“It repels dark magic. If someone tries to curse you, the spell bounces back to the sender. But it only works once. After that, it burns itself out.”
“Noted,” I muttered while slipping it around my neck.
Valric snorted. This is better than nothing.
Morana tightened the bag at her side and turned back to me. “We leave in one hour. Tell your men to pack lightly. After the first five miles, the terrain will turn wild. Cars won’t make it. We go on foot.”
I nodded. “Jared and Alex will lead the rest. I’ll tell them to be ready.”
“And Kael,” she said as I turned to leave. “One last warning.”
I looked back.
“This forest isn’t just protected by magic. It feeds on regret. On fear. It will show you things. Things you think you’ve buried. You’ll need to fight through it.”
I stiffened. “Like h
