"I'm not saying you can't," Lucan said. "I'm saying don't underestimate him. He keeps improving. You saw him up close, he is not someone to be taken lightly."
"Maybe," Nolan admitted, but his voice was steady. "Still, I won't lose. I'll win the tournament. The king won't interfere and the so called hero won't save anyone. I'll beat the champion and I'll do it decisively."
"Yeah, I'm counting on you for that," Lucan said, forcing a tight smile. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away for a moment, like he was trying to push down something ugly he didn't want to show.
"Nolan?" he began slowly. "There's something else. Cynthia — she's my wife. Do you know what happened to our child?"
Nolan's face went still. "I… I don't know if the child is alive," he admitted. "When Luthar started talking about that ritual, Cynthia tried to stop him. We never found any trace afterwards. She insists she interfered, but after that the child vanished. We never saw it again."
