Pyres of Novigrad.
Santana hadn't been to the Free City of Novigrad in years, but she was sure that the pyres gracing Hierarch Square were a new acquisition.
Unfortunately, King Radovid seemed to have found who to demonize to redirect attention from the war. After all, whoever had Novigrad's control, and thanks to the money the citizens could provide, could win the upper hand in the war. And Radovid knew this.
The Square grew dark thanks to the shadows casted by the buildings that surrounded it, and as she got closer to the center of it, the clearer were the words coming from the man in charge of setting the pyres on fire.
"Our Novigrad – shining and brilliant! Pearl amongst cities! Cradle of the Eternal Fire! ", the man giving the speech in front of all the people seemed very passionate. His head and his beard were cleanly shaved, so what most stood out about him were his eyes. Blue as the sky. His left eye was diminished by an enormous scar reaching, almost, his chin.
He made a pause, taking his sweet time to throw a torch to the base of the pyre by his right. The sorceress tied to it started screaming immediately. The man tied to the other pyre could only watch, knowing well that that was the same destiny waiting for him.
"No evil can survive the Holy Fire! The Holy Fire enlightens, burns and cleanses! ", a few people repeated after him. "Behold the Flame of grace and mercy!"
But Santana couldn't look anymore.
How many supposed sorceresses had been burned at the stake already? How many mages, herbalists and alchemists? How many innocent people that were against that regime? Santana had seen at least three pyres: the two in front of her and one in the entrance. She just hoped that her contact was still alive.
Kitty Wilde had been her classmate at Aretuza, they weren't exactly the best of friends, but it was always a good thing to have someone to rely on when you were new at the best school of sorcery.
She knew it was dangerous to pay her a visit in full daylight, so she decided to head to The Chameleon, which she wouldn't have done if Brittany hadn't make it clear that the rumors about her and Mike were just that. Santana never had problems with him, they were always friendly with each other and she was eternally grateful with him for everything he had done for Brittany, so she supposed she could make a stop there to thank him personally.
Upon arriving she heard people yelling and something breaking. Three shabby people run past her, almost making her end up on her back.
"Santana?"
She entered The Chameleon completely, and even though she suspected who was the one calling her, she wanted to see them with her own eyes. It had been years since they last saw each other, after her time with the Hunt, her recovery at the hands of the Empire and her incessant search for Ciri, she hadn't had the opportunity to reconnect with people from her past, so the idea of doing it excited her.
"Artie!", she answered finally, making her way towards him to hug him. "Of all the people I was hoping to find here, you were definitely not one of them."
"I'm glad to see you again, too, Tana", Artie said while laughing. "What made you come to our colorful city?"
Santana took a seat in one of the chairs still standing near Artie. The place was a total mess, there were food and mead spilled everywhere, almost all the chairs and tables were destroyed and more than one window were broken.
"I'm looking for someone, Kitty, a sorceress, the most idiotic thing to be doing right now with all the witch hunts happening."
"Oh, my dear Santana, you are in luck", Santana looked at him confused, which Artie took as a signal to continue talking. "Kitty's been hiding, obviously, but she's come a couple of times in the past few weeks, she had an appointment today."
"Art, you make it sound like you two are having sex", Santana looked at him. "Gods, are you having sex?"
Artie just laughed. "Not yet. But that's not the important thing, if you need to talk to her, I know where to find her, although I still don't understand why you need her, are you in trouble?"
"No, no, it's nothing like that, at least not yet", she sighed, knowing full well that Artie had a right to know about the search that was taking place. "Brittany and I are searching for Ciri, we believe she's in trouble and that she needs our help."
Artie's face lighted up. Santana knew that he was going to be happy to know that Ciri was back, and even more so because of the implication that Brittany and she were back together. She was just glad to count on someone in Novigrad, at least meanwhile Brittany finished investigating Velen. Gods, she hoped that that was soon. She was starting to get worried because she hadn't felt Brittany trying to communicate with her.
"Santana, that's the best sentence I've heard in months. I'm serious", he extended his arms, so Santana could hug him again, and, after smiling and rolling her eyes playfully, she did. "Listen, why don't' you go upstairs and rest for a little bit? I'm sure there's a room that's not completely wrecked, after that I'll tell you how to find Kitty and you can ask me why this place is like it is."
Santana nodded and started to get up the stairs whilst Artie moved his chair between broken vases and rotten food.
Just as Artie had said, of the various rooms The Chameleon possessed, just one was in condition to be used. Santana didn't know what had made this place look so bad, and she sincerely couldn't wait to ask Artie.
