Iron Heart (The Gauntlet #2)

Chapter 47 - Giant Slayer

"Good!" Codi snapped. "I don't want to stop the fight!"

"Codi, it was a bad idea for you to compete at all, it's an idiotic one now."

She glared at Bronagh. "Do I really need to listen to this? It's happening, whether you like it or not. If all you're going to do is sit and tell me how stupid I am for fighting just ... just don't. Just leave me alone."

Bronagh let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to discourage you. It's just, if you'd come to me sooner we could have fixed this. Now I have to let you walk out there against him when I know you're injured. It does not feel right."

"It was my choice," Codi reminded her. "Whatever happens in there, it's not your fault."

"That doesn't really make me feel better."

Then the attendant signalled to them and called, "Okay, Miss James, they're ready for you in the arena."

Then Bronagh did something Codi would never have expected. She gave her a hug. The woman's sinewy arms wrapped around her in a gentle embrace, and it was over before Codi had time to even react and return the gesture. The head instructor stepped back, her face hardening.

"Good luck, Codi. I may not want to see you hurt, but I do want to see you put an end to Colm Harrow's scheming for good. Beat Keefer Darkwood now and everything they've done will be for nothing. I don't think we can hand them a better punishment than that."

"Sounds good to me." Codi nodded, and then bared her teeth in a savage smile. "Don't worry about me. Worry about him."

Then it was time.

The doors to the arena heaved themselves open, letting light gush out into the corridor Codi stood in, and a moment later a familiar, Olympian voice sounded.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer roared. "Please welcome your returning challenger from last year's contest, formerly of Brax-Delta Academy, and now representing your very own Battlecast Academy, please make some noise for the one, the only, CODI JAMES!"

Codi didn't think it could be possible for the noise in the arena to surpass anything she'd already experienced, but she was wrong. Thousands of voices exploded like a bomb going off, chanting her name in an unbelievable display, the sheer volume making her ears ring. She steeled herself, squared her shoulders, and then loped out into the arena, feeling fire in every inch of her as the adrenaline started to flow. Looking up and around she saw the stands clogged with people, patched with huge swathes of blue and cyan, many of them on their feet, mouths wide.

"CODI! CODI! CODI!"

Pumping her fists in the air she let out a wordless scream of reply, turning on the spot, wanting to show her appreciation to every single person in the crowd. The sheer energy flooded down into her, filling her with a renewed sense of purpose. She would not let them down. Injury be damned, she was going to beat Keefer Darkwood.

"And her opponent," the announcer rumbled once the clamour had finally subsided. "This year's dark horse, a surprise from an academy many of us didn't even know existed, from Black Horizon, please put your hands together for Keefer Darkwood!"

Even the announcer's introduction carried a lacklustre hint, and when Keefer Darkwood entered the arena Codi was amazed to hear a low thunder of boos roll around the arena. There were not a lot of people in the stands that wanted him to win this match.

Not that he seemed to care. Keefer didn't as much as glance at the stands as he strode out of the doors at the opposite end of the arena. He just walked out into the light, stopped and stood there, rolling his neck from side to side and stretching out his arms as though getting ready for a leisurely warm up. He looked altogether under whelmed by the prospect of becoming a champion.