Chapter Twelve – Freek

  The Dame Hek had just finished making the announcement to a stunned audience. The dwarf had been killed during the summer session, and only his squad had known him. With Sindara, it was different. Since she’d arrived, she’d met basically every single recruit in the remaining eight squads as well as those who were staying to try and win their way onto another team.

  Gray looked for Freek, but there was no sign of the orc or his squad. Had they been sent to Crewel for questioning? Blythe and the other Fire Flyers weren’t there either.

  Settie frowned. “You saw Sindara st night, did you not?”

  Gray nodded. “Yes.”

  Settie leapt to her feet. “Continue with your schedule. Be careful. Something tells me this unfortunate event will be id at our feet regardless of our innocence.” She let her gaze linger. “I’m assuming you are innocent.”

  “Completely,” Gray said.

  Tomi smirked. “Wow. That she even had to ask.”

  Rynn was stone faced, Ames sat blinking, staring off into space, and Midj was trying to hide the tears trailing down her cheeks.

  Tomi gave her a withering look. “Midj, you can’t be heartbroken. We knew her for like five minutes. And she bailed on us. We might’ve been culled, and she didn’t give a shit. Come on.”

  “No one deserves what she got,” Midj said, sniffing. “No one.”

  Rynn finally spoke. “What will happen to her father now? He needed the money.”

  Gray couldn’t believe all the emotions. He completely agreed with Tomi, but he didn’t say anything. What was there to say? Sindara was dead. He’d known death before. He’d lost friends before. She’d made the wrong kind of friends, she’d made poor decisions, and now she was paying the price.

  Rynn was watching him carefully.

  He met her gaze.

  Tomi’s smile stretched across her face. “I think Gray is siding with me on this one.”

  “Just trying to keep the ironbite down.” Gray was the first to gnce away. He wasn’t ashamed, and he didn’t regret leaping to Sindara’s aid the minute she asked. How could he after everything that had happened?

  They were cleaning up when Freek entered the room, carrying a bloodless bde. He pointed it at Gray. “There. There is the fucker that murdered Sindara. He was with her in the market st night. They were seen talking. Then she’s dead. Well, he’s dead. We execute murderers at First Field.”

  Most of the cafeteria staff retreated, but he heard Dame Hek scream, “Take that fucking sword outside, Freek! I will fucking kill you and not give a shit.”

  But that was just talk.

  Freek and his squad flung tables out of their way, shoved people aside, as they made their way toward Gray and his squad.

  “Good thing you have your stick,” Rynn said.

  Midj, though, leapt onto the table. “No, Freek! He didn’t kill that girl. We were going to help her! Stay back!”

  She then brought her mana hand down in front of the orc squad. They couldn’t see it, but Gray could. When he’d seen it before, the fingers had been pressed together. This time, the fingers were spyed, increasing the area. She’d come far since Culling Day. How close was she to becoming an acolyte?

  Freek ran right into a mana finger. He roared, his nose leaking very red blood.

  Kabe saw his squad leader’s mistake and felt around until he could determine the edges of Midj’s magic. Kabe was Freek’s lieutenant—a huge orc with muscles like steel cables. His face was horribly scarred, and he had a big golden tooth. It was fshing as he smiled, racing over.

  Midj adjusted her hand and smacked Kabe into a table, which scattered.

  That allowed Freek to charge forward. He charged up the sword, dumping mana into it, until it was buzzing. The rest of his squad was coming forward, and though Kabe had been knocked ft, they still had six big orcs coming for blood. All of them had the bloodless bdes. This attack was not very well pnned, or was it?

  Why bring swords that wouldn’t kill Gray?

  Rynn was up on her feet. She nodded at Gray.

  But before she could vent her core, which would’ve knocked them all ft, a tray hit her in the face. She was stunned for a second, and then Freek was there.

  I went to brain Gray—it might not have cut open his skull, but it would’ve bashed it. Freek wasn’t messing around.

  Gray blocked the attack with his stick, but again, he didn’t have mana.

  Freek was filled with magic, making him stronger and faster.

  Gray had no choice but to retreat behind the table.

  Tomi grew into an enormous cat creature. She leapt onto one of the orcs, but he burst into fmes. The stench of burning cat hair filled the cafeteria.

  Rynn charged but an orc grabbed her and flung her back. They were keeping her off bance, so she couldn’t use her ability. Smart.

  Ames flung herself onto an orc, and a second ter, he shrieked, cwing at where she’d touched him. His screams filled the room. She did the same thing to another orc, and Gray saw her smile. It was cold and merciless. And he saw her getting mana from it, from the cruelty. What had she done to them? They were shrieking and shrieking and shrieking.

  Midj had found a bloodless bde, and she charged it, keeping other orcs at bay with her speed and strength.

  Freek only had eyes for Gray. He leapt onto the table, swung at Gray, and Gray barely ducked. “You’re going to pay. And they had the fucking balls to question me. Me? I’m going to be running Wrath City once we win. I’m going to rebuild the tower and seal closed the Well. You’re standing in my way.”

