Valentina strode through the smouldering wreckage, numbness sapping at her limbs as her heart beat hollowly in her chest. A tight knot formed in her throat as she absorbed the full extent of the damage, the true depth of what had taken place, all at the hands of her Vester.
Clutching at her lute, cradling it almost like a newborn child, the young bard gingerly sat on the scorched remains of a large crate, the wood charred black, but still strong enough not to crumble at her touch. She sat for a long, long moment, staring at the remains of Boggevrieg, utterly lost, trying to reconcile what she could see with what she remembered of the Wolf, the man she cared for above all others. It seemed impossible, and yet she'd known what he was, ever since that day she first met him. Silence closed in around her as memories rose in her mind unbidden.
~o~0~o~
"I wasn't expecting to find such a pretty little thing sitting all alone in a place like this."
The sudden words, along with the abrupt presence at her side, snapped Valentina out of her thoughts. The sights and sounds of the tavern flooded back into her mind. Around her, the denizens of the Prancing Manticore, a small but popular tavern on the road between Velen and Vizima, drank raucously, sharing tall tales, ogling the serving girls, and generally making merry, a warm and bright point of light in the vast darkness of the Temerian nighttime.
At being disturbed from her reverie, the young bard started a little, turning to face her unexpected companion, breath catching in her throat a little. Beside her stood a most striking woman, clad all in sapphire blue and gold. An array of jewels lay across her breast, fine opals set in intricate designs of white gold. And yet, no one paid any heed to her adornment, instead transfixed by the beauty behind them. A torrent of golden locks flowed across slender shoulders, framing a delicate jawline and graceful neck perfectly. High cheekbones and a defined chin spoke of Koviri ancestry, but the luminous teal eyes betrayed something else, something almost inhuman, perhaps Elvish. And those gleaming eyes were fixed squarely upon Valentina. The young bard could almost feel the envy radiating off many of the men, and even some of the swarthier women, scattered around the tavern.
As Valentina struggled to find words to reply, blood quickening just a touch inside her veins, her newfound companion smiled, lips painted crimson parting to reveal pearly white teeth.
"Would you object if I joined you, my pretty little bird?" She asked.
The woman smiled again, seating herself beside the bard without waiting for a reply. Not that Valentina could have objected, if she'd even wanted to. Words still escaped her. Fortunately, the woman seemed to have more than enough at her disposal.
"I saw your performance earlier." A hand, decorated with a beautiful golden ring, gestured towards the stage, where now a local lad with a flute played, poorly. "Valentina, wasn't it? A beautiful, graceful name. Well matched to your talent."
"Th-thank you, my lady." Valentina's mouth permitted her to say, although the words felt thick, heavy. The scent of the woman's perfume, a mixture of wildflowers and berries, filled her nostrils. Her head felt light as she breathed in the aroma, feeling a heat she was not used to rising in her belly.
"No need for such formalities, little one!" She smiled again, the sight of those white teeth sending thrills of electricity down Valentina's spine. "Let us break down the social barriers of our classes, at least for a little time. For tonight, you may call me Capricia. Now, tell me, where did you study your art?"
"I... I learned from watching the musicians who came to visit my village." Valentina explained, clarity returning to her thoughts as she looked down at the lute, her lute, in her hands. "I could never afford to go to one of the grand musical colleges in Novigrad or Beauclair, so made do by practicing on the road, from inn to inn."
"Naturally gifted?" Teal eyes flashed with unreadable light. "A rare thing indeed. You are indeed a treasure!" She leaned closer, the floral scent on her skin filling Valentina's mind. "I would love to hear you sing for me, little bird."
Valentina felt her heart skip, twitching in her breast feverishly. She couldnt deny that this Capricia was truly beautiful, far more elegant than any other woman she was used to the company of. The purring undertone to her voice stirred something deep, primal, within her. Something she wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to try and control. Capricia smirked, seeing the flush of scarlet that crept across the bard's cheeks. She leaned closer, her breath warm in Valentina's ear.
