FORTY-SIX

I went to see Lydia the next morning at the Wall Market clinic. She was still asleep when I went into her room, just like I'd hoped, but both her parents were awake and greeted me warmly. Kunsel and the others had come to the clinic with me, but they were out in the waiting room for now. We'd all agreed that I should be the first one to visit Lydia, and I hadn't wanted to miss her reaction at what she was gonna see as soon as she woke up. She was in for a real treat.

"Jessie!" Gant smiled. "Mighty glad to see ya here."

Sarah hugged me. "So am I. You've done so much for us, Jessie. I… I can't thank you enough. Come visit us anytime."

I laughed as I let go. "Thanks. Always happy to help!"

"Please, have a seat," she said.

"How are you feeling, Sarah?" I asked as I sat down in a chair near the bed while she settled into another.

Sarah took her husband's hand. "Better. I ate and got some sleep, as much as I could here after Lydia was out of surgery. It feels almost like a dream to finally be free after all these years, you know? But it isn't. It's real. I'm with my family again. And I'm happy."

I grinned. "Glad to hear it! Lydia's operation went well?"

"Went just fine," Gant nodded, gazing at her. "Got that bullet outta there and patched her right up. My little girl's been asleep all night ever since they put her out, but I wager she'll wake up before long. Doc says she can go home once she's rested a while."

Lydia did look well, sleeping peacefully with her left arm bound up in a clean sling as she lay in bed. The heart monitor beeped steadily on the stand nearby, and her short brown hair hung close around her ears on the pillow. Her parents and I talked for a little longer, and then after a few minutes, she finally began to stir.

"Morning, Mom. Morning, Dad," she yawned as she woke up. "Oh, hi, Jessie! Good morning to you, too! I…"

Lydia's voice trailed off and her eyes widened as she looked around the room and saw what was there. Flowers, lots of them, of all different colors and kinds—mostly silk, of course, but I'd slipped back to Aerith's house with my friends last night and gathered some real ones, too. She gaped at them, her mouth falling open, and at the row of cards all lined up on the shelf. There were even a few balloons.

"Wha… how… where…?" Lydia stammered, overcome.

"Well, that just leaves why and when, huh?" I teased. "They're from us, Lydia, and from all the people you helped."

She blinked. "Me? But I didn't…"

"Oh, I might have let slip the fact that our little rescue mission was all thanks to you," I winked. "That it was the brave and beautiful Lydia who made it all possible! How you not only asked me to go down there and rescue everyone, but helped me pull it off, too. And I don't need to tell ya how fast word gets around in this town."

"Firebrand…" Lydia blushed, tears in her eyes.

I smiled. "Lots of people out there are wishing you well, as you can see. You're almost as famous as me now!"

"Oh, stop!" she laughed.

"It's true," Gant chuckled. "Folks've been sendin' flowers and cards and such for ya all night, Lydia. Ever since they heard what ya done for 'em and that you was over here at the clinic gettin' taken care of. So I'm mighty proud of ya, girl. Mighty proud indeed."

She beamed. "Thanks, Dad. And, um… sorry I didn't tell ya what I was really doing. And for making you worry."

He brushed it off. "Ah, forget it. You're safe with your mom and me now. All that matters. And you'll be outta here and feelin' better before ya know it. So we'll skip the groundin' this time."

We all laughed, and then Lydia sat up in bed and looked hopefully at her parents. "So, can I still go to the tournament tonight? I'm feeling a lot better, and I really wanna see Firebrand kick ass! Er, I mean, clean house, if you know what I mean. Please?"

"Well…" Gant scratched his chin. "I don't see why not, long as you take it easy 'till then. You'll probably have to wear that sling for a day or two, but if you make sure not to strain your arm too much, I think you can take it off while we're there tonight."

"Thanks, Dad!" she grinned. "This is gonna be great!"

I'd anticipated that and made a few arrangements before coming in here this morning. "Speaking of that, I talked to Madam M earlier, and she's willing to help you with your arm, Lydia. No charge. Did wonders for me, and she'll take good care of you, too."

Her jaw fell open. "Really? Thank you, Jessie."

"Just what friends do!" I smiled. "Oh, and you're not gonna have to worry about finding a good spot to watch the tournament, either. Took care of that, too. You and your parents'll be sitting up there in the main booth with the Trio. Best seats in the house!"

"Awesome!" Lydia exclaimed.

"We really appreciate what you've done for us, Jessie," Sarah added. "Thank you so much. It's really made her happy."

