Book 2: The Wolf Hunts
Chapter 20
Korath Desert
"Where's Barcain?" asked Lydial after she woke up from her late-afternoon nap. She, Evie, and Geralt were in their tent, protected from the still-blazing sun.
"Where do you think?" replied Evie.
Lydial shook her head. "Same time every day. I swear, his bowel movements are as regular as the sunrise."
Evie smiled. "I'm just thankful he rides off over the next hill."
"Yeah," said Geralt. "I'm thankful you all do."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Mine smells like roses," she said with a straight face.
"Super sensitive smelling, remember?" the witcher said, pointing to his nose.
"All right, can we change the subject, please?" Evie asked, her face turning red.
"That actually sounds good," said Geralt, "because I've got a question that's been on my mind since yesterday, and that is – what's next?"
"What do you mean?" asked Lydial.
"What I mean is that we found neither the Sword nor any more Essean texts at Gearrlon, and we have no more clues regarding either. I'm all for continuing on to the Duilichinn Pass because it's the quickest way back to the Continent, but unless you two have some information that I don't, then after we get west of the Tir Torchair Mountains, the trail is dead and cold, right? Didn't you both say that there's virtually nothing written down anywhere with regards to the Aen Seidhe's return from exile?"
Both Evie and Lydial nodded.
"Right," said Geralt. "Which means that this adventure is over."
"But what about Emhyr?" asked Evie. "We can't let him get the Sword."
"Evie, I'm pretty sure he'll never lay his hands on it. If you – the best historian on the Continent – can't find it, then no one can. So, how about we go home?"
A very large smile came to Evie's face. "To Corvo Bianco?"
"If that's what you want," replied the witcher with a small smile of his own. "If that's where you want our home to be. My home is with you, wherever."
"What about Lydial and Barcain?"
"They're more than welcome. We need more grape pickers," he said with a grin. Then, he looked at Lydial. "Seriously, though – you're welcome to come live there with us. In fact, I'd be disappointed if you didn't."
"Thank you, Geralt. That's a gracious offer," said the elf. "And I'll probably accept, but, first, I would like to go back to Dol Blathanna. I'm very curious to see how many new Aen Seidhe babies have been born in the last several months."
"Oh, yeah," said Evie. "That totally slipped my mind."
She then looked Geralt in the eye.
"Well, even if we weren't able to destroy the Sword, this wasn't a complete waste, right? At least some good came out of this whole mess."
The witcher nodded his head.
"Evie, a lot of good has happened since I first met you."
oOo
Santoh, Gemmera
Fringilla had her eyes open in the dark, staring at the ceiling above, with Malek next to her fast asleep. She was feverishly debating what she should do. In the last four weeks, she'd become more and more frustrated with the man because, ever since Novigrad, he'd become increasingly closed off. And in the last four days – since leaving Nilfgaard's capital – it had just gotten worse. Before, he'd at least share a bit with her with regards to what the mission's objective was, but now, he no longer told her anything. As mistrustful as he seemed to be of her, she was honestly surprised that he'd even let her come along in the first place.
But it was more than simply his distrust of her that had her on edge. He was also acting quite suspiciously. Each day, for the last four days, he'd halt his men around the same time of the afternoon. While he allowed them to rest and water their horses, he'd ride off a distance and set up his megascope. Two days ago, after using the megascope, he'd returned and informed his men – and her – that they'd be heading in a new direction. In the last forty-eight hours, their path had veered more to the northeast towards the Imlebar River that came down out of the Tir Torchair Mountains, bisected the duchy of Gemmera and ran westward toward the Great Sea. She wondered just who he'd been talking to via the megascope, but, of course, he didn't say a word.
More so, in the last couple of weeks, she'd also caught him staring at a parchment that he kept in the front, inner pocket of his gambeson. She knew that he thought he was being discreet and that no one had seen him, but she had. In their first few months together, she'd never seen him pull this parchment out once. Now, he seemed to be doing it at least once a day whenever he thought he was unobserved. She knew better than to even ask him about it, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious. And that was the cause of the debate now going on in her mind.
She wanted desperately to slip out of bed and rifle through his clothes to look at the parchment, but she didn't know how long it'd be until his nightmares would start and, then, wake him up. Should she try now, before the nightmares, or wait until after they were over? She knew that sometimes he never went back to sleep after the nightmares came. Therefore, she probably needed to risk it now.
She suddenly realized that it was too late. Malek was moaning and mumbling next to her, meaning his nightmares had begun. A couple of minutes later, she heard him wake from his dream, breathing hard, and for once, she didn't try to comfort him. She just feigned that she was still asleep. Eventually, she felt him rise from the bed and splash some water on his face from the nearby basin. She unconsciously held her breath when, after hearing him put on his trousers and boots, he left their room in the small inn where they'd stopped earlier in the evening. She didn't know where he was going, but she didn't care. This was her chance.
After hearing the door of the room shut, she got out of bed and rushed over to Malek's gambeson that was draped over the back of a nearby chair. She reached into the front pocket and felt the parchment on her fingertips. She quickly looked over her shoulder at the door before pulling it out and carefully unfolding it. While holding the paper in her right hand, she cast a small flame with her left. The flame lit up the darkness in front of her, and she looked down to see a drawing of a woman that, to Fringilla's surprise, looked just like Professor Evangeline VanderBosch.
"What in the world," thought Fringilla. This wasn't one of the wanted posters of the history professor. This was much older. In fact, it looked to be many years old. And there was no writing on the front. Why would Malek have this? She was about to turn the parchment over to see if there was anything written on the back when she heard a noise behind her.
"You're losing your touch, Fringilla. Pretty sloppy spy-craft. You should've rummaged through my clothes earlier when I was taking a bath," said Malek, now standing in front of the room's closed door. "Just exactly what are you looking for?"
"This," she said, holding up the parchment. In a flash, she'd decided to turn the situation back on him, to put him on the defensive.
"This is what I'm searching for. And now I'll ask you a question. This looks like a picture of the history professor, but it's clearly not recent. Just who is this woman? What is she to you, Malek?"
"That's not Evangeline…and please be careful with it."
"Evangeline? Don't you mean Professor VanderBosch?"
"No. I call her Evangeline. She's…my niece," said Malek. "And that's not her in the picture. It's her mother."
Fringilla narrowed her eyes at Malek. "Her mother?"
