The dark path that sowed only death and suffering has disappeared. The unbearable stench of the cursed rotten ground has turned into a fragrant smell of fresh grass. Shiny sun rays pierced through the thick fog. The curse was lifted. Trevor opened his eyes. He saw life blooming around him and smiled wearily. "We made it. We won". Trevor noticed Irena laying next to him. "Trevor are you alive?" Trevor's reply was interrupted by unfamiliar voices.

-“They woke up .. Tie them up! Immediately!". "What ... what's going on?" Trevor said in a languid voice "Shut your mouth, stupid savage, or I'll slit your throat right now!" In a flash, the warrior and the sorceresses were tied. Several armed men stood over them. “Damned witch! Dumb Northerner! What have you done!" The hysterical scream sounded familiar enough. “Baron Ezor von Vickcroft? What is going on? Explain yourself immediately! " exclaimed Irena. “Now I’ll tell you what’s going on, you damn sorceress! You have destroyed my castle! There is nothing left, only a wasteland remains! "

-“Ezor, an ancient evil lived in the castle. A powerful necromancer cursed these lands and captured the castle. You asked us to remove the curse, and we did it. We killed him. Look around. Life has returned to these lands. People will no longer suffer "

-"I didn’t give a damn about these brainless peasants!"

-“Greedy fat pig! I’ll break free and chop your head off! " shouted Trevor. The baron's guard slapped the warrior in the face. Trevor spit the blood out of his mouth and continued to stare at the baron. “So this is how you pay us back Ezor? By betraying us? " Irena asked.

- “Listen here, you filthy witch! I gave you a simple task, and you managed to ruin everything! "

- “Traitor!" shouted Trevor as the guards continued to beat him. The Baron went on - “Did you think I wanted to make the life of these peasants easier? Nobles don’t give a shit about peasants. No one in Oskhen knows what was going on here. Even if this whole village and a dozen more neighboring ones vanished, none of us would even blink an eye! “But what about the revenge for the murder of your beloved grandfather? Why did you tell us all this? "

- “You sorcerers are known for your nobility, so I told you a sad story about the unfortunate villagers and the brutal murder of my grandfather, whom everyone loved so much. In fact, everything is different. The von Vickcroft family is indifferent to the fate of the insane old man. He was odd, aloof. Not of this world. He disowned his family. Everyone has long forgotten him! Some of our relatives probably think that he is still living out his last years in his old castle. If they even think about him in the first place ... The truth is that only me and my brothers knew what happened here! We decided to keep everything secret, deal with the curse, and make a fortune by selling the castle, but you ruined everything! Was it really so difficult to kill some kind of ghoul without destroying the castle? I’m furious! You deprived me of a fortune, and for this, you will pay with your worthless lives! Arton, Vianis, kill the warrior and sorceress, and bury them so deep that no one will ever find them! And you two follow me! We're leaving here.

After the Baron left, the two guards began to talking to each other. “The witch will not harm us with handcuffs made of rock crystal, and the northerner will soon die of wounds, just throw him into the grave. Let's go dig a little hole and then we can leave. "

- “Maybe we'd better kill them right away? What if they manage to escape? "

- “Listen here, scut. They will not run away anywhere. You'd better give me your flask of mead and take a shovel. "

- “Stop, don't do it. Let us go, ”Irena exclaimed. “Let go of you? So that you’ll turn us into toads right away? Then we’ll get caught and be eaten at a dinner party? No way, witch!"

- “I will not touch you. I give you my word. We'll just leave. "

“I don’t believe that you will just leave. And even so, as soon as the baron finds out that you are alive, he will send us and Arton to the gallows. If suddenly a miracle happens and you slip away, rest assured the baron will find you. He has eyes and ears all over Oskhen. My advice to you, sorceress, you better enjoy the last moments of life while we dig the grave for you. Come on, Arton, it's time to get down to business. "

As soon as the guards left, Irena turned to Trevor and whispered, "We need to run."

- "Of course, we need to! Before this fat-bellied hog has time to escape!"

- “You see that sharp stone? Crawl to it and try to cut the rope. Just do it quietly so that they don't hear us"

Trevor slowly crawled aside and took the stone. "Damn it, it doesn't work." “Wait, I see a shard of glass over there to the left. Be fast, Trevor, we have little time " He slowly crawled further, occasionally looking back at the guards, one of whom was digging a hole, and the other standing near, greedily drinking mead from the flask. For several minutes Trevor desperately tried to cut the ropes with the glass. "The ropes are getting weaker, it’s working." He soon freed his arms and legs. Trevor quietly crawled back to Irene. "Let me help you"

- "You there!! What are you doing?! Arton, to arms! "

-"Trevor! You will have to fight them alone. These handcuffs are blocking my magic".

Seeing two guards rushing at them, Trevor took a large stone and threw it right at the head of the young guard, who instantly passed out. “Oh, you scum! Come here! " exclaimed his commander.

