the building, though it wasn’t so high that it couldn’t be climbed if necessary. But it would be hard to climb it without drawing attention from the guards.
Em crouched on a hill not far away, where she could see the soldiers milling around behind the wall. A huge number had made it to the Southern Mountains without being captured by Olso guards.
Em pressed her hands into the grass, craning her neck to peer at the winding road leading to the fort. The queen and Jovita had arrived several minutes ago, but there was no sign of Cas yet. Hopefully he wasn’t far behind.
A flash of movement caught her eye in the woods beyond the fort. A few red jackets came into view. Warriors.
She jumped to her feet, keeping her body low to the ground as she jogged down the hill. She needed to find Aren before Olivia was released. She wanted to hightail it out of Lera as soon as she had Olivia, and she wasn’t leaving without Aren.
She broke into a run as she entered the cover of trees. The woods were too quiet. No animals scurrying around, no insects chirping. A lot of people had been through the area recently.
A powerful gust of wind blew across her face, too strong to be natural. She whirled around, searching for the Ruined. Dirt sprayed across her face, and she blinked, her eyes watering.
A body smashed into hers, and Em grunted as she hit the ground. She threw her elbow back, connecting with soft flesh, and managed to wriggle away as the woman cried out in pain.
She scrambled across the dirt, her sword half drawn before she caught a glimpse of her attacker’s face. She froze.
“Mariana?”
The Ruined girl blinked, giving Em a baffled look. “Emelina?”
Footsteps pounded the dirt, and Em whipped her head around to see two Ruined men running toward them.
“It’s fine, it’s just Emelina.” Mariana jumped to her feet, dusting the dirt off her pants. “What are you doing here? We thought you were dead.”
“Nice to see you too.” Em pushed off the ground, adjusting the sword on her belt. “What are you doing here? Did you come in on the warrior ships?”
Mariana nodded. “The warriors wanted us to help take Fort Victorra.”
Em looked at the empty space around them. “Where are they?”
“They’re getting into position for the attack. We were doing the same.” Mariana cocked her head, her thin dark braids falling over her shoulder. “Why are you here? I was sure you died months ago.”
Em ignored the question, glancing at the two men. The man with gray streaks in his hair was Weldon, and must have been the one to spray dirt in her face. The younger man, Nic, was also able to control the elements, but the power was so weak he was practically useless.
“What are you wearing?” Nic asked, grimacing as he surveyed her tattered blue dress.
“I’m on my way to get Aren,” she said. “You three come with me. I may need the backup.”
“Aren’s alive?” Mariana instantly perked up.
Weldon lowered his bushy eyebrows. “We thought you finally got him killed.”
“The warriors have him.”
“Maybe you should wait here,” Mariana said, like she was talking to a child. It was a tone any useless Ruined knew well. “We can handle it.”
Em rolled her eyes and turned away from them, breaking into a run.
“Seriously, what is she wearing?” Nic asked from behind her.
“Come on!” she yelled over her shoulder. Footsteps followed her a moment later, and she led them through the trees to the south side of the fort. She slowed as she approached the area where she’d seen the warriors. She didn’t make an effort to be quiet. She was negotiating with the warriors, not attacking.
Iria’s face appeared from behind a tree, and she glanced over her shoulder. “Emelina’s here.” An angry murmur followed her words, and Iria frowned.
Em slowly stepped forward. Iria stepped aside, revealing Koldo and a female warrior standing over Aren. He was seated on the ground, still blindfolded but apparently unharmed.
“I just want Aren,” she said, raising her hands.
The female warrior shook her head. “He’s too dangerous. He killed a warrior earlier, and we’re not taking a chance that he’ll kill more. We’re keeping him until we can transport him to the Olso king for evaluation.”
“Petra, we don’t need—” Iria began.
“Move, or I will make you move,” Mariana interrupted, stepping up beside Em. She narrowed her eyes at Koldo and the warrior screamed, batting at invisible images with his