The chapter opens with a soliloquy about the "curse of blood" . It's a metaphor for the pain and suffering of love, and it's also a reference to morphine, which is a powerful pain-killing medication. The narrator says that he's not sure if the morphine is coming from the heart or from his wounds, but he does know that he can now beat Lily. He asks if they can stop the fight, and the narrator says they've got about a 50/50 chance. He's glad they're here, because it means that they'll be able to capture Fatma. He tells her not to come any closer to him, because he'll kill her. He says that the time has finally come to break the curse that ties him to her, and he says he can finally kill her when he dies.