"Why don't we go somewhere a little more... private, where you might serenade me?"
A lump bobbed in Valentina's throat, keeping her from uttering a single word, her body instead only allowing her to nod her assent. Before she knew it, a surprisingly firm hand curled around her arm, guiding her to her feet as Capricia led her through the crowded tavern towards the door, the crowds parting before the noblewoman's determined stride. The young bard could do nothing but be swept up in her wake, soon taken from the warmth of the inn and out into the cool air of the Temerian countryside. As they stepped out under the clear skies of the night, Capricia slowed, her grip on Valentina's arm shifting to instead gently curl around her elbow. With a more measured pace, the noblewoman leading the way on an almost languorous stroll.
"I do so adore this northern land." She explained, waving a hand in an expansive gesture around her, drawing in a deep, satisfied breath. "The people's ways are different from those of Touissant, much cruder, but the air is so much more alive, cleaner. The scent of rain is ever so refreshing." She turned to face Valentina, eyes flickering in the moonlight. "Did you know that the magi have a word for this aroma? Petrichor, I believe they call it."
"I... did not know that." Valentina answered, a little confused by the sudden turn of the conversation. Capricia smirked, clicking her tongue.
"I can see there is much you have yet to learn, my little bird. And much that I can teach you, it would seem."
"I am always happy to learn." Valentina answered. The smile that Capricia gave her was an unreadable mystery.
"I am so glad to hear that." The woman turned, her dress swirling around her in a shimmering ripple as she found a tree stump to sit upon, folding her hands elegantly in her lap. "Now, please, serenade me, my beautiful little songbird. What melodies can you recall from your travels? Perhaps something that can prey upon the heart and the soul."
"Well..." Valentina paused a moment, mind racing. What ditty could she recite that would satisfy such glamorous company? Surely not any of the drinking songs she usually sang to the drunken masses. But then, in a flash of inspiration, a song long forgotten. "I do have one song, a song my grandmother used to sing."
"Perfect." Capricia's smile glowed, white teeth reflecting the pale moonlight as her eyes gleamed in the gloom. "Please, sing to me."
The purred words had such force behind them, such authority, that Valentina felt as though she could not resist. Before she was even aware she was doing it, her hands clasped her lute, fingers gently caressing the strings. Melodious notes rose into the night air. She drew in a long breath, summoning up the words as the music danced around her, a slow, mournful waltz in the air.
"Grave divide 'tween husband and wife,
Bloody hands of blame,
Yearned for love, but hate's what he found,
Vengeance calls his name..."
Calm overtook her mind, banishing all other thoughts as she lost herself to the ballad, eyes closing as she swayed with the rise and fall of the lyrics. A single tear balanced in the corner of her eye as she reached the final couplet, allowing the last note to slowly fade into the cold air. When she finally opened her eyes again, Capricia was watching her with sharp eyes, something flashing deep within her gaze.
"Truly exquisite." With a rustle of shifting silk, she stood, moving close to Valentina once again. "You have a rare gift, my dear Valentina. One I have only seen a few times in all my days. Truly, I am privileged to have you all to myself, here and now."
Before the bard could react, Capricia suddenly reached out to grab her arm again, quickly dragging her towards the back of the inn. The suddenness of the motion caused Valentina to lose her grip on her lute, the instrument dropping to the ground with a hollow thunk as it came to rest in a tuft of grass. The bard tried to resist the pull of the noblewoman for just an instant, protective instincts for her lute, her most prized possession, overriding her thoughts, but Capricia's firm grasp could not be denied, the older woman showing surprising strength for one so delicate. She ducked into the gap between the main building of the inn and the stables, taking the bard with her. The smell of travel-weary horses washed over the pair, wild, musky, animal. Valentina could feel the scent doing something, deep in her brain. As she struggled to regain her senses, the noblewoman was suddenly upon her, pinning her against the wooden wall of the stables. Capricia leaned in, placing an insistent kiss on the young bard's jaw, just a hair's breadth from her ear, and sending electric spasms through her very core. The bard shivered under the older woman's touch, Capricia reaching up to run her fingers through Valentina's hair. A small moan escaped from Valentina's throat before a quick, rough kiss clamped her mouth shut.
