7 Deadly Instincts (The Sinfire Chronicles Book 1)

The squads met at the coliseum at ten o’clock on that Sunday night. Like always, the coliseum was packed with people, the vendors were out, and the entire place smelled like butterbang and smoke from luck rocks burning around the stadium to keep the audience warm. Midj had been excited because they were serving a special hot chocolate—spiked with orcish rotmash and manafied. It not only had a kick but it also kept you warm.

Midj was in the stands along with Tomi, Rynn, and Pinch.

Captain Settie was with them on the fields as they stood in their special section, cordoned off with green ribbon. Other squads were in their own sections—their sponsors and three recruits. Some of the faces were familiar. Most were not.

For once, Gray wouldn’t have to deal with the fucking fae team. The Winners—a.k.a Squad One— were there, though, up in the stands, looking down. Their sponsor—the squat and muscled Irik Shadefell sat on end while Tillwick Dusktrop sat at the other. Near him was Blythe Donnaruma, and the pair was chatting. She’d replaced Pinch on the Winners and seemed to be very happy with the choice.

Malcon Crewel floated into the air, dressed warmly in a thick First Field green uniform and a huge green cloak that billowed out behind him.

Gray had to remember to ask which resonance allowed you to fly. He was pretty sure that Settie hadn’t covered that one.

The Magistrate’s boomed out across the coliseum, his throat glowing gold with mana. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a special event. Due to losses in Soulshred Week, we have opened Redemption Midnight for those squads who wanted to bring additional people onto their teams. We have six squads tonight who requested to compete. The rules are that at least one member of the squad must be present. Most, as you can see, have two of their recruits and are only asking for one additional recruit to be brought on board. Like everything here at First Field, recruits are tested through competition to see who is the best. What is our motto?”

The entire coliseum chanted along. “All is the Testing and all is the Test! We bloody our recruits to find the best!”

Lilian frowned. “Did they say bloody?”

“Yes. Now hush,” Ames hissed.

“Don’t tell me to hush,” the princess said indignantly.

“Both of you hush,” Settie snapped. “Don’t make me regret bringing you back from the dead, Amaranthis. And Lilian, keep in mind, if you fail, you will return to Cradleport.”

“Never,” the girl hissed. “I’ll never go back.”

Settie eyes narrowed. “Fail, and your fate will not concern me.”

Lilian went silent. Her core churned with blood-red mana. Gray didn’t know what she was feeling—nervousness?—but it was giving her magic. Good.

The Magistrate continued. “Squad One, The Winners, decided not to participate in the Midnight Redemption. Please, let us applaud how well they did on both Culling Day and Soulshred Week. Winners, please stand!”

Duskdrop, Blythe, and the rest of the squad all stood as the coliseum thundered with clapping and shouts. Irik Shadefell looked very pleased.

He should. They were favored to win that year’s Testing. It might change if both Ames and Lilian were allowed to compete because then, Squad 23 would have seven members, which would change everything. But they hadn’t won Redemption Midnight yet.

Gray sighed. He missed his stick. Crewel had made it clear they were only allowed bloodless blades on the field.

After the applause, the crowd continued to chatter until the Magistrate quieted them down with a gesture. “Squad 7, the Savage Seven, have also decided not to participate.”

The beastkin all stood up and their cat woman sponsor nodded at Crewel, looking very serious. Her name was Famke Fifi and she was decked out in her squad’s colors— dark blue and teal green. On the back of her coat was clawed hand with seven fingers—their teams officially symbol.

Crewel continued. “Squad 13, Froggy’s Thunder, has dropped Sylvia Partagas from their ranks. Froggy Varakka and Viktor Ursov is seeking to add Grist Gulnash onto their team.”

Gray looked and wasn’t too surprised to see Grist Gulnash was an orc, and a muscled one, with a broken tusk and wild black hair. He looked unhinged. One of his eyes was milky white and yet, there was golden mana it. A magic eye? Maybe. Froggy already had one orc on her team—a towering she-orc almost as big as the twin bearkin brothers, Viktor and Kazmik Ursov.

Froggy shot him a look and then grabbed Grist by the ass. He roared laugher, turned and kissed her, which due to his tusks, was basically slobbering on her face.

Gray had to laugh and shake his head. Okay. Near them, Viktor looked uncomfortable. Froggy’s sponsor was a tall striking she-orc named Evga Rakta, who word as it was Froggy’s aunt. She didn’t have any discernible tusks and was rather pretty. It wasn’t clear if she was a she-orc or a half-orc, and in the end, it really didn’t matter.

“Up next,” Crewel boomed, “we have The Wrath City Raiders. Their sponsor, Muk Mutaka, is requesting Targ Blonk join their squad. Competing with Targ Blonk is Kabe Gratt and Ishnash Zugna.”

And there was Blonko—pale skin, enchanted steel arm, and his tufts of white hair appearing her and there. Blonko was standing with Kabe as well as another orc—Ishnash and their sponsor, a small, thin orc with abnormally large tusks. He was dressed well—it was clear the Muk Mutaka was swimming in shekels. The tip of his cane didn’t just have gold but diamonds as well. Gray had to wonder if Settie was jealous.

Kabe shouted out, “Wrath City!”

Both Blonko and Ishnash answered, “Raiders!”

And they did that a number of times while their sponsor stood back with an amused expression on his face. He was probably thinking about his fortunes.

The orcs finally stopped chanting.

Crewel pointed. “I know many of you are—”

He couldn’t even finish his opening remarks about Squad 23 because the coliseum was thundering with applause.

Settie’s face was hidden by her mask, but somehow, he could tell she was grinning.

The other sponsors were frowning because of the love.

