Inked in Fire-A critique

With less than a hundred pages this novella welcomes you to their world through the story behind Major Sethraun's scar. His partner, Queen Caesia asks what led to the scar on his hip and despite his hesitancy informs her. She is the ruler of Erawoen and in a relationship with the Orc. He is grateful for their relationship despite their first encounter's unfavourable circumstances. He is unfamiliar with the ways of courtship and is teased about it but their time together proved useful. As the "King of comfort" who never wanted to leave their haven he braces himself to tell the story with a sensitive topic due to her persistence. He is not unwilling to share it with her, he is only unsure how to begin. 

He starts his story with the memory of longing for a continued kiss from Amelia who is "the daughter of one of his closest confidants" and "a complete pain in the ass." He remembers preferring it to the distressing pain and full lungs. Caesia expresses her discomfort with this beginning and he worries about the other details he can't tell her. He starts again further into the story. As a Captain, he made a deal with human mage, Lord Atronius to leave camp and rescue his kidnapped daughter.

Atronius trusts his skills but most of all, his discretion especially during this time of war between Erawoen and their neighbouring nation, Miracien. Seth expresses that they have been at war for years but the origin is unknown. However, Miracien tried to enforce their way of life on other nations. They fought for dominance while Erawoen fought for independence and identity. Seth respects Atronius' position and skill as a pyromancer, so he ignores the request for informality. Atronius shares that Amelia was taken by the Blood Guard mercenaries backed by House Auzebin who attempted to include him in a rebellion against Erawoen. He shares the plan formed by the spy he sent to track her and Seth agrees. Seth only requested that his superiors be informed to prevent being labelled as a deserter and facing the consequence of being shot. He had concerns but he preferred it to waiting to fight at camp.

On his journey, he utilizes a special feature only his race has. They have a special film over their eyes that allows them to see in the dark which is especially beneficial in a war. He walked, swam and manoeuvred into the fortress where they kept her. He found her gagged and confined to a bed close to the leader. The sight of her ignites the need to help her. He releases her, makes his identity and purpose known, and escapes with her after killing some foul-speaking guards. 

However, during their escape, he is shot by a musket ball and this brings us back to where he initially began the story. They clash as she harshly encourages him to keep moving despite his unstable state. They head to the cottage included in the escape plan in hopes of meeting Atronius the next day. She finally acknowledged his wound and he claimed it would head soon since it was probably a grazing hit. However, Amelia uses unsanctioned fire magic to seal his wound. The pain was alarming but he was more alarmed by the consequence of her doing so. Using unsanctioned fire magic could lead to shattering the mirror between worlds and exposing her to demon possession. Mages borrow powers from their universe and these beings desire to make their way to the world they live in. He was surprised about her usage because he believed her father to be an educated man who learnt about it all at The College of Arcane Arts.

At that moment, he realized the discretion he was chosen for was not for her kidnapping but due to her punishable use of magic outside the college. The next day, he wakes up to find Amelia using fire magic to protect them from Zaros Bludgart, the leader of Blood Guard. He was overwhelmed with emotion and felt "duty to her father. Sympathy for the woman. Fear for the demons she was inviting to their door." Zaros is a Vipir but unlike the typical Vipir Seth encountered, he is muscular with tattoos adding to his distinctive appearance. A deal to fight for the protection of Amelia is made. Despite Vipir's typically valuing honour, Zaros only accepted the deal because Seth made it known that Amelia was close to cracking the mirror and could. Another skill exclusive to his race is utilized. Orcs have explosive rage and suddenly Atronius made a great decision picking him. He sought Zaros with determined viciousness and defeated him with precision. He took his sword and headed back to Amelia. His rage subsided after her tearful embrace, one of the first of the night.

They use Zaros' horse to make their way to the meeting spot where they reunite with Atronius successfully. Seth makes sure to notify him that she is spirited and emotional which would be great to attract a demon. He says she needs to learn to control them and that he could hear the mirror breaking. Atronius eventually gives in to his suggestion of Amelia joining the college after he said he could teach her but again asks for discretion and he agrees. On his way to rest Atronius mentions he may have a job for him in the winter but he only accepts to hear when the benefit to the army is mentioned. They needed any help they could get and he was being recommended to work for the Queen's court. He could not see a reason for him to be close to her since he was an Orc and not of royal nobility. He saw himself as just a person with a sense of duty but was intrigued by this hoping to get closer to her. He recognized her beauty and other qualities saying she was "all the things he wasn't." He ends the story by describing the scar as "an everlasting reminder not to trust in the healing arts of a fire mage."

Caesia expresses her suspicion about him and Amelia but he says there's nothing between them and all he knows is that she went to the college. The Queen teases him some more about his bedding and they joke before she acknowledges that this is the story of how she got to meet him. They kiss and he reflects on his emotions of uncertainty and fear. Early in the story, he says that Caesia is never warm regardless of any warmth around her but he cherishes her cold touch on his skin. This is expressed more. He says she feels comfort in her and was scared by that because whatever was built could be destroyed. He previously felt that wherever he laid his head was his home which was the reason he accepted anything Amelia gave him but he decided to enjoy the sense of home he hadn't felt in a long time. The book ends with Seth saying that if she thought he was portrayed negatively in this one, she should hear the others.

Inked in Fire: An Orc Court Novella is a 2023 book written by Jenn Howlett. This novella introduces you to the Orc Court book series before reading the first book, "There's an Orc in My Court".

Critique

I was unfamiliar with Orcs so I searched and found out that they are creatures often of a horrid form. This impacted my reading because I felt he was self-hating at times but other times it was contradicted. His features are made known with descriptions but it is also made known that he is attractive and athletic. They kept referring to him as Orc as well which reminded me of the different races and possible hierarchy. 

He was pleased about being owed a favour by a person of high nobility. He recognized that an ally like Atronious who had years of experience serving the royal household and Queen personally would be of great benefit to him. He seemed grateful for the little opportunities and somewhat in disbelief about them. He felt the saving of his superior and the subsequent promotion were situations of mere luck as he slowly started learning to read. It was an expectation to gain something as valuable as a promotion if one were to save their superior but he shrugged off his contribution. I thought he didn't allow himself to enjoy things similar to his tent as a captain which had none of the luxuries expected of a high-ranking officer. However, being an Orc seemed to add to his life and he was willing to indulge in things that made him happy.

Favourite character: None.

Favourite scene: His moments of regret were entertaining. He's somewhat grumpy.

Most memorable thing: The potential mirror shatter.

Overall, re-read or not?: No. It was a good read and I remember being engaged while reading but I am unsure if I would return for the series.