Chapter 370 - 370

"To be honest, I was surprised. I did not expect to come so soon or really accept our invitation." Allias said. They had gathered at the meeting room. Amelia had arrived almost instantly after he had received the letter, standing in the palace's gates with a long skirt that moved with the wind. It was a deep green color matching perfectly her golden bracelets and lockets around her neck. 

"It was not really an invitation was it? More like a plea for help." She said with a faint grin on her face and Allias mimicked her expression. She was right, they were desperate and needed her help. Hiding could easily turn her away from them. "So, what is it that you need me for?" she asked them, her long fingers taking a hold of the tea cup. She smelled it first, satisfied with the delicate fragrant before her full lips touched the white porcelain. 

"Ares, my brother. He has been kidnapped, by a demon called Vines." Theseus said and the witch laughed. 

"You really do have a tendency of picking the wrong enemies. But tell me how could I help you with this?" 

"We need you to help us track Vines." Allias explained. "And, we will need you on what's about to follow with Ares. A spell has been cast on him. One that helped Vine fake his death. It's called…"

"Tempus Mortis." Amelia said. She didn't need to hear more. It was clear enough what they needed her for. A very ancient spell, complicated magic that dwelled in the deepest parts of the source. She looked at her reflection through the small tea cup. A frown was forming on her beautiful face as she kept thinking about the spell. 

"Yes, you are right. This is the spell and we know that is really hard to remove it. We will need you to help us with it. Of course we will give you everything you desire." Allias told her. "Gold, jewels, whatever you want." 

"I really shouldn't have come here. I was curious you see. But this, this spell is old. Really old and honestly I don't know how to help you." She told them while shaking her head. It was almost ridiculous. She couldn't really understand why she had found herself in the first place there. 

"I think you are strong enough." Mark stepped in. "I mean you did leave an open portal in my brain for this guy to get in." the red haired said and pointed at Asmodeus. He was standing on the far back of the room, curled in a corner while he heard everyone else talk. Amelia's eyes landed on him and a surprised gasped escaped her lips. He met her eyes with a cheeky smile, showing his sharp fangs before he talked to her. 

"Thank you for that by the way. I had been searching for soooo long." He told her. 

"Back to the point." Allias ordered, not wanting any distractions. "Can you help us spot him? The demon. Then once Ares is back home we can look into it. What's important for us now is to be able to secure his body." The king explained. 

If it was something as easy as tracking someone she could definitely do it. It was what came afterwards that worried her. If she actually helped them that would mean she was clearly stating her alliance with the elves. Would she want to side with them, a crumbling nation that was nothing compared to its old glory or would she prefer to stay out of it and possibly get the help of the demons if she needed it?

"What about Achlys? What is she saying about all this?" Amelia asked, wanting to know a bit better about the situation. 

"Achlys is dead. I turned her into dust." Allias said. "Her, about two hundred other demons too. I also brought her castle to the ground." He announced and Amelia's brown eyes widened in shock as she heard the news. She had been making sure to stay informed about everything that went on in the Veil but as it seemed this was a piece of information that the Council didn't want getting out. "You shouldn't be afraid of the demons. I will protect you in case anything happens." He told her and the witch scoffed, staring at the elf with a judgmental look. 

"A king of a ruined nation with one hand will protect me against hordes of demons that might come after me after I help you." She told him and Allias laughed. 

"So, look at me." The elf king told her. "Look at me and tell me, I know for sure your intuition is great, you're a witch after all. Could I protect you against a horde of demons? Me, the king with one hand and a ruined nation behind me. Look at the men in this room, do you dare to tell them they are weak?" he asked her with a cocked eyebrow and Amelia looked at them one by one. 

"You can call me weak I don't get insulted. No offense taken." Mark said with a kind smile and Asmodeus tried to hold his laughter in. 

"So? What will it be? Will you help us?" Theseus asked her. His voice was cold, like it always was when he met people he wasn't really familiar with. The woman crossed her arms over her chest, a sigh escaping her lips as she took a few seconds to think. 

"I want Queen Atalanti's grimoire in exchange for my help" she stated and Allias stood up. 

"You must have gone mad!" He exclaimed. 

...

I just want to say that I was really planning on keeping Ares dead but y all were sad about it so now I have to think of a whole new Arc to write about and I am stressed. Because we are 370 chapters in and my braincells are slowly ending. I've used them all. 

But do tell me in the comments please, how does the book look so far? Some encouraging words would be helpful. Thanks for reading!