The twenty competitors remaining are ranked and the top six are placed evenly throughout the draw. The main priority is to give a good show. This isn’t achieved by accidentally drawing the top two to fight each other. I’ve earned second place. Slay and I have been placed at opposite ends of the draw. Blizzard’s in sixth place. Sin in fourth. Slay’s brother, Butcher, in third place and a man called Thrash from a different compound, in fifth. He’s the only fighter from his barrack in the top twenty.
There is another announcement that the top twenty is now officially the top eighteen. Two fighters have dropped out of the tournament under mysterious circumstances. Alzona overhears someone saying their injuries from yesterday were too severe. But there are additional whispers of foul play. I wouldn’t put it past Hale’s group to have taken them out.
I’m almost sick with worry one of the men will be pitted against Slay. Looking at the draw is almost as bad as the first time I took off my veil.
My fear is unfounded. None of them draw the lethal man in the first fight. I’m facing an unknown from Arman’s compound. I haven’t placed him in the top twenty, so either he’s been training hard or he got lucky in one of his fights. He’s short for a Bruma; about Shard’s height. It should work in my favor, but I could count on him having speed.
I’m lucky I’ve worked so hard on my endurance.
The fight lasts for twenty minutes, until I bring him crashing down with a head butt to the nose. I smash his head against the pit to finish him.
Blizzard gets through, beating one of Hale’s men. It gives our group and, judging by the grins, a few other groups, extreme satisfaction. Slay doesn’t kill his opponent in his round either. He must be in a good mood today.
Flurry gets knocked out by Sin. He still wasn’t quite on form after the head knock from yesterday, though Sin would have been a miracle win for him anyway. And when Ice brings Wrath crashing to the floor I’ve never felt prouder. There’s no way he could’ve won without his hard work this month. As the round finishes, we get the rankings. We have three fighters in the top ten. Tricks only has two, now Wrath and two other men I don’t know the names of, are out. Another man, Blight, got lucky in his fight, and Hale has four fighters. The top ten.
Alzona is ecstatic. “Second place so far! That’s a lot better than last place,” she says. I can practically see the coins flashing in her eyes. “We’ll expand, get better equipment.”
I tune out as she makes her business plans. We didn’t come here for second place, we came here for first. With our group fight plan and our current ranking, winning is within our grasp. We can do this; we can beat Hale’s barracks!
“We could do it,” Flurry whispers, echoing my thoughts. “After all this time. We could win this thing.”
We have the ranking, but it doesn’t mean today’s fighting is over. There are still five fights to whittle numbers down to the final pair.
The top ten is set out differently. But again, it is beneficial to have ranked high. In second place, I’ll face the man, Blight, in ninth place. And Blizzard will fight Tricks’ second man, Rage, who got lucky in his last fight. Ice, in seventh place will fight Sin. I don’t see how Hale wrangled this draw, but the four competitors from his barracks are facing each other. I would bet my favorite boots the matches will be staged.
They don’t exceed my expectations. Torture gives a couple of halfhearted attempts before he’s knocked out by Butcher. And after I knock out Fury, I watch while Shredder hardly lifts an arm in defense of Slay’s cross. The crowd hates it. They openly boo the brothers, which they’ve never done before. It’s a smart move, though. I’m tired after my fight against Blight, even though it was easier than the previous match. Butcher, who I’ll face next, is fresh after a thirty second, staged round. There are benefits to placing in the top two. Slay and I have one less fight than the others in the top twenty.
The crowd is wilder than I’ve ever seen them as the tension mounts. Sin beats Ice, which we knew was likely. Ice’s job was to wear Sin down so Blizzard is more likely to beat him after eliminating Rage. I know we need numbers in the top five to win, but I can’t help but hope Sin will beat Blizzard. Slay will face the winner of their match and I fear for my friend’s life if he should enter that pit.
Shard laughs as I try to summon a disappointed expression when Sin knocks Blizzard out.
“You still look relieved. Try lowering your eyebrows,” he whispers. I don’t even try to deny it.
I have my work cut out for me with Butcher. He’s ranked third for a reason. I know his weaknesses and he knows mine. He wants to win so he can give Slay the easy victory. And if he can’t win, there’s no doubt the orders are to hurt me as much as possible for the final.
I need to finish this quickly.
