Page 84 of Ashes of Honor

Heads turned, some slow and reluctant, others jerked with open defiance. Finley sat up straight, her elbows propped on the table. “Oh, look. Mom’s mad.”

Alexiares fumed at my side, his magic palpable in the air between us. His vision was laser sharp, tracking across the room to everyone but the one who last spoke. “You want to act like prey? Then don’t be surprised when you’re hunted. You want to be predators? Then stop the pathetic amount of whining and start fighting like you aren’t a bunch of pussies waiting around for a twenty-eight-year-oldgirlto tell you what the fuck to do and justdo.”

They gawked at him, blinks audible in the tense quiet of the room. I cleared my throat. We had them now, and I wasn’t done. “But clearly since the mass of you can’t seem to handle doinganythingon your own, I’m here to save your asses. Again. Lucky you.” I paced, walking between the mess of chairs and tables all clustered into one swamp of a mess. “If you think ‘surrendering’ to a man who rules through a caste of power alone is freedom, then you’re a damn fool. There’s no freedom in being absorbed by someone who sees you as nothing more than a tool—a stepping stone for more power. To shape society ashesees fit, while we’ve all fought and bled to carve out the lives and communitieswebelieve in. Our home. Our people. Our values. And you’d trade all of that to avoid getting your hands dirty? Remain complacent until it happens to you?”

I paused, the weight of my wisdom pressing down on the already quiet room. My eyes caught Elliot’s across the crowd, hissteady nod giving me the encouragement I didn’t want to admit I needed.

I wish Sloan were here.

His sharp eyes were some of the kindest in the room.Me too, kid, me too.

“We’ve all lost a lot,” I continued, my voice softer now. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we stand to lose a hell of a lot more if we sit here bent the fuck over for a territory that doesn’t respect a damn thing we’ve built. Hunter’s already laid out the main objective—kill Ronan. But right now, looking at you sorry bunch in this room, I don’t expect any of you to show up on the battlefield with anything other than hopes and fucking prayers. Not without my help first.”

“Get on with it, then. We don’t have all day.” The mayor from some settlement I didn’t care to remember muttered the words, his expression defiant.And the list of people I want to punch continues to grow.

“You have all the time she needs,” Alexiares snapped before I could reply, his glare pinning the man in his seat.

My fire simmered under my skin at the way Finley’s lips curled up in satisfaction as she took him in. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his posture stiff with barely restrained anger. At the attention she was desperate for—his. I wanted nothing more than to have my ring on, if only for the comfort he’d find in it. Logic had us agree it was best to keep things under wraps during the meeting. We couldn’t afford the distractions, not now.

I stopped right behind her, staring down at the top of her head, still struggling to recover from the haircut I’d beautified her with. I hoped she could hear the grin in my voice. “General Matheson and General Lane were key to our strategy in the first war. And I’m sure word’s spread about Prescott by now. But their wisdom isn’t lost on me. I’ve been studying?—”

A scoff cut me off. “Studying? A book? You want us to risk our communities because you’ve been reading fucking books?”

“Yes,” I snapped, leveling a glare that could’ve cut glass. Alexiares moved to step forward, but I met him halfway and stopped him with a hand, keeping my focus on the soldier. “What the fuck do you think West Point was for? Officer school? AIT? You think the United States military—or any military, for that matter—just walked onto the field and winged it? I studied because I believe in learning from the mistakes of the past and absorbing the brilliance of our ancestors’ success.”

The energy of the room shifted. Some of the settlements who had been fidgeting moments ago sharpened their expressions. Reina grinned out the corner of my eye, only for Moe to elbow her, forcing her to bite it back.

“You’re asking for a lot, General,” Claes, the leader from Casper, finally said, breaking the silence. “But trust isn’t built on insults or forces of magic,” he added with a pointed glare in Reina’s direction. She sank lower into her seat, but the fire in her eyes didn’t dim. “Perhaps you can enlighten us as to how this … gambit of yours is supposed to work?”

Gambit. The polite word for desperation. I straightened, crossing my arms as I met his stare. “Simple. We prepare now—before the choice is ripped from us. Then, when we’re ready, we strike before they can. Hit them where it hurts, cripple their supply lines, and force them to their knees before they realize what’s happening. Take the fight to them. We don’t wait for permission. We make our own rules.”

Claes frowned, his lips pursing as if he’d tasted something sour. “And we get past their borders, how?”

“Leave that to us,” Tomoe said with confidence—we would not reveal Lilia to any of them.

“If that fails?” a soldier from Ogden questioned. He seemed skeptical, but not quite dismissive.

“Then we regroup and hit them again. And then again. And again. Until they have nothing left.” My voice was a blade honed sharply. “You think we can afford to play it safe? To wait for their mercy? If you do, you’re in the wrong room. No, fuck that, you’re in the wrong reality.”

The silence that followed was different than before. It wasn’t tense or uncertain. It was the quiet of the realization of inevitability. They were starting to see how the rest of us were already facing the pressures authoritarianism did. The truth they couldn’t outrun.

“She’s the reason some of us survived,” Millie reasoned, calm and collected. I glanced over in approval. Hm. Reina was right. She does look good in jeans.

Great Falls may not have been an ally I’d thought as important to keep, but Reina’s actions and her relationship with Millie had allowed us to know with certainty that Montana settlements would choose our side. Millie had advocated for Monterey since coming into power—even initiated the first cross-territory trade when she’d learned we were running low on necessities. They didn’t have much, but she gave what they could.

“Oh, please. You sat on your ass and reaped the benefits while the rest of us suffered,” a soldier from Ogden snapped, his tone venomous.

“We’ll train together,” I restated firmly, meeting the soldier’s glare until he finally broke his glare. “My people have a saying: one unit, one compound. That now extends to all of you. We came here to talk about an alliance, so let’s talk about it. The offer I have for you is simple: join us or die.”

“What?” The word was shouted louder than the others, and the room erupted into chaos once more. But this time, more people stayed seated. I could see it in their faces. Decisions had been made, even if they weren’t ready to voice them yet.

I held my ground. “That’s not a threat. Not in this current moment. Not for you. It’s a warning. With or without you, we will take on Covert Province. If you choose not to join us in that effort, then Monterey Compound will be forced to deem you the enemy. We’re not taking prisoners this go round. Monterey was merciful in the last war. I don’t have the energy to extend it again.”

The ruffle of shifting seats echoed around the room. The group of imbeciles glanced between each other, uncertainty blatant in their sheepish eyes. Isabella smiled at me, offering a subtle nod of approval. I returned a small, hidden grin before shifting my gaze, desperate for clarity from allies I’d assumed were secure. Millie winked at Reina, who immediately darted her gaze away, and Elliot and Finley exchanged a glance. It was brief and begrudging. The truce flickering between them. Others whispered, their faces neutral. Only three territories—Ogden, Wichita, and Cedar Rapids—sat with deep frowns, their discontent written plain as day. Ogden’s defiance was no surprise; Hunter had warned me.

“Now, everyone who doesn’t have a vote, out,” I commanded.

“We need to speak as a council,” the general of Aberdeen protested.

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