Page 105 of Ashes of Honor

“We don’t have to talk about it,” I interrupted, suddenly no longer interested in having this conversation. It was too … painful. I averted my eyes, locking onto the road in front of me. “Not now.”

“If you really don’t want to, then we don’t have to. But you should know, even if this war wasn’t happening, I would have come to find you the second I heard you were alive.”

Movement caught my eye up ahead. “Stick together!” I called over my shoulder. No one bothered to answer me.Typical.

Isabella held up a hand, signaling the front of the line to stop. A shout exploded out of nowhere, too fast for my mind to fully grasp.

“Move! It’s an ambush!”

Chaos swallowed us whole. Because why bother to hold the line when you could forget all of your training and try to outrun the person next to you.Jesus Christ. Figures emerged from the buildings yards away. A bolt flew by, the gust of wind from its passage leaving a sting on my cheek. I yanked Nala to the side with a yelp, trying to find cover in the chaos but there wasn’t much to work with.

“They’re from Salt Lake and Denver,” someone called out behind me.

“Does it matter?” I said, “At least they’re working as a team!”

Whipping Nala around, I caught sight of Miss Portland tumbling to the ground. Her hand flew to her ankle as she sprawled out in the open and released a cry of agony.Ouch. Achilles. “Stay here,” I barked at Hunter who was busy knocking his own arrow and firing into the shadows.

Drills and simulations would use nonlethal force—that meant anything that wouldn’t kill you was fair game. Kicking Nala hard, I bolted toward our downed soldier. The mare’s hooves pounded against the cracked asphalt as I leaned forward. Every nerve in my body screamed, not accustomed to riding as much as I had all week, but the show had to carry on, right?

“Come on!” I reached the Portland soldier and slid off the saddle, a move that was muscle memory from my childhood. Shewas pale and cursing like her life depended on it. “You’re fine. Get on already.”

She blinked up at me. “What?—”

“Get on Nala,now! In case you haven’t noticed, we’re being shot at by a lot of people and I can honestly say, not a fan.”

“You talk too much.”

“I know, now up we go.” The soldier groaned as I hooked an arm under hers, practically hauling her upright.

It was a serious effort to get her onto Nala’s back, her injured leg dragging uselessly as I shoved her into position. Nala danced nervously under the added weight, tossing her head as though to object.

“Oh, get used to it with this group, girl,” I muttered, giving her a firm pat on the neck. “Go!” I slapped her flank, and she bolted.

We didn’t make it fifty feet before something struck me hard, a rubber bullet slamming into my ribs and sending me flying off balance. I hit the ground with a sickening crack, the impact reverberating down my spine. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. No air, no control, just painful gasps and garbled noises leaving my lips as I clawed at the asphalt.

“Reina!”

Hunter’s voice cut through the haze. A second later, he dropped onto the ground next to me. He kept his cool, face neutral like this was a normal Tuesday as he examined me. I was too scared to move.

“What the hell was that? Huh?” he hissed, running his hands through what were inevitably badly bruised ribs.

“Saving someone,” I managed to gasp. “You should try it sometime.”

“You mean like right now?” He huffed a laugh and braced me for impact.

His hands moved quickly, and his magic flared—a sharp burst of warmth and pain as he reset my shoulder. I clenched my jaw, swallowing the scream threatening to break free. Relief flooded me seconds later, the pain easing into a dull ache.

Footsteps echoed too close for comfort. My instincts screamed to move. I reached for the knife at my thigh, my arrows stuck at my back and completely useless, but Hunter stayed still, unconcerned.

Isabella’s sharp commands rang out. “Form up! Push forward!”

The rest of the group surged ahead in a wave and I searched for Nala and the woman from Portland. They sat behind a dumpster, Portland passed out on top from the pain, about to glide right off. I sat up and pushed Hunter away, ignoring his cries after me. She fell into my grasp and we both crumbled to the ground. Albeit softer than the fate would have faced had I not gotten to her when I did. With the cover of the dumpster and the rest of the group between us and the other unit attacking, it left me enough time to heal her up.

I’d learned how to treat wounds less gruesome than this during the last war. There was a technique to it—just enough to get them walking, but not enough to heal them completely. Triage and stabilization were the goals. You needed to leave enough work for proper treatment back at the med tent. It was a delicate balance, like putting a patient on bypass inThe Before.

Her eyes fluttered as she came back to consciousness. She took me in, then groaned, rolling her eyes and pushing herself up. Hands as pale as mine shook as she touched her forehead.

“You can save the thank you for later, we should get out of here while we can.” I helped her back onto the horse. “Hold tighter this time,” I ordered, swinging up behind her in one fluid motion. My bow was in my hands before we’d even fully settled, the string taut as I knocked an arrow.

---