As expected, meeting was already in progress and what he heard confirmed his suspicion.

“… but 116 is way too much.” Someone was saying as Nick connected his ear to the glass again.

“From what I see the only real loss is elder Jan’s left hand. We will have to figure out how to compensate. Elder Jan, please let any of us know if there is anything we can do for you. We all are family here.” Grand elder was trying to calm the situation, “Alright, let’s not dwell on things we can not change. We can always come back to that topic later. Now to important stuff – elder Dinnar, report!”

“I have two finished copies, but I want three, maximum five days to go over them and check to make sure everything is fine. These seals were incredibly expensive and I don’t want anything go wrong. Two years ago that apprentice messed up the formation. Although we managed to summon partial Belial’s soul, it was ill intent after all. And, even if we caught him, he died without revealing anything. There might be other accomplices.”

Nick’s pupils shrank to the size of a needle, ‘The seals are ready?! Should I just run?’

“You will have around fifteen days. I will have my replenishment right before we will test the seals since I have to be at my full strength along side of you all. Take this time to recover energy, concentrate on meditation and calm your minds. The sealing of the rank six beast is not a joking matter.”

Nick had a silent sigh of relief when he heard what grand elder said, ‘I still have a chance!’

“I want to check on the beast more these days. He seems to have internal injuries and is not waking up.” Grand elder continued, “Even Belial had lost his interest, I wonder if he knows anything about the beasts condition. May be he can help us to wake him up.”

“Grand elder, I think I will speak for all of us here if I say that with the success so close we can not allow him to trick us into more contracts. If he manages to somehow secure a clause that won’t allow us to harm him in any way, not only we might be powerless, we might even pay a bigger price than during the last expedition. Never forget that we are talking about the Primeval demon Belial!” Elder Dinnar tried to persuade grand elder.

“Was just a thought, but I absolutely agree with you. During the next days try to avoid him. If he asks for his damned glass of milk – get an apprentice to bring one or two. Just don’t make any deals. Elder Dinnar is right – at this point we can not have any slip-ups!”

‘I guess it’s enough!’ Nick slowly made his way back. When he closed the door, the sound of footsteps could be heard. His heart stopped for a moment, but it turned out that the grand elder was just calling over and ordering around some apprentices.

Nick had been sleeping soundly for the last two months, getting full and deserved rest. But not this night. He sat on his bed thinking, not getting close to Elsa – it was already enough with the mental pressure, he didn't need any physical.

‘I have very little time. The grand elder will have his replenishment within four or five days. Just to be safe and to not miss the girls I have to be on guard in the library from the day after tomorrow.’ Nick was making plans, ‘I also need to inform the eagle. Ye, and feed it as well.’

Next morning, although he didn’t sleep much, Nick felt energetic. He had a lot to do today.

Morning procedures went as usual. Afterwards he went to the library, grabbed few pieces of paper wrote some random English words on them and went out to take a look at the bird. Grand elder was probably still in the arms of elder Agnes, so he Nick found himself alone near the cage.

Just in case someone was watching in secret, he conversed with eagle in whispers covering it with a small performance. Walking slowly around the cage with his right elbow in left palm and biting his right thumb, Nick looked perplexed and deep in thought. From time to time he kicked the cage.

“I have important news, but first I want to make a deal with you. If you agree with what I say, make a small snort like you are doing it in a sleep.”

This was the plan he decided on last night – to use the bird for his own escape.

Nick continued, “We both need to get out of here and I don’t have wings, but you do. So I will get your cage open and you will fly me to the city of Aurora.”

After few minutes Nick heard barely audible snort.

“Great. As you know, they want to put a slave seal on you, but that won’t happen in the next fifteen days. They have theory that you haven’t woken up yet because you have internal injuries.”

Snort sounded again. This time it was not any kind of confirmation, eagle snorted for real.

Nick found the pride of this beautiful beast amusing, but still continued, “I will not be able to bring you any more beast cores during the next five days – there is a place I have to guard for us to get the key to the cage. But if you make it look like you are injured, they will try to treat you and most likely feed as well. Two days later slowly start waking up, that will relax their attention and you will be able to drink and eat to replenish your strength some more. If everything goes as planned, five days later we will already be on the other side of mount Corbus.”

Eagle trembled and opened his eye a bit. They looked at each other while Nick kicked the cage and complained about the ‘dead chicken’ again. Then shallow snort followed and the eyelid closed as if it never opened in the first place.

Nick shook his head and proceeded to do his regular exercises.

