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enslaved humans and killed them for sport, and neither had his father. His grandfather had driven them out of Lera, but the Ruined had lost their hold on humans years before, after their powers weakened. Punishment from the ancestors for misuse of them, his grandfather used to tell him.
    The ancestors had nothing to do with the Ruined losing their power,
Cas’s father had said with a roll of his eyes. He was never the type of man to believe in things he couldn’t see.
The Ruined will rise again. Unless we stop them.
    The Ruined will rise again
used to send a chill down Cas’sspine. Now he felt nothing but the weight of those lost lives. For all the Ruined’s power, they couldn’t rise from the dead.
    Jovita stood. “The warriors from Olso arrive in two days. Will you be well enough to attend the dinner?”
    â€œI’m sure I will be. I’m not going to miss the warriors’ first visit to Lera in two generations.”
    â€œGood. Try not to get stabbed at that event too. We don’t want the warriors thinking we need someone from
Vallos
to save our prince.” She said
Vallos
as if it were distasteful, but a smile crept onto her face.
    â€œThe horror. Almost as embarrassing as getting beaten by their princess in the Union Battle.”
    She glared at him, and he laughed as he sank down farther into his pillows.
    â€œI wasn’t planning to poison you before, but now I definitely am,” she said as she threw open the door. “Watch your back, Prince Casimir.”
    He grinned at her. “I have Mary to do that for me.”
    â€œWhy is it always sunny?” Aren looked up at the sky in disgust, shielding his face with his hand. “Even their weather is mocking me.”
    Em followed his gaze to the clear blue sky. The air was fresh and cool, the birds soaring in the direction of the ocean. The castle gardens bloomed with red, yellow, and pink flowers, and various citrus fruits hung from trees. It really was disgustingly beautiful in Lera.
    â€œThe ancestors blessed them,” she said with a mock-serious expression.
    Aren rolled his eyes. “If I have to hear that one more time, I’m going to kill someone. Don’t be surprised if you see one of their heads just suddenly separate from their body.”
    She glanced over her shoulder, at the empty path behind them. “Say that a little louder. I don’t think they heard you on the other side of the gardens.”
    â€œSorry.” He lowered his voice. “My mother used to tell me the ancestors had blessed me. I don’t like hearing it out of their mouths.”
    â€œI know,” Em said softly.
    â€œMaybe the ancestors didn’t bless anyone. Maybe they never even existed,” Aren said, his voice wobbling. His mother had been the castle priest, and his words weighed heavy on Em’s heart. He never would have dreamed of saying those words a year ago.
    She reached over and squeezed his hand briefly. He squeezed it back.
    The castle wall came into view as they reached the edge of the gardens. A wide swath of grass stretched between the wall and the gardens, making sure that anyone who jumped it would be in plain view of the guards.
    â€œThere’s one guard in that tower,” Em said without looking back at it. The tower was on the east side of the castle, stretching higher than the rest of the building. A perfect spot to watch the entire wall.
    â€œMaybe two,” Aren said. “And did you see that watch postwhen we came in? From where it’s positioned, the guard would also have an excellent view of the entire castle grounds.”
    â€œI couldn’t see anything in that stupid carriage.”
    â€œIt’s in the trees, not far from the main castle gate.”
    â€œFind out how those shifts are assigned. I want to know if it’s always the same few people, or if they rotate.”
    â€œGot it.”
    She touched the wall. Stone. It was very tall, but