Page 89 of Echoes of War

I wouldn’t mind, truly. Making a kill had become easier, simpler, than the first time. At least now it wasn’t on the unsuspecting, but on those who had it coming. You attack me and mine, and down you go, buddy boy.

“I told you before we left Wyoming to keep your coat. But nooo, no one listens to little ole me.” I said, leading the way Alexi had drawn out on a map before we left.

Moe scoffed, “Yeah, well, Reina, it’s kind of hard to make sure all my belongings are together when I’m chasing after you and whatever kills you’re chasing for the day.”

“Better than woman of the day,” I mumbled, a smile on my face at the memories of what awaited me at home.

“Maybe,” Abel offered, trying to simmer some peace, “if you had a system, some sense of organization, it would be easier to grab your stuff and go with full confidence.”

Moe flipped him the finger, mocking his words as she worked to keep my quick pace. I shushed them, noticing the fresh tracks on the ground. Someone was here, watching us. I could sense it with my magic.

“Not many places to hide,” I mumbled, scanning our surroundings.

We’d entered a deep canyon. The rugged, red rock formations would’ve been beautiful if I was here for a vacation. I wasn’t though. I was here to make sure my family and I made it home in one piece.

There.Silly, silly soldiers, you’re mine now.

Up ahead, a reflection of metal gave up the location of a few soldiers hidden behind a few of the towering mesas not too far in the distance. A river teased the other side of the land. I’m sure they thought we were the trapped ones.Not for long.

“Abel?” I asked calmly, meeting his quizzical gaze “How much you wanna bet I can scatter those fools with one pull of my bow and arrow?”

A sly grin pulled across his brown skin. “Hmmm. Why do I get the feeling your room is the comfiest one in The Compound?”

“Because it is,” I said, pulling out a match to set an arrow aflame.

“Okay, if you miss, I get your room and you have to move in with Riley and the creep.”

“Thatcreepis about to be your roommate. Reina doesn’t miss,” Moe teased. “The real question is, what are they hiding for? They outnumber us.” She scowled, peering at the world around us for an answer.

Abel grew rigid in response. “Maybe we should figure that out before we scatter them?—”

“And if you lose this bet? What do I get?” I arched, ready to pull and taking a sharp snuff of air. “Never mind, I never miss.”

It flew through the air before either one of them could stop me. Seconds later, my arrow hit its mark. A small blast scattered ten soldiers in the wind.

“Did you just—”Abel started.

I laughed, a defiant grin now in place. “Shoot a fiery arrow down the barrel of a gun several hundred feet away. Duh.”

The tranquility of the canyon shattered. A deafening roar of energy and weapons split the air. A wave of troops emerged from different corners that I hadn’t seen. My heart raced, adrenaline surging through my veins.

My training took over as I transitioned into my favorite deadly dance. With the agility of a cat, I weaved through the oncoming chaos, my movements fluent and precise. I vaulted over fallen soldiers, Abel’s gun singing a sweet song past me, having my back to where I could not pay my attention.

I spun through the air, arrows flying and meeting their marks with half a thought. Moe’s Katana sliced through soldiers, its movements an extension of her arm aiding her in silencing the screams as she cut them down. Their heads rolled under my feet, forever stuck in an inaudible cry for mercy.

The scene around me calmed. All the soldiers in our immediate vicinity were down. A mag clicked into a gun behind me and I turned, the wild look only the taste of violence could bring all over Abel’s face. I hadn’t called him on it before, but the kid never missed either. His accuracy didn’t hit in the way that my arrows always met their target. I had trained for that. As easy as I made it seem, it took practice, aim, focus.

With Abel, well, there were only a few other people I knew that had such effortless accuracy, no matter the weapon, no matter the stance, no matter the distance they fired. One of them named Amaia.

“Are you going to stop toying with us, Abel, or you gonna tell us what youreallyare?” I teased.

Moe’s head shot up as she wiped guts off on some poor dead soul. Her eyes bounced from me to Abel, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Movement caught my eye, a groan of a soldier trying to push themselves up brought me back into focus. His palm faced up, fire raging in it as a last-ditch effort to make one final kill.

“Behind you,” I said with a grin.

He fired his weapon without looking, two bullets hitting the center of a now very dead man’s head, “Is that necessary? My actions are obvious enough.”

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