She turned back to Em. Disappointment crossed her face, and Em realized with horror that she was upset she didn’t have the strength to kill Em now.
Em quickly turned. Aren took her hand and squeezed it.
“You can run now, sister,” Olivia said from behind her. “But I’m coming for you. I promise.”
TWENTY-ONE
GALO FOLLOWED AREN and the other Ruined away from Olivia. They were all silent as they hurried through the jungle, to the spot where the Ruined had left the horses and wagons.
“Are we still going to Royal City?” a young woman whispered to Aren. She glanced at Em, who was pale and shaky as she untied a horse from a tree. “Because this plan . . .” Failed. She didn’t have to say the word.
“We don’t have a choice,” Em said without looking at them. “We can’t stay with Olivia. And we can’t stay out here, with the Olso and Vallos armies so close by.”
“It’s the safest option,” Aren said. “We need to get far away before they regain their strength.” He looked over his shoulder, his face troubled. Galo knew he had to be thinking about his plan to go to Olso.
“It’s fine, Aren,” Em said. “You should go.” She turned to face a worried girl hovering around her. “Mariana, can you make sure the wagons are ready to go?” Mariana nodded and hurried away.
“I can’t go, Em,” Aren said as she mounted her horse. “Olivia is livid. She’s going to come after all of you.”
“She’s going to come after me,” Em corrected. “And I don’t need you to protect me from Olivia. We’re so close to the Olso border. It would be ridiculous not to go now.”
Aren rubbed the back of his neck, his face pained. He clearly wanted to go. “It’s too dangerous to go by myself,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll wait until things settle down.”
“When was the last time things settled down for us, Aren?” Em asked. “That may never happen.”
“I’ll go with you,” Galo blurted out. Em and Aren both looked at him in surprise. He shared the emotion. The idea had been in the back of his mind for days, but he wasn’t sure he was crazy enough to actually make the offer.
Mateo was going to be really, really mad.
He pushed the thought away and looked at Aren. “You need help, don’t you?”
“Sorry?”
“Going to Olso. You just said it was too dangerous to go by yourself, and none of the Ruined can go right now. Wouldn’t a human be more help to you anyway? You said we fuel your power.”
“Y—yes?” Aren stuttered, unable to believe what Galo was clearly getting at.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Why?” Aren asked, with growing incredulity.
“You need help. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I want to help.” He turned to Em before Aren could protest. “If that’s all right with you. Can you make it to Royal City by yourselves?”
“We can manage.”
“Tell Cas I went with Aren? And tell Mateo . . .” Galo winced. “Um. Tell him I’m sorry. But I had to.”
“Sure. I can do that.” She traded a look with Aren, raising her eyebrows just slightly, and Aren nodded. If Galo were going to guess, that was a You better not let him die look. Nerves exploded in his stomach. Mateo was right. He really did feel the need to save everyone.
Em reached down and squeezed Aren’s hand briefly. “Be careful in Olso. I hope you find Iria.”
“I will.”
Em took off, the Ruined following behind her. Aren strapped his bag to a horse, and Galo mounted another. He’d lost his bag when Olivia attacked, and he certainly didn’t have time to look for it now.
“That cut looks bad,” Aren said, pointing to his face. “Do you want to bandage it before we go?”
He gingerly touched the gash above his eyebrow. His fingers came away bloody. “It’s fine. I’d rather put some distance between us and Olivia first.”
Aren nodded. He looked down at his shirt, which was covered in blood. “Good idea.”
They rode west, in the direction of Olso, until it was pitch-black. Galo’s head was pounding and he wondered if perhaps he’d hit it so hard that he’d lost his mind.
He was going to Olso.
With Aren.
There was still time to turn back. He could apologize and say that perhaps the blow to the head had been harder than he thought, because he’d temporarily lost his mind. Aren wouldn’t try to make him stay.
Galo let out a long sigh. He wasn’t going to back out. As much as the logical part of the brain was screaming at him, he couldn’t ignore the little voice that said Aren needed, and deserved, his help.
“Let’s stop here,” Aren said after they’d been riding at least an hour. “There’s a stream over there, and we should let the horses rest.”
Galo nodded gratefully. He needed the rest as well. He hadn’t slept much the past few days. He’d been busy racing messages between Aren and the Lera soldiers.
Aren dismounted his horse, then took the reins from Galo and led both horses to the stream to drink.
Galo slumped down against a tree, letting out a breath as he pressed his palms against his throbbing forehead.
Aren grabbed his pack off the horses and opened it. He pulled out a clean rag and poured some water on it, then grabbed a jar from the bottom of his bag. He walked to Galo and sat down, lifting the rag to his head.
He stopped suddenly, hand still poised. “Do you mind? We should clean it so it doesn’t get infected.” He held up the jar. “It’s a salve to help heal the wound.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Aren pushed Galo’s hair back and wiped the cloth across the wound.
“You came prepared,” Galo said.
“I had nothing to treat my burns after fleeing the Ruina castle,” Aren said. “I’d never needed anything; Wenda Flores or Olivia healed me the few times I was injured. Now I always have a bag packed with medical supplies.”
Galo winced as Aren dabbed the salve over the cut above his eyebrow. “Olivia didn’t heal your burns after you rescued her?”
“She couldn’t. You can’t heal an old wound. The window is very short.”
“And you can’t heal at all?”
“Sadly, no.” Aren scooted back and lifted his shirt to examine his own wound.
“Do you want help?” Galo asked.
“I’m fine.” He grabbed a fresh rag and began cleaning the cut. “It doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
“What?”
“That Olivia can heal and I can’t. She has no interest in healing anyone.” His next words were quieter. “Your power is a gift, but you have to choose what to do with it. My mother used to say that.”
Galo didn’t know how to respond, and silence stretched out between them as Aren finished tending to his wound.
“Why did you come with me?” Aren asked softly.
Galo let out a short laugh and leaned his head back against the tree. “Because I’m crazy?”
“That was my first guess.” He paused. “You don’t really even know Iria, do you?”