Keira had been searching for Triss Merigold for months now, and every time she thought she was getting close, she would only end up finding traces of where Triss had once been but was no longer staying. Triss was apparently being meticulously careful, abstaining from any use of magic whatsoever so as not to give away even the slightest hints of her location. Keira had even tried to enlist the help of Lambert in hopes of tracking her through more physical means, but her idiot half-boyfriend of a man was entirely unenthused about pursuing his friend's lady – particularly when that lady was someone he was also quite fond of.
If she was being honest with herself, Keira, too, was reluctant in her endeavors; she had always liked and respected Triss, and if Triss had a reason to run, Keira wanted to be able to give her the room to do so. However, Keira also knew that Philippa was right; the state of magic was at risk, its future at stake. She wanted to contribute to preserving it, if not for progeny then at least for herself – someone who still had well over a century of life to live yet – and as far as she was concerned, Philippa Eilhart was the only person who knew how to achieve that aim. So if Philippa demanded that Triss be brought back and forced to work for the Lodge, who was Keira to argue?
She approached a cavern on the Lyrian bank of the Yaruga. Her geomancy had put Triss squarely in this area, but geomancy was a slow process whose results were often obsolete unless its target was relatively stationary – which Triss clearly was not. This cavern was no exception.
Keira threw up her hands in defeat and kept them raised, preparing to open a portal for herself, when she saw two familiar figures riding north hurriedly – one of whom being none other than Triss's boyfriend. This was just as well: If she couldn't find Triss herself, then surely Eskel would lead her to the Sorceress. She would simply need to follow them.
Keira dropped her arms and cast an invisibility illusion on herself instead; she would follow the Witchers at a distance, since, as far as she knew, Geralt still had lingering doubts about not offing her when he had the chance.
"It doesn't bother you that she doesn't tell you what she's doing?" After his fight with Triss, Eskel found himself resentful. He was trying not to take it out on Geralt, but voicing his concerns gave him release. "I know it's usually none of my business, but this time, it is."
"No." Geralt seemed to be running short on words for Eskel's persistence, but Eskel pressed on.
"Why, Wolf? It's like she doesn't respect you enough to let you know what's on her mind. Like she thinks you're not worth the few seconds it would take to just explain herself." He ignored an uncomfortable feeling that he was not actually talking about Geralt and Yennefer.
"Not true." It sounded as if Geralt genuinely believed his own words, but he did not expound his reasoning.
"So how do you explain why she's always keeping you in the dark?"
"Stop, Eskel."
Maybe he'd gone too far. "I'm sorry, brother. I didn't mean-"
"No, really. Stop." Geralt pulled Roach up short. "Someone's following us."
Eskel pulled up his own Scorpion next to Geralt. Both Witchers strained their senses to listen for a possible enemy. His medallion started to tingle against his skin, and he knew that Geralt's was doing the same. They dismounted and readied themselves for a fight.
"Peace, men." A familiar voice came from behind a hill. "It's only me."
Before Eskel saw the emerald eyes and ashen hair emerge in the space before them, Geralt had already placed the voice. "Ciri? What are you doing here?"
"Tracked you. I went to Corvo Bianco for a visit and found you and Yennefer both gone. Waited a full day and you didn't return, so I got concerned – decided to follow your prints. Hello, Eskel."
"Hi, Ciri. Listen, we're doing something that's probably not safe. You should go back to the vineyard to wait for your parents." Eskel saw too late that Geralt had been frantically shaking his head at him in a severe warning.
"You're joking, right?" Ciri approached menacingly, pointing a finger at him as if in malediction. "After everything, Eskel, do you still believe me to be a little girl incapable of running the Pendulum? What is the matter with you? If there is danger that awaits either Geralt or Yennefer, you cannot rightly expect me to sit back and wait for them while they face it alone. Truly, were you hit on the head by a beast or a man? Because you cannot actually be this dense."
Eskel sputtered, unsure of how to respond to the girl who was brought up as a princess before being raised in the ways of Yennefer's sharp tongue. Ciri pushed past him to greet Geralt with an embrace.
"Hi, Geralt. At least you're not being an idiot."
"Nope. Know my girls too well to put my foot in my mouth like that." Geralt spared a sympathetic look at Eskel.
"Ciri, I didn't mean to offend you. I just-" He saw Geralt shaking his head again, and he managed to stop himself this time.
Ciri waited a moment to see if Eskel would speak more. When he didn't, she nodded her head in approval before approaching him.
"That's better. Hello again, Eskel. Sorry we did not start on a good foot. It's nice to see you." She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, seemingly having already forgotten her earlier ire. Eskel decided he was painfully lacking in knowledge about the emotional tendencies of young women – or women in general.
"So, where are you off to?" Ciri inquired.
"Gors Velen. We're meeting Yen and Triss there."
"Per Yennefer's plans?"
"Who else?"
"Alright, let's go, then." Ciri summoned Kelpie, and she and Geralt both mounted their horses. Eskel followed suit, though he couldn't help but notice that Ciri, just like Geralt, did not question what Yennefer's plans were in the least – rather, she seemed content to follow them blindly. It felt unnatural for a Witcher to do so, and he expressed this to them.
"I hate to be the voice of negativity, but I'm still unclear why you guys just go along with everything she says so willingly when she won't tell you anything. Doesn't seem like the prudent thing to do, especially as a Witcher." Geralt, once again, only grunted in response, but Ciri appeared to be much more amenable to discussion.
"Do you not trust her, Eskel?"
He decided to be honest. "Sorry, but not really." Eskel braced himself for another tongue-lashing, but Ciri seemed unperturbed – understanding, even.
"You don't trust her methods or her intentions?"
Eskel thought about it. "Her methods, I guess. She's always proven me wrong for doubting her intentions. It's just a little hard following blind orders."
"I can see why you would be wary of simply doing everything she told you to without knowing the purpose behind your own actions – I can also see how you might even feel disrespected. Believe me, Geralt and I have both struggled with this in the past. However, we've come to understand that Yennefer does things this way not out of disrespect or disdain, but out of a pragmatism that is borderline pathological."
"'Pathological' is an… interesting word to describe her."
"The way she thinks is this: Everybody believes they know best, and if they understand the full role of their actions, they're more likely to question whether those actions are indeed the best to take. Which, then, would hamper the plans that she has devised to the very last detail, resulting in a waste of time and energy – possibly spoiling the results altogether. So rather than chance such a tedious and potentially ruinous process occurring, she decides the optimal amount to divulge to each individual, and allows them no more and no less information than is necessary."
It made some sense, but it was still strange. Ciri seemed to be sympathetic to this sentiment, too.
"It can be frustrating at times, and it certainly takes some getting used to, but let me ask you this, Eskel: Do you believe that Yennefer will help you achieve your aim in Gors Velen?"
"Yes," he responded without a second thought, surprising himself.
"And there, you have your answer for why Geralt and I are happy to do what she asks. It is very rare that Yennefer lets us down. I can think of only one instance when it has happened to me, and I think her failure shook her far more than it did me." Eskel assumed Ciri was referring to Thanedd. "And Yennefer is one to learn thoroughly from her failures, as I am sure you can surmise."
"Alright, that's fair enough," he conceded. "I'm still concerned she doesn't treat you all that well, though, Wolf." This last part he let slip, and he immediately regretted it. However, it was not met with offense whatsoever.
Geralt allowed Ciri to answer this one for him, too. "That's because you haven't been around these two lovesick idiots much lately."