Eskel held his fork between his forefinger and thumb while poking at his breakfast. He had a busy day today. There were fences to mend and grapes to tend, both things that could be done by others but he liked to help. He had never minded all the work that Vesemir gave them. He liked to work. He had also picked up a contract in Beauclair but he just couldn't focus on that either and an unfocused witcher was a dead witcher. Beside him, someone spoke but the words were lost.

"Hmm?" He looked up to see Marlene standing beside him, holding a teapot

"I asked if you would like more tea." She said softly.

"Oh, uh, no. Thank you." He went back to poking at his food. Marlene laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, son? You haven't been eating lately." Eskel looked up into her worn and wrinkled face. Marlene de Trastamara was the only person of his acquaintance that could call him son and it be anywhere remotely true. She had been cursed and lived as a spotted wight for so long her entire family died off. Geralt had lifted her curse and brought her to Corvo Bianco. Once she recovered, she stayed and cooked for Geralt and now for him. She was kind and soft spoken and Eskel felt protective of her, even though she was not quite as fragile as she seemed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little preoccupied." She gave him a gentle pat and removed the empty tea mug. Just then Barnabas pulled out the chair next to him and sat, his own tea in hand.

"Preoccupied is an understatement." He said pointedly then sipped his tea as he opened the accounts ledger. Eskel stabbed the meat on his plate and stuffed it in his mouth as he eyed his steward reproachfully. "May I speak frankly, Sir?"

"Why not? You're going to anyway." Eskel muttered.

"You have not been yourself recently. You have been…detached. Might I suggest a trip?"

"Things to do. Contract to finish."

"Not finished yet? I recall you saying it was quick work for good money."

"As you said, I haven't been myself. Can't go out there without my head on straight."

"Because…?"

"Because…" Because I might not see her again.

"I thought so." Barnabas sipped his tea, feeling very satisfied with himself.

"You thought what?" Eskel was becoming agitated.

"The solution to your malaise is simple. Go to Kovir." Eskel stared back at him.

"And what makes you think that will solve all my problems?" Barnabas set his mug down and faced him.

"You need her." The two men held each other's gaze for a moment then Eskel stood up, grabbed his gear, mounted up and left. He had picked up two contracts. One was done. He needed only to return the lost item to its owner. The second was to clear a nearby cave of archespore.

On the ride to the cave, he thought about what Barnabas had said. You need her. Triss. It had been five weeks since she returned to her duties in Kovir and he had been living in a fog. When she walked through that portal she took a piece of him with her. If you want to be together…. In that single moment, she had awakened something inside of him long dormant: the pull of the desires of the man inside the Witcher that he had not felt since he was young and fresh on the Path. Then, he had quickly learned that the infertility was irreversible and the thought of watching someone he loved age and die while he continued on was too much. He had apologized as he walked away from her, the sound of her tears haunting him for years but he pushed it aside. Focusing his will, he walked the Path as a perfect Witcher. Over time, the ache of loss eased then was forgotten though the experience was not. It was a strong reminder of what and who he was.

So, he had drunk too much with his brothers, threw himself into the manual labor required to maintain their crumbling home, and found his pleasure at brothels or, preferably, with a succubus. They held no expectations, spun no sad tales and, as long as he didn't reek of blood and gore, were very welcoming to him.

Rounding the hill, he saw an encampment near the mouth of the cave; a grouping of striped tents to one side and carts loaded with goods on the other. Approaching the entrance, he was stopped by the merchant that hired him. He was a wiry man with thick hair and beard, an incongruous look, and he did not look happy.

"Well, Witcher, I thought this would be done by now." The merchant crossed his arms and held his chin high in an attempt to look down on Eskel. It was a look Eskel had seen over and over and wanted to knock off his face.

"I'll have this finished up in short order." The merchant nodded curtly and stepped back. Dropping the reigns, Eskel knelt in the pose of meditation. Closing his eyes, he breathed deep and slow focusing on the job ahead before pulling his silver sword and applying a thick, rancid smelling, yellow grease before entering the cool darkness.

Inside it smelled earthy but dry. Toward the back a hole in the ceiling let in enough light to allow him perfect vision without his cat. Running his hand over the rough stone wall, he walked slowly waiting for the tell-tale rattle of bones before the archespore shot from its resting place beneath the ground. He continued to circle the cave, winding inward to catch any other that may be hidden. As he neared the center, the ground gave a rumble and the plant burst forth spraying dirt in every direction.

