Rees met his gaze, "That's why there's a plan for it."
Oren's grey eyes narrowed, "I'm all ears."
The older man smiled and swirled the wine in his cup, "The black stone isn't going to be stolen."
Oren frowned, "Then what exactly are we discussing?"
Rees leaned back comfortably in his chair, "We're simply going to replace it."
Oren's eyes flicked toward the door before returning to him, "Replace it?"
"Yes."
"With what?"
"A fake one, obviously," the man raised a brow.
Oren chuckled slightly, "A fake Onyx Stone?"
Rees nodded. "Yes. An identical one."
For several moments, Oren simply stared at him. Then he laughed out loud. The man couldn't possibly be serious.
"You've lost your mind, Rees."
"Quite rude," the older lord twitched his lips and adjusted his coat.
"The artifact is one of the most protected objects in the Empire," Oren continued. "You think that would be easy to do?"
"I know it won't." Rees shrugged, "That's why Gaius is by our side."
