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Neen was woken by a hot tingling sensation in her injured wing. Her eyes sprang open in alarm and she found herself lying on her stomach on top of a table. She started to move but a firm hand pushed her back down.
"No, you mustn't move, the longer you can lay there the better your wing will heal," said Clix sternly.
Neen pushed back against his hand in an attempt to sit up.
"Do as he says Neen, we have precious little time available to let that stuff work so you need to stay perfectly still for every minute you can," said Sliver. Clix was in her way so she could not see him.
"What did you do to my wing?" she demanded.
"It's a very ancient recipe for a healing balm. Very rare these days and very expensive! It’s from my own private stock in fact and not something I'd normally share. Luckily for you Sliver is very persuasive with the butt of his gun," replied Clix showing his left pinkie finger, which was taped tightly to his ring finger so that the broken digit did not flop about.
Clix moved and Neen was finally able to see Sliver. He was sitting at nearby a table reloading both her pistols. Her hands automatically went down to her holsters to confirm they were empty. He looked over at her and noticed her alarmed expression and smirked.
"Don't worry I am just reloading them and refilling all your clips then you can have them back. You are going to need them where we are going."
"And where exactly is that?"
"Tell her what you told me Clix."
Clix paced back and forth nervously.
"When are you going to let me go?" he complained.
"When we leave you will be free to go and not a second sooner," growled Sliver.
"You heard that last news report while she was unconscious. The whole thing is out of control! They are evacuating the city and planning to bomb it to oblivion! We need to get out of here now!"
"Bombs! What?!" said Neen instinctively trying to sit up again only to have Clix pounce and push her down so she could not move.
"It gets worse. There have been reports of a possible second outbreak in Trendal. So far they appear to be containing that one, but they have shut down the sea ports, rail links and the airport."
"That's more than three hundred kilometres away!" replied Neen trying again to sit up only to have Clix push down firmly again to keep her in place.
"You would be wasting your time going there if that's what you are thinking. To move that distance in such a short time he must be teleporting. By the time you get there he will be long gone and you would just be walking into another army of undead. Even if you could kill them all you are only treating the symptom and not the disease. You need to need to find out how to reverse the spell," lectured Clix.
"How?"
"That's the fun part," sniggered Sliver. "We have to go see the elves..."
"Seriously?" asked Neen as she started to sit up again. This time when Clix pushed her back down she grabbed his injured pinkie and squeezed. He yelped in pain, but she did not let go until she had sat up. "No offense Clix, but we barely lived through a meeting with you! Imagine what the elves are going to do."
"I am not sending you to the elves. If only Sliver listened as well as he used his guns. I am sending you to one very specific elf. He goes by the name Heliodor. Contrary to what you may think Sliver, not all elves are alike."
"Where do we find this elf then?" asked Neen as she gingerly flapped her wings to test the pain threshold. The bullet hole had already closed over thanks to the magical balm and the pain had dropped to a level that was uncomfortable yet bearable. Sliver tossed her a map.
"Courtesy of Clix...after a little persuasion. We had better get moving. If they really are going to drop bombs on this place none of us want to be here when they land."
"My sentiments exactly, so at this point I will bid you both farewell," said Clix.
"Just remember Clix if I see you again or even suspect you are gunning for me I will make you hurt in ways you never thought possible," said Sliver his voice icy cold and menacing.
"And you should realise Sliver that we are all of us living on borrowed time if you two don't stop that wizard and reverse that spell."