"So, that's my story." Benedict said with a heavy sigh. "Frankly I'm surprised you were interested in the first place since you're fighting for a king."
"I'm not fighting for a king," Eskel replied gently. "I'm fighting against a tyrant that had me tortured."
"Then I guess it won't surprise you to know that I was ordered to kill you at all costs."
"It won't."
"When I saw you on the battlefield, I must admit, you were not what I expected. You didn't look like a man out for blood. Certainly didn't fight like one. I took a big chance that you weren't what the Emperor said you were."
"You can't go back."
"I have to. It'll only be a matter of time before they are discovered by someone."
"I'll go." Eskel volunteered.
"He wants you dead," Benedict said with emphasis.
"Did he say why?"
"No, but I was to kill you with this and not wipe it clean." Benedict pulled out a dagger sheathed in ivory. He slid it across the stone floor of the cave, and it stopped when it hit Eskel's leg. His wolf head medallion began to vibrate wildly. Picking it up he felt ill, cold. Like something was trying to hollow him out. Pulling the blade partially out, he could see a channel in the blade that led into the handle. The Emperor needed his blood. Slamming the blade back into the sheath, he dropped it and the feeling abated. Eskel kicked it back. Benedict picked it up and slid it back into his boot.
"There's more to it than just your blood." Benedict said. Eskel shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. I have resources he doesn't."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Mostly. Besides, I made a big show of wiping your blood from my sword. As far as they are concerned, you're dead." Benedict hung his head and the two witchers sat in silence as the fire crackled. Eskel looked at the man across from him, studied him. He felt the heavy burden on his shoulders, felt the love and fear for his family roll off him. They were not unfamiliar feelings. Eskel stood. It was time to raise a man from the dead.
"Come on, let's get your life back." Benedict nodded and rose to follow. They made their way out of the forest and into a camp that was still teeming with energy, even this late. Soldiers were drinking to their victory, while mages and medics tended the wounded, preparing them for the journey home. The King's tent was still brightly lit.
Eskel flipped open the tent flap and the witchers entered. Triss gasped softly on seeing him, the tension in her shoulders easing though she remained at the King's side.
"Your Majesty, this is Benedict Almera and he is seeking asylum in your Kingdom." The king raised an eyebrow and Eskel gave the short version of Benedict's story.
"Benedict Almera," the King turned his gaze to the new witcher. "Why should I grant your request? You came here to do battle for the Emperor."
"He threatened my family. I had no choice."
"Another witcher with a family?" Tancred glanced at Eskel and Benedict took note.
"My wife, Sofia and our sons," he paused and swallowed struggling to keep the emotion from his voice. "My sons are seventeen and eighteen. Emhyer will kill them."
"Probably. But I will not send my soldiers into the Empire." Tancred said matter of factly.
"I will go." Eskel said.
"Why would you sacrifice yourself for someone who, just hours ago, was trying to kill you?" Tancred asked as he laid his heavy gaze on him. Eskel considered for a moment, the well of experience flooding his memories. It was the reason he had let Rena go all those years before. The reason the Witchers of the Wolf outlived many of their brethren.
"Because family matters."
"Where is it?" the young man hissed to himself as he continued to rifle through the books and scrolls on table. There had to be something else here. He kept glancing over his shoulder to the door, expecting it open at any moment. Opening a drawer, he paused at the amulet that stared back at him. It was old. Very old and like nothing he had ever seen.
"So, this is how you repay those that took you in." The voice startled him, and he turned, slamming the drawer, the strange amulet forgotten as he looked upon his mentor's face.
"Master Magnus! I…I was just looking f-…"
"Silence!" The young apprentice jumped again at the harshness in his master's voice. A voice that seemed to come from somewhere else. Someone else. "Triss brought you in, starving and friendless. She gave you all you needed and in turn, you betray her lover to the Emperor of Nilfgaard."
"What? No! I would never!" But it was too late. His guilt was written all over his face, in his eyes and in his soul and Magnus could see all three.
"Yes, in fact you would. And did. For months my notes have been moved from where I left them. Didn't think I'd notice? Why? Was it power? Fame that was offered to you?"
"You don't refuse The Empire." The apprentice said softly, then quickly raised his hand to unleash a fireball. It struck Magnus and seemed to consume him before pooling at the old wizard's feet and ricocheting back to its caster. The young mage screamed as he was consumed by his own spell.
When the fire died, and only ash was left, Magnus fell to his knees and wept.
The journey back to Pont Vanis was tense. Eskel and Benedict rode ahead with the King's entourage while another group of soldiers stayed behind to guard the slow-moving wagons of injured and dead. Benedict wanted to move faster. He wanted to go after his family now. He was impatient to return his life back to the peace of the last fifty years, but he followed silently. Benedict followed Eskel and Triss as they peeled off from the group outside the city walls and rode up to a cozy cottage under a willow tree. Outside was a girl and two very small children.
"Thank the gods! You're back!" The girl exclaimed as the two little ones came running as best as their little legs could. Benedict watched as Eskel and the red-haired sorceress knelt to pick up the children and he knew then this was a man who understood and whom he could trust. After a few days of rest, Triss announced that Benedict would be relocating to the foothills of Talgar. Eskel concurred.
