Allied (Ruined #3)(8)
And this certainly wouldn’t do anything to endear them to the people of Lera. Cas already had his work cut out for him, trying to convince his people that not all the Ruined wanted to hurt them.
“We need to find out for sure who’s with us,” Em said. “We need a plan to stop her.”
“I know some. I can talk to Mariana and Ivanna and see who might be on our side.”
“Good. Do it. Let’s meet first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Do we have a plan to tell them?” Aren asked.
“Not really. But I think I know where we need to start.”
“Where?”
“Partnering with Cas and the Lera army.”
FIVE
IRIA HAD SPENT three nights in a jail cell.
She’d arrived in Olso dirty and exhausted from the trip across the ocean, and had actually been grateful for the tiny lumpy bed in the cell. At least it wasn’t rocking and jerking with the waves. She’d always hated traveling by ship.
But she’d only slept well the first night. The morning had brought warriors trailing in, one after another, to glare and yell at her. They didn’t usually allow prisoners awaiting trial to have visitors. It seemed Iria was the exception.
The fourth morning she woke early, the sun not yet peeking in from the tiny window at the back of her cell. She sat on her bed and waited, knees pulled to her chest.
Today would not be a good day. Today, she stood trial for treason.
Outside, she could hear the sounds of the day getting started as the sun rose—murmured voices, horse hooves on the street, even the smell of fresh bread. There was a bakery near the courthouse, and some mornings the breeze carried the scent of bread all the way to her cell.
She’d grown up not far from here, and had visited that bakery several times. Mornings were chilly year round, and she had the first shift at school, so she’d often duck in before sunrise and eat a warm sticky bun before class. The owner, an older woman with a kind smile, would give her free hot chocolate sometimes, and Iria would sit at one of the stools by the window and watch warriors and judges and other government people stream into the courthouse.
She’d gone back to the bakery recently, when she’d been home briefly between her trips to Lera and Ruina. The kind owner had passed away and a perfectly nice young man had taken her place, but the rolls tasted different and they didn’t sell hot chocolate anymore. And as she walked out of the bakery with her disappointing pastry, she’d thought of Aren, and wondered if he’d made it to Ruina, and if he had enough food. It had been her idea to bring the Ruined food when the king decided to send August.
She willed away thoughts of Aren as a guard stomped down the center aisle of the jail cells. There were at least twenty cells at this location, but Iria hadn’t seen or heard any other prisoners. Perhaps they thought being a traitor was contagious.
Iria got to her feet as the guard stopped in front of her cell. The door slid open with a bang. Another guard appeared beside him.
“It’s time,” the first guard said. “Hold out your arms.”
She did as he said, and the guard slapped handcuffs around her wrists. The chains rattled as she lowered her hands.
“Follow me.” The guard stepped out of the cell and she trailed behind him. The other one was on her heels, and up ahead she could see two more in their white-and-red uniforms. Olso jails were not easy to escape from, but they clearly weren’t taking any chances.
The cells were attached to the courthouse through a long hallway, and her heart thudded in her chest as they walked. She hadn’t seen her family or friends since arriving back in Olso, and she was both dreading and looking forward to it.
They reached the end of the hallway and the guard pulled open the door. Iria squinted in the bright light as they stepped onto the marble floors.
She knew this courthouse well—the high ceilings, the bright white floors, the stained-glass doors that brought a blast of cool air every time they opened. Her father was a judge. She wondered if he still was, or if he’d been punished for her actions as well.
The courthouse was full of people, and they turned to stare as she walked by. Cas’s mother, the former queen of Lera, used to be the most famous traitor in Olso. It seemed Iria had snatched that title away.
She swallowed down a wave of panic. She still wasn’t entirely sure how she’d gotten here. Her family was highly regarded in Olso, and she’d had no trouble passing the exams to become a warrior. She’d beaten out stiff competition to win the honor of helping Emelina Flores execute her plan to take down Lera. Then the Lera castle had fallen, the Ruined agreed to partner with Olso, and Iria had been heralded as a hero. She could still see the pride in her mother’s eyes when she’d come back from Lera, the first time. She had exceeded her expectations, and that was not an easy task with her mother.
And now, Iria was here. About to go on trial for treason.
Aren. His face popped into her head and refused to leave, no matter how many times she willed it away. She had betrayed her fellow warriors in the jungle for him. The choice was to let them kill Aren, or betray them, and that had not been a difficult decision. She hadn’t given it a second thought before screaming the warning that saved Aren’s life. She hadn’t hesitated to run when he took her hand.
He, however, hesitated plenty. He was still in Lera—or back in Ruina, maybe—because he was too scared to leave the Ruined. Even when he was horrified and scared of Olivia, he chose her over Iria, because of the marks on their bodies. Because of the powers they shared. She could see the conflict in Aren’s eyes, but still, he hesitated.