Gant nodded. "Gonna be a night to remember, for sure."

"Oh, it definitely will be," I winked.

"You've got something else planned, too, don't you?" Lydia said. "I can tell, Firebrand! Something really special."

I smirked. "I might. So, anyway, do you like LOVELESS?"

"I love it!" Lydia answered, just like I'd hoped. "Dad took me to see it when I was thirteen. The show and the music were amazing! I've got the book and CD, too, and I know all the songs by heart. I can sing well enough, but I also love listening to… to…"

She trailed off, her eyes going wide again as she looked at me and it began to sink in. Her parents hadn't figured it out yet, but I knew once Lydia made the connection, they'd catch on. A lot of girls her age liked the tragic romance that was LOVELESS, and I'd met and chatted with a bunch of them during my time in the play.

"Listening to who, Lydia?" I asked innocently.

"Jessie… Jessie Jae…" she gasped. "That… that's you! It is, isn't it? I thought you sounded familiar! And that I'd seen you before. Oh, wow! This is so cool! All this time, I never knew it was you! I mean, you look so different now than you used to, you know?"

Gant raised an eyebrow. "Well, whaddya know…"

"Yep, that's me," I laughed, taking Lydia's hand. "I've had to make a few changes over the years, but I'm still Jessie Jae."

She gazed wonderingly at me. "I remember I was so sad when you disappeared. Felt like I'd lost a friend, you know? Even though I'd never met you before. And here you are. Wow…"

I chuckled. "Thanks. It was hard, but I'm still kickin'."

"You sure are," Lydia agreed. "I've heard the tournament's gonna be broadcast all over Midgar. The whole city'll be watching! And… you're gonna reveal yourself, aren't you? Who you really are. That's the special surprise you were telling me about!"

"Can you keep it secret for me?" I winked.

She gave me a thumbs up. "You bet! It'll be great!"

"Knew I could count on ya," I grinned.

"Always," Lydia giggled. "Oh, I almost forgot. What happened with Kotch and Scotch? What'd the Trio decide?"

I let go of her and sat back in my chair. "Well, we talked it over, me and Kunsel, and explained how much the guys had helped us out down in the sewers. And after a lot of careful consideration, the Trio let them off with a few months of community service."

Sarah blinked. "That sounds like a pretty light punishment after all they did under Don Corneo before that."

"Not if the community service is picking up all the garbage in town and cleaning up after Sam's chocobos every day," I smirked. "The birds are cute, but they smell for a very good reason."

"Oh, wow!" Lydia laughed.

Gant smiled. "Serves 'em right, but I'm sure they'll learn. Kotch, at least. He seems decent enough, just made some bad choices and fell in with the wrong crowd. It happens sometimes."

I nodded. "Yeah, it does. The important thing is, he found his way out again in the end, thanks to Lydia. He and Scotch are also gonna be the announcers at the tournament tonight."

We talked for a while longer, but when a nurse came in to check on Lydia, I knew it was time for me to get going and let Kunsel, Biggs, and the others visit with her a bit. Also wanted to get in another workout at the gym and some more training in the simulator before getting ready for the tournament later. So I stood up, said my goodbyes to Lydia and her parents, and left to get things started.

I shivered as we rode through the marshes, not liking them one bit. The trees were dark, brooding, and all around us. Mist hung constantly over the place along with an eerie stillness. I didn't need to look over at Cloud to know he felt the same way. We'd been in here for a week now, making our way slowly and steadily to the southwest and the mines. If everything went well, we'd finally be out of the marshes in another day or two. And I'd be more than glad of it.

Pools of murky water lay everywhere, and the ground was covered with reeds and black, oozing mud. Red loped on ahead of us, searching for firmer ground, and we followed him, keeping the chocobos at walk to conserve their energy. We hadn't run into the Midgarsormyr yet, but I knew it was out there somewhere. And if it found us, we'd need every bit of speed the birds had to outrun it. So for now, we rode carefully at a slow but steady pace through the marshes.

"Damn, I hate this place," Barret muttered for about the hundredth time as he sat behind me. "Creepy as hell…"

I sighed. "I don't like it, either."

"What's to like?" Cloud grimaced.

"True enough," Aerith said. "Anyway, if all goes as planned, we'll be outta here sometime late tomorrow. Or the morning after. Then we can all look back on this little trip and laugh!"

Barret grunted. "Let's hope so."

