Trehan had believed she could eventually, that she'd see he had no choice. Now he doubted.
"The fact remains that I might not win," he said. "And if this is my last night on earth, I don't want to discuss the future till dawn. Let's not think of it."
In a quieter tone, she asked, "What do you want to do?"
As the rain softly fell, he drew her back down against his side, heartened when she stretched her arm over his chest. "Nothing more than this, Bett."
Trehan returned Bettina to her spire just before the sun rose, laying her in bed, pulling the cover over her.
They'd talked the rest of the night about their pasts, their hopes, and their fears, until reality intruded with the growing light.
"You look tired." Her expression had grown pensive. "I wish I could do something to stop tonight's fight."
"We are all bound by the language in our contracts."
"What are you going to do with Gourlav?"
"Win, I hope."
"I'm serious. How do you kill a creature who mustn't be harmed? What can I do to protect my people if you injure him?"
"I don't plan to."
"Pardon?"
"The tales of the primordials are true. When they're wounded, their blood is catastrophic."
"Tell me."
"Legend holds that serpents, scorpions, and arachnids first spawned from other primordials, from drops of their blood-except that the original blood-born Child Terrors are as large as dragons," he said. "The only strike I can make against Gourlav is a kill strike."
She bit her lip, her face pale with worry. "Will you stay with me until the match?"
To join her in that bed and spend a lazy day talking, touching . . . ? But he couldn't. "I have much to do." He would deny himself in the coming hours, then reap the rewards later. An eternity of lazy days. If I live. "Should I fail tonight, it won't be from lack of preparation."
"You won't try to sleep?"
"My Bride cares for my well-being?"
She quietly said, "You know I do."
A victory! His plan was working. Optimism filled him. "No male could be more motivated to live." He cupped her nape. "If you're within reach, I won't go down easily, if at all. Know that, Bettina." With a final lingering kiss, Trehan forced himself to trace away.
Back in his tent, he replayed all he'd learned over the night. One thing stood out-her insistence that she couldn't move past Caspion's death.
Survive Gourlav; kill Caspion; lose Bettina? There had to be some way out of this bind.
Suddenly, the tents flaps flew open and Morgana sauntered inside.
"What do you want?"
"Yes, yes, you're welcome for my assistance with my winsome goddaughter. By the way, the 'tour' was all my doing." She sat on his desk, much as Bettina had. Now it irritated him. "I've come because I want to know how you reached the air territories."
"I have ways. What concern is it of yours?"
"Great concern. One of my Sorceri subjects is likely being held against her will in Skye Hall. She was rumored to have been taken there directly after she escaped from a group of humans who imprison and experiment upon Loreans. Needless to say, she's having a bad run of it. So I'll ask you once more. How did you get to the air territories?"
He decided to take another page from Lothaire's playbook. "I expect I'll need more assistance with Bettina in the future. Perhaps we'll bargain in the days to come."