Page 98 of Ashes of Honor

A scoff broke through the tension, drawing my attention to San Jose’s table. Bold of them to test me again. I zeroed in on their general, his posture betraying that he’d rather be anywhere else but here.

“No better instructor than the inventor themselves,” their general muttered.

“That’s right,” I said, rising from my chair in one fluid motion, kicking out my leg to punctuate the movement. I clasped my hands behind my back and fixed him in his seat with a glare. “So shut up and listen.”

Hunter cleared his throat, appearing at my side. “Y’all best pay attention because week three is where things get interesting. War simulations. You’ll get an objective, a map, and be placed into units. And God willing, you’ll learn how to keep each otheralive. In a few weeks, it won’t be a game anymore. We hit the camps before engaging with Covert directly.”

“Why?” a voice called from somewhere in the crowd, hidden among the bodies packed into the hot, stuffy room.

“Classified.” Alexiares cracked a smirk.

I circled them like sharks. Eyeing those who hadn’t shown me nearly enough damn respect. It was getting to the point where I’d have to resort to more extreme measures, something I wasn’t exactly keen on doing. Respect was earned. I wholeheartedly believed that, but fuck, what else would it take?

The sun glistened through the cracked and shattered windows of the diner. Nearly noon, give or take an hour or two. Fresh air never seemed more exciting than being stuck in the center of a room filled with 80 percent men. I aimed to change that.

If these sacks of balls thought they could outlast me, they’d learn otherwise soon enough. The diversity needed to accomplish this mission was essential to my plans. We could only rebuild what we stood to lose through open-minded individuals. Simply put, half of the men here were old dogs that refused to learn new tricks.

“It serves to benefit our cause, soldier. Your job is to follow orders, not question them.” I hated saying the words. I’d never dream of uttering them tomy owntroops. Which, technically, there were now, whether they were happy about that fact or not.

“With all due respect, ma’am, you haven’t earned the trust that entails yet,” the general from Casper reasoned.

“Respect noted, request denied.” I glared in his direction. They’d been reasonable thus far. There was no reason to take his words at anything other than face value.

He nodded his head in subtle submission. “Ma’am.”

“Any more questions?” I said, glancing at the others who’d remained quiet since I’d walked into the must smelling room.“None. Fantastic. Get some food. Hit times at thirteen-hundred. Wear something comfortable and, oh, don’t be late. All Generals, stay, we have much to discuss.”

The room cleared out with a sense of urgency that immediately brought me a smidgen of joy.And so it all begins.

With the room cleared, Alexiares stood front and center, demanding their attention as he circled back to the initial question. The reason the camps were our first priority. “Weapons, that’s what’s at the camps.” He stated, his tone making it clear he thought it was beyond debate.

Serenity stared him down in such a way that even Alexiares could not ignore. One that said his words should be reconsidered and fast.

Hunter’s voice boomed across the room, recovering for him. “People who happen to be weapons.”

Pitiful.Absolutely fucking pathetic. The drills I ran were beyond basic. Entry-level shit my soldiers warm up to.

We were going to lose this war, and we were going to losebadlyif we didn’t get our shit together.

Hunter, Alexiares, and I sat at a table, dragged into the center of what was once Royal Oaks City Hall, now our official ‘war room.’ We sat there, staring at them blankly as they watched us, staring back, picture perfect models of various states of flustered, agitated, bored, and amused.

“Well, that was a sad display of complete incompetence,” I declared after a few passing moments of achingly awkward silence.

“General Harper,” Alexiares called out. He watched in vulture-like fashion as the general of Aberdeen tensed at the sound of his name caught in theBloodhound’smouth. “Did I hear you right when you said the proposed course of action, training wise, was, and I quote, ‘fucking reckless and a waste of time.’”

“I believe the words ‘dumb bitch’ were uttered about our beloved overlord as well,” Finley chimed in, her voice as grating as nails on a chalkboard, icy eyes dancing with mischief. “Oops. Sorry, I made it worse, didn’t I?”

The sound of bodies turning toward Finley was audible, the attention she was so desperate for all hers. I rolled my eyes, my gaze still stuck on Harper. “Consider me all ears then—anyone else have any strong feelings about my tactics?”

Radio silence. Music to my fucking ears because, quite frankly, I’d had enough of the bullshit. “Didn’t think so. Harper, I’m going to choose to ignore what any other general here would deem insubordinate and give you another opportunity to shut your mouth.”

Hunter’s chuckle eerily resembled his twin’s, a sound that sent a pang twitching through my hardly healed heart. Only the choked laugh of Isabella Everhart brought me back to focus.

“Now, let’s address the obvious.” I leaned forward, elbows on the table, my hands clasped together. I swept my gaze across the room. “You’re not ready. Not for this. Not even close. What I saw out there wasn’t just embarrassing, it was dangerous. For you, for your soldiers, for anyone who’s counting on us to survive.”

Harper’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing, his glare fixed on the table in front of him.

“Hunter,” I said, gesturing to him without breaking my stare at the others. “What do you think the survival rate would be if this group went into the field right now?”

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