Iron and Ash

IRON AND ASH Book Two of the Shadow of the Hindu Kush Series War doesn't end when the shooting stops. Army Ranger medic Marcus Holloway returns to Afghanistan with scars he can't hide and others he refuses to talk about. His squad is reassigned to a remote outpost deep in the Waygal Valley, a place forgotten by command and surrounded by fighters who know the mountains better than any map ever will. Their mission is simple on paper: find a Taliban bomb-maker responsible for a string of attacks that have crippled the valley and killed civilians and soldiers alike. In reality, nothing about the mission is simple. The Firebase is understaffed, underequipped, and constantly probed by enemies who are getting bolder by the day. Supplies come late, intelligence comes half-true, and every movement outside the wire feels like a coin flip with death. Inside the squad, fractures grow. A new replacement is desperate to prove himself. A squad leader hides nightmares behind anger. Tension builds, pressure mounts, and trust becomes a luxury no one can afford. Marcus is trapped between duty and conscience, loyalty and survival, the mission and the men who depend on him. Every decision carries weight—on the battlefield, hesitation kills, but the wrong action can destroy the people he's sworn to protect. When the squad finally hunts down the bomb-maker, nothing goes the way command expects. The choices Marcus makes in the mountains will follow him long after the last shot is fired. IRON AND ASH is a brutal, emotional, and unflinchingly realistic look at modern warfare—where brotherhood runs deeper than blood, where the enemy is everywhere and nowhere, and where survival demands more than skill. It demands sacrifice. Perfect for readers who love: Realistic special operations fiction Psychological military thrillers Stories about brotherhood, trauma, and survival Gritty, character-driven war novels Fans of Jack Carr, Don Bentley, Mark Greaney, and Nick Petrie In war, victory comes with a price. Sometimes the highest cost isn't paid on the battlefield— It's paid when the silence comes after.