7 Deadly Instincts (The Sinfire Chronicles Book 1)

Once again, Gray and Squad 23 were in the stadium as the Magistrate Malcon Crewel introduced them one after another starting with the teams that had the most medals.

Squad One, the Winners, had won gold during Soulshred Week and silver on Culling Day. They were the first to be introduced, every single one of them, from Tillwick Duskdrop, the squad captain down the line to Blythe Donnaruma, the only non-fae on the team.

Next up were the Fire Flyers, Squad 49, lead by the squat and ill-tempered dog woman, Phillipalla Kech. The two ghostly dragon sister, Varonnna and Deedaena Magnifica, followed her out. They had won the bronze during the Culling and silver during the Soulshred. They didn’t have a gold, but they did have two medals.

The Magistrate then called on Squad 23, who trotted out. Their names rang across the stadium—from Grayson Fade down line to the latest, the Princess Lilian Everheart. And yes, Crewel included her title—not because she had any authority outside of Cradleport—but because it made Squad 23 that much more memorable. Not that the seven needed it. Even though they only had the one medal, everyone was losing their minds over them.

Especially when it came to Ames, Pinch, and Lilian, since there had been so much drama around them.

To think, Ames had come back from the dead to compete. Then you had Pinch, who had left the Winners to join them. Finally, Nully princess? It was just too good.

Before he trotted out like a prized pony, Gray caught Froggy’s eye. She nodded at him. Could he trust her? No. He had far better feelings about the other squads, but the fact was, his squad needed some added layers of protection.

Next up were the Wrath City Raiders with Kabe and Blonko leading the others. They had won the bronze medal during the Soulshred.

None of the other squads had medals.

Gray was going to change that.

The stadium cheered half-heartedly for the last four teams. The same outsides who had been at the party two days before were there including the fae queen behind her screen, Hama Hama Avarica, and the various relatives and dignitaries sent by the Watchfire families.

All the squads were on the field with bloodless blades at their sides. To the right were seven pedestals made of wood and gold on a polished wooden platform. Why were the pedestals empty? What was going to go on them?

Gray knew.

But he knew only because of Mean Marla from the Lucky Bastards, who had an insider feeing her details. She had thought to keep everything to herself before Gray talked to her the day before, and then, everything had changed. She was smart, and Gray could appreciate a smart woman.

To their left were packs—inside was food and water—not a ton but enough. Mostly it was ironbites, dried berries, nuts and dried beef. The water was the precious commodity.

Crewel raised his hands to silence the stadium. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen— fae, elf, goblin, orc, dragon, beastkin, dwarf and human to the Reckoning!”

Again, the stadium screamed and cheered.

They wanted blood, and they were confident they were going to get it. It had been the deadliest Testing in generations, but the smell of blood had only whetted their appetite.

Everyone knew that the killing wasn’t over, not yet.

Gray knew the game—he was just going to make sure no one on his squad ended up on the wrong end of murder.

Again, Crewel quieted the crowd.

Only, there was a chorus of voices that all called out at once, “We love you, Midjara Munch!”

A dozen goblins, dressed up in all sorts of colors—stood far up in the stands waving and yelling and screaming. “Go Midj!”

Midj looked up with the biggest smile on her face. “They came!”

Gray had to give her a hug. “They came.”

A wave of laughter and confusion rippled through the coliseum until Crewel boomed, “Enough! This is the Reckoning, the last part of the Testing. We have watched the weak fall away—”

Tomi snorted and muttered under her breath, “Fall away? Nice way of saying they fucking died.”

“—and we are left with only the best! But who is the best of the best? We shall see!” the Magistrate paused. “Now, this Reckoning is going to be special. For the first time, we are sending our recruit squads into the Underdwell for a major event—they are to capture the seven instinct idols, one at a time. The best kill squads in the Belly were sent down to find the best locations of the idols, but only one idol, the Fight Instinct, is there currently. The kill squads are down there to guide our recruits as well as to block them from areas that are off limits. Since the Underdwell is endless, we don’t want any squads getting lost.”

Gray glanced over at Mean Marla, who returned his stare, nodding.

