3. Benevolence. Warriors should always show mercy, charity, and kindness.

4. Respect. Everyone deserves it. (I have to keep reminding myself of this one!)

5. Honesty. This includes trust and sincerity, too.

6. Loyalty. Yeah. This one’s really important if we’re going to survive out here in the Ruin.

7. Honor. Tom says this means that when you give your word, then that’s set in stone. He said, “Honor isn’t a convenience. It’s a way of life.”

Chapter 34

34

AN ARROW THUNKED INTO THE TREE TRUNK AN INCH FROM CHONG’S FACE.

He screamed and threw himself down and away.

In the clearing, Brother Andrew shouted, “Danny! Did you get him?”

“He went right down,” cried a second voice from well behind where Chong lay. “Go get him and I’ll cover you.”

Chong had no intention of waiting while the muscle-freak with the scythe came to kill him. He sprang to his feet and bolted for the crooked line of shrubs twenty yards away. He ran bent almost in half, sword clutched in one fist. Another arrow struck a tree directly in front of him, causing him to skid to a stop and dive down behind a thick pine. A third arrow hit the pine, and when he risked a look, a fourth cleaved the air so close to his head that it tugged at his hair. It tangled in a creosote bush and fell to the ground. Chong gave it a microsecond’s glance. The arrow had an aluminum shaft, with black plastic fletching and a wicked barbed head that was smeared with some black goo. Poison? Either way, Chong did not want to touch it. He scuttled away as fast as he could.

“There he is,” called the archer, Danny, as he stepped out of the woods. “It’s just a kid with a toy sword.”