Not even five minutes had passed when she started to feel a little throbbing in her head. She recognized the effect from the spell that she had put on Brittany and on herself, so she took a seat in the worn-out mattress that was on the floor.
"Uh… San?" though she hadn't explained exactly how the spell worked to her, Santana knew that Brittany would find a way to make it work. She always did.
"Britt, thank goodness, I was starting to get worried."
"I'm fine, I got here earlier than I thought, even with the roads so destroyed."
"I figured, there were battles everywhere a fortnight ago, I'm pretty sure that you will find soldiers from both sides in your search."
"Well, I assure you that I'm not really looking forward to that."
Santana could hear the telltale sounds of Novigrad in the distance. Merchants trying to sell their products, costumers trying to bargain the prices, chit chats between groups scattered around the Square, the fire from the pyres and the drowned scream of one of the two victims. She could swear she could still hear that man preaching about how great the city was and how they should unite the Church of the Eternal Fire. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if that ideology started to make itself present in all the other Northern Realms; Emperor Emyr was not fond of sorceresses nor people adept to magic, but at least he treated them as human beings, not like animals ready for the slaughter house.
"What about you? Is Novigrad still in one piece?"
"And I'm afraid that it will continue that way for a long time. There's no sings of the war anywhere, but they sure did a good job diverting the attention from that," Santana didn't want to worry Brittany, she knew that the moment that she knew about the pyres and the witch hunts she would do anything to reach Novigrad. "When you come here you'll understand, for now I can't talk much about it. But I'm fine, I'm safe and you wouldn't guess with whom I ran into at The Chameleon."
"Probably not Mike, that wouldn't be a surprise… some ex-lover that I have to worry about, perhaps?"
"Ha, ha, you know there's only ever been you," Santana felt how her own voice turned soft and her cheeks warmed up. She would never not be surprised at how Brittany made her feel, even if they weren't in the same room. "No, but, I want it to be a surprise, maybe that way you'll come here faster."
"Well, you know I love surprises," she was sure that Brittany wanted to say something else, but at the last time, she held her tongue. "I guess I shall hurry, then.I'd like to find that witch before it gets dark. Take care of yourself, yes? Don't get yourself in trouble."
"Me? Getting into trouble? Never."
They shared one last laugh before parting ways. She hoped Brittany's situation was easier that the one Santana was facing. After all, she would have to be extra careful with her movements, the questions she asked, with whom she talked and with whom she was being watched so she could avoid raise suspicion and not had a run face to face with the witch hunters. She could handle a few, but she had seen that the patrols were not far behind each other, so it was better to stay out of trouble while she was in Novigrad.
She rested a few minutes more and she got up to make her way downstairs, so she could talk with Artie one more time about Kitty and about what had happened with The Chameleon. After Brittany had mentioned Mike, she was curious to know where he was and why he had let the place go to waste like that. It wasn't something that the Mike she remembered would do.
Artie caught sight of her immediately.
"Well, what do you want to know?"
"First things first, where's Mike?"
Artie sighed. "I don't know. I've been wondering the same for several weeks know", Santana took a seat near him once more. "You know that after my accident Mike asked me to oversee The Chameleon, and it seemed like my best option, which it was, believe me, but some months ago Mike started to seem… distracted. He got out in the middle of the night only to return at midday the next day, sometimes he didn't even change his clothes and he could go on like that for days. As you can imagine, the business started to fail. More because of Mike not being here for his presentations than for the lack of money. Soon enough, people just stopped coming and a few days before he disappeared a group of bandits broke in and made all this mess."
"Is there some trace that we could follow to get to him?"
"Several, but all of them were dead ends. There's one that seems promising, but with so many things happening in the city I haven't been able to follow it."
"Perhaps I could help you."
"Yes, but right now you have to pay Kitty a visit."
Santana knew that Artie was right, but she couldn't avoid feeling in conflict. Mike had helped Brittany when she needed it most, the least she could do to help him was to help Artie and find him. If that lead was good enough, she could even use magic to know Mike's whereabouts.
"Trust me, when I get Kitty to help me I'll come back, and we will search for Mike, okay?"
"Don't worry, Mike can take care of himself, his persuasion abilities are still intact, if he got himself in trouble, he can make it out alive", Santana knew that both of them hoped that Artie was right, they even wanted for Mike to be doing what he was best at with the willing ladies of Novigrad, but it seemed that, for once, that wasn't the case. "Now, Kitty will probably be at the Putrid Grove", Santana snorted, and Artie rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry, that's such a horrible name. I imagine what kind of people are regulars."
