The road was soaked with rain and littered with puddles. They did not progress as fast as they did the day before. Two days ago, they had left behind the densely populated area along the Pontar and were now on the road to the pass in the Kestrel mountains that separated Redania from Kaedwen.
Occasionally they passed farms or hunting lodges, but mostly they rode by themselves for hours. Calling the well-trodden but otherwise unpaved path a road was pretty much a euphemism.
In the last few days drizzle and heavy rain had alternated. Now the sky cleared slowly and promised at least a few dry hours.
Leaving the still muddy road was not an option, as the surrounding terrain was already rocky and there was scree everywhere, so the horses couldn't trot properly.
At dusk, it became increasingly difficult for Thalia and the two guards to avoid the deeper mud puddles. So they set up their camp near a creek not far from the road.
When the horses were unsaddled and cared for, Thalia took her bag to the creek to wash some of her laundry. At her request, Jonas had built a makeshift rack from a few nearby branches, on which she could dry her wet clothes near the newly lit campfire.
"Here you are, Magister." Jonas smiled shyly at her as he set up the slightly shaky construction. "Can I ... can I do anything more for you?"
"I'm fine, Jonas. Thank you for your help." Thalia couldn´t quite interprete Jonas´ expression. What was wrong with the young guard? Before Thalia could ask him if something was worrying him, Jonas turned around and joined Olbertz who already arranged playing cards on a fallen tree trunk at the edge of the camp.
Thalia went to the brook and began to do her laundry. She heard the low voices of the two guards arguing about something – probably those confusing Gwent rules again ... The witcher had announced that he wanted to go hunting in the local area to ensure that they would have something for dinner. He was gone for half an hour now.
The prospect of a hot meal had greatly helped to lift Thalia's mood. Even after the heavy rain at noon today it had drizzled again and again, so that she got chilly despite her travel coat.
Luckily it had dried by now.
With her saddlebag lying on the brookside beside her, Thalia rubbed the first pieces of laundry with a bar of soap and washed the dust and sweat of the last days out of the fabric. In her mind, she returned to the conversation she had had with the witcher yesterday. He had stopped his horse for no apparent reason and had gestured to his companions that they should stop as well. He had then listened with high concentration, seeming reassured after a few minutes, and gestured for them to ride on.
When she asked him about it, he answered that he heard a group of Nekkers at about a mile away, but that they'd gone in the opposite direction and didn't pose any danger.
Thalia herself hadn't heard the slightest suspicious sound. Eskel had explained to her that the mutations undergone by witchers in their early youth led to an extremely sensitive sensory perception. Unfortunately, he didn't tell her more about that topic.
Thalia would have been thrilled to ask him about the ways in which these mutations were induced and about their side effects. She was almost bursting with curiosity at the thought of the elixirs that were used.
But to her utmost dissapointment Eskel immediately changed the subject. She would not give up so fast however.
Surely there'd be another opportunity to ask him again.
A faint sound nearby made her sit up and observe her surroundings carefully. The voices of Jonas and Olbertz had fallen silent. Did one of them go behind the bushes to relieve himself?
There it was again!
And it sounded more like a soft but deep chatter - Thalia had never heard such a sound before, that she was certain about. And it was sufficient to give her goose bumps. Stunned, she held her breath and peered out of the corner of her eye into the shrubbery to her left. She gave a piercing shriek as a gray-skinned arm appeared between the leaves.
Eskel grabbed the rabbit's hind legs and tied it to his belt with the other three he had already killed. Although the rodents were rather thin, four would be enough to fill their stomachs.
He wiped his hunting knife on the moss that covered the floor and put it back in his bootleg. As he was making his way back, he heard a scream at a distance. He knew exactly who'd let out that yell.
An rush of adrenaline went through his body. He jumped up and ran back to the camp as fast as he could.
As soon as he'd passed half the distance he heard it: a snattering sound, still rather silent but undoubtedly notable for an experienced witcher.
Hopefully it wasn't already too late. Hopefully, Jonas and Olbertz would be able to protect the alchemist and keep the Nekkers at bay until he reached the camp.
Why had he been so careless to move so far away from the camp? Yesterday, he had heard a group of Nekkers - at a safe distance, but that should have been warning enough to him. If anything had happened to her then it was his fault, his carelessness ... A loud bang tore him out of his thoughts.
With trembling fingers, Thalia tried to sprinkle the powder into the narrow opening of the pipe - nearly half of the black grains fell next to it and spread on her leg. She crouched on a branch three meters above the ground, trying to ignore the chattering creatures standing around it's trunk, striking at her feet with clawed hands.
Panic had taken hold of her. Her heart was racing, her breath coming in bursts, some sobbing, some whimpering from her mouth. One of the creatures lay on the ground next to the creek, his chest torn to pieces by the lead bullet that she had shot down with the "fire crossbow" on it.
A few seconds after she spotted the first monster in the bushes, her shock-induced paralysis was abruptly gone. Immediately she had reached into the saddlebag, pulled out the device, which had been lying under her dirty laundry, and activated the fire mechanism. Luckily, she'd stowed the prototype ready to shoot in her bag - in case of raids by bandits, she wanted to have at least a chance to defend herself.
