Allied (Ruined #3)(94)

The Lera soldiers ran into the now-empty grass, chasing the Olso warriors who were still standing. As Galo watched, several warriors fell, daggers and arrows sticking out of their chest.

Galo’s gaze followed a man jumping onto his horse, yelling something as he turned away from the castle. August. The remaining warriors began running away from the castle.

“He’s calling for a retreat,” he said with a laugh. He pointed, and Aren followed his finger. A smile spread across his face.

Galo turned to look in the other direction, at the warriors on the west side. He saw the warrior, standing with a dead Lera guard at his feet, a split second before she shot the arrow. It hurled straight toward Aren.

Galo threw his arm back, sending Aren off the wall and tumbling to the guards below. He tried to turn his body, to avoid the arrow, but it struck him so hard it sent him flying backward. He flew off the wall and collided with a body. Someone grunted as they broke his fall.

Pain seared through his chest, and there was suddenly a crowd around him. Everyone was shouting.

“Don’t pull it out,” someone said. “It might bleed too much.”

Mateo appeared in front of him, horror on his face as he looked down at the arrow. It was sticking out of his chest on the lower right side, in his ribs. He let out a sigh as he let his head fall back in the grass.

“That’s good.”

“What?” Mateo was blinking back tears. “How is this good?”

“That seems like an all right place to have an arrow.” He winced as pain shot through his chest. “Painful, though.”

Aren laughed. “He’s not wrong. Thanks for the push, by the way.”

“Anytime.”

Mateo wiped his eyes. “You idiot,” he said with a smile.

Aren watched as guards disappeared into the castle with Galo. He wanted to follow them in, to make sure Galo was all right, but he needed to find Iria first. He’d lost track of her after she killed Olivia and helped Em inside.

The sun was almost completely gone, the last wisps of light shining across the grass in front of the castle. There were bodies scattered everywhere, some of them Lera soldiers, and Aren swallowed down a wave of panic as he scanned the area.

He spotted Olivia, her body still crumpled on the grass where she’d died. A few Ruined stood nearby. He dared a quick glance around the area, trying his best not to look at Olivia as he searched for Iria.

Mariana was trudging slowly toward the castle, Patricio and Gisela on either side of her. She smiled weakly at Aren.

“Did we lose any Ruined?” he asked.

“Not one.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“What should we tell them to do with Olivia’s body?” Mariana asked.

Aren closed his eyes briefly. “Um, I think Em will want to bury it.” His throat closed as he said the words. He didn’t have much affection left for Olivia, but he knew that Em had to be devastated. All of this had started as a way to get her sister back, and in the end, she’d failed.

Mariana nodded. “I’ll let them know.”

He scanned the area behind them again, squinting at the soldiers returning to the castle. He purposefully didn’t look at the dead bodies on the ground. He didn’t want to even consider that she could be there. “Have you seen Iria?”

Mariana shook her head.

“Go rest,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder briefly. He walked farther away from the castle, his heart sinking further with each step. Soldiers and guards passed him, some of them smiling and thanking him, but he didn’t see Iria.

He turned back to the castle. Two guards were helping a soldier to her feet a few paces away.

“You were incredible,” the woman said to Aren.

“Thank you. Do you know if there was any fighting in the back of the castle?”

One of the guards shook his head. “No, but there was some on the southeast side.”

“Thanks.” He broke into a jog and headed southeast. There was nothing there but a few dead bodies, many of them killed by Olivia, judging by the state of their necks.

The soldiers around him were celebrating as he walked back to the front of the castle. Two Ruined passed him, one briefly grabbing his hand and saying something kind. His heart was pounding in his ears so loudly that he couldn’t even make out everything she had said.

“Have you seen Iria?” he asked a familiar guard as she passed.

“Not since she brought Em in.”

He stopped, bracing a hand against the castle wall. He should have grabbed her after she passed Em off to Galo. He’d wanted to, but he’d had warriors coming at him from all sides at the time. He’d taken his eyes off her for a moment and she was gone.

“I took this shield from a soldier. I’m not sure who it was.”

Aren’s head snapped up at the sound of the familiar voice. Iria stood not far away, passing a Weakling shield to a guard.

“You’re the one who killed Olivia,” the guard said. His face broke into a smile. “I’m sure you can keep the shield. I think you can probably have anything you want.”

Iria shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t need it.” She looked up and spotted Aren watching them, and a tentative smile crossed her face. She lifted her hand in a wave.

He strode forward, reaching her in only a few quick steps. Whatever expression he had on his face, she seemed surprised by it, because her eyes widened a little as he approached.