"And you probably are right. Anyway, it's right next to Hierarch Square, the front is made of wood and the door is always closed. It has a peephole so, when they ask you who you are, say the password, 'the old sow's farrowed piglets.'"
Santana laughed again. She couldn't believe how ridiculous all of that was, but if all that ridiculousness meant getting closer to Ciri, then she was willing to even imitate the old sow's farrowing if necessary.
"Hilarious. Simply hilarious", she got up and patted Artie in the back. "You're my savior, Art, I'll see you in a couple of hours."
"Be careful, Santana."
She turned around before exiting The Chameleon and smiled. "I will, after all, we have a bard to save."
The man guarding the door looked at her carefully. Santana was almost sure that she would have to use a little bit of magic, so he could let her in, not really the best thing to do in broad daylight.
"Yer new around 'ere, eh?"
Santana nodded. "I just arrived, and someone told me that I could come here and rest for a little bit."
The man looked at her again, and after a couple of seconds he shrugged and opened the door for her.
She didn't know what she expected of a place called The Putrid Grove, but the name fitted. The yard, in its majority mud, was surrounded by several tall buildings that casted their shadows upon it and a nasty smell penetrated her nose. People were walking around, but one building caught her attention. It seemed to be the tallest one, and the torches lit near the door made it impossible for it to go unnoticed. That and the shadows that she could see from within made her think that it was the only one with some kind of activity, so Santana made her way towards it, carefully avoiding the mud so her boots wouldn't get dirty.
"You must help us! Without you we won't be able to get them all out of the city", a woman yelled.
"Kitty, listen to me, if you want to get them all out you're going to need much more than what you're asking of me, even with my help it wouldn't be enough. I'm not trying to screw you over on purpose, you must understand that."
"Am I interrupting something?" said Santana, hoping to stop that discussion of escalating to something more violent.
"Santana", mumbled Kitty, surprised to see her after all those years.
"Who's this, Kitty?"
"This is Santana Lopez, of Vengerberg", answered Santana with her head high and looking him in the eyes. If she couldn't take pride in her name, then she had nothing. After all those battles, all those political schemes, all those skirmishes that she had survived, she had become a sort of legend.
"Ah, the sorceress from Vengerberg. Nice place, hasn't suffered much because of the war, although it was easy for the Emperor to conquer Aedirn after the Dragonslayer disappeared mysteriously".
Santana rolled her eyes. She was certain that, after all the times she had done it that day, she would be blind by the end of it. Saskia, the Dragonslayer, had won the battle against King Henselt for Aedirn's control, but after what had happened at Loc Muinne, she had disappeared mysteriously, as the man had said. As always, Brittany had been involved in that story. She probably knew what had been of Saskia, but that was a topic for another day.
"Yes, I've heard that as well, and you are?"
"Francis Bedlam, King of Beggars", he answered whilst doing a small curtsy. "I can see you have urgent business, I'll let you to it."
Santana looked at Kitty.
She had bags under her eyes and her clothes seemed to have been worn more than once in that week. Santana hated looking at her in a situation like that. Being at the Academy they always thought that their futures were brilliant. Helping people, being the trusted advisors of Kings and Queens, making their names an institution. Now all of that seemed to be in the past, destroyed by the harsh reality of life and the intolerance and fear that some people felt towards their kind.
"Charming fellow, with what do you need his help?"
"It will be better if we talk somewhere else. Come with me, I have a job to do near the docks, we can talk there."
They got out of the Grove, making sure that no one was following them, and, even though they had capes covering their faces, with all the things happening in Novigrad, no precaution was enough. Kitty signaled a warehouse when they arrived at the docks and took a key from her bag to open the door.
"What's this job about?"
"It was a lie, I had to get us out of there", answered Kitty. After a long sigh, she continued. "I need Francis's help to get all of those who can be accused of magic out of Novigrad."
Santana was surprised. It seemed that the years hadn't passed in vain for Kitty, from being a spoiled selfish brat she turned into someone who wanted the help those in need. Her cause was noble, but Santana wasn't so sure about her succeeding.
"What do you need, exactly?", the Emperor had given her access to a lot of money without putting his chances of winning the war at risk. Maybe she could help Kitty with some crowns if she needed them.
"Money, time, and for more people to be aware of our effort to get them out of here."
"I could help you with the money, but I need you to do something for me in return. In other circumstances I would've done it without asking something from you, but I'm in a desperate situation, too."
