When humans discovered how to steal Emberling magic and cage it in iron amulets, that power became a commodity—something to be bought, sold, and stolen. Emberlings are nothing more than slaves, even to their own magic.

Jynx is an Emberling imprisoned in one of the kingdom’s most brutal work camps and she fears one thing above all else—failing to protect her sisters. When Jynx’s magic is harvested and she’s sent to Oath Breaker Square to be auctioned off as Stock for the Emberling breeding program, that fear becomes reality. With her soul chained to an amulet she can never stray too far from, and no hope of ever seeing her sisters again, Jynx is out for revenge. She makes it her mission to destroy any human who tries to tame her.

Bastian has traveled to Oath Breaker Square to purchase a Gladiator. He doesn’t have enough gold for one of the best fighters, but he needs an Emberling Gladiator to be his partner for the Tournament and any of them will do. When Bastian stumbles across a female Emberling being viciously punished with her own fire magic, he’s intrigued with the way she nearly defeats the human beating her, despite being chained to a wall. This female is clearly meant for the Stock auction, and there has never been a female Gladiator in the Tournament before, but Bastian is sure he can get her for a good price. He’ll just need to persuade her to fight with him instead of against him.

Bastian knows the Tournament is dangerous, but he soon learns that making a bargain with an Emberling who has nothing to lose is downright deadly.