7 Deadly Instincts (The Sinfire Chronicles Book 1)

The duke’s tusks were a bit too yellow, but then so was his skin, a sickly yellowish green. But it was his eyes that were the most unnerving. They were a solid black. Like his tongue, when it licked his cracked lips.

The duke might’ve been a muscled warrior at one point, but all that muscle had turned to fat. Even though he was dressed in layers of velvet and finery, it couldn’t hide the fact that he was sick. Maybe it was grief. Maybe it was something else, but he didn’t look good. Or so it seemed.

The way he moved was strange—very deliberate, very smooth, almost like the panther-like movements that First Field’s Magistrate had.

In a world where people could shift into dragons or beastkin, looks could be deceiving.

The duke glided up to them. His guards were in front Gray and Rynn. Blonko and the other raiders were behind them. The rest of the street was empty—it was too cold to be outside long and the casinos were packed and warm and festive.

“I’m Duke Darek Rabbia. You knew my son.”

Rynn wasn’t going to say a word, otherwise she’d ramble, so Gray did the talking. “Fenrik, yes. We’re sorry for your loss.”

“Weak,” the duke spat. “He was weak. He broke. Disgusted me to watch him fall on his sword after he killed the girl. She’s alive, though. We’ve all moved on.” The duke grunted. “Your Captain Sevanya isn’t what she says she is. She’s a menace to this city. Always has been. She doesn’t know her place.”

“And what is her place?” Gray asked, his curiosity deepening.

“In Pride City, with the rest of her kind. Fucking dragons, meddling with Wrath city, ever since the tower fell. Meddling in my affairs.” The old orc paused. “Fenrik wanted to change things. You might call him idealistic. I call him naïve. He doesn’t understand how the world works. I think you and I do, Grayson Fade.”

“Oh, you know my name. Following my career closely, are you? Since you hate my captain, you probably hate me.”

“No,” Duke Rabbia said. “It doesn’t work that way. You’re new to the Belly. She’s not. You might be reasonable. She’s not. Kabe got word to me that you were here, so I hurried over, even though it’s colder than a dead goddess’s cunt. I want to make you an offer.”

“After your boy Blonko harassed my bonded? It’s not the right way to go about it.”

Blonko sneered out laughter. “Had to let them know who the dominant force was in the coming Reckoning. I’m here to win. Sorry, Duke, didn’t know you were coming over. Kabe didn’t tell me shit.”

The duke only smiled. “Some swords are sharper than others.”

It wasn’t clear if he was talking about Kabe or Blonko. It didn’t seem to matter because the duke didn’t seem to care how his subjects saw him. He was just a rich man who was put in a position of power. Leadership wasn’t the point. The money was, and probably the raw power, which the money gave him. It was why Pit City was such a lawless place. Neither the duke nor Frist Field’s Magistrate cared to improve it.

“So you and Kabe will be participating in Redemption Midnight.” Gray nodded. “See you there.”

“Maybe not,” the duke said. “Listen, you and the rest of the recruits in Squad 23 are here for jobs in kill squads. I can provide that to you. As one of the Watchfire families, I have ties to every city in the Belly. Word has it, that you might want work in the Jelosa family’s kill squad in Envy City. I can give that to you. I know for a fact that the Supera family in Pride City is also interested in you.”

“Our full squad?” Gray asked.

The duke nodded. “Yes. Your full squad. You could be done with First Field, the Magistrate, all of it. You could finish your training with the Pride City dragons and get to work. You’ve already made a name for yourself.”

Gray turned to Rynn, who was frowning so hard her lips had disappeared. Her eyes blazed with a hate he’d never seen before.

“What do you think, Rynn?”

She shrugged and didn’t say a word.

Gray went back to the duke. “I’m assuming we could a payment to quit.”

The duke smiled showing missing teeth. The ones left were shades of blacks, golds, and even some green ones in there. “I’m sure we could come to some kind of agreement.”

“I want to fight Blonko,” Rynn said suddenly. “I came out here to hurt him. I want a chance to do just that.

“A common street fight is beneath you, lady elf,” the duke said with some distaste.

Rynn then lost it. It was probably not the time to ramble, but Gray knew that every word that came out of the duke’s putrid mouth was so much seacow shit. For one, the duke wasn’t a part of the Watchfire families, not in any real way. No one called it Wrath City anymore, and the duke had no kill squads working for him. The other families were in charge, not him.

Maybe the duke could give them money, maybe, but even that was in doubt.

So, Gray figured there was no harm in letting Rynn ramble. “You don’t know what is beneath me, duke. I would’ve thought royalty never would’ve come out here to bribe us. And not everyone hates Captain Sevanya. Yes, she’s not that easy to get along with, but she’s highly respected in the Crown. I would never betray her in a thousand years and not for any amount of money. You should be ashamed of yourself. And Freek wasn’t weak. Maybe he killed himself because he didn’t want the Magistrate to do it. Or whoever is funding evil people at First Field because that’s why Sindara and Thormund Forgemace were killed. We didn’t do it. I think you know we didn’t do it, otherwise, I don’t think you’d be here making this offer. So tell Kabe and the rest of the orcs we’re innocent. And another thing—”

Gray pulled her back. “It’s all right, Rynn. I think he understands we’re not interested.”

