James raised his eyebrows. “What kind of bet?”

Xanthakos smiled coldly. “Let’s bet on the group of friends you trust. It’ll be my defeat if they manage to hold off the Caeloros God of Firmament, Quintinus, and come to reinforce you. You’ll lose if Quintinus captures them and brings them back as hostages.”

Looking at Xanthakos’ confident look, James smiled and nodded. “What’s on the line?”

Xanthakos smiled. “It’s very simple. The winner gets what he wants. I’ll hand this traitor back to you an