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I catch Sterling’s shoulders subtly relaxing. It’s as if he’s relieved to hear someone else spell out what neither of us will admit. We’re plugging holes in a dam when the gods have offered us a permanent solution.

Still, discomfort prickles my spine.

“And you know a better way?” Sterling keeps his face neutral and his tone casual. As if he’s speaking with a council member instead of an honest to goodness god.

“I can give you a way to end this.” Rivlan’s essence, a cool mist that whispers across my skin, consumes the room. “These attacks are symptoms. The gods are at war. The mortal realm is their battleground.”

I lift my chin, refusing to let his presence intimidate me. “Forgive my confusion, but how does a fighting match end this?”

Rivlan’s liquid eyes focus on me. “The Champions Match is an ancient tradition, bound by covenant. When gods reach an impasse that threatens to spill into war, we may invoke that covenant.”

A sinking feeling in my gut informs me that I already know where this leads.

“What covenant?”

He drifts closer, leaving no wet footprints on the plush rug. “The most sacred of agreements between gods. Created after the Five-Fold Wars.”

Between one step and the next, his form solidifies.

Weird, and a little creepy. I refuse to even attempt to wrap my mind around the amount of power the gods have and what they can do.

His features sharpen. Even the hair on his head materializes, the locks hanging thick over his shoulders and cascading down his back like a cape.

Sterling arches a brow at me.

“I haven’t gotten to any covenants yet.” Since becoming queen, I’ve been reading a book about the Five-Fold Wars and studying our kingdom’s history, but embarrassing gaps remain in my knowledge. I haven’t had enough time to learn everything yet.

Not like I’ve been busy dealing with crisis after crisis or anything.

Rivlan’s smile is a disconcerting sight on his fluid features. His skin has adopted an almost human appearance, though he still moves with an alien grace. “The covenant allows us to settle our differences through champions rather than unleashing our full powers upon the mortal world.”

Sterling’s gaze skims over me before returning to Rivlan. While his expression reveals nothing, his fingers stop drumming on the table. “And you want me to be your champion.”

“Yes.” Rivlan’s eyes are deep pools. “A god in the conflict must name a willing champion. These champions face each other in combat to determine which god’s vision prevails.”

My stomach clenches. “To the death?”

“Well, of course. If one isn’t willing to die for their god’s cause, they’re not worth the amount of training it requires to mold them into champions.” Rivlan smooths the sleek black coat that has formed along his body. “The stakes must be absolute for the covenant to bind. But understand what this means. One death instead of thousands. Millions, even.”

Sterling’s fingers flex. “And if I win?”

“Zeru and his faction must abandon their plans to dominate mortals. They must accept a more balanced relationship between gods and humanity.” Rivlan’s voice grows passionate, his nearly solid form gushing with intensity. “No more manipulation, no more treating humans as pawns. As objects of possession.”

“And if he loses?” If he dies…

I shove down the fear bubbling up inside me. Ignoring mind-numbing terror every time Sterling’s life is endangered should be almost routine by this point.

Rivlan pins me with his steely gaze. “The gods would rule more directly, demanding increasing devotion with dire consequences for anyone who displeases them.” He lifts his chin and pauses for dramatic effect. “Any of the gods.”

The words punch the air from my lungs.

I fight to keep my expression neutral, to breathe normally, to not leap across the table and scream at this god for even daring to suggest such an idea.

The gods often ask for conflicting things, which is why their temples are kept so far apart in some cases. You cannot live in the darkness of Nyc while also maintaining Ziva’s flames.

Rivlan studies Sterling again, and I can’t help but notice their similarities. Both are tall. Both wear their silky hair to their shoulders. Both possess long, muscular torsos. “But he won’t lose. His potential is extraordinary. With proper training, he’ll be unbeatable.”

Sterling and I exchange glances.