Page 46 of White Charms and Dark Secrets

To my surprise, he laughs. The sound of a goddess-only-knows-how-old, crazy-powerful demon chuckling at my sarcastic quip at him petrifies me for some reason.

“Look, umm, I just need to know something…” I begin.

He gestures with his hand for me to continue.

“Well... It’s just… is my bad luck caused by a demon’s curse? And if it is, do you know of a way to break it? Like actually break it, rather than just warding it off with a necklace?” I ask, watching his face for any tells of deceit.

“I don't know,” he answers simply.

“You don't know?” I echo in surprise, somewhat weirded out by his admittance of ignorance.

“It’s possible a demon is responsible for your curse, and if that were the case, yes, I have a theory on how to break it. However, there’s no guarantee it will work, and if it turns out the curse is not demonic in origin…” he trails off with a slight shrug.

“How likely is it that it's a demon curse?” I inquire, deciding to push my luck while the demon feels compelled to share for whatever reason.

“Considering the power the curse must carry to pass on through generations as it has, very likely. In fact, there aren’t many other options.”

“If it's a demon curse, could you break it?” I press, unable to stop myself. I need to know.

“I could... for a price.”

“What would that price be?” I ask.

“Shouldn’t you ask more important questions first? LikehowI intend to break it?” he drawls, ignoring my question.

I swallow my argument and make an attempt at diplomacy. “Fine, please tell me, how would you break this demon curse?”

“The little witch may just learn some manners yet,” he taunts, continuing on before I can snap back at him again. “It’s a quite simple ritual really. Regrettable for you I suppose, as it takes a demon to preform it, so you’ll have no choice but to come to me once you realise this is the only way out of your little predicament.”

“If it’s so simple, and I can’t do it without you, why don’t you just spit it out? What would I need to do?” I demand, crossing my arms.

“Patience, little witch. I’m getting there. No need to rush things,” he chastises. I give him an exasperated look, and he offers a wicked smile in return. “Fine, fine. It’s an ancient spell, but a simple one. It involves splitting your magic to kill the curse, so to speak. Your magic is divided and placed into four hosts, each holding a slice. The curse will die with its only fuel, your magic, inside of the host.”

“What happens when I get my magic back?” I question.

“Nothing. If it’s a demon curse, once it’s dead, it’ll be dead. When your magic is returned you, it will work as it should have had you never been cursed.”

“If that’s the case, why doesn’t the curse die when I wear a magic restricting item then?” I check, curious to know the difference.

“Even when you’re restricted from using your magic, it still resides within you. It still strengthens your body, extends your life, and swirls around alongside your soul,” Solas explains.

“Interesting,” I mumble, my thoughts trailing off.I wonder what I’d feel like with my magic completely removed from my body?

“Now, that’s enough of a free magic lesson from me today. When would you like to perform the ritual?” he asks with confidence, as if it’s a given I’ll pay whatever his price may be.

“I never agreed to anything.”

“But you will, little witch. You want free of that bad luck; you and I both know that. Maybe you don’t want free of it bad enough just yet, but you will. When you’re pushed to the edge and you know the only other option is to fall, you will reach for my hand.”

“Why do I feel like you’re just as likely to drop me as to help me up?”

“It’s probablymorelikely that I’ll drop you, but the fact remains, my hand is the only one that you’ll be able to reach,” he muses. That doesn’t sound dark and foreboding at all.Right.

“That totally wasn’t just ten different levels of unsettling,” I mutter.

“Well, if that’s all for now…” Solas begins.

“Wait!”

---