Delay of Game

The press says Jed Amaron’s comeback failed. Dom Greyson thinks someone made sure of it.

Book cover with the author's name (Lisa L Hilton) at the top and the title "Delay of Game" at the bottom. It's in a serifed font that looks a little magical, and it slants slightly to the right. There's an American football player in a tunnel with a light at the end of it. On the wall are some runes, a caduceus with runes around it, and a football play diagram, all glowing with blue magic.

In a world where orcs anchor the offensive line and scrying machines guard the stadium gates, half-elf wide receiver Dominic Greyson has built a career on discipline, silence, and playing through pain. Even his flicker of foresight rarely spares him a hit. When his brother-in-law, star quarterback Jed Amaron, returns to the game only to fall apart on the field, Dom is too close to see anything but someone too stubborn to admit failure.

A hit-and-run leaves Dom concussed, sidelined, and watching the collapse on a screen. From that vantage, the pattern is unmistakable. Something is being done to Jed, and the team doctor paid to protect him is looking the other way.

Hiding symptoms from the doctor he no longer trusts, Dom digs into a conspiracy that won’t stop at benching the quarterback. Standing between the conspirators and the people he loves takes more from him than a season.

Delay of Game is a contemporary fantasy about what happens when the systems meant to protect people fail, and what it costs the ones left carrying the weight. For readers who wanted Ted Lasso with orcs and a harder hit. An emotionally heavy story that goes into the dark and comes back out.