Page 109 of Ashes of Honor
“Want to tell me why they’re trying to kill you?” I asked impatiently.
“Babe, there’s about a million reasons someone would want me dead and standing around listing them off won’t make a difference.”
Electricity crackled and Finley leaped back. The smoke cleared and our initial attacker was nowhere in sight. Nope. His squad was here and unfortunately for me, their focus was on more than Finley.
“Here for the orgy?” she taunted, sliding rings on and sliding her fingers through the air in a calculated pattern. A shield went up, blocking both of us behind it.
One soldier carried a chain, glowing red-hot at the end, another held a compact launcher slung over their shoulder. Nonlethal but incredibly painful were the options now presented to us. The soldier who’d had it out for Finley was gone, disappeared with the approach of the others.
The one with the chain came for me. Her movements were fluid and calculated. I deflected the first strike. Wrath sliced through the air with precision. The chain whipped back and looped for my legs. I jumped over them, spinning to avoid the glowing links, and brought the flat of my blade down on her wrist.
She hissed in pain, but they didn’t drop the weapon. Apparently, she was incredibly motivated to capture this damn flag. She pulled back, the chain snapping toward me once more.
“Finley!” I called, my breath coming hard and fast. It was becoming harder to not kill her. I was accustomed to swinging and being done with it. This back and forth was simplyfrustrating, especially now that I knew I couldn’t trust their motives. Even if she hadn’t been the one to target Finley, she’d sat back and watched while her squad-mate took their shot.
“Catch!” Finley tossed a staff through the air. I dropped low, letting the chain whip past my face, sheathed Wrath and in one movement caught the weapon. It was heavy in my hands, unnatural. But it would do.
Finley was already in motion. She possessed an artillery of weapons I didn’t recognize along her body. I caught a glimpse of one as it lit up the dark like fireflies on steroids. It defied the laws of physics. Bolts of blue energy whirled from her fists with every swing, forcing an attacker to retreat. Her movements were a kind of scrappy elegance. She chose to fight dirty, that was no surprise, but I couldn’t deny her efficiency.
“Come back!” she barked, calling after them. “I wasn’t done having fun.”
“Sociopath,” I muttered, rising to meet the Chain-wielder’s next attack. My staff cut through the air, intercepting the glowing links with a satisfying clang. With a twist of my wrist, I hooked the chain and yanked, pulling her off balance.
Her momentum carried her forward. I swung the borrowed staff down with ease. It cracked something on her side.Sounds like I hit something important.She crumpled with a grunt, but before I could pin her down, the air shifted.
The ground beneath us trembled, and a wave of heat rolled through the camp. A new wave of enemy soldiers thrust their palms forward. Thick walls of flame erupted between us, forcing Finley and me to backpedal.
“Is now a good time to tell you there’s someone behind you?” Finley shouted. “Or should I wait till the first swing since this isn’t a team effort?”
I spun in time to block another strike from the Chain-wielder, who’d recovered far too quickly for my preference. Hereyes glinted with determination as she pressed the attack. The staff sang in my hands—but it was getting harder to keep up.
Finley faced the fire-wielders head-on. Two on one, just how she liked it. Her rings hummed, discharging a concentrated burst of energy that collided with the flames. The impact sent sparks flying, and the battlefield sparkled in a fireworks display.
“Base camp’s compromised!” someone shouted from the perimeter.
That was fast. Finley’s respect didn’t extend far when shit hit the fan, they’d already decided to replace her in command. With her assumed fallen, they had no choice. That was the entire point of the drill. To think on our feet when things didn’t go according to plan, to step up when needed to ensure the success of the mission. Guess I couldn’t be too smug about it. Though, it was sickly sweet knowing she’d failed.
“Secure the flag!” I shouted to Finley, stepping between her and the Chain-wielder. “I’ll hold them here!”
Another surge of heat roared toward us. This time I didn’t have time to find cover. Instinct took over, and I dropped the staff and unsheathed Wrath, rearing her forward, the steel catching the fire midair. They twisted, spiraling around the blade, their movements echoing the slithering of a serpent.
The Chain-wielder hesitated for the first time as she too recovered, not expecting the blast of power. Her confidence cracked.
“I’ve about had it with the chain shit,” I growled, stepping toward her.
Finley didn’t waste the opening. She darted past me, a ring of blades cracked through the air as she drove it into the fire-wielder’s chest. A rush of air sent them sprawling at the impact. And by design their flames snuffed out like a dying ember.
I swept the chain-wielders legs out from under her, pressing the tip of Wrath against her chest.
“Yield,” I ordered.
She glared at me but didn’t move.
A cheer rose from the edges of the camp. Our team had managed to push back the attackers. The triumphant shouts of soldiers reclaiming the perimeter was obnoxiously pleasing to my ears.
“Flag’s still up,” I said, my voice tight as I released the Chain-wielder. She pushed herself up and took off after her squad-mates that were now weaponless and racing back to their own camp for safety.
“No kidding,” Finley snapped, brushing herself off and pushing up from the base of the flag. Her hair was a tangled mess, and soot streaked her face, but she tossed her choppy hair with the grace of a runway model.
