Allied (Ruined #3)(37)

“Not much. A couple of Ruined went in and out of Mariana’s house, but there’s no way to tell what they’re talking about. I spoke to Gisela and got nothing. She just said she’s following your and Em’s orders.”

“Of course she did,” Olivia muttered. All the Ruined had readily agreed to chase down the human army.

Even the ones Olivia knew were on Em’s side.

If that’s what you think is best, Ivanna had said to Olivia. Ivanna had never trusted Olivia.

Olivia expected a fight. She thought Ivanna and a few of the others might flat-out refuse to go.

But they’d all just nodded and agreed with her plan. Mariana had said she’d help get the horses ready. Gisela hadn’t met Olivia’s eyes once during their conversation.

They were planning something. They all knew about the Olso and Vallos armies before Olivia did, and they wanted to go. She just didn’t know why.

“Stay here,” Olivia said to Jacobo. “I want you to keep an eye on Em as we travel. Never let her out of your sight.”

“Are you sure we should do this?” he asked. “If she’s planning something, maybe we should stay here.”

White-hot fury raced down Olivia’s spine. “I don’t care what she’s planning. Are you really scared of a useless Ruined?”

Jacobo looked properly shamed. “Of course not.”

“Good. We’ll play along for now, figure out what she’s doing, and stop it.” She turned on her heel and stalked down the road. She’d briefly considered the same thing—telling Em she’d changed her mind, and she was just going to stay put in Westhaven for now.

But Jacobo’s hesitation made her even more determined to go. She didn’t care what Em was planning. If Olivia backed down now she’d never win support of the Ruined.

She visited the barn first and saddled the fastest horse, attaching her small bag to his saddle so everyone would know he was hers. Aren was supposed to help get the horses ready in the morning, and he’d certainly give her the slowest one if she left it up to chance.

Aren. He’d lied about going after Iria. He wouldn’t have stayed with Em this long just to randomly take off for Olso. They’d concocted the whole plan for Olivia, like she was an idiot who would believe a word they said.

She left the horse and started down the road to Aren’s house on foot. Jacobo would keep an eye on Em, and Olivia would take Aren.

There was a flicker of light in the window as she approached his home. She hung back, stepping off the road and sitting on the steps of a deserted house where she’d be hidden from his view.

He emerged from the house as the sun began to rise. He wasn’t carrying a bag, which was odd, and he turned and began walking east, which was even more odd. There was nothing east.

She waited until he was a good distance away before she followed. He walked cautiously, occasionally looking over his shoulder, and she almost lost him twice because she was hanging so far back.

She felt the presence of a human suddenly. Maybe more than one. She had no way to tell.

Olivia stopped, fear seizing her chest as she watched Aren walk into a heavily wooded area. Had he and Em plotted something with the humans? Perhaps they were about to attack, and Olivia was stupidly following Aren around instead of preparing.

She darted forward, keeping low to the ground, and crept into the trees.

“ . . . should be close,” she heard an unfamiliar voice say.

She lowered into a crouch and peered around a tree. Aren stood with a human. Just one. They were a good distance away, but he looked a bit familiar.

Aren said something she couldn’t hear. She wanted to get closer, but wouldn’t risk him discovering her. Not when she didn’t know what he was up to with this human. She leaned forward as far as she dared.

The human shifted slightly, his face coming into view. She dug her fingers into the dirt to keep from screaming.

Galo. The guard who was always with Casimir. He’d been with Casimir in Sacred Rock, when the idiot had let his cousin poison him. Em and Aren were working with the king of Lera.

“I’m always going to be southwest,” Galo said to Aren. “Somewhere between you and Lera soldiers.”

The Lera soldiers? Olivia took a deep breath to calm the Ruined magic boiling in her veins.

“I’ll come find you every night, if I can,” Aren said. “But I’ll definitely come see you at least once, when we’re getting close to the Olso and Vallos armies.”

Galo nodded, and Aren said something too quiet for Olivia to hear. Galo smiled at him, and then Aren turned and began walking back in the direction of Westhaven. Galo headed in the opposite direction.

She waited until Galo had taken a few steps before she began trailing him. He wasn’t as cautious as Aren, only glancing over his shoulder once and even snapping a twig with his boot. He wasn’t used to moving stealthily.

The sun was higher in the sky when he slowed and waved at someone in the distance. Olivia stopped, shielding her eyes with her hand.

The Lera troops. They weren’t in uniform, instead just wearing black and gray, but she might have known who they were even if she hadn’t just overheard that conversation. They had the clean-cut, cocky look of a Lera soldier.

There were only ten of them, all on horseback, and she waited for the rest to catch up. Galo walked to them and said something she couldn’t hear.