Frederick stepped out into the castle's courtyard, a bleary eyed Darren and Hilda close behind him. The cool night air soon banished the last few cobwebs of sleep from the young adept's mind, a slight shiver making him envy the cloak that his Skelliger friend had hurriedly thrown across her shoulders.
The moon hung motionless in an almost entirely empty night sky, a scant few scraps of cloud dashing towards the horizon as if eager to escape the cold air. Stars gleamed faintly, but dimmed in comparison to the brightness of the full moon.
Kaer Marter itself was almost silent, windows black, a handful of wisps of mist teasing at the ancient stones. Around the ancient building, the forest was unnaturally silent, not even the chirp of insects or the flutter of a bat's wings to disturb the peace.
In the centre of the courtyard, a small crowd had gathered, a mixture of adepts, Witchers and, Frederick noted with more than a little surprise, the Blue Stripe officers who had come to the castle alongside the Wolf School entourage. Frederick caught sight of Captain Mia, watching the Witchers with impassive eyes, beside her standing her commander, a stern man the young adept had learned was named Hatzel.
Most of the adepts stood in silence, uncomfortably waiting for some unknown command, but a small group seemed to be standing separately, and one of their number was currently locked in a debate with Masters Vreni and Dirk.
Frederick was certain he had seen this outspoken young man amongst the group of students assigned to Master Gedymin, the same Witcher that had attacked Meinard on sight the first night that Frederick had come to the castle. The lad was tall, with broad shoulders, a powerful build, and a fierce determination to his features. Sporting brown hair that fell to his shoulders and a thick though well-groomed beard, the youth's eyes burned with fiery intensity, his movements and gestures animated as he spoke. His armour, while basic, was somewhat more elaborate than that of most of the school's adepts, more fitted than the standard training gear the others wore, hinting at perhaps a more affluent upbringing than most. Even so, his powerful frame and hard gaze spoke of the series of rough turns that had brought him to Kaer Marter. A pointing finger jabbed the air as he spoke.
"You sensed something in us, you brought us here. We want to help!"
"I understand, and I commend your enthusiasm, but none of you have your medallions yet." Dirk countered. "You may have the potential to cast powerful signs, but without the training, you can't help us perform this ritual."
"Then let us help in some other way." The youth earnestly bargained. "You can sense our strength, why not use it? Let us use our strength to help the others in casting their Signs. We can support the others, keep them from faltering."
Dirk paused, regarding the determined young man with tired but understanding eyes. He looked to Vreni, who shrugged, and then the Signs Master nodded.
"Fine, fine! I'll place each of you with a different group of adepts. At the very least you can catch any of them who may pass out during the ritual."
The young man opened his mouth to reply, but held his tongue, instead just nodding his gratitude. Dirk, knowing the matter to be settled, turned to the gathering cluster of students. Roughly twenty now filled the courtyard.
"That looks like everyone." He raised his voice. "Okay! Gather round. I'm only going to explain this once. Our friends from Temeria have come to us with a magical problem. How many of you have heard of the Sorceress, Filippa Eilhart?"
Frederick's ears twitched at the name. He'd certainly heard of the famed magic-user. Master Travis had had a few dealings with her, although never face-to-face. He always spoke of her in hushed tones, as if fearing that speaking her name would somehow summon her. His eyes, normally so shrewd and so confident, would flash with envy, admiration, and sometimes just a little bit of fear. Certainly he never trusted her. Frederick knew only two things for certain- Master Travis only trusted those he believed he could control, and feared only those whose power exceeded his own. For Lady Filippa to have such a profound impact upon the old Mage, she had to be powerful indeed.
"Lady Eilhart is an advisor to the king, and on occasion has offered her services to the Wolf School to aid us in breaking powerful curses and enchantments." He explained. "However, she has recently fallen afoul of an unfortunately cast shapeshifting spell, and is trapped in the body of an owl. The king has tasked us with breaking the enchantment and returning Lady Filippa to her true form. The only way to do this, unfortunately, is through the use of a complex and dangerous ritual that will require a great amount of power. We have prepared most of the groundwork for this ritual, but we need more power. That's where you all come in."
He began to pace between the students.
"We have gathered several runestones to assist in the ritual. They will serve to channel and contain some of the energy needed, but we will need you all to help us cast certain Signs to complete the ritual."
Both he and Vreni moved through the group, splitting certain students away into separate groups. Dirk pointed to the groups in sequence.
"You will create a circle of Yrden, to tether Filippa's physical body in place and draw the magic towards her. You, group number two, will cast the Igni Sign to destroy her owl form, while at the same time group number three will use Aard to push her spirit out of the body, forcing it to manifest in Human form." He turned to a fourth cluster of adepts. "And we will need you to stand ready around the circle. The magical energy we are about to unleash will be potent, unstable. Once Filippa's owl form is destroyed, it will unleash a lot of this energy in the form of a physical explosion. We need you to use the Quen Sign to protect your fellow students from the blast."
The Wolf Master came to a halt in front of Frederick and his comrades, a pensive look to his features.
"Stand to one side." He instructed. "You also have a role, but we must discuss this alone"
He turned back to the rest of the group, Vreni stepping up beside him.
"Each group shall have a student assigned who has not yet gone through formal Signs training, and has no medallion. They are not meant to help with casting the Signs. Rather, they will serve as a support for the others, both physically and spiritually. If you start to grow weary, and the strain of using so much power becomes too much, they will be there to catch you before you fall. Draw from their presence, and use them to stay strong until the ritual is complete. If we falter before the spell is done, we risk the lives of everyone present. Understood?"
The students nodded, quiet as they contemplated the Master's solemn words. Frederick noted more than a few hesitant faces among them. One student, close to the back of the cluster, raised a hand.