It was huge. The fleshy flower was nearly as large as his horse and the stalk was as thick as four men grouped together. It whipped back and forth before spitting poison thorns at him. Eskel dived and rolled away, releasing a burst of fire. There was a hiss and a squeal and it disappeared beneath the earth. Another rumble beneath his feet gave enough warning of its return for Eskel to move to safety, parry the thorns and throw more fire at it. Eskel could hear the snapping and popping as the beast writhed before again disappearing. They repeated the same steps to this deadly dance over and over until, suddenly, something peculiar happened. Something that had not happened in a long time. As the massive head whipped backward, time seemed to slow and he saw every ripple of movement. Eskel rolled away with ease as the beast struck where he had been and he slashed up the thick tangle of vines before stepping back and releasing igni once again. This time the flames held. He hadn't used a standard Witcher's potion but a flame accelerant ensuring that the flames would burn continuously. He would be sure to thank the alchemist that gave it to him.

Eskel crouched to rub his blade in the dirt, smothering the flames that clung to it and watch the fire burn. He began to see the flames separate into layers of yellow, orange and red. Each color was distinct as they flickered slowly in his sight and he was reminded of the jewel that he had given Triss.

He blinked and the fire crackled and popped normally. Eskel stood and left the cave. The merchant and his workers were gathered outside watching the smoke billow from the entrance.

"You set fire to my cave?" He complained loudly. Eskel pulled a rag from his bags and wiped the grease from his sword before sheathing it.

"Only way to kill an archespore." The merchant grunted and handed over a pouch of coin. Eskel hefted it. "Feels a bit light."

"Deductions for being tardy on completing the job and now this!"

"We never agreed on a timeframe and there was no other way." Eskel held the man's gaze. The disfiguring scar gave him a more pronounced snarl that frequently worked to his advantage.

"Fine." He pulled another pouch and threw it at Eskel. "At least I'm done with you. Wretched mutants. Should have all been rounded up and hanged."

"I'll remember that next time you need a monster killed." Eskel said patiently as he rode away. On the way home, he was relaxed and clearheaded. He realized he actually missed being a witcher. Helping those who were truly grateful made him glad. Those, like the merchant, who looked down their nose with disdain at him yet knew they had no other real choice gave him a sense of smug justice, especially when he could point out that he was the only option should another monster cross their path. Also, having something else to rely on eased the burden of income and thus his need to pry every piece of gold from other's fingers, leaving him free to accept those contracts that made him happy.

A boy came running from the stable and took Scorpion's reigns from his master's hand. Eskel smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. He instructed the lad to brush him well, that he would be starting a long journey the next day. Eskel found his steward in his usual spot overseeing the work in the vineyard. They stood beside one another silently for a moment before Eskel spoke.

"Hire extra help for the harvest if needed. I can't guarantee when I'll return."

"Return, Sir?"

"I'm not sure when the court at Kovir closes. Triss doesn't go to Lan Exeter, so we'll return here." Barnabas gave him a faint smile.

"I'm glad to see you have come to your senses…Sir."

"Yeah, me too."

Eskel left Toussaint in high spirits. At least until he crossed the border. The Northern Kingdoms were as dark as Toussaint was bright. War had ravaged the land for so long, it had beaten down the people as they tried, and frequently failed, to rebuild their lives. Monsters were plentiful as they fed on the bodies of the dead. The Nilfgardian flag flew high but the soldiers did little to help the people they now dominated.

As he crossed the former border of Lyria, a haggard man hailed him as he stepped away from the group of women and children. Another group of young men stood aloof from the rest. They were all red eyed and dirty, the children skin and bone peering around their mother's skirts. It was a scene of tired desperation.

"Master!" the man called out. "Master, can you help us? Please?" he begged as Eskel rode closer. Eskel pulled up and looked down. "A Witcher! Melitele smiles on us!"

"What is it?" Eskel asked, keeping his voice dispassionate.

"We are trying to start over. There is a village up the road that the Black Ones haven't burned but there are corpse eaters. Could you rid them? We've lost all…" A soul wrenching sadness flashed through the man's eyes briefly and Eskel dismounted. "We beg your mercy since we have naught to repay your services." Eskel felt the pain in the man's voice though his face did not betray this fact. This man was so unlike the haughty merchant.

"A meal and a place to bed down will be enough."

"Thank you, Master Witcher! Your kindness will never be forgotten!" Eskel swung back up into the saddle.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Aye. There be a big one. With spikes."

"Alghoul. Wait here until I return." Eskel gently nudged Scorpion forward down the road until the houses came into view. Like the man said, this village was still standing with buildings intact. He left Scorpion on the outskirts and swiped necrophage oil down his blade as he crept closer to the center, where the smell of decay was strongest.