So far, there weren’t any surprises. Good.

Crewel continued. “Recruit squads will pick up their ration packs and then race down into the Underdwell. Once they secure the idol, they will return here. The team that places the idol on the pedestal first gets the point. Of course, this being First Field, the only rule is that if you kill, you will be killed in return. This is a brutal game because we live in a brutal world, caught between heaven and hell, enduring a mixture of both. I would like to say the Underdwell is free of demons, but I wouldn’t like to lie. Each idol will be guarded by any number of nasty, nasty things.”

The coliseum laughed, hooted, and hollered at that.

“One last thing—once an idol is placed on the pedestal, the next idol will be in play down in the Underdwell. This will continue, day after day, until all seven idols have been found. Recruit squads are encouraged to stay down there and keep seeking because, well, the Underdwell is as massive as it is mysterious. Are you ready for the Reckoning?”

Of course everyone in the crowd shouted that they were.

Gray was still holding Midj’s hand. He looked down at her. “Are we ready?”

“With my family here?” she laughed. “Yes, I fucking am.”

It surprising to hear the little goblin curse like that but it put a smile on Gray’s face. He’d been a little nervous about his plan, but seeing her bright face, filled with hope and excitement, made him feel worlds better.

“Squads! Repeat after me…take hold of your instincts and trust in the strength of your squad!”

Gray had his sword in its sheath at his side, but he did the salute with his stick pressed to his chest.

Then Crewel proclaimed, “Let the Reckoning begin!”

The fae, the orcs, and the fire flyers tore each other apart to get to the packs and several skirmishes broke out. Blanko punched a fae in the face with his metal hand, grabbed a pack, before running off with Kabe and the rest of the orcs.

The other five squads let them fight all they wanted before they picked up their gear.

Mean Marla drifted close to Gray. “You’re not going to betray me, are you, Nully?”

“No, not me. We’re in this together. But you’re not going to rest easy until I show you, right?”

The big, hard-faced woman chuckled even as they jogged out of the stadium. “I won’t rest easy until me and the Lucky Bastards get a medal. Until then, I’m smart enough to know that you fuckers were hard to beat with five recruits. With seven? No, we’re not even going to try. But why do this?”

“Because people want us dead. I fucking hate playing these games, but if I have to play them, I want my people to survive them.”

His people.

Yes, just like Midj had her family up in the coliseum, he had his family—Squad 23.

Mean Marla then dropped back to run with her squad as Gray led his team across the grounds of the Pink Palace, to the crypts, and then down into secret passageway which brought them to the staircase down, down, down into the bowels of the Belly.

The entire underground staircase was filled with the sound of shouting and boots tromping all the way to the Colonnade Court. Among the columns, in the darkness, there were the various kill squads from the Watchfire families.

One of the members of the Heartbreakers, the fae kill squad, directed them to the entrance to the labyrinth.

Once there, Gray took a minute with the leaders—Mean Marla, Froggy, the dwarf Krain Darkstone, and the big dog man with the greasy face and too many teeth Brutus Sommes.

Behind Brutus was the Savage Seven’s speedy cat girl—Sabika Mitsuri. She was the real talent on that Beastskin’s squad.

Brutus looked like he might start snarling at any moment. “Let me get this straight. You’re going to stay here and escort us back to the coliseum once we find the idol. Then each of us will take turns getting a point. Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Gray said. “Mean Marla has ties to the Covet Corp, the elvish kill squad—”

Marla grimaced. “Not ties. One of them has some bad gambling debts. They owe a few of my fellow squad member an enormous sum of money. This is them helping us…at least for the first three idols. We know where they are. We’ll get the first point.”

Froggy laughed sharply. “No, you won’t. Neither will Gray here, however delicious his little ass looks in his uniform. You two came up with this scheme, and I like it, but I’m not stupid.”

“Stupid enough to try and recruit a bloodthirsty orc on your squad,” Brutus growled. “I’m sure Steffy laughed in your face when you asked her back.”

“Steffy is none of your business,” the half-orc woman shot back.

Krain Darkstone stepped forward. “Froggy isn’t wrong. We’re still not sure we want to team up. A show of faith would help us.”

