Page 37 of Feathers of Ash and Hope

“To your left,”Daeva snaps, and I block the sword coming down. My attacker comes at me hard, doubling his efforts of cutting me down. I feint a weakness in my defense, hoping he will go for it. When he does, I use the opening it creates, and he scrambles back to evade my strike, aiming at his shoulder.

I make him stumble by solidifying the air around his feet and while he is off balance cut his throat without hesitation.

One look confirms that the attacker I suffocated with my magic isn’t moving anymore, and I release my hold.

Two more men are rushing me. The three bodies littering the ground probably drew their attention. A big shape dives down, snatching up one of them, and his cries fade into nothing.

“I told you to stay up there,” I grumble.

“Can’t let you have all the fun.”A screech accompanies her words, sounding victorious. I chuckle. My opponent takes a step back and seems unnerved. I watch him contemplating. Maybe I’ll be able to get information out of him.

His gaze darts around, and I do the same, taking in the change. There are numerous people on the ground, but only a few in gray. All the riders are engaged in sword fights. Some runners have assembled into groups, and we have the upper hand now. Jared eyes meet mine over the clearing a vicious smile on his face, while he tugs his sword free, the man who faced him sinking to his knees.

I tackle the man in front of me to the ground, and send his sword flying with my gift.

“Who sent you?” I ask.

He shakes his head, his eyes wide. “Easssy tarrrget, they sssaid…” He sounds incredulous. He rolls his r, and his s is more of a hissing sound.

He is not from Belarra but could be from the Ice Coast. I curl my hand, the air mimicking my gesture around his throat, letting him feel the pressure without harming him … yet. His eyes meet mine. “Brrring you back alive …”

Not again.

White-hot fury burns through me, and I end his life before he can say another word. Those words only make sense if he knows who I am. Therefore, questioning him is off the table.

Chapter

Eleven

ARA

I’m walkingdown a small path with a bundle of firewood in my arms. It’s quiet around me, the trees swallowing the noise of the camp in the distance. The ground is spongy beneath my feet, and the air is fragrant with the scent of pine trees and eucalyptus. I look up when a shadow flits over me and watch Daeva’s dark silhouette vanish behind the canopy of trees.

A screech and then the harsh sound of metal hitting metal shatters the silence, followed by a shout. I drop the wood and start running before my head catches up with what I hear. The shouts and clanging come closer, and with them, the hum of angry voices and shouted commands.

I might be new to the military, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a drill. I push myself to go faster, and when I rush into the clearing, chaos greets me. I stumble to a halt.

Other runners break through the underbrush next to me, their faces a mix of horror and confusion.

Tents are turned over, people are jumping over discarded bags. Smoke wells up from the firepit, the pot that soaked the flames lies empty beside it.

Everywhere, runners and riders are fighting off pale, rough-looking men in mismatched armor.

Three fight Kyronos, who is the closest to me, and I am about to help him when he buries his blade in one of them, and another stumbles away clutching his throat. His blades are swirling through the air so fast that I have a hard time following, and he advances on his third opponent with a grin. I guess he doesn’t need assistance.

A cry for help draws my gaze over to a runner whose right arm is limp, red staining his sleeve around a protruding arrow. I sprint to his side, drawing my two daggers, and meet the blade swinging for his neck before it connects. The runner doesn’t hesitate. He rips the arrow from his arm and, angling upward, drives it through the attacker’s upper belly into his heart.

I stay next to him, guarding him until he finishes wrapping his arm in a makeshift dressing and retrieves his sword. A dark shape dives down and grabs one of the attackers, his scream fading when the bird wins height.

There are shouts and screams all around me while I turn and look for my squadron and especially Calix and Mariel.

Calix's big frame is easy to make out even in this chaos, and I head his way whenan assailant intercepts me.

“Summer, watch out!” The shout has me evading the strike the attacker meant to impale me with. I spin away, and he follows. He is fast, and I barely manage to get my blades up to stop his next maneuver.

Leaving my sword at the camp when I gathered firewood was a mistake I’ll never make again.

Joel shouting my name in the distance registers dimly, but I’m too busy dodging the blows coming for me to react to that.

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