I nodded but didn't say anything else. Instead, I just kept riding as I guided my chocobo along, letting her follow the trails Red found for us as well as picking her own as she went. Chole had taught us how to tell whether a bird was male or female back at the farm during our lessons. The coloring of the feathers was somewhat lighter on a female than on a male, and their beaks were a little shorter, too. And although the girls were often smaller than the boys, they were usually faster as well. That was why a lot of chocobo racers liked them.

Our journey through the marshes had been thankfully uneventful so far, but they still stretched on for miles, and we still had pretty far to go. We had to twist and turn our way through the trees to stay on solid ground, and though we didn't see anything aside from insects buzzing around us, we heard the occasional bird flapping somewhere up in the branches and frogs croaking deep in the reeds.

As twilight approached and we traveled onward, the land began to change. There were a lot more pools of water, and they were also much bigger and deeper. It got harder for us to find a firm path amidst all the mud. Red's paws were covered in it when he came back to us near dark, his face grim in the fading light. We brought our mounts to a halt for a moment as he padded his way carefully across the spongy ground, the tip of his tail burning brightly in the coming night.

"There is a large lake just ahead of us," he told us. "The ground, as you can see, has become much less stable, and it grows worse the closer we get to the shore. If we can reach the far side, however, I believe that our path will become easier after that."

I'd been afraid of that. "Can't we avoid it?"

Red shook his head. "Not this time, I'm afraid. The ground is very treacherous and unstable for many miles in all directions, and the lake itself is much larger than the others we've passed."

"Any sign of the snake?" Cloud asked.

"Not that I could tell, but it may be slumbering beneath the surface as Bill told us," Red answered. "However, as it is almost nightfall, it may awaken soon. It hunts after dark, remember."

I shivered, not liking what I knew we had to do. We'd done our best to avoid as many lakes and large collections of water as we could to try and stay away from anywhere the Midgarsormyr might be, even going several miles out of our way to do it. But now it looked like that wasn't gonna be an option. And we couldn't go back.

Cloud nodded. "I remember. There's a path by the lake?"

"More or less," Red said. "The ground is passable in certain places, but it won't be easy. One misstep could be fatal."

Barret swore. "Well, shit… as if that goddamn snake wasn't enough of a problem. Seems like everythin' in this friggin' place is out to kill us, even the bugs! Almost wish I'd stayed in Midgar."

Cloud frowned. "Too late for that now. All we can do is keep going and hope for the best. Red, lead the way. We'll be right behind you. The chocobos'll guide us, too. Be careful, though."

"Understood," he replied. "And might I advise that we keep quiet as we pass the lake? If the snake is indeed lurking underwater, its hearing is almost certainly better than yours, perhaps even mine. But with luck, we can sneak past it before it awakens."

"Good idea," Cloud agreed. "No talking 'till we're clear."

I agreed wholeheartedly with that thought, and once Red loped off ahead of us, we rode on in silence as the gloom deepened around us. A few minutes later, we emerged from the trees and saw the lake that Red had told us about. It was so big that we couldn't see the other side, and the ground was wetter and mushier here than what we'd traveled across before. Thick clusters of reeds and cattails lined the water's edge, and I couldn't help feeling uneasy at the sight of ripples flowing softly across its dark surface. What was lurking underneath?

Although the sky was getting darker as the night began to close in, we didn't take out our flashlights yet. They'd be a dead giveaway, telling anything within a hundred yards that we were here. And they'd act like a beacon to that snake if it did show up. So I rode along as best I could, letting my eyes adjust to the dimness. Cloud's glowed softly to my left, a reassuring sight amidst the shadows.

We were almost halfway past the lake when my chocobo suddenly jerked around and squawked as more ripples swept across the water. It was all I could do to keep her under control, and I saw that Cloud was having the same trouble with his bird. Barret whipped up his gun-arm and peered intently at the lake while Aerith looked around us uneasily. Red stopped for a moment to wait for us, narrowing his eyes as his fur bristled darkly and his ears flattened.

After getting his chocobo under control, Cloud motioned for us to keep going. But before we could take more than a few steps, something huge and dark suddenly shot up out of the water until it loomed above us, looking as it if had come straight out of our worst nightmares. I had to keep a firm hold on my bird's reins to keep her from panicking, and Cloud's chocobo started thrashing again.