The duke’s eyes had turned into frozen rocks in his skull. His whole demeanor had changed, and yes, he was getting mana from his anger. He really had thought his offer to get them to drop out would work. “This is a one-time offer. If I leave, you will be dead to me.”

“Like your son,” Blonko’s laugher came out cruel. “He’d dead to you. But it’s why I’m here. He died, so I get to live and to change things. Isn’t that right, your highness? We could change every little thing about life in Pit City.”

“Wrath City!” the duke raged. “It will be Wrath City again!” He calmed himself, but the outburst had put a bade feeling in the air. He seemed to take that bad energy and turn it into mana. He chuckled, his black eyes still so cold. “Blonko, don’t let them hurt you like they just hurt me. I’ll leave behind some of my soldiers to help you show them the error of their ways.”

He turned and walked briskly to his carriage. He climbed into the back without any trouble at all and slammed door.

Half of his soldiers stayed while the others clung to the outside of the carriage as it rumbled away.

Blonko grinned. “Outnumbered six to one. Should’ve taken the offer. Let’s think about this. The guy in charge just left, and he left behind soldiers to help us, and what would happen if one of you accidentally on-purpose got killed? Would the duke cry and cry? Would we see a jail cell? No, probably not.”

Gray felt the adrenaline spike hit him. Most of the soldiers had cudgels, but two had swords. The Wrath City Raiders were acolytes on their way to becoming adepts, and they could bathe streets in fire. The nice thing was, Rynn could heal them if they needed it. Gray could as well, though causing pain came more easily for him than healing.

Gray struck without warning, grabbing Blonco’s fleshy arm. The orc screeched in pain and went to his knee.

The other orcs came from them but Rynn sped forward, venting her core, and blasting the orcs away from them.

She grabbed one, a she-orc, and she howled in pain, though not as loud as Blonko was squealing.

At the same time, mana shuriken filled the air, peppering the duke’s men and forcing them back against the wall across the street.

Pinch’s wings were working furiously, keeping her aloft.

Gray gave Rynn mana to keep her on her feet and so she could keep her pain touch on the she-orc.

“Call off your friends!” Gray roared into Blonko’s face. “No fighting and no fire, or I’ll make it hurt worse.”

He didn’t know if he could do that. Already, the orc at his feet seemed like he was in excruciating pain. The howls continued.

“Back!” Blonko managed to shout. “Get back.”

Gray dropped his stick and grabbed a section of the orc’s patchy white hair and wrenched his head back. “I’m going to let go of your arm. You’re not going to attack me. Nod if you understand.”

Blonko nodded.

Gray let him go, as did Rynn. The she-orc pitched forward, clawing at the snow, trying to get breath back in her lungs.

Pinch landed next to them and immediately lost balance and ended up on the street. She laughed even though she’s gotten herself so muddy. It was very apparent she was still drunk.

Gray snatched his stick, filling it with mana until it was a bright red, so lethal, the air vibrated with the energy. “Now, this was fun, but Blonko wanted blood. Do you still want blood, Blonko?”

The pink-eyed orc glared at him. “No. I don’t want blood.”

“What do you want then?” Gray asked.

“To go back into the casino. I’ll tell the duke what you did. Can’t buy you off. Can’t you beat you. Best to leave you the fuck alone.”

Gray thought it was just more seacow shit, but at least the three of them wouldn’t have to fight off twelve orcs on the streets.

Pinch had managed to get to her feet, but she was in no condition to fight.

Gray nodded at the pale orc. “That’s smart, Blonko. You don’t know us, and we don’t want to know you. Get the fuck out of my sight.”

The orcs—both the squad members as well as the soldiers hurried into the casino, where the security manamancers could deal with them.

Pinch then slumped against Gray, who caught her before she fell. “Finally rolled ones. Fucking Kabe got his payout though it cost him a pretty penny to get there. Pulled your money off the table before I did, Grayson Fade. Because of the maths. Not because I think you’re cute.”

The drunk fae girl turned to Rynn. “Don’t get all butt hurt, Rynny. I think you’re cuter.” Then Pinch laughed and laughed.

Rynn tilted her head. “What just happened?”

“It was a little fae flirting,” Pinch slurred. “Can’t go farther because of you-know-what, but I’m not drunk enough to talk about that. Maybe more wine? Gorgonzola’s would still be open.”

“That’s not happening,” Gray told the drunk fae.

Rynn sighed. “No, with Blonko and the duke, and all that. How serious was Drake Rabbia? That’s what some people call him, Duke Drake. But anyway…”

“I don’t know,” Gray said. “But of course we’ll tell Settie. I can’t wait to get her take on the situation. I think we’re done in the markets for tonight. Let’s hit Softie’s and get on home.”

“Softie might have wine, right?” Pinch asked.

“Not for you,” Rynn said. She’d come over to help Gray with the unsteady fae girl.

“Fine,” Pinch said. “Already had charbrew but I could also have some more. Just don’t do to me what you did to that pale orc. You fucked him up.”

That made Gray laugh, though thinking about Blonko put a bad feeling in his belly.

He knew he hadn’t seen the last of him or the orcs. But why the prismatic core? Where had Blonko had come from and what did he want?