Page 102 of Ashes of Honor

It hit me then. My heart thudded against my ribs at the realization of what she was getting at. “You want me to lead an impromptu cavalry?”

“She’s not a rider,” Hunter protested immediately, his eyes flicking to the mounted units performing maneuvers across the field.

The sound of hooves pounding the earth, the low whine of horses … and half of their riders struggled to stay on while following Hayfield and Wells movements. Marco stood on the side yelling out commands, red with frustration as he tossed his hat onto the ground.

“Sorry, you keep speaking for Reina when I’m talking directly to her.” All patience in Amaia’s tone had disappeared. She stood tall once more, the relaxed posture no longer present. A flash of blue light from a nearby combat magic duel illuminated her face. “Either stand here as a supportive, proud brother and shut up or get lost.”

I bit my lip, doubt creeping in. “He’s right. Seth and Hunter were always the better riders. Hunter competed. He can probably help ‘em better than I can.”

“If I thought that was the best option, I’d have asked him,” Amaia said firmly, leveling her stare. A heavythudshook the ground, emphasizing her point as two horses took off … without their riders. “I askedyou.”

“Are you askin’ as my friend or my general?”

“As your general. But as yourfriend, I’ll have you know I’m asking because I’ve seen you ride. You may not be your brother, but you’re still better than half the riders these ingrates have. And more importantly, you have the heart to get them to commit—to believe in themselves. Millie will probably lead the push to Covert.”

“Ramona?” I asked, even though we all knew she wasn’t here.

“Will receive orders to protect our borders when we move east. She is irrelevant to this conversation both now and in the future.”

A warmth spread through me as her words sank in. I straightened, meeting her gaze with a smile wide enough it dang near hurt my cheeks. “I won’t let you down.”

“You never do.” Amaia turned, already walking away. “Skip the combat assessments to run barrel drills with them. But if you want back on my field, I want you training on the mat morning and night. Don’t embarrass me.”

Excitement fizzed in my chest, and I couldn’t help the little hop and clap that escaped.

Hunter groaned. “Does she always scheme on her own and then drop bombs on y’all like that?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” I admitted, still grinning ear to ear, the sounds of magic and battle melding into the background like a war symphony.

“And how often does that usually work out for her?”

“Annoyingly,” I said, switching the shoulder of my bow. “All the time.”

A messenger approached Hunter, his face tense as he relayed the news that his people had finally arrived.

“I need to talk to them before they interact with the others,” he said, squeezing my hand before walking off, his footsteps swallowed by the noise around us.

I watched him go, the familiar ache pressing at my chest. Seth should’ve been here with us. That was all he ever wanted—just to stand side by side with us. If only things had been different. If only Seth had known Hunter was still alive … But he had known. That was the whole point.

Dayone of assessments and my legs ached like no other, my back protesting every movement, and my hands were a reddened raw mess from hours of drills. There’d been no time to mend myself in the blur of chaos. Soldiers bustled around me, hauling gear back to where it couldn’t be touched by weather conditions, while others sparred, getting in extra sessions or showing off.

I tended to my bow, trying to ignore the noise, lingering far beyond what was expected of me. Going home right now didn’t excite the way that it should. Maybe because it wasn’t really home at all, just a place to sleep for the next few weeks. Old me would’ve loved having my family all together under one roof—but I wasn’t old me anymore and a lot had changed.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

I kept my eyes on my bow, forcing my voice to stay even and not give me away. “It’s been a busy day, that’s all.”

Jessa’s boots crunched closer. I knew what she would say before she even spoke. “This thing with the cavalry—Amaia shouldn’t have put you in that position.”

Again with this. Except she wasn’t Hunter—Jessa would never support what I was doing, no matter how much I wanted it. “Amaia is my general. She can ask me whatever the heck she wants.” I sighed, finally turning to face her.

Her sandy blonde hair was pulled taut in a ponytail, the sun having kissed her cheeks.God, she’s so beautiful. Almost enough to distract from the fact that she was a healthy reminder that not all light is good.

“Yeah, she can. That doesn’t mean you have to say yes. That’s the beauty of you being a medic and not a soldier,” Jessa snapped.

I moved my hand in a mocking motion, mimicking the words she was saying. “Whatever, Jessa.” Her words struck hard, igniting a surge of anger in my chest.

I was beyond done arguing with her. That’s all everything was with her now. No such thing as a pleasant conversation between us, even ones that started off tender, with good intent, ended with me walking away. I hated being an angry person, and that’s all I was these days.Especiallyin her presence.

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