Malek nodded. "Yes, her dead mother. So, now that you know I'm personally connected to this, what do you plan to do?"
"I don't…I'm not going to do anything. I just wanted to know what you've been keeping a secret for weeks now."
"That right? Not going to portal back to dear, cousin Donato and tell him all you know?"
"I…no, of course not."
"Fringilla, you should know by now, I have spies everywhere. There's little that I don't know – especially in that snake's den that is the capital."
"So…I visit my cousin from time to time. So what? We're family. I've never hidden that fact, unlike you with the history professor."
"Uh huh. He still promising you the throne of Toussaint for spying on me and the Emperor? Please tell me that you don't actually believe him."
"How do you…"
"You know, I was hoping that I was wrong," Malek said. To Fringilla's ears, he sounded almost sad. "Hoping that for once I was wrong about sorceresses…wrong about people, in general." Then, he gave a small laugh, but there was absolutely no mirth in it. "Hoping that you had some kind of genuine affection for me. That maybe after this was over, we could take a trip together, just the two of us. I don't think I've had a real holiday in fifteen years."
Fringilla was shocked. This was not the same man that she'd met many months ago. She'd obviously known that she and Malek were sexually compatible, but she never would have even imagined that he might want something more. She wasn't sure what to think about that, but then she remembered - she'd sworn that she'd never let her guard down again.
"You're not wrong, Malek," she said tenderly. "I do…have affection for you. Yes, I was looking through your things, but not to tell Donato or anyone else what I'd found. I just wanted to know more about you because you never tell me anything. I've been helping you chase this historian for months, and I didn't even know she was related to you. Is this why you're still chasing her, because she's your niece? It can't be because you're still loyal to Emhyr, right?"
She carefully put the picture down and approached Malek. She reached up and touched his chest. "Let me in, Malek. Please. I do care for you. Please believe me."
He caressed her face.
"Are those the same words you used on the witcher all those years ago, back in Toussaint?"
She reached up as high as she could and slapped him. "You bastard."
"You were sent to spy on him, too, weren't you?"
She tried to slap him again, but he easily caught her slender wrist in his huge hand.
"Just go away, Fringilla. Do us both a favor and just…go back to Donato. You'll make a fine duchess."
oOo
"Any luck?" asked Philippa after her brother walked into their room and plopped down on a nearby chair.
"I must have asked every hayseed in this bumpkin town about Duilichinn Pass," he answered. "Nobody's heard of it."
The two of them had arrived via portal in the little town of Santoh later in the same day that Malek and his men had ridden out.
"There was one old man who said he'd ventured high up in the mountains one time in his youth. Claimed that there was a lake somewhere up there in the clouds. Said that's where the Imlebar River originates. Also, said that it looked like there might've been a trail that continued upward at one point, but that it looked like rockslides had closed it off centuries before. So…"
"So, that means I'll have to continue flying over them in the desert each evening until we can figure out exactly where they're going."
"That or fly over the mountains. Try to find that lake. Maybe that'll lead us to the pass," said Oran. "Either way, I need a meal and a soft bed. Wake me when you get back."
oOo
"There they are," said the witcher. "The Tir Torchair Mountains."
"Finally," said Barcain.
It had been four days since the four Westerners had left Gearrlon for the Duilichinn Pass. They now stood on a high, sandy dune in the Korath Desert looking westward. Though the sun had not yet risen, the sky was a lighter shade of blue, pink, and purple in the east. The mountain range still looked to be far away, like it might take the rest of the morning before they'd reach its base.
"You know, growing up in Vicovaro, the 'Tears' were a constant presence, but I've never seen them from this side," said Evie. "It's a little strange. Like seeing a school age boyfriend twenty years later. You can still recognize him, but he's different, too."
"You're weird, Angel," said Barcain.
Evie stuck out her tongue at her brother.
"Real mature," he replied.
Several hours later, they came over a rise, and down below them, they spotted a small oasis. They urged their camels forward, but when they got to within about fifty yards, their mounts starting acting jittery.
"What is going on?" asked Lydial, trying to calm her camel.
"Hold on," said the witcher, dismounting. "I'm going to do a little recon. I'll be right back."
The three of them watched the witcher walk off towards the oasis. When he got half-way there, he suddenly stopped and pulled his silver sword. He stood there for over a minute, not moving. Finally, he began moving back towards them, all the while still facing the oasis. After he traveled backwards for about ten yards, he turned and ran back to where they were waiting.
"We need to thank these smelly beasts," said Geralt, referring to the camels. "I don't know exactly what's in that pool of water, but I definitely heard something, and it didn't sound good. I suggest we steer clear. We don't need the water that badly. We still have enough to last us for a few days more."
Two hours later, they came to the base of the mountains. They split up and rode off in opposite directions. Eventually, Barcain and Lydial spotted what looked to be an old trail that made its way upward. After fetching Geralt and Evie, the four of them started the long, slow climb towards the crest, with Geralt in the lead and Barcain bringing up the rear.
Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, the heat, while still uncomfortable, was no longer oppressive now that they were out of the desert and into higher elevations. That was the good news. The bad news was that they eventually had to dismount as the camels were not used to walking in that particular type of steep, rocky terrain. None of them wanted to be riding atop one of the tall animals if it slipped and fell.
oOo
High above, at the very top of the mountain's summit, a man suddenly appeared. He was bald and wore a brownish, mustard yellow top with blue trousers. He gazed far down the eastern slope of the mountain to a group leading their camels. From where he sat, they looked like ants. He then turned and peered down the western slope. He saw another group ascending that side of the mountain. A small smile came to his face, and he softly clapped his hands together three times. He immediately disappeared, and, suddenly, the darkest of clouds formed over the mountain. A moment later, a flash of lightning split the sky and torrents of rain began pouring down.
oOo
It was late afternoon, and the rain still fell. The four of them were completely soaked when Geralt came to a fork in the trail. The trail to his right seemed to continue up towards the mountain peak while the one to his left led to a small, flat clearing – a clearing located right in front of a cave entrance.
The witcher stopped and turned to face the others.
"What do you think?" he asked. "Keep going up or take shelter in that cave?"
Their votes were unanimous.
Geralt led them towards the cave, and once they walked through the entrance and lit a torch, Evie let out a gasp.
