Roscoe added, âEmerie is next in line to be the chief.
She claimed to be over eighty years old but maintained her youth through blood transfusions and pills made from parasites.
They keep many Living victims here for their need to suck blood.
â
The depth of their insanity horrified Nicole.
She asked, âWhat happens if the soul transfer doesnât work?â
Roscoe paused, visibly uncomfortable with the details.
Nevertheless, he continued, âIf it fails, they engage you in a special alcohol solution.
If you survive an hour, your soul weakens, allowing the chiefâs soul to invade and replace yours.
They consider that a success.
â
Nicole stood in stunned silence, her mouth gaping wide in disbelief.
These people were monstrously cruel, perpetuating a gruesome myth.
The idea of numerous people being exploited to preserve their youth was disgusting.
Roscoe added quickly, âThese people arenât native to Ambrosia.
Their ancestors came from a different country and secluded themselves in our mountains to carry out these heinous acts.
They avoid interaction with outsiders, and many witches here are related, passing on their depraved rituals from one generation to the next.
â
The more Nicole heard, the more preposterous it sounded.
Roscoe insisted, âYou have to leave now.
You canât take them on alone.
â
âNo, weâre leaving together,â Nicole declared firmly.
Roscoe had never left her side, and she wasnât about to leave him behind.
âI need to stop them once and for all,â Roscoe finally disclosed his real plan.
âYouâre not going at this alone, Roscoe.
Weâre breaking out of here and getting some backup.
Then weâre storming back in to deal with them!â Nicoleâs eyes blazed with determination as she laid out her plan.
âThereâs not enough time!â Roscoe scratched his head, his expression clouded with concern.
âItâs not that easy.
Even if we make a run for it now, weâll run smack into the villagers Iâve got waiting for us halfway down the mountain.
Itâs a three-day trek to safety.
By the time we come back with reinforcements, a whole week will have passed, and those witches will have disappeared into thin air.
â At that point, the captives would likely have been silenced.
This presented a rare opportunity.
The chiefâs body-switching ceremony had convened all the witches back to the valley, creating an ideal moment to eliminate them entirely.
âBut the responsibility to elim inate them shouldnât rest solely with you,â Nicole said.
âHow are you feeling? And what about your memory loss and sudden compliance?â She shot her questions.
Roscoe stayed quiet, realizing the impossibility of explaining everything in such a brief exchange.
âNicole, you must leave now.
Immediately,â he asserted firmly.
âNo, weâre leaving together,â Nicole insisted, her resolve outmatching his own.
She couldnât endorse a mission she deemed suicidal for someone she deeply cared about.
âNicole, Iâm staying.
â Roscoeâs voice held firm, yet tinged with a hint of helplessness.
He knew only one of them could make it out of there.
Nicoleâs voice softened into a plea.
âRoscoe, please listen to me.
We need to get help.
You canât handle this alone.
There are too many Gy and have control over the and those them, they serpents parasites.
.
â
The thought alone sent shivers down Nicoleâs spine.
It was akin to signing a death warrant.
How could she endure the thought of Roscoe facing it alone? No matter what, she couldnât allow someone she cared for to sacrifice themselves.
âNicole, if they find out I helped you escape, theyâll kill me regardless.
Thereâs no need for both of us to meet our ends this soon, right?â Roscoeâs eyes met Nicoleâs, their gentleness underscored by determination.
âGet out of here and live on.
Think about Austin⦠He needs you.
â
Tears welled up in Nicoleâs eyes.
âWhy are you doing this?â Why knowingly walk into such danger? She couldnât quite comprehend.
Roscoe couldnât reveal the full truth yet.
He had struck a deal with a foreign family to eradicate these witches in return for their assistance in dismantling the Watts familyâs international operations.
It was the sole path to liberate himself from Miguelâs grip and ensure Nicoleâs and Austinâs safety more effectively.
The mere idea of failing to protect Nicole and Austin pierced Roscoeâs heart like a dagger.