Iron Heart (The Gauntlet #2)

Chapter 48 - Real

Codi's heart pounded, a different kind of adrenaline racing through every vein in her body. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady herself, doing her best not to think too hard about what lay beyond the massive white-metal doors that led into the refitted arena. The noise that bled through them, however, made it impossible to fully shut out the electric fizz of excitement bubbling beneath her skin.

The closing ceremony was here.

And Battlecast had finally pulled off the three way victory. She waited in the entryway with all the other champions, along with the second and third place finishers who'd still fought their way to a podium in this most gruelling of contests. Unlike last year when she'd attended the ceremony in a hoody and leggings, now she'd accepted the sense of occasion without much argument. Clad in a long-sleeved, knee-length tunic of cyan trimmed with midnight blue, she stood tall and proud, the Battlecast logo emblazoned over her right breast, her long black hair hanging straight and glossy like a waterfall of pure darkness.

The members of her flag team stood with them, Leela at their centre, the young fighter unable to keep the grin off her features. Codi didn't blame her. Not far away stood a disgruntled Maryn Le Rourke and the members of the runner up team from Atlantic, and a little further back, the third place finishers in the distinctive yellow and black dress uniforms of Orion stood, with Chalyze Bamber at their head.

Chris O'Leary and Ripple Thawborn would be taking the paired trophy, ahead of the twins, Lucas and Lazlo, who still recorded Ursa Major Academy's best ever finish at a Gauntlet event. Codi got an extra reason to smile, too, when she discovered that the last podium place in the paired discipline belonged to Firequake. Rokki Thakker stood with his partner, smiling languidly, apparently just enjoying the atmosphere as he looked around the crowd of champions.

But the most prestigious prize belonged to Codi. Champion of the singles tournament, she would be the last to enter; the one who the final avalanche of attention would crash down on. Right now she felt like a god. She was well aware of the glances that flew her way from all directions, murmuring and whisperings from other fighters creating a backdrop like a babbling brook. Breathing it in, she basked in the sensation of being the most important person in the room. It might be some time before she would feel this way again.

Keefer Darkwood couldn't hide from anyone this time, though. He stood alone, off to one side as though he emitted some kind of radiation, arms folded and eyes downcast. Still, Codi wasn't completely sure if the towering young man had actually been party to the tampering with the exoskeleton. Although she doubted it, there was a chance that he didn't know. At the moment, she didn't have a way to find out, one way or the other.

Third place in the singles went – somewhat more deservingly – to Dustin Morto. After being edged out of a podium place last year, he'd managed to make it this time. Despite the hype that had surrounded him as a title challenger, he seemed happy enough with that for the moment, standing with his team-mates, laughing and joking without a care in the world. It was quite a departure from the stoic, mountainous individual she was used to seeing.

"Alright everyone!" shouted the senior attendant of the Gauntlet staff. "We're just about ready to get underway. Can I please have all the capture the flag teams to the front of the queue?" He accented his request by waving the hefty dat-pad clutched in one well-manicured hand. In a buzzing jumble of energy the flag teams eagerly bundled to the fore. Codi hung back, letting Leela lead them on. Only three of the Battlecast team would actually being included in the first portion of the awards – Leela, Gareth and Cardle – while Codi and Ripple had to wait for their respective titles.

"Hey," Codi said quietly, catching Leela by the arm as her friend went by. "Make sure you enjoy it, eh?"

She grinned. "You too, Codi. See you out there."