  Gray managed to get another table between him and the orc. “I’m in your way because I’m not going to let you win, asshole. That doesn’t mean I killed Sindara. I thought our time at Third Barracks together made us best friends.”

  “Shut up, asshole. Why did you do it? Were you pissed she wouldn’t fuck you?” The orc hurled fire, and it scorched Gray, hitting his uniform, which ignited. He grabbed a gss of water and dumped it onto himself.

  What was with all the fire? It had to be new, or they would’ve used it during Culling Day.

  He then had to block several more attacks from the outraged orc, blocking the sword with the stick, until Rynn shouted. “Enough!”

  Freek was flung into the window, which cracked in jagged lines. He turned.

  It gave Gray enough time to channel mana into Rynn’s core, but she wasn’t empty. No, she had enough. What did she just do?

  Gray then went and found Midj’s core, gave her mana, and she had another mana hand to work with.

  Tomi was next. Staying in her monster form took a lot of mana, but he fed her core, and she got even bigger, her muscles multiplying. She was staring down an orc who was rethinking attacking her. Her growl was terrifying, but her smile was worse.

  Lastly, he found Ames and fed her mana was well.

  She smiled at him. He smiled back.

  Even as the orcs continued to shriek at her feet.

  What had she done to them? It seemed both Ames and Rynn had new abilities. He’d have to hear all about them once this test trouble was over.

  Even with the fight mostly over, Dame Hek had marched in with a dozen Fieldkeepers, who had metal-tipped cudgels. She pointed at Gray and Freek. “Those two. March them off to Crewel. And if they give you any trouble, beat them.”

  Gray felt the rage hit him. He wasn’t the problem, Freek was, and he wasn’t going to let himself be punished. He inhaled, and felt the mana rush into his core, filling it back up—and he’d just doled out to his squad.

  “No,” he said, walking forward. “Freek and his squad attacked us.” He realized that even though he’d put out the fmes, that fire had burned through his uniform and fried his skin underneath. The pain hit him all of a sudden.

  Rynn sucked in a breath. “Ames, you have to heal Gray.”

  Freek’s nose was still bleeding from running into Midj’s mana hand, but he also winced with every breath. Rynn’s attack must’ve snapped at least a few ribs. “I’ll go see the Magistrate. I don’t have anything to fucking hide. But Gray did it. He killed Sindara.” The orc then screamed at Gray. “I fucking loved her. We were going to bond, for real, but not anymore. You fucker! You murderous fucker!”

  “Why would I kill her?”

  “Everyone!” Dame Hek roared. “Out of the canteen except Squad 23 and Squad 19.”

  Kabe ughed, limping over. “We’re not Squad 19 anymore. We’re the Wrath City Raiders. And I told Freek it was stupid to go after Gray on his own. He didn’t listen to me, though. We’re sorry, Dame. Freek was with us st night at the Chaos House in the Dice Market. He didn’t kill Sindara.”

  The big dog woman snarled at him, “You shut your fucking yapper. They don’t pay me enough to listen to the shit coming out of your mouth. Freek and Gray are going to Crewel’s. And I couldn’t care less about the name of your fucking squad. All of you. Out!”

  The orcish Fieldkeepers then came forward with their cudgels.

  Freek turned and threw his bloodless bde at Gray with all of his magic-enhanced strength. It really might’ve done some damage if Rynn didn’t scream and fling out her hands. The flung sword was deflected. It flew through the air and smashed into the serving counter, knocking water pitchers off the counter.

  The Fieldkeepers then went to work on Freek.

  Gray tossed Rynn his stick. “I’ll be back. It’s unfair, but it’s not worth getting beaten like that.”

  Rynn sighed. “I agree.”

  Ames went and touched Gray. “Here, let me help.”

  Her hands were filled with mana, and he remembered her touching those orcs and making them shriek. They’d only just now fell quiet, brooding or embarrassed by what had happened. And why had that given her mana.

  He learned into her touch.

  Ames whispered into his ear. “Be helpful. Be honey. Freek is vinegar enough. Come back to us, Grayson Fade.”

  He threw her grin. “I will.”

  Then, he winced as the burns started to itch.

  He put his hands in the air. “Okay. Coming peacefully, Mrs. Bckpaw. I’ll talk to Crewel. I have nothing to hide. But you do know I didn’t start it.”

  “You cracked my window,” the big dog woman growled. “Or you elf girlfriend did.”

  “Not my girlfriend. She’s my bonded.”

  Dame Hek looked disgusted. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy with your angel-headed children. Now. Out!”

  By that time, Freek was unconscious.

  The Fieldkeepers drug him out of the canteen.

  Gray went on his own.

  Fucking Sindara. She had complicated his life in any number of ways. Even gone, she’d left behind a mystery, a hole in the world, and then, yes, he thought about her father.

  And he hardened his heart.

  Some old man a world away wasn’t his problem. He had more important concerns.