"Look at the size of this place," she exclaimed, holding the torch out in front of her. "This is the biggest cavern I've ever seen."
"I can't see where it ends," said Lydial. "Do you think it goes all the way to the other side of the mountain?"
"Don't know," said the witcher. "Never been on this mountain before."
"If so, it could save us several hours of hiking," said Barcain. "It'd take us another half-day to finally make it over and down the pass."
"What do you think, Geralt?" asked Evie. "You've been in more caves and caverns than all of us combined. Should we see if it goes through to the other side?"
Suddenly, the sky outside lit up with a flash and a loud clap of thunder echoed into the cavern, startling the humans and camels alike. Then, a moment later, they heard rumbling coming from above them. The noise lasted for at least half a minute.
"Damn, that lightning strike sounded close," said Barcain as Geralt started to exit the cave.
"Where are you going?" asked Evie.
"That sounded like a rock slide," he replied.
Fifteen minutes later, the witcher returned, his wet hair hanging down near his eyes.
"Looks like the decision has been made for us," he said. "About a quarter mile up, a rock slide has completely blocked the trail. It'd probably take us a day to clear it enough to get through."
"The cavern it is, then," said Barcain.
oOo
"Oh, my," said Evie. "Look at this."
The four of them had been walking deeper into the cavern for a quarter of an hour when the light from Evie's torch had reflected off something metallic in some rocks off to the right of their pathway. Being the historian that she was, she had ventured over to investigate.
"It's part of a skeleton with a sword and armor," she said breathlessly. "Geralt, have you ever seen a sword like this?"
The witcher walked over and peered down. His eyes scanned over everything, and then he nodded.
"Aen Seidhe" he said.
She looked up with excitement in her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"The shape of the skull is more elven than human," he answered, "but even if I'm wrong about that, the sword is definitely in the Aen Seidhe style. See how the blade has that unique curvature?"
"Then, this has got to be one of the Aen Seidhe who was returning from Gearrlon," exclaimed Evie.
"Really?" asked Barcain. "That happened almost a thousand years ago. Wouldn't the bones have totally disintegrated by now?"
Evie shook her head. "Not necessarily. This cavern is right next to the desert – very warm and arid. In these conditions, bones could easily last a thousand years or more."
"She's right," said Geralt.
"So, do you know what this means?" Evie asked.
"Yes," answered Lydial. "That we're on the right track."
"Maybe there's something down here that will tell us where to go next," Evie said with a smile. "I'll search his body."
oOo
"Come on!" shouted Malek to his men behind him. "I see a cave up ahead. We'll head there till this storm passes."
The seven soldiers urged their horses up the western slope of the mountain and towards the refuge from the storm.
oOo
Geralt and the others came around a slight bend within the cave, and even though it was overcast and stormy outside, they could still see natural light coming into the cavern from somewhere up ahead.
"The exit must be close!" said Lydial.
"Damn it," said Evie quietly.
"What is it?" asked Lydial.
"There was nothing down here."
The group had found the skeletal remains of two more Aen Seidhe, but neither had held any kind of documents or evidence that could serve as clues for the foursome.
"Looks like our adventure really is over," the historian said.
They kept moving slowly forward – leading their camels by the reins - but as they continued on toward the dim light that they assumed was coming in through the cavern's exit, Evie noticed that the cavern floor was darker up ahead.
"Whoa. Hold up," said the witcher, as he suddenly stopped walking and raised his closed hand.
Evie walked up next to him and looked straight down into total darkness. They were standing next to an abyss. Evie looked across and could tell that it was about fifty feet to the other side, but when she looked back down, she couldn't see the bottom of the abyss even with a torch in her hand.
"Can you see how far down it goes?" she asked Geralt.
"Yeah, not that far. Maybe forty feet. But long enough of a drop that it'd probably kill you, though. Or, at least, shatter a lot of bones."
"Can you see anything down there?"
"Give me your torch."
The witcher laid down flat on his belly, with his head hanging over the edge of the abyss. He reached down with the torch as far as he could.
"I'm not sure, but I think I see at least two other sets of armor and skeletal remains."
He heard his wife suck in her breath. He rolled over onto his side and looked up at her. He could see her staring at him with hopeful eyes while slightly biting her lower lip. He knew that look.
"You want me to go down there, don't you?"
"Only if you think it's safe."
oOo
On the eastern slope of the mountain, a portal opened on the clearing just in front of the cavern's entrance. Out stepped Philippa and Oran.
"They entered just a few minutes ago," said the sorceress. "Let's hurry. If there is anything in there worth finding, I want to be there when they discover it."
She immediately changed into her owl form while her brother cast his spell and turned invisible.
oOo
After retrieving the rope from his saddlebags, the witcher secured one end to a nearby rock outcropping and then threw the loose end over the precipice. While Geralt was doing that, the others had noticed, about twenty feet away, a naturally-made rock bridge that spanned the abyss, but no one was willing to cross it just yet. No one knew if it would support their weight, much less that of their camels. They decided to let the witcher inspect and test the stability of its columns from down below before they risked it.
The witcher held onto the rope with both hands – one in front of him and the other behind him next to his hip - while leaning back over the ledge. He looked at his wife one last time before jumping backwards and disappearing into the darkness below.
Hidden in the shadows of the cavern, a pair of dark eyes was watching the foursome with interest. The man had been following them since they'd entered the cave, and as he watched the witcher repel into the abyss, he smiled. His plan was going perfectly, just like clockwork.
oOo
"Do you hear that?" asked Timataal. He and the rest had just brought themselves and their horses in from the storm.
"Yeah," answered Malek. "It sounded like voices coming from deeper in the cavern."
"It could be them."
"Only one way to find out."
Five minutes later, Malek and his men had lit torches in hand and began walking deeper into the cave.
oOo
The witcher repelled down the side of the abyss' wall, and as soon as his feet landed softly on the rocky ground below, he unsheathed his silver sword. He slowly turned his body in a circle, using his senses to detect any danger. He didn't hear or smell anything that would cause concern, but he did see, at the far end of the abyss, a large hole – at least ten feet high and ten feet wide – in the side of a wall that led to who knows where. He didn't know what – if anything – was in there, but he didn't figure it would be cute and cuddly.