After some time the grand elder with few others came out for inspection. They quietly discussed from time to time while pointing at the eagle. There seemed to be a blood flowing from eagle’s beak.

“No, don’t open the cage. Until we have sealed it – we are not taking any risks. This bastard has done enough damage and we don’t want to allow it to play any tricks.” Grand elder instructed, “Treat it through the cage and that should be enough. If it really doesn’t wake up in the upcoming days, may be we will have to think of something else.”

At this point Nick joined the group op elders, “I have made a few demonic runes here. If you put them around the cage, he will recover faster. Wanna trade?” He asked with a cheeky smile on his face.

“Thank you Lord Baal, we don’t dare.” Grand elder slightly bowed, “Elder Jan wants a pay back, so first he will treat this bird himself and then make it suffer.”

“Oh, then it’s all right, I guess. Just call me when you cook the chicken soup. Hahaha!” Laughing loudly Nick went back inside the library where he stayed for the upcoming days mostly reading and from time to time refining some simple mixtures at the workshop table. He drew attention to himself only two times when he shouted: “I’m about to read a new book, give me your question!”

The eagle, on the other hand, started to slowly wake up later next evening, but it still ‘couldn’t’ eat or drink as it was too week. It barely opened his eyes the day after, finally drank a bit of water and then passed out again. Treatment seemed to work, so elders felt relieved and relaxed a bit.

In the afternoon of the fourth day a small commotion went on in the library when apprentices brought in the victims for the grand elder’s replenishment. Nick’s heart was beating nervously – the main event had finally started!

He confidently strode towards the three girls and loudly said to apprentices, “Go to the side, let me take a look!”

But they turned to the grand elder in confusion.

“Listen to the Lord, bring them in after the inspection!” Grand elder looked at Nick, “Lord Baal, do you think that my yin is still unstable?”

“Hahaha!” Nick started to laugh, “How many years you have done this? Do you think you can fix everything in just a few months? Imagine, if you dig a big hole, can you fill it up with a handful of sand?”

“But Lord Baal, I don’t think I have anything to pay you with!”

“No big deal, just get me a glass of milk!” Nick waved him off while ‘inspecting’ the girls, “Oh, directly from elder Jan’s laboratories. I see you have paralyzed them already.” Nick nodded.

But his heart almost stopped, ‘Why? Doesn’t he usually start the process in the evening? Or the last time was an exception? How do I get into the bedroom now?’

What Nick didn’t know was that the grand elder did not have specific time when to start – he went according to his feeling. It was particularly noticeable during the last decades, when the periods between replenishments became shorter and shorter.

Nick went around the kneeling girls just like the last time, poked their foreheads and when he had his back towards the grand elder and apprentices, took a small bottle out of his sleeve and dropped few drops of water clear liquid on the heads and into the hair of each girl.

‘Since they already are paralyzed, there is no risk they could freeze on me here. Is that what they call a ‘silver lining’?’ While doing this Nick was still trying to think of way into the grand elder’s bedroom.

“The last batch seemed better, but these should do too.” Nick took the glass of milk from one of the apprentices and proceeded back to the table without any interest of what will happen next.

“Thank you, Lord Baal.” Grand elder said with a wide smile. He had gotten a good bargain again. During last few days the only thing Belial could get from them was just milk. It was great that this demon had such a weird taste.

After settling everything, apprentices left as well, but while Nick was trying to figure out a way how to get in the bedroom, the grand elder, to Nick’s big surprise, stood up and went out to the grand hall. Nick quickly followed him, and saw grand elder going towards the exit at the far end.

‘Is he going to kiss elder Agnes goodnight? Now is my only chance!’

Nick ran towards the grand elder’s bedroom, opened the door and saw a dimly lit, specious, but very simple room with no windows, but a bed in the middle and three girls kneeling at the side of it. On the left there was a small arch in the wall that looked like the entrance to a smaller chamber. The only things that were in the room were the bed with big carved demons on each of the corners holding a lighting rune formation in their hands, small cupboard near the bed also carved with demons and a wardrobe with beautiful caving on its doors.

Nick didn’t have time to appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship of the furniture. He had only two choices – hide under the bed or in the wardrobe. It took him a second to make a decision as he quickly climbed in the latter.

The reasoning was simple – from under the bed he could not see anything but there was a picture beautifully carved in the wardrobe doors. It was a demon fighting a bunch of humans – demon looked strong and heroic while humans were small and week. The eyes of those humans were made of small holes and Nick hoped he could see the room through them.