ACIMER'S POV

I hold his face, trying to bring some sense into my best friend. But I know it's hypocritical of me to do so. He wouldn't have done this to me if, goddess forbid, roles were reversed. But I have no choice.

I haven't even dared to look at Felix myself. I saw her from the corner of my eye and that would be enough to haunt me. I am contemplating whether to knock Orief unconscious or forcefully hall him out of here when I hear two sets of footsteps running towards us.

"I think, I think. We might have a solution to the mess this little one has created." Says a panting Tristain who has a small figure on his back.

We both have had separate letters from Felix. As soon as we entered the forest when the car blasted, I ran towards the camp of the forces I had seen earlier. To see what effect me spiking the potion earlier did. Luckily all the high-rankers had drunk it and it made dealing with the residual forces easy as fuck.

Tristian had separated from me seeing he would be looking for the dwarves or the hostages. Whatever he found first.

This explains why, Tristan pulls down the man on his back, it's an old dwarf who looks injured himself. Tristain explains as he kneels in front of Felix to explain, "This is the head of the dwarves, he was explaining the chain and its effect on the way here. Long story short, there is only way to get it off, it's when the person wearing it dies."

I am about to stop him before he agitates Orief more. But Orief smacks my hands away, moves to where they are and says, "But there is a solution?"

"Yes," Tristan replies, "Yes. There is a solution, Your Majesty. One that might not have a big success rate but it is the only one we have."

"Necromancy." The Dwarf leader answered us.

"That is not something you can achieve just because you wish to do so. There is a procedure involved and above all a person who has the power who has power to control the flow of life. These people are often hidden and live far away from civilisation." I point out the fallacies in this so called solution, "Even if we do so, we shall something to replace the decaying life force and looking at Luna, we do not have time to arrange everything."

"He," points Orief to Tristain, "You are a necromancer, right? That is why she called you here?"

I try to stop Orief from forming some new lunacy but to my surprise Tristain goes along with it.

"Not a necromance but I cannot control the force of life, Your Majesty. However, I can store, move and convert it."

"What? How?"

"I don't have time for details Beta Acimer. We have to make preparations. Felix had been cursed anyway. We can use this opportunity to turn the table."

"What does the curse actually is?" Orief asks Tristain.

Tristan gives us a stare, "We. Don't. Have. Time. Quickly please."

I shot him an apologetic look and so did Orief, "Tell us what we need to do."

"Dwarf leader has agreed to make the magic circle for us, since none of us know that. Can one of you try to get us some prayer beads and any holy liquid from the temple of moon goddess and decide," he paused for so all of us looked at him.

"And decide what?" I ask almost sacred.

"Decide what do we sacrifice." He might have seen the confusion on my face because he explained further. "Nothing is free Beta Acimer. We are altering the flow of nature, for divine permission we need to make an offering of similar value. And we need to be ready fpr the fact that we might never have Felix 100% back or maybe not at all. Are you sure Your Majesty?"

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