Page 142 of Ashes of Honor

Isabella approached quietly, note in hand. “Scout reports came back,” she said. “There’s movement to the east. A small unit, but it looks like they’re camped out for now.”

I paused for a second, catching Alexiares’s gaze before turning to face Isabella. “Small doesn’t mean harmless.”

Here we go. I considered my options, ran through the pages and pages of plans I’d spent years working on and compared them against what our troops were ready for now. “Get Millie,” I ordered. “I want a detachment of the cavalry and a squad of your ground support to escort any civilians you find to safety. Move quickly and get them as far away from the area as possible. We’ll regroup at Rendezvous Point L.”

Part of me knew we weren’t finding civilians because we weren’t searching for them. We were securing our perimeter and ensuring our safety as we moved through Kentucky, but we were not actively seeking out anyone but soldiers on the other side. There was no reason to put them at the center of a war that had nothing to do with them and everything to do with their leader. They were already casualties of an oppressor, I had no intention of making them casualties of war.

Isabella exchanged a quick glance with Reina, who nodded, her expression determined but tinged with reluctance. We’d known this was the plan for months, separating—this part of war had never been easy for her.

“Keep an eye out for Tomoe, she’ll need your help,” I teased, trying to figure out what to say that wouldn’t end with her or me in tears.

“I heard that,” Tomoe grumbled, securing Wrath as she passed by, flipping me off as a way of goodbye. “Until fate decides to intervene, asshole.”

“Whenever destiny chooses to meddle once more,” I shot back, unable to hide my smirk.

Reina pulled me into a smothering hug, sending one last wave of peace and happiness my way. I hugged her back, taking in her lavender scent she’d somehow managed to maintain without access to a proper bath in God knows how long. “See you soon, lovebug?”

“You better,” I replied, smiling as she stepped back and joined her unit. Within minutes, the cavalry mobilized with a practiced, quiet efficiency. Their hoofbeats faded into the distance as I lingered, staring down the road ahead.

The troops left with me adjusted their formations, a ripple of readiness coursing through their ranks as they prepared for the worst. I rested my hand on the hilt of my blade, my grip firm. The silence wasn’t empty anymore—it felt alive, as though the land itself held its breath.

“Stay sharp,” I murmured, more to myself than to anyone else.

Reina

Iwas most certainly terrified. Not sure how great I hid it but it was true. When I’d signed on to this whole thing, being on the front-lines wasn’t exactly what I’d meant. Butno, my entire family wanted to be front and center, now here I was—adjusting the reins of a borrowed horse. A stubborn bay gelding that never felt quite right. He just wasn’t my Nala, the beautiful mare that she was. I shivered, the memory of the river—cold, rushing, and merciless against my magic.

It was freezing—catching me off guard. My body locked up as did my mind. Using my gifts to free myself from the unforgiving void of moving water hadn’t occurred to me until it was beyondtoo late to help myself. Nala was so heavy. She’d done her best to keep me afloat but she couldn’t … I choked at the taste of loss.

The Outskirts stretched around us in the dead, foggy light. Every inch of this place was wrong. I’d never been to the East Coast in The Before but from my understanding, it was like, really pretty. Wherever we were crawling through right now was the complete opposite. Skeletal remains of buildings leaned against each other, ready to collapse. Burned-out vehicles were rusted in the first, the paint of them stripped away from both time and the elements.

Faded out posters were torn into pieces, my father’s stern face staring back through the bits. The message underneath it made me want to throw up:A safer world. A better future.Ironic considering the backdrop to such art was the starved bodies left to rot in doorways—like they were crawling out to find a scrap of anything to keep them alive.

Isabella rode up alongside me. “It’s worse than we thought.”

I nodded, gently easing the tension of the group. Some of the territories certainly had it harder than others, but it was neverthis. There were still snippets of empathy among us. That was not the case here—their leader, my father, did not care if they suffered. They weren’t worth his time.

“We should keep our eyes sharp,” Millie spoke up, filling the unintentional silence to spare me the spiral I was about to go down. She adjusted her hat as she trotted past me, leading the way.

The swings on the playground to our right creaked in the wind. A child’s toy—a headless doll lay crumpled in the mud. The creepy thing had a vacant, mocking smile.

I saw him first. A boy no older than eight, clutching a jagged piece of metal from underneath the slide. His clothes hung in tatters, cheeks hollow enough to break my already aching heart. Focusing on him before alerting the others, I pushed anoverwhelming sense of calm to disarm him. We were not a threat, and I had no intention of traumatizing the poor thing.

He didn’t run in our approach—just stood there, wide-eyed, and despite my best efforts, he still possessed the overwhelming fear that something terrible was about to happen to his sweet little face.

I dismounted slowly, raising my hands. “It’s okay, honey. We’re here to help. I’m Reina, what’s your name?”

“A-Asher,” he stammered, his small voice trembling as he pointed toward the hills. “My baby sister is up there, she’s hungry. Can you help us?”

Tomoe appeared beside me, slipping from the shadows with a sharp focus in her eyes. “We are not alone. Let’s move.”

The rest of the group hadn’t noticed, but Tomoe’s instincts never failed.

I turned back to Asher. “Where’s your sister?”

He pointed toward the hills. “Up there … She’s hungry.”

“Stay close,” Millie ordered. “Isabella, rear.”

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