"If Lady Filippa is an owl right now, that means she's not got any clothes, correct?" He asked with a leer. "So, when we change her back..."
The gathered crowd began to mutter, some with anticipation, a few leering comments passed between some of the younger adepts. Behind Dirk and Vreni, the Blue Stripes frowned, eyes flashing with indignation as Dirk raised his hands to quiet the murmurs.
"...she will be naked, yes." He spoke up sharply. "But she will also still be the representative of the king, and should be respected! So get those childish thoughts out of your head, and focus on the damn ritual!"
This said, the Master turned away, waving a hand to dismiss the crowd. He moved back to the Nightsabers, Vreni again at his side.
"I've kept your part in the ritual until last, students, because it is a delicate one. We'll need your full focus and commitment to the ritual in order to succeed, and I'm afraid this part will put you all in great danger. Do you understand?"
"We're ready to do our part." Darren proclaimed boldly.
"Good... good." Dirk nodded his approval. "Vreni will explain what you need to do."
The lithe Witcher Master stepped forward, her eyes gleaming in the darkness as she spoke.
"Lady Filippa is a very powerful magic user." She explained. "Her mastery over the magical arts, especially those that affect the mind, is rivalled by few in the world. This puts us all at considerable risk while performing the ritual. She may not have control over her own mind while we are forcing her out of her current body, and she may try to lash out at us in self-defence. With powers like hers, she could easily drive everyone involved in the ritual to madness, making all of these adepts and even accomplished Masters such as myself or Dirk descend into an insane frenzy." She began to pace, hands folded before her stomach. "This is why we need you to defend us. You must cast Axii to calm her, hold her in check. If she tries to fight us for even a moment, we will surely all be destroyed."
"But we haven't learned the Axii sign yet." Frederick interjected, consternation rising in his gut. Three adepts contending with one of the most powerful minds in the land? He couldn't help but feel worried.
"We"re going to teach you, here and now." Vreni answered, not skipping a beat. "You three all have great potential, and are best suited to this task. Dirk has told me that you all picked up the basic Signs very quickly, and one of you was even raised by a Mage? You're our best hope to keep Lady Filippa from lashing out against us."
Frederick fell silent at the Witcher's words. Was this why he'd had that dream tonight? Trying to remind him of the powers he had once channeled, in preparation for calling upon them again in this ritual? Or perhaps, a dark corner of his mind piped up, it was serving as a warning, reminding him of the near-lethal consequences he'd once suffered. He couldn't decide which option was the more worrisome. He had no further time to think, though, for Vreni had stepped up close, dropping into a ready stance. Her hands, small, delicate, hung by her sides, fingers flexing and clenching.
"The Axii Sign is a challenging one, because it affects the mind of your target. On a certain deep level, they have to work with you to make it succeed. You are channeling your intent into them, making their entire consciousness shift around your thoughts and emotions." She raised a hand, palm downwards, fingers outstretched. "Axii is a calm Sign, so your thoughts and words must be calm, too. Think of it like water, flowing over a round stone. At first, the water goes around the stone, swallowing it up. But, as speed and force grow, the stone slowly rolls over, moving with the water. This Sign is the same. Your thoughts, your intent, must flow over and overwhelm your target's mind. So, to help channel this, the Sign you trace with your hand is very similar to a rolling wave."
The Witcher's hand moved, fingers rippling in a wave-like motion, tracing a circular, undulating path through the air.
"Feet firmly on the ground, mind clear, voice calm." Vreni instructed. "Make sure you are completely centred, and be absolutely certain of your intent. Any hesitation, and the Sign shall fail."
The three Nightsabers nodded, each replicating the gesture. Frederick focused his mind inwards, trying to find the mental centre he needed. A knot in his stomach pulled at his focus, everything that could go wrong with the plan popping into his thoughts at every turn. Anxiously, he lowered his hand. He could only hope he'd be able to summon the needed clarity when he found himself in the situation. Vreni, watching them all with sharp, unblinking eyes, shrugged her shoulders.
"That's as much time as we can spare. We must begin the ritual soon, before the night grows old." She turned back to her fellow Witcher. "We still have matters to attend to, Dirk. Let's leave the students to prepare themselves."
Dirk nodded, his brow creased with concentration. He spared the Nightsabers a quick glance, flashing them a reassuring, if hollow, smile.
"Good luck, students!" His positive expression faded, before he muttered under his breath, clearly not intending for the adepts to overhear him. "You'll need it..."
As the two Witchers walked away, another figure approached the trio, the young man who had been challenging Dirk previously. A smile flashed under his impressive beard, his eyes twinkling as he nodded a greeting.
"The Masters have assigned me to assist you in the ritual." He explained. "I am Reinmar."
"Good to meet you, Reinmar." Darren stepped forward, hand outstretched. "These are my friends Hilda, and Frederick."
"A pleasure." The young man tilted his head as he grasped the hands of each of the Nightsabers in turn with a firm, powerful handshake. As he stepped back, his tone grew more serious. "I don't know how to cast Signs like you do, but I am here to help you in any way I can. Whatever strength I can lend to you is at your disposal."
Frederick winced at the almost aggressively friendly handshake, the bones in his hand rattling, but as he returned the newcomer's greeting and looked the young man in the eye, he instantly felt an unusual kinship with this Reinmar, his instincts telling him much about the youth. At first a little overwhelmed by the instant bond he sensed, Frederick eventually found his tongue.
"Thank you, Reinmar. I am sure your help will be of great use."
The long-haired newcomer turned to glance over his shoulder, spotting the rest of the group beginning to form up behind Dirk and Vreni, the two Witchers marching towards the edge of the forest beyond the training ground.
"Come on," He gestured with his head. "We don't want to be left behind!"