Trevor grabbed a piece of glass and prepared for a fight. Having barely dodged the swing of the guard’s sword, he hit him hard in the jaw. A few seconds of the enemy's confusion was enough for Trevor to slit his throat. He went to the second guard. “Trevor stop! He’s too young. Don't kill him.

- “Don't you care that he wanted to kill us on the spot? If not for his commander, we would already be dead! "

- “This recruit is afraid of everything, especially of the baron and his commander. Spare him, he is still a child " Trevor spat in the face of the lying guard. “Whatever! Faster, Irena, we must catch the Baron. His life will not be spared " He took the keys from the dead guard's belt and removed the chains from the sorceress. They began chasing the baron. The fresh air of the lively forest gave them strength. They managed to quickly descend to the beginning of the trail, where they overtook Ezor and his soldiers. Trevor lunged furiously at the baron, who was walking behind his guards. Hearing a cry, the soldiers turned around and tried to help the Baron, but an invisible force stopped them. In the distance, they saw a sorceress who held up her hands, glowing with a blue flame. "Step away, if life is dear to you!". The guards looked at each other, and after a moment they dashed off without looking back.

- “Please have mercy! I will pay you! " the baron screamed while Trevor knocked out his teeth. "Bastard! Traitor!" shouted Trevor, while beating the baron. "Trevor wait, you’ll kill him". Trevor stopped after another blow and turned to Irene - "Sorceress, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do!"

-"Take your time, vile traitors must die a slow and painful death!"

- “I beg you, don't kill me! Have mercy! I'll give you everything, to the last coin!

-" Step aside, Trevor, let me finish this. Your last words to Ezor von Vickcroft? "

- “You won’t get away with this! My brothers will avenge me! They’ll dismember you, savage! And you witch? Do you know what my brothers and all our soldiers will do to you?! " After these words, Irena calmly released a stream of flame at the baron's face. His hysterical death scream echoed throughout the woods “Well done Irena! You roasted this pig well! "

***

Finally, the warrior and sorceress sighed with relief. After so many extraordinary events, all they wanted was to have a good rest. In the village of Ulekh, Trevor and Irene were greeted as heroes. The curse was lifted. The shackles of evil magic no longer fettered the minds of the folk. For the first time in many years, laughter was heard in the village. The entire village gathered to see their saviors. After the people had calmed down, Trevor and Irena walked further through the village. “Now all I want is to take a hot bath,” Irena said. "And I would not mind having lunch and a glass of moonshine" "Okay Trevor, let's get some rest. See you later."

The herbalist treated Trevor's wounds and bandaged them, while the blacksmith brought him hot food and some mead. Local women helped Irene get a bath and fed her. The following hours the warrior and the sorceress slept like children. In the evening, when they were about to leave, all villagers gathered again to say goodbye to their saviors. Trevor and Irena left the village and went to the clearing in the woods, where they had camped before. “Well, sorceress, I’ll hardly forget such an adventure”

-"I agree with you Trevor"

-“However, the results are not too good. The Baron is dead and no one will pay us for the job. "

- "But we stayed alive Trevor, that's the most important thing."

-“Listen here, Irena. I have an idea. I managed to take something from the castle before it collapsed. " Trevor slowly pulled a small amulet from his pocket, glowing with a bright purple color. “I know a merchant in Oskhen who will pay a round sum for such thing. Let's sell it and share the pay"

Irena froze at the sight of the amulet. “Trevor… you don’t understand what this is. You do not know how much evil this amulet can bring to our world ... "

- “Irena, stop it. I don’t want to hear about any prophecies or other magical nonsense. After all these events, I am not going to leave empty-handed. "

- “I won't let you sell the amulet. You must give it to me. Right now!"

- “Why on earth, sorceress? Explain yourself!" shouted Trevor.

- “I can't tell you anything. You don't understand what's at stake. You'd better just give me the amulet and return home. "

- “I won't give you anything! What are you up to, witch? Do you want to make a fool of me? Betray me, just like that vile pig Ezor? Speak now! "

- “I can't tell you anything, Trevor. This is a secret that no one can know. It's too dangerous! "

- “What secret? Explain yourself, Irena! "

- “Trevor, I can't. Just give me the amulet. You have to do it!"

- “No,” Trevor said shortly. He got up and walked towards his horse.

- “Stop immediately! Trevor, give me the amulet now! Otherwise... " He pretended not to hear her and walked on to his horse until he felt cold in his legs. "What the hell!". He fell to his knees and dropped the amulet as ice wrapped his hands. "What are you doing?!"

She took the amulet, and looked sadly at Trevor "I shouldn't have trusted you... I won't just let go of this Irena!"

- “Forgive me Trevor, but you left me no choice. You don't understand what's about to happen. The fate of all Galdland, and perhaps the fate of all mankind is at stake. Over the past few days, you have repeatedly saved my life, and I am immensely grateful for this. However, I have to do so. I will not forget you northerner. Goodbye…”.

Trevor silently looked into the eyes of the young sorceress, whose silhouette slowly vanished into the shadows...