Iron Heart (The Gauntlet #2)

Chapter 33 - If It Fits, Wear It

 Codi shoved the confrontation with Kye from her mind, focusing on the much more immediate problem for her Gauntlet path. While the beating she visited upon the Zulu Forge pairing had provided her with a much needed release of violent energy, it hadn't solved much. Leela was still out of the singles tournament, and Battlecast's flag team still lacked its most potent weapon.

On top of that she still had two more singles matches of her own to bludgeon through – two competitors who she knew through their dossiers alone. A part of her mind still twinged – don't discount anyone – but try as she might, she couldn't force herself to consider either of the remaining fighters as a threat. Her thoughts continually swept back to Keefer Darkwood, and a thirst for payback that was beginning to boil up in her chest.

But the tournament ground inexorably onward, appeals and injuries not withstanding. The Gauntlet schedule was a brutal juggernaut of violence far too large to be impeded by any one individual.

So Codi forced herself to prepare, spending long hours in the training centre, with Bronagh Llewellyn never far away. She drilled herself mercilessly, working to the point where she could destroy her coming opponents with mechanical ease. Other competitors gave her a wide berth; even the others from Battlecast could see the rage simmering just beneath her skin and knew better than to bother her.

The first unfortunate person in her path was Pyra Dokker, a girl from the highly regarded Orion Academy. Codi put paid to any expectations of an upset in less than five minutes of fighting, her natural ferocity augmented by a carefully honed practice regimen as she tore her opponent apart in front of the screaming crowds.

She stormed from the Arena, not even breaking stride when the media vultures tried to descend on her. One man barely got out of her way in time and if she'd run into him wearing her exoskeleton she would have sent him flying.

But right now she didn't want to talk. She didn't want to fence with words and play games with the cameras. She just wanted to get the next fight over with and advance into the knock out rounds. To get one step closer to Keefer Darkwood. The intervening rounds were more of an annoyance than anything else, but she made herself keep up with the winners and losers. Even Bronagh seemed to sense her mood and didn't try to force her into the press commitments.

Keefer's next fight yielded a similar result, albeit in less brutal fashion as he dispatched a male fighter from Everest, keeping his top seeded reputation intact. For Battlecast's part, Gareth, Ripple and Chris all stormed through their second matches, to join Codi at the top of their respective groups with two wins apiece. The blip of Keefer Darkwood not withstanding, the big picture was still painted with blue and cyan.

And Codi intended to make sure it stayed that way.

Her next opponent provided a much sterner test of her abilities, despite another intense forty-eight hours of tailored preparation. Ryker Marshall, clad in the stark alabaster exoskeleton of the Nebula Academy, had surprised many when he made it to the group stage, scraping through the Mayhem in his second year of competition.

It would take more than that to impress Codi, however. She readied herself for an inevitable slug-fest, relishing the prospect. When it came to matching an opponent strike for strike she'd established herself as one of the toughest nuts to crack.

Sure enough, with the thousands-strong Battlecast faithful roaring her on, she emerged victorious from a long, painful but immensely satisfying brawl. This time she did face the cameras, all by herself, briefly able to forget her new nemesis, basking in the adoration of the crowds and revelling in the knowledge that she had proved all her doubters wrong.