It had been a large village at one point, before the war took the men and bandits took the rest. Around the well were several bloated corpses of those who previously failed to clear the beasts. Three ghouls fought over the right to feed and Eskel took advantage of their inattention. He released the Dragon's Dream he had pulled from his bags then followed it with igni creating a fiery blast that killed one of the ghouls and set alight the other two as well as a few of the bodies and the roof of the well. Running in through the smoke he finished the remaining ghouls with quick, strong strokes. Straightening up, Eskel put out the fire and blew away some of the smoke with aard. Training his hearing on the sounds around him, he cleared the houses and common buildings of a few other small ghouls but saw no sign of anything else.

Turning his back to the well, he began to walk out where he had left his horse. Again he felt the slowing of time, heard every breath of the frightened animals in the trees, felt every hair on his arms stand. Slowly he looked back as the large alghoul crept from behind the alehouse. In his heightened state, Eskel saw every muscle movement and felt every tremor as the beast came to confront the man who would interrupt its peace.

The spikes were beginning to deploy and Eskel ran toward the creature dropping to a roll as its massive claws came out for a swipe. He landed on his knees and blasted it with axii and the poisonous spines retracted. A split second later, Eskel engulfed the alghoul in flames then began his silver onslaught. He parried, blocked and rolled with ease as he already knew exactly the moves the creature would make. Making a dive away from another deadly swipe, Eskel saw his opportunity to end the fight. Grabbing his silver dagger, he thrust it upward into the beast's lower jaw then yanked forward, ripping half of its face off. As it staggered, Eskel finished it with a hard downswing of the heavy blade of his sword.

Eskel stood over his conquest and caught his breath as the sharp focus of the world around him faded and the sounds of nature blended together with the wind in the trees. He reflected that the fight should have been much harder but the precognition that he sometimes experienced had kicked in, making it so much easier. It was something he had experienced his whole life except he usually went years between these psychic episodes not mere weeks. He was also able to know other's minds. Not direct telepathy, but he could get a sense of someone's true intentions and know their thoughts. Neither of these abilities were something he could control. They came and went at their own volition, usually very infrequently.

Eskel returned to the haggard group of refugees spattered in blood and entrails. He rode up but did not dismount. Every eye looked to him as if he were their last hope.

"Master?" The old man ventured carefully.

"The village is clear. Gather up the bodies and burn them outside the village. The smell may draw more ghouls in but the fire and smoke should keep them at bay. I'll return shortly." Eskel turned his horse and rode toward the forest as the women exclaimed in relief and the old man called his thanks.

When he returned from the forest after destroying the ghoul nests, the bodies burned brightly in a pile on the road and Eskel had two stags slung over his mount. He dropped them near the well and the younger men got to work hanging and skinning them while the women put together a spit to roast them. Eskel watched all this from a shadowed porch chair, maintaining an aloof attitude. Deep down however, he was pleased. His last paid contract had been thankless and demeaning. While this job would earn him no coin, these people were far from thankless. As darkness descended, a woman approached him carrying a roughhewn wooden plate heaped with roasted venison. Eskel recognized her as the woman with the three young children. She stopped outside of arms reach as if she hated to disturb him. Eskel met her gaze and she spoke.

"For you," she offered the plate in his direction. He took it and nodded wordless thanks expecting her to turn and quickly return to her family but she remained standing in front of him. She even took an additional step toward him.

"I…I wanted to thank you…for what you've done for us." Eskel looked away, a little embarrassed.

"Just doing my job," he said softly.

"Not just your job. My children will go to bed with a full stomach and a roof over their heads for the first time in over a year because of you. Thank you." Her voice broke and she turned and went back to the joyous group around the spit. Eskel smiled into the darkness. No amount of gold could replace what he felt just then. He ate his dinner and in the morning when the newly settled villagers awoke, the witcher was gone.

Summer in Kovir was warm and breezy. Eskel rode through the cobbled streets to the castle as the people watched him with curiosity. It had been a while since a witcher had come this far north. The crowds were thicker the closer he got to the King's summer residence and he dismounted to lead his horse through. The green in front of the castle doors was a welcome reprieve from the press of bodies and the summer heat. A half-dozen castle guard passed him and Eskel watched the Captain approach him.

"I'm looking for Triss Merigold."

"The King's advisor? She would be in the Wizard's Tower right about now." The Captain gestured backwards to the tower that jutted over the low built castle.

"Wizard's Tower? A bit cliché."

"It also houses the King's library. He likes to read. Follow the path near the wall. It will lead you straight to the door."

"Thanks." Eskel followed the flagstone path that led between the castle wall and the outer wall. It was a long narrow walkway that opened abruptly to a garden of brightly colored flowers beneath a canopy of trees. Butterflies flitted among the bushes as the birds sang overhead. Eskel tied Scorpion to a tree and went through the heavy door. Inside the thick stone walls was dark and cool. Making his way up the steps he came to the first floor, the wall of which were lined with floor to ceiling books. A young woman was on the far side scanning through the titles, list in hand. He passed two more floors like the first before reaching the top. The door was open to a bright blue rug on the worn boards. He stepped into the room and scanned around. Shelves and tables covered the walls holding books, scrolls, and other baubles. A marble statue of Melitele stood in one corner. At the far end of the room, Triss stood with her back to him as she leaned over a heavy tome.