Geralt walked over to the first skeleton and quickly searched around it but didn't find anything of note. He looked over at the second skeleton and immediately noticed something different about it. Unlike the first, which was lying flat on the ground, this skeleton seemed to be sitting up, with its back against the wall of the abyss. Geralt made some quick assumptions and concluded that, while the first Aen Seidhe had probably fallen from above and died where he or she landed, the second elf had probably survived its fall. The witcher seriously doubted that an elf would fall and land perfectly in a seated, up-right position.
The witcher's imagination started to run a bit. He wondered what must have gone through this Aen Seidhe's mind as he or she sat down there in the darkness, especially when they realized that no one was coming to rescue them. When it finally dawned on them that the abyss would be their tomb. He wondered if this elf had believed in Essea and had called out to him in his final moments. As Geralt knelt next to the skeleton, those thoughts immediately drifted away when he caught sight of a large satchel laying at its side.
The White Wolf lifted his head and carefully looked around the bottom of the abyss one more time. Not sensing any danger, he sheathed his sword and then reached forward and gently opened the thick satchel. Inside, he saw numerous cylindrically-shaped objects. He grabbed one and slowly pulled it out of the satchel. The smooth cylinder was about eighteen inches long, roughly the thickness of his forearm, and made of some type of hard substance. He saw that one end of the cylinder had a cap or stopper. He gently removed the end of the cylinder, snapped his fingers to create a small Igni flame, and then peered inside the container. What he saw made him exhale deeply.
After extinguishing the small flame, he looked above him and called out, "Evie, how much do you love me?"
"With all my heart. Why?"
"Because you're about to love me even more. I found…let's see…eleven thick scrolls on this Aen Seidhe."
"Oh my gosh."
"Toss down your satchel. This one down here is about to fall to pieces."
"No way. I'm coming down," the historian answered. "I need to see everything down there."
Almost immediately, Geralt saw his wife appear over the edge of the abyss. She wrapped the rope around one of her legs and used both her hands and her feet to slowly and carefully climb her way down. A minute later, Evie hurried over to Geralt. She was a little out of breath and her eyes were wide with excitement. When Geralt handed the cylinder over to her, he noticed that her hands were trembling.
"This is so amazing," she said, looking at her husband. "Do you realize what we may have just found?"
She looked back down at the cylinder.
"Geralt, can you give me a little light, please?"
After he signed a small flame, Evie gently pulled the scroll from the cylinder and then unfurled it. Her eyes methodically moved over the first page, and then she looked up with a smile.
"This is it, Geralt. This is it," she said breathlessly. "We have just discovered the most important writings in the history of…history."
The witcher smiled back at his wife. "Congratulations, baby. I'm happy for you."
Evie then gazed into her husband's face. "You know what the best part is?"
"What's that?"
"I got to do all of this with the love of my life."
Geralt smiled. "Yeah, it'll be a helluva story to tell our kids."
Evie laughed and then looked upward.
"Nain, we did it. It's the Essean texts."
Less than a minute later, they'd just finished transferring all the cylinders into Evie's satchel when, suddenly, the witcher heard noises coming from the large hole at the end of the abyss.
"Hurry, Evie, we've got company!" he yelled as he pulled her over to the rope. He put the satchel over her head and then quickly wrapped the rope under her arms and tied off the end.
He then yelled upward towards Lydial and Barcain, "Pull her up! Now!"
The witcher didn't even bother to watch his wife climbing/being pulled up the side. He immediately turned toward the unmistakable sound of mandibles clicking together. He unsheathed his silver blade, cast a Quen, and reached up to his bandolier. As soon as he saw the Aculeomorphs appear out of the darkness, he tossed the Dancing Star in their direction. The bomb exploded, catching both of the giant scorpions on fire. He moved in closer to brandish his sword, when he noticed two more giant scorpions coming up behind the first two.
Evie heard the explosion below her and then could see the dark cavern light up with flames. She didn't turn around to look though. She just kept climbing as fast as her trembling arms could take her. She looked up to see Barcain at the edge of the precipice, pulling the rope with all his might. As she finally got to the top, Lydial grabbed her by the hand and pulled her safely onto hard ground, but she didn't stop to rest. She immediately untied the rope from around her and tossed it back down into the abyss.
"Geralt," she screamed. "The rope is down!"
She was on her belly, her head over the edge, trying to get a glimpse her husband, but she was having trouble seeing. Shadows from the flames were dancing everywhere along the abyss' walls. The witcher would only appear for a moment, spinning through the air, the flames reflecting off of his silver sword, before he'd quickly be swallowed by the darkness again. She couldn't tell what was happening below.
The witcher had killed three of the Aculeomorphs, but two more were coming his way.
"To hell with this," he thought. "I'll take the high ground."
He quickly ran over to the rope and flew up the side of the forty-foot wall. After getting to the top, he immediately got to his feet and was about to toss more bombs down into the abyss when he saw the looks on both Evie and Lydial's face. It was an expression of shock and fear, and they were staring across the abyss to the other side. He turned around to see Malek and six other men poised on the other side of the chasm, fifty feet away, with torches in one hand and weapons in the other.
They were all just standing there, staring at each other in silence when the witcher heard clicking sounds getting closer.
"Get back!" he yelled. "They're climbing the walls!"
Suddenly, large pinchers appeared over the edge of the abyss, followed by the rest of the giant scorpions – one on the witcher's side and one on Malek's. Before any of the Nilfgaardians could even make a move, one was impaled through his gut by the spear-like tail of the Aculeomorph. The giant insect lifted the screaming man into the air and brought him towards its mouth, where it quickly and easily bit off his head and then flung the rest of his body aside. The giant scorpion then turned and began skittering towards the other six men.
oOo
The other Aculeomorph reached the top of the abyss and turned towards Barcain. In an instant, the witcher saw that it was about to impale his brother-in-law with its tail, and he immediately cast an Aard at Barcain, knocking the man off his feet and backward a good twenty feet. The scorpion slashed its tail - with its sharp stinger - forward but found nothing but air. The monster-slayer quickly cast an Igni stream at the creature as Evie and Lydial fled to the other side of the cavern towards where Barcain was just getting back to his feet.
oOo
Malek watched as the giant scorpion snatched up one of his men in its pinchers and cut the screaming man's body in half. He drew his weapon from his side, aimed it at the giant scorpion's head, and slammed the plunger forward. Shrapnel fired out of the weapon's end and into the creature's body, and Malek saw blood – or some kind of fluid – pour from the monster's head, but it wasn't dead. Not even close.