The bard's mind whirled as she slowly but surely lost herself to the moment. This was insane. She'd just met the woman, and now she was being used as this... this... plaything! An idle distraction. She should have been insulted. And yet... and yet... one look into those teal eyes, and every protesting voice in her mind fell silent. Giving in to the raw instinct that flooded her senses. She wanted this, to be taken, to surrender utterly, to give herself completely. She reached up to cup Capricia's cheek, to stroke the silken-soft skin with her fingertips.
It took a moment for the wrongness to register in her mind. Where she had expected to find tender, warm flesh, she could only feel a cold, leathery substance. She tried to draw back, to see what her hand had found, but Capricia was incessant, diving in for another long, passionate kiss. Valentina tried to focus, but her mind would not co-operate, the foggy influence of lust and animal need clouding her thoughts. She opened her eyes to regard her companion, taking in the golden hair, the glimmering jewels, the feral yellow eyes, the fangs...
Awareness flooded her mind in an instant, primal survival instincts kicking in as sudden realisation of the peril she faced reached her. Her muscles tensed, giving her a burst of adrenaline as she pushed Capricia away, managing to drive her assailant back a full step.
The woman before her no longer resembled anything human. Her features had twisted, skin pale, almost translucent. Her eyes had sunk into their sockets, deep black hollows surrounding them. Her mouth, so perfect before, was now little more than a ragged, bloody red maw, filled with needle-like teeth. even her body, so slender and well-fromed before, had now taken on an almost skeletal physique, muscles drawn tight across bones, skin weathered and gnarled with age.
Valentina opened her mouth to scream, but a clawed hand darted out to grab her by the throat, instantly cutting off her airways and rendering her mute. In the end, only a strangled gurgle could escape from the young bard's lips.
The monster, whatever it was, opened its mouth wide, fangs flashing in the dark. It let out a long, low hiss, before leaning in, lifting Valentina bodily off the ground as it made ready to sink its teeth into the young woman's throat.
The sound was so small, Valentina almost missed it. A click, a low ticking, followed by a sharp thud of metal hitting wood. Something struck the wall by her head, bouncing off the wooden boards, the monster's shoulder, then coming to a rest in the dirt. Valentina barely registered any details, the blackness of unconsciousness already clouding the edges of her vision, but she recognised whatever it was as a small, spherical lump of metal and glass. Inside, something silvery glimmered in the moonlight. The monster, releasing a puzzled snort, glanced down to where the object had landed in the dirt. Then, an instant later, there was a loud pop, followed by a bang, and a blindingly bright light.
In that moment, the pressure on Valentina's throat vanished, the monster's hand withdrawing as it clutched at its eyes with a tortured howl. The bard dropped to her knees, rubbing at aching eyes and gasping for air. Something hung in the air around her, a fine mist of some silvery substance. It scraped at her eyes, clung to the inside of her throat, but the monster seemed to be faring much worse with it, shrinking back in pain wherever the metallic fog touched it.
"AARD!"
The word barked out through the night, and suddenly the monster was lifted bodily off its feet by an invisible hand and flung into the nearby wall, splintering wood as it struck before tumbling to the ground.
Valentina searched for the source of the attack, looking up from her kneeling position to see a tall, menacing figure standing close to her, looming over her like a giant, elder tree. In the dim light, she could not make out many details, but the silver sword in its hand could not be mistaken, nor could the glowing yellow eyes. Around its neck, a glimmering silver pendant in the shape of a wolf's head betrayed the figure's true nature.
With a growl, sword raised high, the Witcher charged at the beast.