Iron Heart (The Gauntlet #2)

Chapter 47 - Giant Slayer

Are you crazy?

Maybe.

Codi closed her eyes, trying not to listen to the voices in her head. Today was the day, the Gauntlet final. The last step on a long, long road. She didn't know how to feel right now – her emotions were an unpredictable mess. Excitement – even pride – that she'd made it this far; fear of letting down a whole world on the biggest stage of them all. Anger at the bitter twists of fate that had conspired to stand in her way.

In the preceding days, Chris and Ripple had taken the second scalp for Battlecast in the pairs discipline. Facing off against the twins, Lucas and Lazlo, who had already provided Ursa Major's best run in any discipline, they provided the packed stands with a scintillating, hard-fought battle before finally emerging the victors.

Although she shared their jubilation, Codi couldn't help feel the inevitable pile of pressure that their victory heaped on her. Two out of three titles secured. It would be up to her to secure a clean sweep for Battlecast, and right now, she just didn't know if she could do it.

The medical techs had worked wonders in the short time available when it became clear Codi had no intention of withdrawing, but even they had their limits. She could move around more or less as well as she could before, but pain still flared through her ribs when she twisted in certain ways. Direct shots to her left side hurt a lot more than they normally would have, and her breathing grew sore in prolonged practice sessions.

She wasn't at a hundred percent and that knowledge infuriated her beyond words.

The reporters knew it, too. No matter how many lies she peddled, telling the clamouring newsnets that she would be ready for the final, that Battlecast had no concerns over her fitness, they all knew better. It was all she'd been able to do not to erupt on live coverage and deck some of the more obnoxious culprits.

There had been a change in atmosphere among the journalists, however, when it came to her opponent. While the prospect of an unknown challenger from the fingers of colonised space sweeping all the way to a Gauntlet final made for good headlines, they were finally reaching the end of their tether with his complete refusal to speak to any of them. Black Horizon's coach, Colm Harrow, Battlecast's former task master now turned nemesis, fielded the media duties, and even then he remained tight-lipped about his prized contender.

And since he wouldn't give them anything concrete, the rumour mill started spinning. Fast. Could Keefer handle the pressure? Was a true professional? Could he be so easily off-put by an awkward question that he couldn't even speak to the press? Although Colm Harrow studiously denied the allegations, without hard evidence the journalists made up their own minds.

Whether that would make any difference to Keefer's fighting, however, remained to be seen.

Right now she had to just trust that Kye could deliver what he promised. He would be in the stands, she knew that much, watching and waiting, ready to trigger his counter to Black Horizon's enhancements. If he did that, she would do her job and put and end to Keefer Darkwood's Gauntlet run at the final hurdle.

She stood in the waiting area with Bronagh Llewellyn, minutes away from the Gauntlet final, but right now her coach seemed somewhat preoccupied.

"Everything alright?" she ventured, uneasy seeing the normally unflappable woman so on edge.

"Codi, I think you should know, I've had the academy lawyers lodge a formal complaint of unlawful conduct against Black Horizon. I suspect it will be all over the news in a few days."

Codi looked at her in shock. "You what...?"

"Ripple told me everything," Bronagh told her quietly. "As you should have as soon as you had an ounce of suspicion." The woman let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "I understand that you and your friends thought there would be consequences to breaking into the Lock-Tech – you might be right about that too – but that pales in significance to what Black Horizon are doing. Regardless of the outcome of our protest, it's too late to help you, and too late to stop this fight."