Page 97 of Ashes of Honor

His blood stained my lips as I whispered into his ear, “You were never strong enough to stop me. None of youpathetic littleboysare.” I twisted his head sharply, ending it. Anderson crumpled beneath me, lifeless, a puddle of crimson spreading around in a dark halo.

I stumbled back, drenched in his blood, a sick satisfaction settling in my chest. My legs gave out, and I sprawled out next to his corpse. Time passed as I searched for the strength to get up. What seemed like hours later, I forced myself upright, the worldspinning around me—blurred by the pounding in my skull and the searing pain in my thigh.

The streets of Royal Oaks blurred around me, dim firelight casting eerie shadows on the ruins. I leaned against a half-collapsed wall, gasping for air, before pushing off and forcing myself forward.

Home wasn’t far. One more turn. Or maybe two. My mind fogged over, and for a second, I wasn’t sure if I was heading in the right direction. But then I saw it—the old house where we were hunkered down in for the simulations.

Good. You made it.

I crumpled on the front porch with a dramatic thud. The door slammed open and Alexiares was there. He swooped me into his arms, cradling me as we passed under the threshold of the home and I made an ill-timed joke. He swelled, his expression shifting from alarm to fury as he took me in under the light of the living room.

“Amaia.” His voice was sharp, snapping me to attention and focusing on his beautifully pissed face. “What the hell happened?”

“Ran into a problem,” I managed, resting my head against his chest.

“A problem? Looks like a massacre,” I heard Tomoe closing in as Alexiares set me onto the couch.

I made an attempt at a sigh. “He was a gusher.”

Reina appeared behind him, her gaze darting from my face to the blood covering me. “Move,” she ordered, brushing Alexiares aside as she crouched in front of me. Her magic prickled against my skin faintly as her hands hovered over my thigh.

“Bossy,” I muttered, collapsing onto the couch with a heavy groan.

Alexiares crouched beside me, his expression sharp with worry. “You were attacked?”

“Anderson,” I nodded. “And that’s one way to put it.”

“Tell me you got him back.” His sharp jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek.

I huffed a tired laugh, gesturing vaguely at the blood staining my clothes. “Oh, I got him. He’s not coming after anyone again.”

His gaze dropped to my leg, where Reina hadn’t gotten to it yet. “You’re lucky you made it here.”

“Yeah, well,” I said, the corners of my lips twitching into something that wasn’t quite a smile, “turns out I’m not easy to kill.”

Reina’s hands pressed against my thigh, warmth radiating as her magic worked its way through the torn muscle. “Hold still,” she muttered, her tone clipped. “You’ve already lost enough blood.”

“Feels like it,” I murmured, my head tipping back against the couch. My vision swam, exhaustion pulling at me, but not before I caught Alexiares resident glare.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I mumbled. “If you’ve got a lecture, save it. I’m not up for it.”

“Good,” he snapped. “Because you wouldn’t listen, anyway.”

Reina shot him a glare without glancing up from my leg. “Enough yapping, dog. You’re not helping.”

I let their voices blur together. Their argument faded into the background as my body sagged further into the couch—the future that once seemed clear twisted into something darker, my dreams becoming a nightmare of what was to come.

Amaia

“Iwas attacked last night. Won’t get into names. Not into glorifying the actions of men,” I said as I pushed open the double doors from what was once a kitchen and into the main dining room. “Their absence is loud enough.”

One hundred souls stared back at me. I searched the room, waiting for someone, anyone, to react in a way that pissed me off. I was over this shit and it had only just begun. Generals and leaders of settlements alike mumbled at their tables, exchanging glances that ranged from confusion to anger. The angry ones gave me the slightest bit of comfort. Anger meant loyalty. They were the ones that would have my back, no matter what.

“Now, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” I strode to the middle of the room, dragging a wooden chair across the floor with an earsplitting screech before dropping into it. I crossed my legs, hands resting on my knees, and leaned back like I owned the place. Because, for all intents and purposes, I did.

“It’s a bit of an understatement to say that the trust between territories at the moment is abysmal. Unfortunately for us, that doesn’t bode well. If we cannot trust each other, then we as a unit are effectively useless. Each week will be split into one exercise and one drill—one to learn, one to test. Knowing our strengths is essential to maximizing damage and limiting loss. Week one, we’ll assess strengths and weaknesses. Find them, exploit them, and understand how they play into the bigger picture.”

“More on that later,” Alexiares said, rising from his seat in the corner. He crossed the room, his hand settling on the back of my chair. “Week two, the focus is a personal favorite: defense so terrifying it doubles as offense.”

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