CAS’S MOTHER WAS buried behind Fort Victorra, in a shady spot where flowers would probably bloom in the spring.
Cas never went there. He’d watched the soldiers bury her the day after Em and Olivia disappeared, and he’d never been back.
Instead, he came to where she died.
It had rained two days ago and washed all the blood away. There was nothing left but dirt and grass and trees. The trees had been full of red and orange leaves a few days ago, but now the branches were mostly empty, the leaves smashed beneath his feet. The ugly trees seemed more appropriate, given what had happened here.
He could still see it. Em almost dying in his arms. Olivia killing his mother and rescuing her sister.
“You don’t deserve to be here,” a voice behind him said.
For a moment, he worried the voice was in his head. He’d been thinking the same thing. But he turned and found his cousin standing a few paces away. Jovita had her hands on her hips, ice in her eyes as she glared at him. Her dark hair blew in the wind, and an angry red scar cut down her right cheek. Em had given her that scar. She looked a little like his father. They had the same olive skin and wide mouth.
He turned away.
“It’s not safe, anyway,” Jovita said. Her tone was more scornful than concerned.
“The Ruined are gone. The warriors are gone.”
“And whose fault is that?” Jovita stepped beside him, tapping her chin like she was thinking. “Oh, that’s right. It’s your fault. For freeing Olivia Flores and letting Emelina waltz right out of here.”
It was his fault. He’d freed Olivia, and she’d killed his mother. Right after his mother almost killed Em.
He couldn’t muster up any anger for Olivia. He was mostly just sad.
“I want the necklace,” Jovita said, holding her hand out. “The one the queen gave you, with Weakling in it.”
“I buried it with her,” he said.
Her jaw clenched. “That was stupid, Cas. That necklace could have protected me from the Ruined.”
Cas shrugged. The Weakling herb hurt most Ruined, but it barely seemed to slow Olivia down. He doubted the necklace would have offered much protection.
“If she’d kept that necklace instead of giving it to you, she might still be alive,” Jovita spat. “And you just—”
“Two more advisers arrived during the night,” he interrupted. “I’m meeting with them in an hour if you want to join.”
“No.” Jovita turned away and started walking.
“Why? Because you already met with them behind my back?”
Jovita stopped. She looked over her shoulder, arching an eyebrow. “If you know, then it’s not really behind your back, is it?” She stomped away. He watched her go, an uneasy feeling swirling in his gut.
A guard emerged from the trees as she left. It was Galo, lurking near Cas as usual. The captain of his guard rarely let Cas out of his sight these days, even when Cas would prefer to be left alone. The price of being king. Today, Galo’s boyfriend and fellow guard, Mateo, was with him. Mateo stood a few paces away, his back to them as he surveyed the area for possible threats.
Cas stuffed his hands in his pockets, rounding his shoulders against the cold wind as he walked back to the fortress. Galo fell into step beside him, Mateo trailing behind them.
“Everything all right?” the guard asked quietly.
“Probably not.”
Galo appeared concerned, but Cas didn’t elaborate. The castle and most of his kingdom was in the hands of Olso. His cousin hated him. His parents were dead. Em was gone, and he would likely never see her again.
There wasn’t much left to say.
“We confirmed the governor of the southern province died in the attack on the castle,” Galo said. “But his daughter didn’t, and she’s here. Violet Montero. She found me this morning and asked to speak with you.”
“She’s here? When did she arrive?”
“Same time as you, apparently. She was lumped in with the staff and no one knew at first. She’s been ill.”
“Is she better?”
“Yes.”
The fortress loomed in front of them, and Cas stepped over a pile of bricks into the front yard. Portions of the wall had been blown out when the Ruined and warriors attacked, and it was still damaged. It would be quite a while before it was fully repaired. Beyond the wall was Fort Victorra, a square, mostly windowless pile of bricks that Cas had come to hate.
“She’s probably in the breakfast room now, if you wanted to see her,” Galo said. “I can get her.”
“That’s fine, I’ll go look. Will you confirm with the two advisers who arrived last night that we’re meeting in an hour?”
“Of course.” Galo rushed off.
Cas should have chosen a personal adviser by now. Galo was the captain of his guard, not his errand boy, and he felt guilty making him do both jobs.
But Fort Victorra wasn’t like the Lera castle. There wasn’t enough staff, and Cas had to do many things himself. There was no longer a whole crew of people to wait on him hand and foot and announce visitors.
A soldier held open the front doors of the fortress as he approached, and he murmured a thank-you and stepped inside.
