Page 155 of Ashes of Honor

Alexiares would hate me for this, but it was the only way.

The portal’s hum faded,leaving a sharp stillness in its wake. My boots echoed against the empty asphalt as I stepped forward, the silence almost deafening after the roar of battle.

I slammed myself into the side of the old city hall, taking cover before I had the chance to be seen.Lola, you fucking genius.I could kiss her if it didn’t mean getting vaporized.

Its dome crowned the symmetrical colonnades that framed its central hall. The columns were thick, carved with intricate patterns that whispered of both artistic desires and dominance.

Wide marble steps led to the grand entrance, where polished steel doors reflected the morning light, their surface unmarred by the grit of war. Golden accents adorned the building’s edges.

The surrounding grounds were manicured to perfection—lush green lawns bordered by symmetrical flower beds, each bloom vivid and precise, as though the very soil obeyed its masters. Not a blade of grass dared to stray out of line.

It was beautiful, and it was a lie.

I sheathed the swords. I wouldn’t need them from this point on. This was it. The end of the path I had chosen.

I took a step forward, leaving behind everything I couldn’t carry.

Reina

We had to keep going, had to trust that whatever Amaia’s plan was, would work. Who knows what went on in that girl’s mind. All I knew was that it usually worked out. That made maintaining the mission goal a priority, to ensure it all worked out.

The devastation was immediate. A brutal kind of chaos that left one little room to think. Building buckled under relentless fire, brought not of magic, but innovation. Tomás was terrifyingly brilliant. I wanted to see his work at play, sit and view it in fascination. There was no time for that, however, andas wondrous his mind was—it was deadly. Debris rained down around us in choking clouds.

It was a muted crumble in comparison to the screams filling the air. The only other sound to cut through was the pounding hooves as Millie’s horse surged past me, her spear a blur. Beside her, Tomoe rode with precision, scanning the urban battlefield we’d thrust ourselves upon with calculating calm. If she was gonna be calm, then I would too.

Alexiares tore through anyone he deemed an enemy with the ferocity of a Bloodhound.The Bloodhound. His blade was a streak of silver in the haze of magic suppressing gas. He moved with feral intensity, his growls cutting through the buzz of battle. A shadow slipped through the openings of the battlefield—Riley’s strikes were swift and silent.

On the flanks, Hunter’s voice sliced through the bedlam. His team weaved through the melee as they shielded terrified civilians, guiding them toward the fallback point. Shields raised in an unbreakable line—Isabella Everhart’s soldiers. Flames burst to life along the perimeter, their heat distorting the air and forcing Covert soldiers to recoil. Civilians followed Hunter’s commands, moving along the sidewalks with wide eyes and stumbling, clinging to each other as they passed through. Was it wrong? That it brought me joy to see them shocked that war came to them.

The suppressant gas was thick now, a suffocating blanket that dulled the edge of magic in the air. Althoughwewere immune to such a concoction, the souring smell hit me hard. “Focus on the children,” I told Moe as I pushed toward Moe, my hand out ready to join forces.

We extended our power, brushing against their minds with a soothing wave. They did not have to become the seed of which they were sewn. There was hope and happiness in their futures.You’re okay. Stay calm.Moe’s magic amplified mine, together, we opened the door to the vision—a new world.

They saw themselves running through the streets playing Mortals and Zombies, drenched in sunlight, laughing without fear. They experienced the cool breeze of a summer day, heard the hum of a community that valued them not for their power but for who they were at their core.

My magic wrapped around their emotions, letting them feel what had the potential to be real—joy so vivid it melted away all spite. Killed all ego. Tomoe guided their focus, weaving the details of a life that could be: dinners shared at long tables, safety that wasn’t earned through the power in their blood, love that was not conditional.

“What are you doing?”

“Stop it!”

“Please, don’t hurt them. They’re children.”

It was all background noise to me. The protests of people who honestly had no business parenting anyone. I silenced them—extending my power to send them a sense of calm they did not deserve. We were doing our best to limit the trauma if they would just give us a second.

“Reina!” Millie’s shout snapped me back. “You’re overextending!”

She was right. The strain was brutal. My brain hurt, but there were adults clawing at each other to reach their children, panicked and desperate. I stretched my power further, sedating one, then another, until my vision swam.

“We need you in one piece,” Moe said, her voice sharp. “Save it for the ones you care don’t suffer.”

Unfortunately, thanks to daddy dearest, that was true. I was the only healer here and responsible for the care of nearly a hundred. Holding a city this size was supposed to come withresources—but there was no one else to help, not here, not now. We had a healer shortage thanks to his literal war crime.

Luckily, the ones traveling with Riley, hadn’t suffered the same fate. There were no reinforcements coming. Not here, not now. The others were spread thin across the actual battlefield where the blood flowed thicker than here.

“Roger that,” I bit out, pulling my magic back with an effort.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Moe glancing toward the battle spilling further down the street. Her jaw clenched, her hand tightening on her reins. “We need to move them,” she murmured.

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