“Me too,” Brutus said with a grimace.

“Fine.” Gray pointed at the dwarf. “The Golden gets the first idol. Then the Savage Seven. Then Froggy’s Thunder. Marla and the Lucky Bastards get the fourth point, and we get the fifth. That’s five points spread across our squads. The last two points go to the Lucky Bastards, since Marla’s team has the inside scoop on where the first three idols are. The Lucky Bastards take the gold and the rest of us get silver medals in a tie. The orcs, the fae, and the fucking dragons get shit.”

Krain chuckled, shaking his head. “Crewel is going to lose his stones over this.”

Gray nodded. “He might, and he might have us fight it out in a tie-breaker, but we can’t control that. I just need you and your squads to have our backs.”

“So you don’t die,” the dwarf said. “Aye, it’s been clear to us that Squad 23 has been a target since the beginning.”

“Which is why we’re doing this,” Gray said.

“Otherwise, you could win easily.” Krain laughed. “Seven of you…and each one deadlier than the last and with more mana than is possible for a single core to hold. Aye, we understand. And we’ll have your backs.”

The other team leaders agreed.

The dwarves stayed behind as the Lucky Bastards, Froggy’s Thunder, and the Savage Seven trotted off into the darkness, heading for the labyrinth. That was where the elvish kill squad had hidden the Fight Instinct idol. They’d also carried three crates there. The demons were supposedly inside. Only three? Gray was surprised at that. And the crates hadn’t been that big.

The dragon sisters from the Fire Flyers paused there on the edge of their light, gazing at them for several long moments.

Pinch eventually drew her bloodless blade, filled with mana, and stood there facing them.

It wasn’t long before Varonnna and Deedaena Magnifica then disappeared, but Gray knew they were still around there somewhere in the columns, plotting.

Tomi came over and slapped Gray on the back. “I’m going to go take a nap. I like this plan. Dwarves protect us and we get to sleep and still get a silver medal. You’re pretty smart, there, Grayson Fade.”

“I’m only smart if the plan works.”

Lilian giggled. “Well, that would be a change now, wouldn’t it? Poor Gray, if only any of your schemes ever worked.”

Ames shrieked, making everyone jump. A few of the dwarves cursed in surprise.

The princess blushed. “I’m sorry, Ames. It slipped out. I’m sure Gray’s plan will work.”

“I know it will,” Midj said with a moufful of ironbite.

Pinch sighed. “We should ration our food. Fucking idiot.”

The goblin girl only smiled. “I’m just celebrating a little. My family is out there to support us. Not that they’ll see much of me, but they’re here for the week. Momsy will be camped out up there the entire time. I just love that they made it.”

“Wake me when it’s time for the running and the fighting and the bleeding.” She then wandered off to a column, sat with her back to it, and was asleep in an instant.

Then it was time to wait.

Rynn sat with Gray as they went through the pack. There wasn’t just wooden water and bues and paper sacks of food, there were also mana torches. Lanterns were better, but the torches were better than nothing. They also had their bloodless blades.

Rynn ate a few nuts and sipped some water. “I trust in your plan, Gray. I don’t know what’s wrong with Lilian. It’s like she wants us to fail.”

“I’m sure a part of her does.” He thought for a minute. “There can be a strange form of comfort in failure.”

Rynn laughed a little. “That’s what Aunt Florence would say. Some folks want to fail because failing is easier than dreaming. She’d say hope is a sharp knife. You want your knife sharp, but then, you have to be careful because it’s then easy to cunt yourself in all kinds of ways.”

“Sorry about your Aunt Florence passing.”

Rynn looked up into the darkness above them. “Oh, she’s gone from this world, certainly, but not from my heart. I’ll have her wisdom and laughter forever. It’s soothing.”

They talked more until the sound of running filled the court.

Both were on their feet, slinging on their packs. They couldn’t leave them laying around because of course, they’d get stolen, and in the coming days, food and water would be critical.

Gray had thought that Marla would have the idol, but instead, it was in Froggy’s hands.

With her was her squad—and one else.

