"What do you mean I won't survive it," Gad said.
Doran waited for some seconds before answering. Water dripped somewhere behind them, the only sound in the tunnel besides their breathing.
"The version I know," Doran finally said, "requires a life given completely. Not wounded. Not weakened. Given."
"Then how did my father do it and live twenty years afterward?"
"I don't know. I only know what I was told the night I made my own deal, and what I was told doesn't match what Vesk just described." Doran started walking again, faster now, torchlight bouncing unevenly against the walls. "We need to find Bellan. If anyone still alive knows the difference, it's him."
They moved through the tunnel in silence, the sound of Vantrell soldiers searching behind them growing fainter with distance.