But the injury did get its attention, and it turned toward Malek. The big man frantically twisted the cylinder in his weapon as the creature rushed towards him. He saw it impale another one of his men with its tail, but it didn't even bother to stop. It was coming for him. Malek raised his weapon and fired again, the blast reverberating off the cavern's walls. More blood oozed from the creature, but it still kept coming. He knew he didn't have time for another shot with his weapon. He dropped it to the ground and pulled his sword just as the giant scorpion raised both its pinchers high in the air above him. He glanced up to see the pinchers open wide and coming in his direction.
oOo
Hidden behind some rocks on the witcher's side of the abyss was owl-Philippa, watching the utter chaos below her.
"Let's add to it, shall we?" she thought to herself gleefully.
She flew down to the cavern floor, changed into her human form, and then began chanting an intricate spell. Thirty seconds later, a ten-foot tall, earth elemental appeared in the middle of the cavern. Philippa immediately changed back into her owl form and flew into the air.
oOo
Malek raised his sword into a defensive position, not sure what he was going to do if the giant scorpion attacked with both pinchers when he suddenly heard a yell coming from behind the creature. He looked up to see Timataal jump onto the monster's relatively flat back. The burly man fell to his knees, lifted his sword high above his head in both hands, and lunged forward towards the monster's head. As he fell, he drove his blade through the Aculeomorph's brain, killing it instantaneously. As the creature's legs collapsed from underneath it, and its body slammed to the ground, Timataal fell off its back and rolled towards Malek's feet.
Malek looked down at his best friend, nodded his head, and exhaled deeply.
"Nice one," he said as he reached down and offered the barrel-chested man a hand up.
oOo
The witcher had just cut off one of the giant scorpion's pinchers and was blasting it with a stream of fire, when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head just slightly to see an owl fly down from the darkness towards Evie. He knew that owl. He immediately stopped casting his Igni Sign and ran towards his wife.
oOo
Malek had picked up his weapon and was about the cross the stone bridge to the other side of the abyss when he saw Philippa Eilhart materialize a few feet from Evie. The sight of that insane woman – especially so close to his own flesh and blood – caused anger to flood through his mind. He raised his weapon and looked down the sights at the sorceress from Montecalvo. He gritted his teeth and slammed his left palm forward and into the firing mechanism. A blast exploded forth from the chamber's end, and as the smoke cleared, Malek lifted his eyes over the sights of the weapon to see just what damage that he'd done.
His eyes widened in shock and his mouth dropped open. He felt as if he'd just been punched in the gut. This wasn't right. How had this happened? He'd been aiming at Eilhart. He'd had the witch in his sights. He knew that he had. So, why was his weapon now pointed in Evangeline's direction?
oOo
Geralt was halfway to his wife when he saw Malek fire his weapon from across the abyss, and then he heard Evie scream out in pain and fall to the ground. Suddenly, Philippa was there, crouching over Evie, trying to take the satchel from her shoulder. The witcher cast a powerful Aard at the witch, blowing her across the cavern, her body slamming hard into a rock wall.
Time seemed to stand still as the witcher stood over Evie's body, staring across the chasm and into Malek's eyes. He could sense the rage overtake him, and he suddenly felt the urge to run across the stone bridge and strike the bastard down. He took two steps in Malek's direction when, somehow, through all the chaos around him, he heard the wolf-head medallion on Evie's chest suddenly vibrate. He immediately turned and then felt a knife pierce his left side and slide past his lower ribs.
With a quickness that only he possessed, the witcher snapped his right hand across his body and grasped the invisible arm that held the knife, keeping it from ripping upward and doing more damage. Though he couldn't see his attacker, he could hear the man grunt next to him so the monster-slayer raised his left arm and began slamming his elbow backwards towards the man's head as violently as he possibly could. He kept at it over and over, hearing bone and cartilage snapping. Still grasping tightly onto the arm that had been holding the knife, the witcher jerked the invisible body in front of him and, with everything he had, cast the most intense Igni flame that he could. The invisible man caught fire, and his screams echoed throughout the cavern as his skin began to melt off his face.
The witcher noticed movement to his left and looked up to see Philippa Eilhart standing again and about to cast a spell in his direction. As she threw her arms forward to propel the spell at the witcher, he quickly pivoted his body, using the invisible man as shield. The sorceress' powerful spell impacted Oran's body, and it exploded into pieces, blood and small bits of flesh saturating the air.
Philippa's eyes went wide, and then, through the mist walked the witcher, soaked red with blood. To her, he looked like a demon stalking forth from the bowels of hell. She began to cast another spell, but she wasn't fast enough. The Butcher of Blaviken brought both hands forward, and with a guttural yell, he blasted the witch with two bolts of lightning. She fell to the ground, and as he continued slowly walking towards her, he maintained the Sign, relishing her screams as the lightning flowed through her body. So focused was the witcher on killing the witch that he didn't notice a giant, earth elemental charging his way. The monster-slayer turned his head at the last second, right before the magical creature knocked him through the air and over the edge of the abyss.
oOo
Barcain watched Geralt fight with some invisible opponent, and then when he saw the witcher turn his focus towards the witch, he ran over to Evie and took the satchel from around her shoulder. He then grabbed Lydial roughly by the arm and began dragging her towards the stone bridge that spanned the abyss.
Lydial began protesting.
"No, we've got to help them."
Barcain slapped his grandmother across the face as hard as he could.
"Let's go, Nain! It's too late for them!"
He continued to push her across the bridge in front of him, and as they approached the other side, he saw Malek just stepping onto the bridge, coming their way. Barcain reached up and grabbed two bombs off of Lydial's bandolier. He then turned and tossed them toward the other end of the stone path. When the bombs exploded, the rock bridge cracked and then slowly began to crumble and fall.
Barcain pushed Lydial onward and past Malek, who was now stopped, staring across the abyss at Evie's prone figure.