"I figured, no one comes to Novigrad by their own free will if they don't have serious business to attend", said Kitty without a trace of resentment in her voice. "I understand, Santana, don't worry. How can I help you?"
"I'm looking for something that can lead me to Ciri, would you happen to know something? Haven't you heard a thing that could get me in the right track to find her? Something that Francis or his beggars said?"
"Ciri. It's good to know that she's back, though for the tone of your voice I'm guessing she's in trouble", Kitty tried to remember something that could help Santana in her search, but, unfortunately, there was nothing leading to Cirilla's whereabouts. "I can't recall something that you might find useful, but I know someone in the city who might be able to help you. Her name's Corinne Tilly, she has a room at the Golden Sturgeon."
"I'll go pay her a visit."
"When you're finished with that, go see me at The Chameleon, it's my hideout for the week", she said with disdain. It seemed that no one liked to be at The Chameleon lately, and Santana couldn't blame her after having see it with her own eyes.
"I will. Until then, try to not get caught."
She got out of the warehouse and followed the docks as if she was headed to downtown. In one of the corners was a little tavern with just two floors; the Golden Sturgeon was the same as she remembered. The costumers were normally tired fishermen who just finished their shifts and wanted to wind down, even the most tired travelers that only wanted to rest immediately after getting down of their ships.
She entered and got close to the bar.
"I'm looking for Corinne Tilly."
The woman in charge just made a gesture with her hand, indicating that she could find her in the rooms upstairs. Santana found it curious that, meanwhile some people with magical abilities were running away from the city or hiding so they could save their lives, Corinne seemed to be doing exactly the opposite. The only logic explanation that she could come up with was that Corinne somehow had been able to hide that she was a sorceress, but, how?
Santana followed the magic aura that she felt upon reaching the stairs until she got to a room almost at the end of the aisle. She knocked at the door.
"Yes?", she heard from the other side of the door.
"Corinne? I'm a friend of Kitty's, she told me that you might be able to help me with something."
The door opened, reveling a sorceress with light brown hair and green eyes. "Santana Lopez, to what do I owe this honor?", surprisingly, Corinne's voice didn't have that mocking tone that Santana was waiting for, she seemed genuinely surprised by her visit.
"I need you help to find someone, Kitty said that you could help me."
Corinne nodded and let her enter the room, locking the door behind Santana.
"I guess you don't know how I can help you, yet", Santana shook her head and Corinne continued. "I specialize in oneiromancy."
Santana blinked a couple of times. She had never met someone with such a gift, and with that knowledge she understood why it had been so easy for Corinne to hide and not raise suspicion from the Witch Hunters: oneiromancy wasn't associated with magic as other abilities were. It was thought that one could posses that ability without being a sorceress or a mage.
"So, based on my dreams you'll help me see the past."
"Exactly. Not just the past, I'll guide you, so you can find the answers that you seek for, but for that we must reach a… mental accord. I'll have to ask you some questions and you must answer them. It's of the utmost importance that you answer them truthfully and with your heart."
"I understand, but, first, could you explain to me how it functions, exactly? I had never met someone with your talent."
"It's hard to describe, I have to understand the bond between the person and the object that I have to dream, that's what the questions are for, so I can try to understand the feelings behind the bond", she paused for a moment. "I'm not going to see the dream, it's going to be you, I'll just guide you, so you see what you need to know in your dream."
Santana nodded. Talking about feelings had never been her strong suit, but, if her family was at risk, she would do anything. She would just have to maintain her composure while Corinne made her questions, questions that were going to go personal very quickly, she believed.
"Alright, to begin with, I need you to tell me a memory you have about the person that you're seeking", Corinne walked to a table and took a seat, indicating Santana to do the same after grabbing an apple from the fruit platter.
"Ciri, her name's Ciri", Santana thought about what she could tell Corinne about. Not because she was untrusty of her, but because she knew that the memory had to be complete. It had to really capture her feelings and her bond with Ciri perfectly. "I remember when I first met her. Brittany and I had had our ups and downs in the past, but, a year before Ciri came to us, we had decided to take some time away from each other. So, imagine how surprised I was when a little girl appeared at my door in my house at Vengerberg, with a letter from Brittany pleading me to watch after the child and to try and teach her how to canalize her magic", Santana laughed at the memory of Ciri, with her too big riding pants and a white shirt stained with mud and dust. "I was furious at Brittany for putting me in that position, because she knew that I couldn't turn Ciri away, not with those eyes and those chubby cheeks. With time, Ciri and I began to connect in a lot of ways, and yes, I missed Brittany like crazy, but Ciri had filled that void in me. Ciri is the best gift that Brittany has ever given me, and I'm still trying to find a way to repay her."