He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Lanterns lined the wall as he left the entryway and walked into the large foyer, but they did little to cheer up the place.
The first few days after the attack had been quiet in the fortress, but soon people from all over Lera began to arrive, after the Olso warriors took the castle and the northern cities. Now the small building was bursting at the seams, libraries and common areas turned into sleeping quarters. Several people walked down the stairway to his left, and they froze at the bottom when they spotted him. He pretended not to notice.
He walked through the foyer and into the small room off the kitchen. Many of the guests gathered in the room every morning, so it had been dubbed “the breakfast room.” Several round tables were scattered about, men and women seated at them. They didn’t have a lot of food, but there were some beans and fish on the tables.
Heads turned as he walked in, voices quieting. He realized he had no idea what this Violet girl looked like.
“I need to speak with Violet?” It came out as a question. He hadn’t learned to speak the way his father did, like every sentence was a command.
A slight young woman in a plain black dress stood. Her dark hair was pulled back in a bun, accenting her high cheekbones and large, dark eyes. She appeared tired, but she smiled at Cas. She looked vaguely familiar.
“Here, Your Majesty.” Despite her short stature, her voice easily carried across the room. She walked to him.
The wagon. He’d been put in a wagon with the staff the night his father died and the castle was taken. That was how he knew her. She’d helped him escape.
“I know you. Splinters in odd places,” he said, repeating the words she’d said to him as she helped him slip out a crack in the wagon.
She let out an embarrassed laugh. “That was me, Your Majesty.”
Everyone in the room was staring at them, and he spun on his heel, gesturing for her to follow him.
There was no place indoors he felt comfortable speaking privately, so he led her outside, to the back of the fortress. The building was still missing a portion of the rear wall since a Ruined had destroyed it, and he walked far enough away that they couldn’t be overheard. To his left, a few staff members were tending to the garden, but they were out of earshot.
“I heard you were sick,” he said as he stopped and turned to Violet.
“Yes. The conditions in the wagon were …”
“Terrible,” he said, a wave of guilt crashing over him. He’d managed to save the staff he abandoned in the wagon, but it took several days. He couldn’t imagine being stuck in that hot, stuffy wagon for so long. He didn’t know how many had died, but it was too many.
“I never got a chance to thank you,” she said. “For saving us. We know Jovita wanted you to leave us, and we all appreciate what you did.”
“Of course. I couldn’t just abandon you.”
“Yes, you could have.” She held his gaze as she spoke. “I haven’t introduced myself properly. Violet Montero. My father was the governor of the southern province.”
“I heard. Why didn’t you identify yourself in the wagon?”
“It didn’t seem all that important. What would you have done with that information?”
She had a point. He could barely think straight in the wagon. His father had just died and he’d still been reeling about Em. Violet could have told him she’d suddenly sprouted three extra heads and he probably would have simply shrugged.
“There are people here who know me,” she said. “If you’d like to confirm.”
“I would. Can’t blame me, can you?” After Emelina pretended to be the princess of Vallos and his fiancée, he’d likely never take anyone’s identity at their word ever again.
“No, I can’t.”
“Why didn’t we meet in the castle?” he asked.
“I’d just arrived when the attack happened. I was going to come to the wedding, but my grandmother was ill and I was taking care of her.”
“I’m sorry about your father,” he said.
“Yours too.”
“Is your mother still alive?” His breath hitched in his throat, and he focused on a spot past her shoulder.
“No. She died a few years ago.”
“Are you the eldest child?”
“The only.”
“Then you’ve inherited the southern province.” He meant for the words to sound congratulatory, but they came out weary instead. He wondered if she was as thrilled to inherit the southern province as he was to inherit the throne.
“I have. I heard you were going to meet with advisers soon, and I thought I should be included.”
“You should. The south is the only province that hasn’t been taken over by Olso.”
“It is.” She said it with pride.
A powerful wind swept over them. Violet pulled her arms against her chest as her dress flapped in the cold breeze. She didn’t shiver, even though she must have been freezing.
“Have you spoken with Jovita yet?” he asked carefully.
“No, Your Majesty.”
“You can call me Cas.” He didn’t let anyone but Galo and Jovita call him Cas, but he knew how important this girl was. He needed her as an ally. As a friend. He glanced at the fortress and took a step closer to her. “Will you tell me if Jovita tries to speak with you? About anything?”
Violet drew her eyebrows together. “Is something wrong?”
“No. My cousin isn’t very fond of me at the moment. I’d like to know I have you on my side if needed.”
“I’m already on your side, Your—Cas.”
At least someone was. “Thank you, Violet.”