It was at that moment that Malek's eyes shifted - watching the witcher's body cart-wheeling through the air and falling into the abyss. He looked across the chasm to see Philippa slowly getting to her knees. He raised his weapon and fired. This time, he hit his intended target, and the sorceress fell back down to the cavern floor.
oOo
Geralt was falling through the air, but with his incredible body awareness, he was able to twist himself into a position to ensure he wouldn't land on his head, and then he braced himself for a hard impact. He landed, and the breath was immediately knocked out of him, but he quickly assessed his body and didn't feel any fractures. He glanced down and saw that he'd fortunately landed on top of one of the Aculeomorph corpses. It had cushioned his fall just enough that he hadn't broken any bones. He pressed his hand to his side, and when he pulled it back, he saw blood. He wasn't sure how serious the wound was, but he didn't have time to figure it out now. He scrambled to his feet, stumbled back over to the rope that was still hanging down into the abyss, and then he began to climb.
When Geralt got to the top, he saw the earth elemental standing at the edge of the abyss twenty feet away. It was facing the others on the far side of the chasm, roaring, and throwing small, conjured boulders in their direction. He glanced at his wife still lying on the cavern floor. He wanted to go to her, but he knew that he had to finish off the elemental first. He got to his feet, unsheathed his sword, and staggered toward the monster. He reached up to his bandolier and realized he had no more bombs left.
"Swell."
The magical construct turned, saw an enemy, let out another loud roar, and charged the witcher. Geralt dodged the monster and sliced his blade into it as it passed. This went on three more times – him dodging and cutting into the magical creature - before the witcher came out of a roll and found himself standing in front of the cavern's side wall. He knew that he needed to end this soon. He could tell he was losing blood from his side, and, more importantly, he had to check on Evie. The monster charged again, and the witcher let loose with the most powerful Blyx Sign he could muster. The lightning bolt impacted the monster right in the chest from ten feet away. The electrical charge destroyed the monster's magical core, but the two-ton construct's momentum couldn't be stopped. It continued forward, toward the witcher, who easily dodged to his right to avoid its impact. The giant monster crashed into the cavern wall, causing a large crack in the stone – a large crack running upwards. Geralt heard the noise and quickly looked up to see that the ceiling of the cavern above him was about to give way. He immediately dove head-first for safety but, while in mid-air, he was slammed to the ground and instantly felt the most intense pain shooting through his leg.
The witcher couldn't see much since dust and dirt had kicked up around him, but he could hear yelling echoing throughout the cavern. Then, he realized that the yelling was coming from him. As the dust cleared, he looked down and saw that his lower right leg had been completely crushed by an enormous slab of stone that had fallen from the cavern ceiling. In fact, his leg wasn't just crushed. It was pulverized. He couldn't see his foot or lower calf at all, for there wasn't even a quarter inch of space between the slab and the cavern's rock floor.
Geralt immediately turned his head and threw up – the pain so severe that it made his stomach lurch. Not even bothering to wipe the spittle from his chin, he reached for the small pouch on his belt, retrieved a Swallow potion, and downed it. He then tried to pull his leg out from under the rock, but it wouldn't budge, and the pain almost made him pass out. The witcher growled, gritted his teeth and pressed both hands to his temples, trying to fight off the blackness that was starting to encroach on his vision. He had to stay conscious, he told himself. For Evie. He blinked his eyes several times, and then he raised his torso up and unsheathed the knife from his thigh. He jabbed at both the stone slab and the rock floor with the tip of the knife to test how hard or soft they were. His blade barely even scratched the surface. He realized it'd take him weeks to chisel enough of the rock away to be able to pull himself free.
Sweat pouring from his face, the witcher laid back down on the cavern floor and frantically tried to think of something – some way to free himself. It was then that he heard a voice calling from the other side of the abyss.
"Sorry it had to end this way, Geralt. You're actually not so bad – for a mutant," said Barcain with a smile on his face. "But that's life for you. I guess Uncle Malek and I will have to find the Sword ourselves. Oh, yeah, he and I have been working together this whole time. Bet you feel real stupid, huh? And thanks for letting little sis keep the working medallion. As soon as you told me that yours didn't sense magic anymore, I knew I was free to contact Malek with my megascope again. Well, see you around." Then he cocked his head to the side. "Actually, looks like I won't."
He then grabbed Lydial by the arm. "Let's go, Nain."
"Barcain, what is wrong with you? How could you betray your own sister, your own family?" Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Nain, I said 'Let's go.' I will tie you up and drag you with us if I have to. But you are coming along. How you come along is your choice."
She let herself be pulled away from the abyss, but she kept looking back over her shoulder at Geralt and Evie lying on the cavern floor.
Everyone exited the cavern until only Malek was left. He was staring hard at Evie. The witcher heard him mumble something under his breath, but from that distance, he couldn't discern the words. Then, he looked at Geralt, shook his head, and turned and left the cavern.
The witcher twisted his body and craned his neck so that he could look at his wife. She was on her side, and her eyes were still open, looking right at him. Her right arm was stretched in his direction, as if she was reaching out to him. The front of her shirt was soaked with blood and her breathing was slow.
Geralt saw her lips move. He couldn't hear what she said, but he knew that she was saying his name.
"Baby, listen to me, okay?" Geralt pleaded. "You gotta listen. The health potion, in the small pouch on your bandolier – you've got to take that, okay?"
He saw her slowly blink her eyes, and she reached upward towards her chest, but it was as if she had no control over her arm or hand. Her fingers brushed against the pouch but never grabbed hold, and her arm fell back down to the ground.
"Evie! Baby! You gotta hang on! Stay with me, Evie! Stay with me! You gotta get the health potion!"
The witcher turned back to the rock pinning his leg and pulled with all his might, letting out a mighty roar.
His yell echoed throughout the cavern, but his leg didn't move an inch.
He turned back towards his wife and reached out with his left arm as far as he could.
"Evie! You gotta take the health potion!"
His fingertips were less than a yard from his wife's, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get any closer. He shifted his gaze from her outstretched hand towards her face, and he saw her lips move again and then she slowly closed her eyes. He noticed a tear run across the bridge of her nose and fall to the cavern floor. And then the witcher watched his wife breathe her last.
"Evie, baby, no…you gotta stay with me! You gotta stay with me…you gotta stay with me."
The last was only said in a whisper as a look of resignation came to his face. He stopped struggling to free himself of the rock, and just lay on the cavern floor, staring at his wife.
The witcher felt like the world had stopped. It was just him and Evie in that cavern, and nothing anywhere else mattered.
"You can't go, Evie," he whispered. "What about all our plans? We were gonna watch a thousand sunsets. See the fields of White Orchard covered in virgin snow. Make a home…together."