The snake was, as Bill had said, at least thirty feet tall, maybe more, and over six feet thick. Dark scales slick with water covered every part of its massive body, slate gray to black in most places but a pale yellow along its underbelly. Its long, forked red tongue flicked in and out of its mouth as a dry hissing sound filled the air and sent chills racing down my spine. The snake had a wide, flat hood surrounding its round head on both sides, and it gazed at us with beady yellow-green eyes as its tail whipped about almost with a life of its own.

Gathering itself, the Midgarsormyr surged toward us.

It was pretty crowded outside the coliseum when my friends and I got there that night. After dark was when Wall Market really sprang to life, and it showed. The long strings of colored lights suspended across the streets from roof to roof glowed cheerfully, the shops and bars were all open, and people were everywhere. I was used to it myself, but even after over two weeks in this place, Biggs and Wedge still found it a little much to take in. I couldn't really blame them.

Lena, Kunsel, and Marissa were there as well, though I hadn't seen Lydia and her parents since this morning. They were probably already settled into the booth with the Trio by now. The coliseum was actually underground, and as we walked up to the building that housed the top level, a lot of people were waiting outside to get in. When they saw me standing there wearing my phoenix gear with my weapons slung at my hips, heads turned, hushed whispers filled the air, lots of curious stares came my way, and the crowd parted for me.

"You're lovin' this, aren'tcha, Jessie?" Biggs quipped.

"Oh, yeah," I smirked as we all walked inside. "I haven't gotten this much attention in a pretty long time."

Wedge looked around nervously. "I never have… "

"Well, just from me," Lena giggled.

"All I need," he blushed.

I laughed. "Thought you boys would be used to it by now. Though it did take a while for Kunsel back when we were on the plate together. He was so nervous about it at first!"

"I remember," he chuckled. "But you were worth it."

"You always made sure I knew it, too," I smiled. "Just like now with Marissa. Better take care of each other, you two."

She slid her arm around him. "We will, Jessie. Always."

There were more people inside bustling about, and a pair of stalls, one on either side of the room, each with a guy behind them. One was a souvenir shop, and the other was the check-in desk for the fighters. A doorway on the right led into the seating areas, and another ahead and to our left was for the fighters. It stood closed for the moment, watched carefully by one of the tournament officials.

"Looks like this is where we part ways, guys," I said.

"Good luck, Jessie!" Wedge grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "We'll be right up there in the stands cheering for ya."

I grinned. "Thanks! Enjoy the show!"

After exchanging goodbyes with the others, I went over to the desk near the door on the left to check in while they headed inside through the spectators' entrance. A few TV's mounted on the walls showed the arena, which was empty at the moment. Later on, the people who were still in here could watch the tournament while browsing for a souvenir or getting a bite to eat from the snack bar.

"You here to compete?" the guy by the desk asked without looking at me. "Gonna be cutting it really close."

I put my hands on my hips. "Nope. I'm here to win!"

He grunted. "So they all say. Name?"

"Firebrand," I told him.

"Fi… Firebrand?" he blinked, nearly dropping his clipboard when he finally looked up. "You mean, the Firebrand?"

I held up my finger and smirked. "The one and only!"

"You're a little smaller than I thought you'd be, but… okay," the guy said. "Head through the door and ride the elevator down to the waiting area below. They'll call you when it's time."

"You know what they say about good things," I teased. "They come in small packages! And that's me!"

He nodded. "Seems that way. Best of luck to ya."

After giving the guy a little wave, I went into the elevator and rode downstairs. The waiting area was a long, wide hall with a few rooms on either side and a large closed gate standing at the far end. Since I knew I couldn't go into the arena until I was called, I went into the first room on my right, had a seat near the TV on the wall, and watched as Kotch and Scotch got the tournament started.

"In the city that never sleeps!" Scotch began.

Kotch stood near him in the middle of the ring. "In the paradise of fun, fantasy, pleasure, and pain!"

Scotch kept it up. "Where your every whim, dream, and desire can be indulged, day or night, for the right price—Wall Market! The center of the slums and the true heart of Midgar!"

"To you esteemed connoisseurs of chaos, bloodshed, and mayhem, we bid you the warmest of welcomes!" Kotch continued. "And to those of you watching from afar all across our fair city, thank you for joining us tonight for this one-of-a-kind special event!"

He and Scotch walked a slow circle, facing the crowd as they went, their microphones amplifying their voices. They were really hamming it up, but the people loved it and cheered them on enthusiastically. The camera panned across them for a moment or two, and I caught a quick glimpse of my friends up in the stands.

