Ashes of the Stars Read Online Free Page A

Nyolda’s tone became cocky. She knew something I didn’t know, that much was obvious. I really hoped she didn’t drag this out.
    “And the word is…?” I trailed off, waving my fork in the air at her.
    “Word is, you might have to take your team to scout them. Not exactly a first, but it’s been a long time since the stealth team has had to do another team’s mission,” She spilled. I didn’t mind scouting. Everyone thought I hated it and that was fine, I let them. Scouting just meant that things might not get violent and there would be less ghosts to haunt me in the end.
    “Someone said this already? I mean, they haven’t been gone that long,” I shrugged. My breakfast was already cold, I didn’t have much of an appetite.
    “Ladies,” Finn said by way of greeting as he flopped down in a chair across from us.
    “ Captain,” Nyolda growled at him.
    I snorted and shook my head, “Who’re you trying to convince, Nyo?”
    “Shut up.” She crossed her arms at her chest and looked away from me.
    “You up for a scouting mission, Finn?” I asked him carefully. I didn’t look at him as I asked. I concentrated on my breakfast and how much of it I could push around on my plate to make it look like I’d taken more than two bites.
    “Why?” He asked. “Says who?”
    “Says me. That’s what I heard and it’s only a maybe right now,” Nyolda answered, still using her dejected, I’m-actually-powerful-in-rank tone.
    “I hate scouting,” Finn grumbled.
    “Not fun unless there’s blood, eh, Finny?” Nyolda asked him.
    “I can do without the blood, Captain. It’s my team that gets restless,” Finn answered in a snarky tone.
    “ My team,” I corrected without looking up, “They don’t get restless, they get afraid.”
    “How would you even know what being afraid looks like?” Nyolda snorted at me. “They don’t call you the Reaper for nothing.”
    I narrowed my eyes at her and put my fork down on my plate. Slowly, so that she heard every syllable, I said, “And what do you think people feel when they see that the Reaper has come for them? I have killed more people than you have saved, medic. Remember that.”
     
     
    “There are no more rumors,” I sighed heavily as I flopped down on Finn’s stiff mattress. He sat in a chair at his desk, inking something I couldn’t see onto a thin and cracked page. I often wondered what he could have so much to write about but I’d never thought to ask him. If he wanted to share, he would.
    “Rumors?” Finn asked in a mildly disinterested tone.
    “You remember that conversation with Nyolda a few weeks back? About that camp we might need to scout?” I prompted.
    I watched as Finn stopped scratching his pen across the page and he glanced over his shoulder. “We are going to scout, then?”
    “Yes,” I watched him carefully. “Ceid got back a few hours ago, a meeting was called.”
“And?” Finn asked, not altering his posture at all.
    “We leave in two days. Apparently, they couldn’t get enough details on this camp to determine whether they were an enemy or not,” I said, picking at invisible dirt underneath my fingernails. Finn was quiet for long enough that I eventually looked up.
    He had a wide mirror as a backdrop to his desk and I could see my reflection in it. I was so pale my skin almost matched the white clothing that I wore. My wine-colored hair hung loose around my shoulders, hidden at the top from my cap. My eyes were an icy blue that hardened instantly at my reflection; I hated to see the monster looking back at me.
    “Aili,” Finn finally spoke. He pushed away from his desk and turned around in his chair so he was facing me, “We are not scouts, that’s not our job.”
“On the contrary, we’re the stealth team. Our job is to be invisible, unseen and unheard. Why are you so opposed to this mission, Finn?” I asked, frowning at him.
    “I’m worried about you,” He blurted out so quickly that I almost didn’t hear what