The witcher just lay there staring at his wife for another minute before he finally closed his eyes and dropped his head back onto the cavern floor.
"Evie," he whispered.
He was, suddenly, torn from his thoughts by the sound of clicking mandibles. The sound was down in the abyss, but the witcher could tell it was getting closer. He once again raised up and looked at his leg. He put his left foot against the stone and tried with all his strength to push it off and pull himself free, but it was just too heavy. As the Aculeomorph continued its climb up the wall, the witcher knew he only had one real choice if he was going to keep Evie from being eaten. He quickly reached into his pouch, took out another Swallow and a Tawny Owl, and immediately downed them both. He unsheathed his steel sword from his back and placed the blade across his leg right next to the slab's surface. He held the hilt in his right hand and the end of the blade in his left. He breathed deeply twice and then raised the sword two feet into the air. With a yell, he brought it down onto his shin and sliced right through the lower part of his leg.
While his screams filled the cavern, he grabbed his right knee with his right hand and pulled his leg up towards his chest. He then cast the most powerful stream of Igni that he could at the stump of the leg, hoping to cauterize the wound. The pain was unbearable, the stench of his own burning flesh filled his nostrils, and his yells echoed in his hears, but he kept the Igni flames on the end of the stump until he could stand it no more.
He then turned and immediately crawled in front of Evie's body just as the giant Scorpion slowly climbed over the edge of the abyss. He immediately cast a Quen, and when the monster struck forward with its tail, the witcher swung his sword from his knees and sliced off its stinger. The creature let out a screech and backed up. This gave the monster-slayer the chance to cast a Blyx Sign, and lightning struck the Aculeomorph. As it fell to the ground, its muscles twitching, the witcher raised up onto his left foot, took two big hops forward and lunged at the monster's head. The White Wolf let out a roar as he fell towards the monster's open maw.
oOo
Thunder cracked overhead, and the rain continued to fall.
"The weather certainly fits the mood," thought Timataal.
Five rode their horses down the western slope of the Tir Torchair mountain. Four in silence while one – Barcain – prattled on about what clues the Essean texts might reveal about the Sword's location. Timataal wanted to gut the asshole just to get him to shut up. Couldn't he see that his kin were hurting?
Timataal took a peek at his best friend's face, still etched with anguish. While he knew Malek was grieving the loss of four of his men, he also knew that the giant of a man had someone else on his mind at the moment. Occasionally, he'd see Malek turn in the saddle and gaze back up towards the top of the mountain – towards the cavern. When Timataal looked back, it seemed that the clouds were even blacker and thicker up above, and the rain was pouring down in sheets. In fact, he didn't think he could even see the summit anymore. It was covered in darkness.
oOo
Geralt woke, lying across his wife's body. The pain in his leg was fierce, as if every nerve was still on fire. He pushed himself off of Evie and sat on the cavern floor. The cavern itself was completely dark now so Geralt dilated his pupils as wide as possible. He looked down at his leg, and as gently as possible, he tried to pull the charred fabric of his trousers from his leg so that he could get a better look at the wound. However, most of the fabric was stuck to the skin so he just left it in place. It didn't look to be bleeding, and he wanted to keep it that way.
He looked down at his wife and then around him. There were corpses – of humans, giant scorpions, and an earth elemental - laying everywhere. At that moment, he really wanted to get his wife out of that cavern of death, but with the stone bridge across the abyss damaged, that meant there was only one way he could go.
The witcher stared at his wife for a moment and clenched his jaw. He then laid down next to her and gently rolled her onto her side. With his right arm, he hugged her to his chest, and then he began crawling on his left side, using his arm and good leg to inch his way along. Her hair was right in his face, and he could easily detect her scent – just the faintest hint of vanilla. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, wanting to stop where he was and just hold her forever in that cavern. But he knew that he couldn't let his grief overwhelm him. So, instead of his sadness, he began to focus on his anger, and as he moved along the cavern floor, dragging Evie with him, his fury grew with every inch that he crawled.
An hour later, Geralt crawled out of the cavern through the eastern exit, and he kept crawling until he got to the middle of the small, flat clearing that was directly in front of the cavern. He then slowly got to his knees. From where he knelt, he could look out eastward and see the Korath Desert stretching on for miles and miles. Lightning flashed across the sky several times, and peals of thunder shook the ground. The witcher, with his wife's corpse at his knees, looked up into the storm – a storm that matched what he felt inside.
"Why!?" he yelled upward. "Why? What was the point of any of this?"
The rain just continued to fall into the witcher's face.
"Answer me!" His eyes scanned the night sky. "What do you want from me!? I tried…I tried everything in my power to keep her safe! That's what you told me to do…and I tried! Why didn't you help us? Why? Was all this for nothing?"
The witcher stayed silent, just listening, and watching the clouds roll and tumble. Eventually, he lowered his head. His eyes drifted down to Evie. He shook his head and closed his eyes.
"I tried," he whispered, as his chin fell to his chest. "So, what do you want from me?"
But, still, the rain continued to fall. It fell on the witcher and washed the blood from his hair and face. Then, like the rain, the witcher fell, too. His body splashed down into the mud, and he lay on his back, next to his wife, just staring up into the black sky.
He closed his eyes and whispered one more time, "Please…God…"
He wasn't sure how long he'd lain there when, suddenly, he thought he heard something in the wind – something like a whisper, though he couldn't hear the words. He jerked his body up and opened his eyes. He looked around the clearing, but he didn't see anyone there. But, then, far out into the distance – perhaps a mile or more out into the black desert night - he saw the tiniest speck of light. He stared at it for several minutes as it kept getting closer and closer. As it got nearer, he thought that it might be a sprite – he'd run across a few of those mystical little creatures in his time – but as it continued to approach, he quickly changed his mind. The little light finally stopped about two feet in front of him.
He squinted his eyes and slightly shook his head. He'd never seen this before. It wasn't a sprite or a will o' the wisp. Nor was it even a common lightning bug. It was just a butterfly, though he didn't know of any butterfly that emitted light. And how could the little bug actually fly in this storm? It should have been impossible. One drop of water on its delicate wings should have knocked it to the ground. The witcher didn't know how it was possible, but there it was. He slowly reached his left hand out in front of him, and the butterfly landed on his finger. Geralt stared at the insect as it flapped its wings several times, and then it flew up and over Geralt's head towards the cavern. The witcher turned around to look at it and noticed that it had stopped at the entrance. He looked down at his wife and then back at the butterfly. Then, he started crawling on his knees after it, and though a grimace of pain came to his face every time he moved his right leg, the witcher simply stared straight ahead, never taking his eyes off of the small light in front of him.
