Iria’s mind went blank. She pushed Em aside. Her feet moved forward and she was running, shoving aside scared Lera soldiers. She yanked a shield out of a soldier’s hand, ignoring his yell of protest. Her hand tightened around her blade. She sprinted forward as fast as she could.
Iria drove the sword into Olivia’s back and through her heart.
FORTY-EIGHT
GALO CLAPPED A hand over his mouth as he watched Iria’s blade tear through Olivia’s chest. Olivia’s back arched and she gasped as she fell to her knees. Iria pulled her sword out and took several quick steps back. Olivia crumpled to the ground.
Galo glanced up at Aren, who had his eyes squeezed shut and his face turned away. But Aren allowed himself only a few moments before he opened his eyes again and looked at the second wave of warriors running toward them.
Galo looked back at Olivia, but the crowd had swallowed her up. Iria was pushing her way through, half carrying a sobbing Em.
“Will you make sure Em gets inside?” Aren called to Galo.
He nodded and rushed to Iria, gently removing Em’s arm from around Iria’s shoulder. “I’ve got her,” he said. “I’ll make sure she gets inside.”
“Her leg is injured,” Iria said, pointing.
Galo reached down and scooped Em up into his arms. He turned and broke into a run, Em bouncing in his arms. He had to dodge a rush of guards running out of the castle and into the fight.
They crossed over the castle threshold, the sounds of fighting muffling as the doors closed.
“Violet! Is Cas—”
“In hiding,” Violet finished, eyes flicking to Em. “What’s—”
“She’s injured, but fine. Olivia is dead.” He said the second sentence quietly.
Galo heard the sound of running footsteps and turned to see Mateo headed toward him. He took Em out of Galo’s arms. “I’ll take her to Cas. Be careful.”
Galo gave him a quick smile before turning to race back out of the castle. Past the gates, hundreds of Lera soldiers fought off the Olso and Vallos troops against the setting sun. Smoke rose from the north corner of the castle, where a cannonball had hit the building, but the damage looked minimal. The southwest tower was on fire, and he watched as a piece of it crashed to the ground.
He found Aren right where he’d left him, standing in front of the castle gates on an old potato crate. He was surrounded by Lera guards and soldiers.
Screams ripped through the air, and a sudden rush of Olso warriors plowed through the Lera soldiers. They were headed straight for Aren. The attacks directly on Aren were endless. The warriors had clearly been told to make killing Aren a top priority.
“More! We need more!” Galo followed the sound of the voice to see a soldier pointing at Aren. They needed more people to guard him.
Galo raced forward, pushing through the growing crowd of soldiers. He lightly wrapped his hand around Aren’s wrist.
“You got Em safely inside?” Aren asked without turning around. Galo wasn’t sure how he’d known it was him.
“Yes. Mateo took her to hide with Cas.”
Aren focused on the warriors to his left, throwing them all through the air at once. “I need to get somewhere higher.”
A body slammed into Galo’s, and he let go of Aren’s arm. He whirled around, gripping his sword. A warrior charged at him.
Galo lifted his sword, but the warrior was gone suddenly, his scream fading as he shot so far up into the sky he disappeared. The warriors around him shot off the ground as well, flying away one by one.
Aren jumped off the crate and took off in the direction of the castle. “I need to get higher!” he yelled again, shaking off a Lera soldier who tried to make him stay put.
Galo took off after Aren. Arrows whizzed by his head, and struck the soldier next to him. She fell with a gasp.
Aren ran through the castle gate and to the wall. He hooked his fingers onto the stone and began to hoist his body up.
Galo grabbed the edge of his shirt, pulling him back down. “You’ll be too exposed. Too easy a target for an arrow.”
“Trust me. I only need a few seconds.”
Galo didn’t release his shirt. It was too hard to protect him up there. “How do you feel? Are you getting weak?”
“Not even a little.”
Galo released his shirt. “Fine.” He grabbed the stone wall and began climbing up next to Aren. He could at least try to shield him.
They reached the top and Galo slowly stood, finding his balance on the narrow space.
“Get in position to catch him if he falls,” he said to the guards on the ground. He edged closer to Aren, trying to use his body to guard him without blocking Aren’s sight.
Aren stared out at the scene in front of him, and Galo followed his gaze. A line of soldiers stood in front of the castle, with Ruined placed at strategic points. He spotted Mariana collapsed in exhaustion, a group of castle guards trying to drag her to safety. It must have been difficult to distinguish between the Lera soldiers and the enemy on the ground, and Galo could see why Aren wanted to stand on the wall. Galo could easily spot the Lera soldiers, with their black long-sleeve shirts, the deep blue stripe on the collar standing out from the crowd.
Two arrows shot out from the crowd and Galo grabbed for Aren, pulling them both into a squat.
Aren shot up, using Galo’s arm to steady himself. He stared straight ahead, and warriors began flying backward and into the sky. They went in quick succession, leaving the area in front of the Lera troops completely clear.
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.