The Bloodline She Burned novel · Chapter 11 of 24

Chapter 11: The Bridge

The semifinal sold out the Ironworks Arena.

Four thousand seats, and every one of them was taken by people who had come to watch the Ellsworth family eat itself.

Roz sat in the glass booth with her hands flat on the desk.

Across the stage, behind a matching pane of glass, sat her brother.

Dane wore the blue and gold jacket with his name on the sleeve.

He did not look at her.

"Draft," said the paramedic in her ear.

The Academy picked the same carry Crown always picked.

Roz did not have to look at the list to know it.

"Nobody pushes before two minutes," the paramedic said.

"They will."

At the two-minute mark, all five Academy players surged to the middle of the map.

Ashfall was not there.

The flanker had already swung around the east side, and the cook sat on the far ledge with his rifle up.

Three of the Academy fell in the first minute.

Dane shouted something into his microphone, and it carried through the arena.

The crowd laughed.

By round four the Academy was behind, and Roz watched her brother's hands.

They moved to the hero select screen.

He switched to the Warden.

She said nothing, and neither did the booth.

Dane tried to hold the choke point calmly, as he thought a captain should.

The cook put a shot through his shoulder from behind a freight car Dane had walked past twice.

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