NEVA POV
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The ambush came on the second day of the return journey, far enough from Vesk Hollow that nobody had been expecting continued opposition, close enough to Ashveil that the specific relief of almost-home had started, dangerously, to loosen everyone's guard.
Silo caught it first — the specific wrongness in the tree line that had saved this compound more times than I could count — but by the time his warning reached the rest of the convoy, the first shots had already gone wide, close enough to force everyone into defensive positions.
"Down," Ryke said, pulling me off the bike, his body already covering mine and Talia's, who'd been riding with Bena two vehicles back.
The attack was fast, disorganized in a way that suggested desperation rather than professional planning — Vesna