Thirty minutes later, Geralt came to the abyss at the other end of the cavern and watched the butterfly descend into it. He found the rope that was still safely secured in place and lowered himself down to the floor of the chasm. Upon reaching the bottom, he saw that the insect was hovering in front of the skeletal remains where they'd earlier found the scrolls.
"What is it?" he asked after crawling over to it.
The glowing insect simply flapped its wings, hovering in place over the remains of the Aen Seidhe. Geralt looked down to the skeleton and then began to methodically search through the bones but found nothing.
He looked up at the butterfly.
"There's nothing here."
Still, the little bug hovered in place.
Geralt shook his head but then began to search the cavern floor around the skeleton. He held his breath as his fingers brushed against something small and smooth, causing a small tinkling noise against the hard stone. He grasped a short, thin cylinder in his hand, and as soon as he did, the little bug flew upwards. The witcher looked up just in time to see it disappear over the edge of the precipice. He then looked back down to the cylinder in his hand.
Though he could see – more or less - in the darkness of the abyss, the witcher decided he needed some more illumination. He cast an Igni at one of the dead Aculeomorph corpses until it caught on fire. He then looked at the cylinder in his hand. He pulled the two ends apart and saw that there was a small piece of parchment inside. He gently unfurled the paper and tilted it toward the flames so that he could read its words.
oOo
Philippa was in a very bad way. She was bleeding heavily from her right arm, a right arm that she couldn't even lift anymore. She was also suffering severe after-effects from being electrocuted. Every muscle in her body twitched, including her heart. She could tell that something was seriously wrong with it. It was beating oddly and felt like it was about to burst. She knew she didn't have long to live.
That damn witcher. When the hell did he learn that spell? She felt lucky to be alive, which was more than her dear brother could say, but she knew that she wasn't going to last much longer. She could feel the life draining from her.
With all the power that she could muster, she cast a portal, hoping that she had enough control over the Power that she wouldn't end up over the Great Sea. She crawled through the portal, and after exiting the other side, she collapsed to the floor. She looked up and realized that she had no idea where she was. She appeared to be in a tiny, musty, smelly cabin with a single lamp illuminating the darkness. That was not where she'd intended to come.
"Bloody…hell," she cursed in a weak gasp. "I cannot…die…like this. I am Philippa…bloody…Eilhart."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Eilhart," came a smooth voice from the darkness. "You appear to be in need of help. Perhaps, I can assist. But, first, allow me to introduce myself. I am Gaunter O'Dimm, also known as Master Mirror or the Man of Glass."
Philippa, unable to lift herself from the floor, simply stared at the bald man from where she lay.
"Would you like my help, Miss Eilhart? Just say the word."
oOo
The witcher gazed down at Evie's body, lying face-up on ground. The rain was, unbelievably, still falling hard, and her body was drenched. He was kneeling beside her, with his knife in hand.
He looked his wife in the face and said, "I'm sorry, Evie, but I've got to do this."
He, then, unbuttoned her shirt and exposed her abdomen. He placed the tip of his knife into the skin just below her sternum and then gently pushed it through the skin and muscle below. After he made a ten-inch incision down towards her belly button, he reached inside the abdominal cavity and cut out her liver. He sliced the liver with his knife and held the organ in front of him with his right hand. As his wife's blood began to pour out, he caught it in a metal vial that he held below in his left hand.
After the vial was filled to the top, he put a stopper on its end and laid it down next to him. He, then, carefully placed her liver back inside of her. He was about to reach for his needle and manticore hair to stitch her back up when he looked down at his hands. He paused at what he saw, for his hands were covered in his wife's blood. He turned them over, palms up, and saw that they were even bloodier on that side. The rain was still coming down hard, and the heavy drops fell onto his palms, mingling with Evie's blood. He just stared at his hands for the longest time, watching the drops of blood, one after another, fall onto his trousers, staining the material red.
Suddenly, Geralt felt something break in his chest, and he bowed his head and cried. He cried harder than he'd ever cried in his life. Even harder than when he'd been a little boy back at Kaer Morhen, before the mutations. No tears came to his eyes, but his body was wracked with sobs, low cries of anguish escaping from his throat. Without consciously thinking of doing so, he slowly lifted his arms to his sides, his palms still facing upward. The storm poured down its rain on the witcher, and with his head still bowed low, he continued to cry, his wife's blood dripping from his hands. Eventually, between sobs, he spoke in the quietest of voices.
"You've broken me," he whispered. "You've broken me…is that what you wanted? Cause you've broken me. I've got nothing left."
He brought his arms back to his sides and rested his hands on his blood-stained thighs. The witcher stayed in that kneeling position, his head down, the rain soaking every part of him, until the storm finally passed.
Later, after he had finished stitching up Evie's abdomen, he looked up into her lifeless face and saw that the rain had plastered her hair across her cheeks and forehead. He reached up and tenderly brushed the hair to the side and, as was her custom, hooked it behind her ears. He gently ran the fingertips of his left hand over her cheeks and along the small scar on her chin. He stared into his wife's face, absorbing what he saw, trying to take in, one last time, every single detail – every small wrinkle and freckle. His eyes then drifted down, drawn to the witcher-medallion resting on her chest – the present that he'd given to her the day they got married. He unclasped the chain, pulled it from her neck, and looked down at the wolf-head in his hand. He squeezed the medallion tightly and then closed his eyes, thinking of her face on their wedding day, her eyes sparkling with tears of love and a radiant smile of joy. He wanted to burn that image into his memory, but in that moment, remembering that day, that image, made the pain even worse. He opened his eyes and looked at his wife again.
"Forgive me, Evie," he said. "Please…forgive me…that I didn't save you."
He waited a long time – continuing to stare into her face - as if hoping for a response, but none came.
Eventually, the witcher nodded once to himself and said, "Don't worry, wife. I'm not gonna leave you here. I made you a promise…so we're going home now, okay?"
He swallowed and nodded again.
"I'm gonna take you home."
oOo
The End of Book 2: The Wolf Hunts