The crowd blurs into the background as the bell tolls. I can see their forms jumping up and down. They may even be screaming my name, but I hear nothing except the thudding of my heart in my ears. I only see the small contractions going through Butcher, giving away his movements a second before he makes them. I feel the rhythm of his chest rising and falling, knowing he will take a sharp breath just before striking. Sweat rolls down my face.
He charges and I do the same. Normally I’d dodge him, but he’ll be prepared for this. It’s time for Flurry’s kick.
Butcher punches with his right arm, there’s no weight behind the blow because he expects me to dodge. Instead, I grip his extended forearm with both hands, hardly slowing. Using the momentum from my charge, I swing underneath his arm. I kick off the ground, pushing upward, twisting. My body circles around his arm until it comes to the height of his head. I line up my heel with his jaw.
He’s starting to react when I extend my leg in a rapid kick, all of my weight powering the blow.
Landing on soft toes, I watch as Butcher makes two full circles. He staggers back. He staggers forward. Seriously?
His eyes start to roll back beyond his control. He topples to the side with a resounding boom and stays down.
The bell signals the end of the fight. The cavernous arena is shaking with the force of a Dromeda stampede as the crowd erupts. I’m truly worried the ceiling will cave in. But I keep my expression smooth and circle the pit, interacting with the crowd. I don’t touch them. I just walk past them and try to look menacing. They love it. Frost isn’t scared of anything, not like Olina.
I follow Butcher’s unconscious form as he’s dragged out. I pass Sin, who is preparing for his fight with Slay.
“If I make it through this, will your lips be mine?” he asks in a woeful voice.
I laugh and meet his eyes, hoping he reads my warning there. He lifts one shoulder and smiles wryly before brushing past me to enter the pit. He really didn’t need to brush past. There’s enough space for three people to get through at once.
Alzona rushes to hug me as I approach. Crystal’s next.
“I haven’t won yet,” I mutter into Avalanche’s waist.
“You’ll do it. I know you will,” Flurry says, grabbing me and twirling me around. He’s touching me and doesn’t even go pink.
“Jeez, no pressure, Flurry,” Blizzard says, holding his bleeding head. I lift an eyebrow.
He shakes his head. “It’s not too bad. Sin went easy on both of us,” he says, gesturing to Ice. “Tricks’ guys know they can’t win it themselves now. They want us to outrank Hale’s Barracks nearly as much as we do.”
Tricks’ group still wouldn’t win top barracks, even if they won the group fight. I make a note to thank Sin for not concussing the men too badly. I hear the bell and turn to watch.
Every minute he’s in there, I thank him again in my head. Slay doesn’t dare make a grab for a weapon. Tricks doesn’t own the highest ranking barracks, but he is the richest and has just as many fighters as Hale, if not quite as skilled. He could make Hale’s life hell. Also Sin is a crowd favorite. The Outer Rings will bring the roof down if he’s killed. I watch the crowd wondering if they would tear Slay apart.
Then I see something impossible.
Kedrick in the crowd. I shake my head and blink my eyes. I squint into the row of wealthy observers on the second level. No, it’s not Kedrick, but it’s still someone who shouldn’t be here.
Ashawn is in the crowd.
It wasn’t the first time I’d been duped by his likeness to Kedrick. The King’s youngest brother is at an illegal fighting tournament. Jovan can’t possibly know about it. What is Ashawn thinking? If anyone recognizes him it will mean backlash for Jovan and worse, it will make the King furious. Why would he risk it? The mystery clears somewhat as I get a clear line of vision to the person hovering next to him.
Blaine. Out of the Sixth Sector early, I see. I doubt the King is aware of this either. But at least Blaine’s involvement protects Ashawn. Blaine can’t turn Ashawn in without turning himself in. I warn Alzona Blaine’s here and she pulls up the hood of her coat, but doesn’t move. It looks like she’s come to some kind of decision.
Slay wins. And gives Sin a brutal knockout. But leaves him with his life.
“He won’t kill her! Not after seeing her fight Butcher. He wants Frost gone, but not if there’s a risk of him getting slit,” Blizzard says during our walk back to Tricks’.
Shard raises an eyebrow. “Why don’t you just talk as though she isn’t right here?”
Blizzard grins at me.
“I think he’ll try,” Ice calls out. “The girly’s only been up for a few months and she’s just as good as him. He’ll take her out while he can. It’ll be too late by the next time.”
I turn my head to Ice and nod. It’s what I’d do if I were Slay. Then I properly hear what the men are saying. They expect me to stay until the next tournament in a revolution’s time.
They’re saying it like it’s fact.