But it wasn’t love. Master Kreef had said the crowd will love you as long as you win. The minute you lose, that love can easily become hate. Gray had seen that for himself. If they lost the Reckoning—even if they lost Redemption Midnight—at lot of those fans would swear they never liked Squad 23 at all.

It was all such seacow shit.

Crewel waited until the applause had died down and then said simply, “Grayson Fade will be competing for the Redemption of Amaranthis Tal’Vessra, who is fortunate enough to be have been resurrected. She is joined by Lilian Everheart from Cradleport in the Null Breaks.”

The crowd started to chant. “Nully! Nully! Nully!”

“Should I be insulted?” Lilian giggled and waved.

“Only if we lose,” Gray said.

Crewel hurried on to introduce another dwarf who wanted to compete on the dwarven team, Squad 33—the Golden. The new dwarf was a scarred woman the same size as the leader, Krain Darkstone. The woman did have a very big core, glowing gold inside of her.

The Lucky Bastards were next. Mean Marla, and her Squad 42 had replaced the fast, lean orc wo had hated Freek with a she-orc named Karatha Thann who had shaved her head bald. She had mana marks on her face, and like the new dwarven woman, she had a large core, though hers burned a bright red. The jokey goblin on Squad 42 made some comment how she was a hot number and the three brothers—all gamblers with greed resonances laughed on cue.

Lastly,” Crewel’s voice boomed out over the field. “Squad 49, the Fire Flyers have been through a lot, but they not given up hope. They are joined by Fugg Gruntpiss, who was with the Squad 42 but has switched sides.”

“His name is Fugg?” Gray asked with a little smile.

“Fugg isn’t nearly as shocking as Gruntpiss,” Lilian said. “But what do I know? I’m still getting used to big green men with giant tusks walking around.”

Crewel gave them a glare but didn’t stop to address the interruption. “Mr. Gruntpiss is in good standing—”

The hard orc laughed from the stand, where he stood with the Fire Flyers. “In good standing even when I’m sitting!”

“For Redemption Midnight,” Crewel shouted, “the new leader of the Fire Flyers is Phillapalla Kech. She will be competing with two new recruits who wish to join, Varonna Magnifica and Deedaena Magnifica, sisters from Pride City.”

The two new recruits had to be sisters—one older and one far younger. Both had pale skin, nearly paper white and their blonde hair was nearly just as white. They were so thin and little. Of course, with magic, size didn’t matter, especially when normal people could shift into beastkin or dragons.

“Fucking dragons,” Settie hissed. “I bet they’re all dragons. If they aren’t, I’ll eat my cane.”

“You might want to eat the Muk Mutaka’s cane. It even has diamonds on it.” Gray smiled at her.

She just hissed at him. “Enough. Remember your eggs…”

Crewel exploded into fire that soon became the timer. “Six squads have come looking for a second chance with recruits who will be pushed to their limits over the next thirty-six hours. There will be three events, numerous challenges, and so much testing. Every second will be a test to see if the new recruits, joining us late, really are the best. Welcome to First Field’s Redemption Midnight!”

That brought on the usual applause, some of it drunken applause, but clapping and hooting nonetheless.

Crewel snapped his fingers.

Orcish Fieldkeepers pushed six carts out of the demon doors and ran them across the fields. The carts were mobile stovetops, lust rock burning underneath the burners. While the orcs were running the cooking carts over to them, the Fire Flyers’ sponsor, General Vexamilian Fangfar, approached them.

His jawline was as sharp as ever and his cobalt eyes burned bright. “Captain Sevanya…Grayson Fade. I came to wish your squad luck. I want to put any bad blood behind us. The trial was unfortunate, but you exonerated yourselves. I appreciate your judicial acumen.”

Settie’s voice came out dangerously quiet. “Yes, General, and we appreciate your fucking vocabulary. This is not the time for chit-chat. You’ve said your piece. Now you may leave us. I would find it very ironic if you and your dragon sisters failed to place at Redemption Midnight. I doubt your dog girl, Flaraminda, and Limborda would have the fucking balls to win with five. But we’ll see, won’t we?”

General Fangfarr chuckled. “Always the charmer, Captain. You might be able to mask the ungliness of your face, but unfortunately for you, the ugliness of who you are shines through.”

Ames struck before Gray could stop her.

A second later, Fangfarr was on one knee, face twisted in pain, as the Quelling girl squeezed his wrist. When she spoke, her words came out clipped and full of venom. “You. Need. To fucking. Leave. Us. Alone. We have eggs to cook.”

Her core boiled with her midnight blue mana—her cruelty resonance at work.

Gray went to pull her away, but Ames had already let him go. She turned and walked away.

Gray helped the man stand. “I’m sorry about that. She’s very focused on winning.”

Fangfarr rubbed at his arm, and he smiled even though his eyes were filled with rage. “It’s fine. That’s a deadly touch she has. Does she ever use it on you?” Those eyes were so cold, so nasty.

Gray met that cold fury with a laugh. “No, she saves all the torture up for our many, many enemies. We must be doing something right, since everyone wants to pull us down.”

“But I just came over—”

Gray walked away from him. He didn’t need to talk the fucking dragon pretending to be a man. And Ames was right. They had eggs to cook.

Lilian’s mouth hung open at the interchange.

Ames went to Gray and held him. “Did I do wrong?”

He caressed her back, enjoying her warmth. “No, Ames. All is the Testing and all is the Test. I think he came over looking for trouble. Well, he found it.”

Lilian laughed. “Yeah. Do we have a plan?”

“Yes,” Gray said. “We’re going to cook eggs.”

Settie frowned. “Like it would ever be that simple.”