Steel Scars Read Free Page A

the orders again and slip them into my jacket pocket. “Tonight, I drink to my first independent assignment. And tomorrow, I head to Norta.”
    â€œ Your eyes only , Captain.”
    When I reach the door, I glare at him over my shoulder. “As if you didn’t already know.”
    His silence is admission enough.
    â€œBesides, I’ll still be reporting to you, so you can pass on my relays to Command,” I add. I can’t help but goad him a little. He deserves it for the nanny comment. “What’s that called? Oh yes. The middleman.”
    â€œCareful, Captain.”
    I nod my head, smiling as I wrench open the office door. “Always, sir.”
    Thankfully, he doesn’t let another uncomfortable silence linger. “Your broadcast crew is waiting in your barracks. Best get on.”
    â€œI do hope I’m camera ready.” I giggle falsely, pretending to preen.
    He waves a hand, officially dismissing me from his sight. I go willingly, weaving through the halls of Irabelle with enthusiasm.
    To my surprise, the excitement pulsing through me doesn’t last long. I started out sprinting to the barracks, intending to hunt down my team of oathed soldiers and tell them the good news. But my pace soon slows, my delight giving way to reluctance. And fear.
    There’s a reason they call us Ram and Lamb, other than the obvious. I’ve never been sent anywhere without the Colonel to follow. He’s always been there, a safety net I’ve never wanted, but one I’ve become far too familiar with. He’s saved my life too many times to count. And he’s certainly why I’m here instead of a frozen village, losing fingers to every winter and friends to every round of conscription. We don’t see eye to eye on much, but we always get the job done, and we always stay alive. We succeed where others can’t. We survive. Now I must do the same alone. Now I have to protect others, taking their lives—and deaths—onto my shoulders.
    My pace halts, allowing me a few more moments to collect myself. The cool shadows are calming, inviting. I press up against the slick concrete wall, letting the cold seep through me. I must be like the Colonel when I assemble my team. I am their captain, their commander, and I must be perfect. No room for mistakes and no hesitation. Forward at all costs. Rise, Red as the dawn .
    The Colonel may not be a good person, but he’s a brilliant leader. That’s always been enough. And now I’ll do my best to be the same.
    I think better of my plan. Let the rest idle a few minutes longer.
    I enter my barracks on my own, chin raised. I don’t know why I was chosen for this, why Command wants me to be the one to shout our words. But I’m sure there’s a good reason. A young woman holding a flag is quite a striking figure—but also a puzzling one. Silvers might send men and women to die on the lines in equal measure, but a rebel group led by a woman is easier to underestimate. Just what Command wants. Or they simply prefer I’m the one eventually identified and executed, rather than one of their own.
    The first crewman, a slumtown escapee judging by his tattooed neck, waves me to the camera already waiting. Another hands me a red scarf and a typed message, one that will not be heard for many months.
    But when it is, when it rings out across Norta and the Lakelands, it will land with the strength of a hammer’s fall.
    I face the cameras alone, my face hidden, my words steel.
    â€œRise, Red as the dawn.”
    Â Â Â Â  THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE HAS BEEN DECODED
    Â Â Â Â  CONFIDENTIAL, COMMAND CLEARANCE REQUIRED
    Â Â Â Â  Operative: Colonel REDACTED.
    Â Â Â Â  Designation: RAM.
    Â Â Â Â  Origin: Trial, LL.
    Â Â Â Â  Destination: COMMAND at REDACTED.
    Â Â Â Â  -EYES ON team led by HOLIDAY met opposition in ADELA.
    Â Â Â Â  -ADELA safe house