Iron Heart (The Gauntlet #2)

Chapter 30 - Find the Will to Find a Way

The next day brought another round of flag matches, but Codi's mind kept dragging her back to the grim end to yesterday's elation. While most of the Battlecast competitors had reason to be happy about the draw, all she could think about was Leela going head to head with Keefer Darkwood. The image made her stomach turn.

If the events had affected her, however, Leela was doing her best to conceal it. The Battlecast team swept past their next opponents, executing their game plan perfectly. Codi watched with satisfaction as her friend ran rings around the team from Thor's Wake, weaving between two helpless defenders and exploding across the last hundred yards of empty space to deliver the flag home.

Cheers rose; Codi's eyes wandered up and around to the smears of blue and cyan that marked out the large pockets of Battlecast supporters in the stands. A breathless smile flashed over her face and she jogged over to join her celebrating team mates.

They gathered around their flag, clapping shoulders and exchanging high-fives. She gathered Leela into a playful headlock, ruffling her hair good naturedly. When the other girl extracted herself, Codi saw through the forced smile – just for an instant caught a glimpse of the worry behind those big young eyes. Keefer Darkwood was there, waiting.

She trooped out of the Arena at the back of her group, her mind turning somersaults even as the coaches met them in the corridor. Through the baying reporters and snarling cameras her thoughts wandered elsewhere. One question overtook everything else.

How the hell is she going to beat him?

On paper it was impossible. While Leela had improved a lot in their run to the main competition Keefer Darkwood still looked to be out of her league. That wasn't much of a starting point.

But Codi reminded herself that underestimating anyone was dangerous. She'd seen the fire that lurked deep in her friend's unassertive shell, seen what could happen if they could just get her to show it. That might not even the odds, but at the very least it could help Leela not to embarrass herself.

They made their way through the Arena, past the reporters and down to the lock-tech where they shed their exoskeletons. The mood generally remained buoyant. After all, they had just stormed through their second flag match without a hitch. But Codi could see that Leela's mind had already skipped ahead, probably playing her worst nightmare over and over and over.

When the other girl tried to peel off inconspicuously down one of the corridors, Codi followed, leaving the others to their celebrations. She caught up to her friend, nudging her with an elbow.

"You alright?" She asked, even though she knew the answer.

Leela shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess."

"Only okay? We're tearing up the flags and you and Mica got through to the next round of the pairs."

"I know."

"So what is it?"

"You know what." Leela gave her a frustrated glance. "Made it through the Mayhem and all I've got to look forward to is getting destroyed in front of half the galaxy."

Codi sighed. "It doesn't have to be that way."

"Oh yeah? Last I checked he was number one. I didn't even make the rankings."

"Those are just numbers, Leela. I didn't make the rankings last year, and look how that turned out."

"That's different."

"Is it?" Codi caught Leela's arm, forcing the girl to stop and face her. "You watched the Gauntlet last year, didn't you?" she asked.

Leela nodded.