"What? No!", Talia exclaimed. "What do you mean, a mate for a mate? You can't do that, Axel. You didn't even meet your mate!"
"Let me do this, Talia.", Axel said. "I owe you a lifetime of lost childhood."
"It was not your fault!"
"Maybe it's not my fault, but I feel guilty. You grew up alone, surrounded by strangers, while I enjoyed the perks of being part of an Alpha family. I was raised to be an Alpha. Alpha takes care of his people, and you ARE my people, Talia. By telling me not to do this, you are telling me not to be an Alpha." He turned to Evanora. "You agree, right? Talia is just a girl, and I am an Alpha. It is more beneficial for you to make a deal with me than with her. I agree to pay in her stead."
Evanora eyed him suspiciously and Axel hoped that she won't figure out that Talia is an Alpha also. They didn't mention that to anyone since they passed through the portal, and if witches couldn't detect they are werewolves, then they couldn't determine the strengths of their wolves either. At least that's what Axel hoped for.
Evanora extended her hand and before Talia could react, Axel put his hand into Evanora's, and a white light flashed upon contact.
"It's done.", Evanora said.
"No…", Talia said shakily. "You can't, Axel."
"It's OK, Talia. I said I will help you get your mate back, and I will do that." He cupped her cheeks to make her look at him. "Our parents made the mistake of worrying about the future so much that they neglected to see the present. I won't repeat their mistakes. Our priority is to get Damon back and we will worry about everything else later. The time is running out. Trust in the Moon Goddess. There is a reason we are here and I'm confident the reason is not that we return home empty-handed."
Talia was never so conflicted in her life. She didn't want Axel to give up on his mate, but then… was that the deal? What would the witches do? Come and take Axel's mate away? Or his firstborn child? Talia didn't understand, but she knew that Axel was right about one thing: the time was running out.
Cassandra observed all this without making a sound, and when she saw that everyone turned to look at her, she scrambled to get her stuff out of the backpack she was carrying.
Step by step, Cassandra explained how she cast a spell on Damon.
Evanora listened to all this with interest, asked questions, and took notes occasionally.
When Cassandra was done, Evanora turned to Talia. "You said that he is under the effect of black runes? How do you know that?"
"He couldn't remember me, and he didn't feel our bond.", Talia responded.
"How do you know it's the runes? The spell Cassandra described works on a person who is in the circle. The moment he stepped out, the effect would wear off."
Talia shook her head. "I saw runes flickering on his skin. And when I entered the circle, I was not impacted."
Evanora blinked. "You entered this circle, and the runes didn't impact you?"
Talia confirmed.
"She is blessed by the Moon Goddess.", Cassandra said. "The runes had no effect on her."
Talia gritted her teeth. This was the second time for Cassandra to blabber in the same evening. What's her problem? She was the one who hurt Damon, but then she was super-helpful, so Talia lowered her guard, but now it looked like Cassandra was setting her up.
Evanora narrowed her eyes at Cassandra. "Excuse me if I find that difficult to believe. What does this blessing mean?"
Talia realized that Evanora wanted proof, but Talia didn't trust her and she needed to respond quickly before Cassandra says more things that might get her into trouble.
"I have more power than an average member of our pack, and it happened under the moonlight, so Cassandra thinks there is more to it. However, I stepped on a rune and ruined it while walking toward him, and I believe I broke the spell or at least weakened it."
There were a few seconds of stiffening silence before Evanora nodded. "True. Removing a rune will break the spell. But runes can't be removed while the spell is in progress without a price to pay." After a brief pause, Evanora continued, "We will get back to it later. You said that he had runes on his body. Do you remember which ones?"
Talia looked at runes drawn on the parchment and pointed. "This one and this one."
At first, Talia thought it was random, but during her three days-long stay in a cave, while tending to Damon, she confirmed there were two runes.
After looking at the runes Talia pointed at, Evanora said, "You should be happy."
Talia didn't get it. "I should?"
Evanora nodded. "This spell is designed to block the energy of the person affected, shut down his senses and his emotions, making him an empty shell. This rune will seal his spiritual energy. And this one will remove the thing he loves the most. The fact that he didn't remember you should tell you how much you mean to him."
'Seal spiritual energy!', Liseli shouted in Talia's head. 'That's why I couldn't reach Sapa!'
Talia smiled sadly. She should be happy that Damon loves her above everything else, but what's the point of it if he can't remember her?
"Is there a way to reverse it?", Talia asked.
"Yes. But it won't be simple."
Talia steeled her resolve. "Tell me what needs to be done."
Evanora stood up and pulled a string that hung on the wall. A few seconds later, Cornelia entered the room with her breasts bouncing with every step she took and Axel was back to staring at his shoes. He thought that women in the forest were (nearly) naked because they were dancing, but Cornelia still had only one flimsy garment to cover her crotch area.
"We need to create a spell that will remove black runes.", Evanora said. "Summon other priestesses."
Axel whimpered. Can he be excused from this if more naked women come in? At this rate, he will pass out from a prolonged erection and a serious case of blue balls.
Cassandra perked up. She will get to watch witches at work!
Cornelia scurried out to execute orders that Evanora gave, and Talia asked, "Can you tell me more about the deal you made? What are you expecting from Axel in return for helping me?"
Evanora looked at Talia seriously. "Your brother showed bravery and care by stepping in to pay in your place. You should respect that and not question it."
"I respect him, but I want to know how much it will cost."
"Why?", Evanora challenged her. "If it's too much, will you give up on your mate?"
Talia pressed her lips into a line. What kind of a question was that?