"Are you all sitting comfortably?" Scotch asked both the crowd and the viewers. "For tonight, ladies and gentlemen, the most amazing and gruesome spectacle anywhere in Wall Market or beyond shall be yours to witness! Right here in the Coliseum!"

Kotch took over. "Tonight's grand prize is no less than a staggering hundred thousand gil paid directly to the winner! With an even larger jackpot of a million gil for his or her sponsor! And in this place, there's only one way to get it! Brutalize your opponent!"

"Thoroughly and utterly!" Scotch eagerly pitched in.

"Viciously!" Kotch added.

Scotch grinned. "Without mercy!"

"Until they vomit blood!" Kotch finished.

"Only the strongest and most ruthless fighter, only the warrior still standing here at the end, shall claim the gil and the glory!" Scotch said. "For in the end, there can be only one!"

Kotch pumped his fist. "Skilled combatants of every shape and size you can imagine will battle it out before your very eyes, right here and right now, in the Trioooo's Tournament!"

When all the cheers and applause had subsided, the event began as Kotch and Scotch announced the fighters for the first match. I watched the fights until I heard my name called on the speaker, then I made my way to the gate. The keeper was a guy with a wrangler's hat and shades, and he looked skeptically at me as I walked up.

"So, you're the one they call Firebrand, eh?" he said.

I nodded. "That's me!"

He shrugged. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Guess you don't get out much, do ya?" I smirked, my hands on my hips. "Well, you'll see plenty tonight. I guarantee it!"

"Whatever," he said. "You ready?"

I cracked my knuckles. "I was born ready!"

He tapped a switch, and the gate slid open. "Try not to get yourself killed in there. Wouldn't be a pretty sight."

"Not gonna happen," I winked.

With that, I headed on through and down another short tunnel. At the far end was another gate, with one of the staff members nearby. He opened it, then motioned for me to wait a moment. I could see into the ring, and the crowd was delightfully loud as Kotch and Scotch stood in the middle again, mics firmly in hand. I tugged at my gloves, flexed my fingers, and got ready as they announced me.

Scotch started things off. "For our next match, we're very proud to welcome Wall Market's own living legend!"

"And consummate kicker of ass!" Kotch boomed.

"The woman feared by Don Corneo himself!" Scotch added.

Kotch kept it going. "This might be her first tournament, but she's no stranger to dishing out pain on a platter!"

"Better think twice before trying to hit on this girl!" Scotch chimed in. "Because if you aren't careful, boys, she may just take you out—and down! She's both beauty and the beast!"

"So give it up for the Mistress of Mayhem!" Kotch shouted.

Scotch pumped his fist. "The Princess of Pain!"

Kotch didn't miss a beat. "And the Daughter of Disaster! Watch out everyone, 'cause here she comes! Slayer of monsters, righter of wrongs, and undeniable heroine of Wall Market!"

"The myth, the lady, the legend!" Scotch began.

"Firebraaand!" Kotch finished.

I walked into the ring to the roar of the crowd, my head held high, and raised my fist in the air. I knew how to work an audience, too, and it felt good to be in front of one again. The cheers got even louder than before, and Kotch and Scotch gave me a little salute before announcing who I was gonna be fighting against.

Kotch went first. "Her opponent—one of Wall Market's own, and a renowned master of beasts! Will his savage pets make a meal out of our stunningly beautiful challenger?"

"They've already had their appetizer!" Scotch added.

"Their insatiable hunger for flesh and fear is unquenchable," Kotch continued. "The brutal demon dogs of hell, the Sanguine Stalkers! And their trainer, the beastmaster Rodan!"

Another gate on the opposite side of the arena opened up, and two heavily muscled bloodhounds ran into the ring, their red fur bristling. In between them strode Rodan, a slim, dark-skinned guy with a purple tank top, black pants, and an eyepatch. He had a blade in his hand and waved it menacingly at me as he got close.

"You brought animals?" I asked.

He snorted. "Scared, girlie? There's no rule that says you gotta fight man-to-man. My hounds are hungry tonight."

I snickered. "Poor them. 'Cause I'm not on the menu!"

"We're in for a treat, ladies and gentlemen!" Scotch shouted. "Who will ultimately prevail in this brutal contest between woman and beast? It could all end in an instant, so don't even blink! Without further ado, the fourth match of the first round… begins now!"

Rodan, his hounds, and I started to circle each other as Kotch and Scotch moved out of the way. I didn't draw my weapons just yet, a plan forming in my mind as I watched my opponents. The hounds growled while Rodan waved his blade threateningly.