Eskel silently closed and barred the door, thankful for the well-oiled hinges, before walking quietly to her. Standing right behind her, he inhaled her scent before sliding his hands around her narrow waist. He smiled as he she jumped in surprise and turned to face him. She was startled at first but, after she processed who stood before her, her face filled with wonder.

"You came…" she said breathlessly. Triss reached up and caressed his face and down his shoulders and chest in disbelief as her pulse began to race. "You came."

"I couldn't stay away." Eskel said as he lowered his mouth impatiently to hers in a long-awaited kiss. Triss wound her arms around his neck, holding tightly. In her arms, he felt the tension slide from his shoulders as he felt suddenly complete in her presence. Her grip on his neck loosened and he felt her soft hands slid beneath his shirt. He was reveling in her touch when there came a thud from the door.

"Lady Merigold?" Came the muffled voice followed by a hammering knock. Triss and Eskel parted reluctantly though he did not release her. The banging became more insistent. Triss removed her hands from under his shirt.

"I should let her in. She will have the guard up here to break the door down if I don't. She's a good assistant just…a little jumpy."

"Let me." Eskel went to the door, and wearing his best witcher face he lifted the bar and opened the door, much to the assistant's surprise. She looked up as he very deliberately adjusted his belt buckle and checked the ties on his pants. Her eyes grew round and she turned bright red. She slunk passed him with her books and Eskel suppressed a laugh as he winked at Triss.

"I'll see you at home," he said and followed the stone steps downward. There wasn't much left of summer but it promised to be very pleasant indeed.

Vengerberg, wintertime

Yen walked home from the tavern late in the afternoon. The sky was grey and the wind blew cold as she approached a small garden circle near her home. A man was head down and scurrying away after posting a notice. Yen read the notice and her blood ran cold. Emhyr's hatred and vitriol had finally escaped the walls of his palace in Nilfgaard. She snatched the notice down and began to run to the other side of the city. When she arrived at her destination, she banged heavily on the solid door. Thankfully it swung open.

"Oh, shit…"

"Lambert, you have to leave. Immediately." Yen said with all sincerity.

"Kiss my ass, Yen." And started to close the door on her but she persisted, grabbing his jacket collar.

"No, Lambert, you don't understand…"

"I understand plenty."

"What is going on in here? Yen?" Keira was surprised at Yen's appearance at their door. Ever since they bore the bad news of Geralt's death, Yen had shunned them, turning away from Lambert and refusing to see Keira when she sought assistance. Yen shoved the flyer at Keira. Keira's eyes scanned over the paper then read aloud. "It is hereby decreed by His Eminence, Emhyr var Emreis, the Emperor of Nilfgaard and its territories that all sorceresses are to be arrested and prepared for transport to Nilfgaard. Any witchers that may be travelling in their company are to be executed immediately, their medallions and heads collected to be presented to His Imperial Majesty."

"I'm so sorry. I'm afraid this might be my fault."

"How so?" Keira inquired with a stunned expression.

"When Ciri never returned from the Tower of the Swallow, Geralt came to see me. He told me he had gone to Emhyr and told him of her disappearance and that Emhyr said he never wanted to see him again. But I know Emhyr. I know he blamed Geralt for Ciri's disappearance and secretly sought him out to exact revenge. He probably toyed with the idea of killing Triss first. When you came and told me that Geralt was…dead…I…I thought I could put an end to all this if I told him."

"You did what?" Lambert shook from her grasp.

"I went to Emhyr and told him that Geralt was dead. Not right away. It was almost a year later. That the crone from Velen killed him. I had no idea he would respond this way! You must go. Now. Go north. To Kovir…or…somewhere else. Anywhere else."

"It's clear he didn't believe you." Keira said, trying her best to press down the panic that crept up her throat.

"Shit." Lambert stormed into the bedroom and began to pack the bare necessities.

"I'll help you anyway I can."

"No," Lambert said as he dropped his saddle bags on the table. "Winter is coming. I know where to go and it's best if you don't." Yen stood subdued with her hands clasped before her looking nothing like the powerful sorceress she was.

"Fair enough. I'll go into hiding then present myself to Emhyr in a few weeks. Better I go myself than be brought in. Good luck." She said then departed.

"Where are we going, Lambert?" Keira asked nervously. Lambert turned a beaming smile on her.

"How do you feel about wine?"