Greed

Seven Sins Academy: Year Two GREED CAIT AMBROSE Seven Sins Academy: Year Two GREED Copyright © 2023 by Cait Ambrose www.caitambrose.com All Rights Reserved. This publication or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored, distributed, or transmitted in any form—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise—except in the case of brief quotations for review purposes. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons alive or deceased, places, or events is coincidental. Cover by JoY Author Design Studio Created with Vellum 1 Michaela The gold coin had become my burden and my obsession. A token. A gateway to darkness. A choice between what was right and a future that would shatter the fabric of Faelan, of Earth, of Paradise, and of the Seven Hells themselves. It was pressed against my flesh, tucked into my corset, as I moved through the darkness in the halls that surrounded the Celestial Arena. Betrayal. It was a betrayal, and I had kept it, even though I had known it was the wrong thing to do. The image of Mammon appeared in my mind’s eye, and I shook my head, trying to dismiss him. The Demon Lord of Greed would have no control over me and my choices. Coin or not. I strode past cells that contained other fighters, most of them new residents as the others were dead by my hand or by another’s. I hated it here with a deep-seated burn in the pit of my stomach that wouldn’t leave me. Tomorrow I would return to Castle Sin’s crystal spires to take the trials. They would determine if I would remain a slave to the academy or if I would stay the slave of the Celestial King instead. Regardless, I would be his until I had paid my debt or freed myself of him. I clenched my fists as I entered the atrium that led toward the gates to the arena. Flickering lanterns lined the walls rather than fae orbs—magic was banned among the slaves—casting long shadows. I checked my dagger was in place at my waist, ignoring the other items that lined this room. Choices of worn, blood and rust-specked armor, weapons of every shape and size, from spears to maces, and shields dented by use. I stepped up to the barred gates that separated me from the Celestial Arena, with its planets and shimmering kaleidoscope sands, and inhaled the scent of it. If colors could have a smell, this was it, gentle and intoxicating and ever tainted with the metal tang of spilled blood. The haze—a magic wall that separated the spectators ringing the arena from the fighters below—lifted. Sound erupted from outside, echoing through the arena. Light came with it, catching the cosmic particles in the air and the glitter of the sand, spreading through the space like a new sunrise. I shut my eyes. Screams and cheers rose louder, and I could feel him. I could feel the Celestial King out there, waiting for me to emerge. He knew who I was by now. One of the only fighters who had survived years in his service. He hated me, not because I had killed one of his princes, but because I had dared to survive for this long and had escaped him after he had demanded my head. I gritted my teeth as the bars in front of me lifted heavenward. I strode out into the arena, the noise increasing tenfold at my appearance. I kept my gaze on the raised dais high above on the rim of the stone arena, my soft leather boots raising puffs of dust. The Celestial King stared down at me, expressionless, his dark skin sparkling as much as the sands. An advisor bent beside him and whispered something in his ear. He lifted a hand, the silver sleeve of his robe falling back as he waved his advisor away. I stopped in front of the Celestial royals, hands at my sides, keeping them loose rather than balling them into fists. I would have my revenge on him. I would have my freedom. But it wouldn’t come now or through angering him further while archers lined the walls, arrows nocked and pointed at my chest. The Celestial King rose, and the crowds quieted. The fae advisor beside him cast magic to amplify the king’s voice. “Today, we will bid farewell to one of these fighters.” A young woman had stepped up beside me. I hadn’t seen her in the cells before, and she wore a battle scar down the left side of her face, her eye white blind. She flashed me a malicious grin, her celestial skin twisting around the expression. “Through death,” the Celestial King continued, “whether it is by battle or by the arrows of the Celestial Guard.” That received an excited roar from the crowd. Bloodthirsty assholes. I rarely cursed, but spending time at Castle Sin—especially with Gabrielle—had changed me. “You are aware of the rules of this arena,” the Celestial King said. Kill through any means necessary except for magic. The only rule that mattered. My enemy kept on grinning stupidly. I nodded—the barest hint of a movement. I didn’t want it to be mistaken for deference to the king. “Then we will proceed.” The advisor raised his hand and blanketed the Celestial Arena in darkness that cut out the watching crowd and the royals. A low tone started and grew into a melody that was all too familiar—music from the stars and planets in the arena. They floated past, orbiting each other, some of them sweeping along the sand, others arcing through the air above my head. Their sounds ranged from low tones to musical notes that tinkled and thrummed. I allowed them to embrace me and stepped through the melody, steps muted by the noise. My foe had vanished as soon as it grew dark, moved to a new location in the arena to make the game more thrilling for the viewers. My breathing