Corinne nodded. "I need you to tell me something more, if you agree."
Santana cleaned her eyes to stop the tears from falling. She could feel that Corinne was trying to not overstep and for that, she was thankful, but she knew that she had to continue so the dream could aim to be precise and show her what she had to know, so she continued.
"The first Yule we were together, was, ironically, full of firsts. For starters, it was Ciri's first literal Yule celebration, at least that she could remember. It was also the first time that she called us her mothers", Santana laughed again. "I will never forget her face when she asked us how she should call us if we were both women. Brittany was almost crying, and I was so shocked that I couldn't even think of what to tell her. We were paralyzed until Ciri began to look restless, thinking that she had done or said something wrong and I just, kneeled in front of her and hugged her, telling her that she could call us whatever she wanted. Obviously, she just smiled and told us that she was going to figure it out before she took off to play with the snow."
"That was beautiful, Santana, thank you for sharing it with me. Would you like to tell me something more?"
Santana swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"It was in Brittany's hometown, Rivia, were we almost died. After the end of the Second Nilfgaardian War things were… tense. A lot of villagers were starting to riot over races, turning against elves, dwarves, their own neighbors, I think it could've been the star of all this hatred towards non-humans", she paused and took a deep breath. "Brittany was trying to stop it, but a young man ran through and stabbed her with a pitchfork in the chest, it was the worst sight of my life, I didn't know what to do, so I tried to save her with magic. It wasn't working, though. And I was dying, too. The last thing I remember was Ciri getting us out of there. That was the last time we saw her."
"Thank you, I think we can work with that. Those were some powerful memories, Santana, it will be easier for me to help you."
Corinne signaled her to lay back on the twin bed at the other side of the room. Santana obliged, getting comfortable so she could fall asleep easier.
"Now, take my hand and I will guide you through your dreams."
Santana did as told and quickly she started to fall asleep. All the adrenaline of the day was finally leaving her, and she realized just how exhausted she really was. Soon enough, she started to dream. At first it was just flashbacks of all the memories that she had told Corinne about, but they changed quickly.
She dreamt of The Chameleon, when it was in perfect shape. She saw Mike arguing with someone and a swallow flying around his head. She realized that the swallow was the one Mike was arguing with. He seemed stressed, and the bird didn't stop pestering him until he nodded his head and slumped his shoulders in defeat.
As soon as it had started, it ended, and Santana woke up feeling disoriented. Corinne was still holding her hand.
"How much was I out?"
"A couple of hours, it's normal. Did you find something useful in your dream?"
"Yeah, I think I have to find someone else to find Ciri", she answered, exasperated. It seemed like she was never going to catch up with her, always a step behind but never really moving forward.
"I'm happy I helped you, you can stay here if you want, I have another bed", offered Corinne.
"Thank you, but I think I must get going, I have someone else to talk to and it's late", she got up and moved towards the door. "I'll be sure to give Kitty your regards, and if you need anything, please tell me, I'll be happy to help you in return", Corinne nodded one more time before Santana got out of her room.
The sun was already down when Santana left the Golden Sturgeon.
She felt that something was wrong immediately after turning left in one of the corridors that led to Hierarch Square. There were at least three shadows lurking around, and she knew she was in trouble when they started approaching her. Santana was not afraid to fight with them, but she was sure that, if she did that, someone innocent could get hurt, they were in an ally surrounded by houses, after all.
Santana realized the trouble she was in after seeing the coat of arms of the Witch Hunters in their clothes. By then, three more had closed her scape routes, and with nowhere to go, she decided that she would have to fight them to get out of there alive. She still had a lot to do, and she sure as hell wasn't going to die without seeing her family again.
"Sorry, boys, but I have places to be, if you excuse me", she began saying.
But the moment she saw the dimeritium bombs in their hands, she knew that It was a lost cause. Those things could block her magic for a short while, but it was enough for them to capture her. She closed her eyes and fired a lighting out of her hand, if they were going to get her, she was going to make them suffer for it.
Happy Brittana Anniversary!
I can't believe it's been a year since I started this story. It may not be the best work out there but it certainly has given me so much joy by writing it! Specially because it has my two absolute favorite things combined and because it has given me the opportunity to meet extraodinary people, looking at you like-rain-and-phones on Tumblr, love you, girl!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and be prepared because there's more to come! Don't forget to check the one-shots that I'll be posting (on AO3) so you can have more insight in this verse.
Let the festivities continue!