What happened next was a surprise to both of them.
During the tests three weeks ago, the sound of the firearm had been much quieter, now it basically roared.
But the device served its purpose. The monster dropped to the ground, its pack backed away. This gave her enough time to reach for her bag, throw it over her shoulder, and climb one of the trees a few yards away.
She would never have thought it possible to climb a tree that fast. First, she slipped a few times on the damp bark, but then she caught a strong branch and pulled herself up. Unfortunately, she had no idea whether these monsters could climb or not. As she tried to get the gun ready for a second shot, she cried out for help as loud as she could. Where was this braggart Olbertz? And where did Jonas go? Did they get caught off guard and perhaps overpowered by the beasts? Hopefully, oh hopefully, the witcher heard her screaming. Why did no one come to help her?
When Eskel reached the camp, he immediately saw her sitting on a crooked tree, surrounded by eight Nekkers and desperately calling for help. One of the Nekkers tried to jump up the tree and hit her leg with his claw. Thalia sent him back to the ground with a strong kick on the head.
While running, Eskel pulled the silver sword out of the scabbard on his back and sent the Nekkers closest to him to the ground with the Aard sigh. The ogroids were unable to put up a defense to his sword. One tried to pounce on him from one side and drive his claws into his shoulder. But Eskel performed a pirouette and separated the head from the Nekker's body. Taking advantage of the momentum of the spin, he slashed another Nekker's ribs and the next one's arm.
The Nekker, that previously had been lying stunned on the ground, slowly straightened up and disappeared, half crawling, half running, into the shrub. Another one was stabbed by the sword into it´s entrails. This sight made sure that the last two attackers lost their courage and they hurried after their already fled comrades as fast as they could.
Eskel listened - the Nekkers covered an ever-growing distance, so they did not lurk in the bushes for the next opportunity to counterattack. In other circumstances, Eskel would have chased them and killed all members of the group. But one look at Thalia was enough to realize that he could not leave her alone now.
Even if she had been prudent enough to save herself in the relative safety of the tree, the panic of the last few minutes now gripped her. Tears ran down her cheeks, she sobbed loudly and looked at him in confusion.
"You can climb down now, they're gone."
It took her a few seconds to react. She tried awkwardly and shakily to get off the tree. Eskel helped her and lent a hand as she jumped down from the lowest branch. To his amazement, she threw her arms around him and held onto him tightly, clinging to him just as before to the saving tree trunk. She was shaking. Eskel hesitated for a moment, then put his arms around her and held her until she calmed down.
"They're gone. It's over." Slowly, her breathing calmed. She released herself from the embrace, wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I probably lost my nerve. It happened so fast…"
"Where are Jonas and Olbertz?" Eskel asked.
"I have no idea. They were sitting by the fire, I was washing my clothes in the stream and suddenly this beast appeared next to me. What are these creatures? Are those Nekkers?" She squatted next to one of the carcasses to take a closer look at the monster.
"Yes, quite large ones in fact. They´re always hunting in groups. Normally, they stay away from fire and tend to be fearful when they smell more than one person ... "
"I have only seen pictures of such monsters in my books so far. Those claws ... We have to look for Jonas and Olbertz – I hope they were as lucky as I was..."
Despite his sensitive hearing, Eskel could hear no sound from the two guards. He walked a bit further along the course of the stream. Behind a group of trees they had left the horses for the night. But instead of the expected five animals, he only found Scorpion and the alchemist´s mare. There was no trace of the mounts of the two men and the packhorse. A suspicion arose in Eskel ... He went back to the camp and examined the surrounding bushes. There it was - a fine, but perceptible odor. Slightly sweetish, like rotting meat, mixed with pheromones. A Nekker bait. "Looks like our guards and three of the horses are up and away. Their bait attracted the beasts." "What?" Thalia gave him a doubtful look. "I can't believe - Why should they do that? I mean ... I could have been killed by those critters!"
"Look – this bait is made specifically to attract Nekkers. This is not something that happens to lie in the bushes. I bet there are more of them nearby. They were waiting for the right moment - I have been far enough away and you were distracted."
Thalia was still stunned. "But why? Why are they just disappearing with the horses? Oh no - my instruments! My ingredients!" The realization hit her like a shock. "By all Gods. I never thought they would go that far ... "
"Who would not go that far?"
"The Efferens. The family of my competitor at the academy. Alric Efferen has also applied for the professorship. He's been playing unfair all the time, using his family´s relationships and money to gain an advantage. But that he would go so far as to bribe Academy employees to sabotage me - or even kill me ... Those bloody bastards! "
"Well, I couldn't have said it better. We should get out of here. The baits will attract even more Nekkers, this is no longer a safe place. Let's pack everything together. I suggest we ride a little further and setup our camp on one of the small plateaus over there. We should be safe there from any further surprises."