From out of the darkness came the dragons sisters, in their full dragony form, coming in from above and breathing fire.

Froggy was cut off from the rest of her squad mates.

She had a look of fear on her dirty face. What had happened?

Then from out of nowhere the leader of the Fire Flyers, the squat dog woman Phillapalla Kech came soaring down through the darkness—many of the beastkin could leap far beyond anything a normal human could. She landed as a thick-bodied dog creature, her face out of a nightmare. Her claws on her huge hands glowed with mana.

She tackled Froggy, who somehow managed to keep hold of the idol. It was a golden object about eighteen inches tall showing the two sides of the Fight Instinct—the twisted rage-filled face of the goddess of wrath and the rather orcish face of the god of patience.

Froggy bolted from the dog woman but one of the dragon sisters came down, jaws open. She was going to bite off Froggy’s arm to get the statue. It wouldn’t kill her but it would maim her.

Rynn bolted forward, venting her core.

The pale dragon was thrown back into a column—it was the older sister, Varonnna Magnifica, because she lost her dragon form and fell to the stone as a human.

Froggy was also caught in the blast and the idol fell out of her grip.

The squat dog woman went for it, but Gray was faster. He snatched it up and held it under one arm while sweeping the legs out from under the dog woman.

Froggy was up, and he tossed her idol, even as he fed Rynn mana. He tossed mana bursts at the remaining dragon but then the rest of the Fire Flyers charged into their ranks. Or tried to. Pinch was in the air, wings blurring, hurling shuriken.

That freed up Rynn and Gray to chase after Froggy and the rest of the dwarves. Both Squad 23 and the Golden, along with Froggy raced up the stairs.

There was no help for it—that much running with that many stairs, they had to use mana, to keep their muscles engaged.

Gray had emptied his core enough for him to channel the magic, but he was surprised to see Lilian keeping up. Blood-red light filled the meridians in her legs.

She caught him looking. “I am NOT falling behind.”

The princess had come a long way. Her Inferno Aura ability had unlocked something inside of her, giving her normal neophyte skills.

They reached the top with the Fire Flyers right behind them.

Into the coliseum, the crowd had thinned some but the rest were there, coming to life as the three squads—and Froggy—raced toward the podium.

The dragon sisters were back in the air, swooping down at Froggy despite Tomi leaping up into the air to try and pull one down as well as hurled mana bursts from both Ames and Rynn. Pinch was also in the air, her bloodless blade gleaming gold. She smacked the attacking with her sword, distracting it so Froggy could reach the stage.

It was a battle royale but would Froggy give up the idol? Or would she score a point for her own team.

No, the half-orc turned and tossed the idol to Krain Darkstone, who caught it and put it on the pedestal.

Crewel, floating above the field, exploed with fire and light. “The first point of the Reckoning goes to the Golden!”

A fiery scoreboard appeared in the sky sinetad of a timer—the flaming letters showed that the Golden were on the board first, with the first point.

Froggy wiped smoke, dirt and sweat from her face as Gray approached her. “You thought I was going to betray you.”

He laughed. “I had my doubts.”

“How could I betray you and your lusciously long trouser snake? Mark my words, Grayson Fade, before the Testing ends, I’m going to find a way to kiss you and cop a feel. Is it as big as everyone says?”

“Who’s everyone?”

Froggy wiggled her eyebrows at him, grinning like she wanted to eat him up whole. “I won’t forget you saving me, Grayson Fade. That bitch dragon was going to bite off my arm.”

“We’re to need all the arms and hands we can get,” Gray said. “It was nothing.”

“It was something, sweet cakes, just like you’re something, something hot and sexy and so fuckable.” She winked at him and sauntered off.

Krain jumped off the stage and drew close. “Well know, Gray, it looks like this might work. Odd that the Fire Flyers didn’t go searching for the idol.”

It wasn’t odd at all.

Either they’d stayed behind to kill Gray or they’d waited by the exit because as far as anyone knew, there was one way in and one way out.

The Fire Flyers seemed like they were going to let other squads so all the work and steal away the prize at the last minute.

It wasn’t going to work.

Because however tough they were, Squad 23 was tougher.