"This knife's gonna slit your throat," he taunted.

"That's not a knife," I smirked, casually pulling out one of my blaze talons and activating it. "This is a knife."

I watched in satisfaction as Rodan's eyes widened when he saw the light dagger humming softly in my hand, its orange blade pulsing with energy as I waited for him to make the first move. He didn't disappoint me, lunging for me just seconds later as his dogs did the same. As soon as they moved, I hit my right glove switch, drew my other weapon, and rushed at Rodan in a flash, my blaze talons ready.

"And there she goes!" Scotch boomed. "Lightning fast and twice as deadly! Firebrand doesn't waste a second!"

"Even the wind can't keep up with her!" Kotch agreed.

Rodan tried to move aside, but I was too fast, the acceleration from the FEX-01's speed boost giving me the edge I needed. I slammed that pathetic little knife of his aside with a pair of quick cuts, then followed up with a high roundhouse kick to his face that hurled him hard to the ground. While he landed with a pained grunt, I kept moving, bringing my attention to his two bloodhounds.

One tried to pounce on me from behind while the other swiped at me with its front claws, but I'd been expecting they'd do something like that and dove aside, cutting at the nearest monster as I got up. I scored a clean hit on its side and was rewarded with a loud yelp and a burst of cheers from the crowd. Hitting the other with a backward thrust kick, I kept the pressure on, slashing away at the hound as I moved all around the arena and Rodan got back up.

I figured he'd be easier than his pets to deal with, so I decided to go after him and take him out of the match before my speed boost finally wore off. After tricking his hounds into going one way with a little hop to the right, I spun to the left and went for Rodan. He kicked at me and tried to stab me, but again I easily deflected his attacks. Then I drove a knee into his gut. When he doubled over, I knocked his knife right out of his hand with a quick sweep of my weapons.

Then, before Rodan could recover, I shot my right leg up as if I was gonna kick him again. But instead, I quickly grabbed him by the neck, the inside of my knee holding him fast, and slammed the butt of one of my weapon hilts right across his face. Then I backflipped away, kicking him again and sending him back to the ground in a heap. This time, he stayed there, groaned, and didn't get up.

"Holy mother of mercy! Did you see that move?" Kotch exclaimed as the crowd cheered its approval. "Talk about having some killer legs! Rodan's outta the match, but the Sanguine Stalkers want revenge! This could get ugly, so don't you dare look away!"

"These hounds are out for blood!" Scotch yelled.

I didn't have any doubt about that as I fended them off, cutting and spinning and slashing around the ring. I fought them at the same time, one blade going after the first hound while I sliced at its friend with the other. When my speed boost wore off a moment later, I drove back one of the monsters with a burst of fire magic to give myself some room to maneuver, then whipped my weapons across in front of me and hit the other with a blazing arc of bright orange energy.

"Firebrand's definitely bringing the heat!" Scotch said.

"But can she put these vicious hounds down for the count?" Kotch wondered. "It looks like we're about to find out!"

The two bloodhounds padded toward me, their tentacles whipping about in a frenzy and their fangs gaping wide. But I just smirked, ready to finish this match with a flourish. I'd been working on a new move in the simulator ever since coming back from my mission to steal my gear from the Shinra Building, and now it was time to use it. As soon as the hounds got in range, I sprang into action.

I darted back and forth between them, slicing and dicing again and again in a blinding shower of quick, devastating slashes. I'd discovered lately that even without help from the FEX-01, I was already pretty fast on my feet. I always had been, truth be told, but the suit just amplified it. I ducked, wove, and dodged as I attacked, and with a final spin, I cut at both hounds at the same time, the blaze talons tearing into them and leaving them lying dead on the ground.

"What a dazzling—and dizzying—finishing blow!" Scotch boasted as he and Kotch returned to the middle of the arena. "Rodan may have let the dogs out, but they've been thrown back in!"

"With a vengeance!" Kotch added.

Scotch swept his arm out wide. "After a grueling battle, the winner of our match is… the legendary Firebrand!"

I stood proudly near Kotch and Scotch as the spotlights converged on me and the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. And then, with a little grin, I lifted my arms and held both blaze talons high. They were still lit as I slowly turned around in a circle, my eyes sweeping over the stands, and the crowd roared its approval. I basked in it and saw Biggs, Wedge, and the others down near the front where I'd known they'd be. They were on their feet, and so were a lot of other people. And this was just the first round. Three more to go.

And I was gonna win each and every one.