By the time they reached the new campsite near the road, it was already dark. Thalia had been silent on the way there, the shock of the attack still showing in her face. Eskel quickly picked up a few branches, layered them and lit a fire with Igni. He pulled a blanket out of his saddlebag and put it over Thalia´s shoulders as she sat down near the fire. Her hair, previously tied together into a bun, had loosened, single strands fell in her face.
"Thank you." She managed a small smile, but still seemed to be thinking of what she just experienced. Eskel took a bottle from his luggage, opened it and handed it to Thalia. The aroma of a high-proof liquor clogged her nose. "Here, Magister, take a sip. How are you feeling?"
„I ... I've never felt so scared before. Without you these creatures would have torn me to pieces ..." She took a sip from the bottle. "Oh! What's this? It tastes strange."
"White Gull. A Witchers potion, but harmless. Soothes the mind."
"Just what I need right now, thank you."
She took another sip and took a deep breath.
"I still can not believe what Olbertz and Jonas did. I mean ... Did they plan that I would fall victim to the Nekkers or did they think that you would be back in time to prevent the worst? Did they just want me to give up and return to Oxenfurt without equipment?" She gave the witcher an apologetic glance.
„Maybe I just refuse to believe they wanted me dead. It makes me feel better.
Where are they now? If the Efferens really are behind this, then they've definitely paid the two guards to settle and start a new life somewhere else. Or if they really think that I got killed maybe they will go back to Oxenfurt ...?"
"You will find out when you return to the academy yourself. With the antidote." She looked so downcast that Eskel felt the need to encourage her. To his relief she smiled at his confident words.
Eskel prepared the four rabbits he had hunted before the Nekker accident and fastened to his belt. A little later they were roasting above the fire.
Thalia stared straight into the flames.
To distract the alchemist from her own thoughts, Eskel asked her about the firearm with which she had shot the Nekker.
"Oh, that's a prototype I designed. Not quite ready yet. The Redanian Army has commissioned the development of a weapon with a wider range than a crossbow. I have not found the right mixture of ignition powder yet. That's why I took the prototype with me to work on it during my time in Aedd Gynveal. To be honest, I feel bad about developing weapons for the military.
But if I hadn't accepted the assignment, then one of my colleagues would have done it. And at the moment I cannot afford to make a bad impression on my professors by rejecting a task. Aside from the research on remedies, my second passion is pyrochemistry - as you can see …" Thalia held up her right hand with an ironic smile, the little finger was missing above the first limb.
"An accident?" Eskel asked.
"Yes, a few years ago. Adding glycerol to nitric acid and sulfuric acid in a vessel gives a highly explosive mixture that reacts to the slightest shock. Therefore, you should run the glycerin even in small drops on a rod into the vessel, very slowly ... Well, I held the rod probably a bit too vertical. The drop rolled down too quickly and hit the surface of the mixture. The explosion cost me my finger and drove some broken glass into my skin.
Fortunately it only got me a few scars. And a valuable experience that taught me never to be too impatient with explosives ..." Thalia smiled mischievously at Eskel. Then she steered into the fire again.
"Well, I have more than enough time to improve it now. My equipment is gone. I have no idea how to research the antidote when I am in Aedd Gynvael. Without proper supplies, it will be difficult to extract and process the active ingredients. Miroslav's lab is certainly not equipped well enough for this. He confines himself to the production of ... let's call it ... herbal extracts. You don't need much for that ... Do you think there's a sorcerer in town who could teleport me back to Oxenfurt for a fee?"
"Hm ... portals are a strange matter. Only really good sorcerers are able to create stable and secure portals. In Ban Ard you could be lucky. But the magicians there aren't very accessible, as I've heard. To my knowledge there's only one sorcerer in Aedd Gynvael who could help you. Goes by the name of Istredd. He doesn´t like witchers though ... "
Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Is an old story", Eskel explained. "My brother Geralt had a disagreement with him. Because of a woman."
"Oh ..." She took another sip from the bottle. The potion seemed to relax her visibly. She looked at him long and intense. "I am glad that it was you who accepted the assignment."
Eskel raised his eyebrows in surprise at this turn of the conversation. Did the White Gull speak out of her?
"Um, well ..." Eskel was not used to receive compliments. Certainly not from a woman. Thalia's words embarrassed him. "I think dinner's ready."
He hurried to pull the rabbits from the sticks and laid one each for himself and Thalia on a cloth, which he had spread between them on the ground. The rest of the two rabbits he put aside - they would make a tasty lunch tomorrow. Thalia had meanwhile taken some dried herbs out of her bag and sprinkled the brown and crispy roasted meat with it. Having spent more or less of the remnants of their provisions in the last few days, the freshly prepared rabbits tasted delicious. They ate in silence.
Thalia rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. "I think I'm going to sleep. The alcohol made me tired." She returned his blanket to him, took her own out of her saddlebag, and prepared her place to sleep near the fire. Then she curled up on her sleeping mat and covered in her blanket as best she could. "Good night, Eskel."
"Good night, Thalia. Sleep well." Eskel also lay down, listening to the crackle of the fire and Thalia's steady breathing. Even as she slept deeply and peacefully for a long time, Eskel was still awake, looking up at the stars.