A few of the King's guard were to accompany Triss and Benedict to Talgar while Eskel went to retrieve Benedict's family. Eskel tightened the leather saddle strap and checked his bags. He was ready for the road. Benedict, too, readied his horse as Triss said her goodbyes to the twins and Kari.
"Eskel," Benedict approached as Eskel prepared to mount up. "Are you sure about this place?"
"Yes. You can live openly as a witcher. Wear your swords on your back and skip the drops. The villagers will be pleased to have you there. They tend to have more trouble than I can handle this far away. At least living the way I do now." He glanced over his shoulder at his little family then turned his attention back to the witcher in front of him. "Where can I find this cabin of yours?"
"At the end of the Velda river in Gheso." He handed over a map, some Nilfgaardian notes and the small bottle of eye drops. "Take these. Might come in handy. And be careful. There will be traps."
"I wouldn't expect anything else," Eskel said as he swung up into his seat. Triss and another mage stood waiting to send him to Toussaint where Kira would teleport him further down the continent.
"And Witcher, when you see her…Tell her…Call her Caerme."
"Caerme?"
"It's elvish for Destiny. It's what I call her… She'll know I sent you."
Eskel pulled his sword free and wiped the blood off on the dead man's pant leg. That was the third patrol he'd seen since morning. He looked around at the three other bodies then began to drag them off the road. He stripped the horses and sent them running but decided to keep one. Might need an extra. The path up the mountain was just ahead. It had been so well concealed that the Empire soldiers just rode right by it. Only a witcher's eye could discern the carefully disarrayed brush. He rode slowly up the dirt trail, listening to the Velda river to his left as it dwindled to its end at the mountains that loomed ahead. Along the way he sidestepped a few simple, but well hidden, traps.
Suddenly, he felt a change in the air as the breeze in the trees slowed. He could hear every leaf as it rustled, the crunch of bark on the tree, and the soft twang of a bow string. He pulled his dagger and parried an arrow right before it struck him in the throat. The shooter was unable to conceal his amazement.
"Whoa," said a young male voice high above his head. Glancing up he saw the youth perched precariously in the upper most branches. Eskel said nothing as he rode further up, a cabin coming into view as he rounded a wall of trees and shrubs. There were steps up from the path to a railed porch.
"What are you doing here?" Another voice said as a slightly older young man stepped into the road, a witcher's sword in his hand. He took notice of the easy way the youth held the weapon. He was familiar with it and confident he could defend his family.
"Benedict sent me." Eskel replied.
"How do we know that? You could be one of them." A woman's voice came from overhead. She spoke with a slight accent. Looking up he saw her, and his breath caught in his chest. She was exquisite. The vision of her did not do her justice. Long black waves against a light olive complexion with bright green eyes.
"Caerme," Eskel said when he found his voice. The woman's expression changed, softened with relief and longing. She waved her elder son down and he sheathed the sword and came to stand beside her.
"Come." She said. Eskel dismounted and followed her up the steps and into the house, the two boys behind him. She sank into a chair before speaking again.
"Benedict is alive, yes? Where is he?"
"He's on his way to Talgar. It was too dangerous for him to come."
"Why? Did he do what the Emperor wanted?" her voice was strained. He must not have told her.
"No." Eskel said quietly and she swallowed a sob.
"Then his life is forfeit. I don't even know what for."
"He was supposed to kill me. King Tancred has granted him asylum and we faked his death. Hopefully, Emhyer never finds out. There is no reason he should. I'm here to take you to Talgar. To Benedict."
"Mother, how do we know he's telling the truth?" The older boy was standing next to his mother, giving Eskel a hard stare.
"Because he called me Caerme. Only my Ben calls me that." She answered softly.
"I've never heard Papa call you that," the younger son said.
"No. You wouldn't have." She turned her attention back to Eskel. "There is a reason Ben told you to call me that. I know without a doubt you are here on his behalf." Sighing, she stood and straightened her shoulders. "I am Sophia. These are my sons, Martin and Sylvain. Come. Have dinner with us. Tonight, we rest and tomorrow we begin planning our journey."
The morning sun had just broken over the horizon when Sofia joined Eskel. She was dressed for the road, her long black hair plaited down her back. She roused her sons from a deep slumber as the sun fully rose. Eskel had not slept but had remained in deep meditation in front of the hearth.
The foursome broke their fast in silence, then packed up their horses with basic gear and rations. The extra horse purloined from the patrol was lightly loaded with what valuables and gold Sofia had left once everything had been sold off. Martin, the older brother, sat outside and honed his blade. His face was a hard mask as Eskel approached.
"Ready?" He asked simply. Martin grunted.
"I can handle myself."
"Clearly. But if it comes to blows, please follow my lead. I've been doing this for a very long time."
"So has my father." Martin replied angrily.
"But he isn't here, now is he?" Sofia said as she walked toward them, Sylvan in her wake. Martin clamped his mouth shut. "Now, Witcher, what will you have us do?" Eskel sized up the younger son, bow and arrows on his back as he mentally ran through his plan.
"We will travel by day until we come to the main road then we will switch to nights. We are going to follow the main road up to Mettina. Someone will be waiting for us in one of the villages on the road headed toward Toussaint."
"The main road is going to be crawling with soldiers." Martin complained. "What happens if they notice us? Notice you?"
"That's why we travel at night. I'll be going into the villages alone. You three will have to lay low nearby."
"And if you don't some back?" Martin snapped.
"Martin, that is enough." Sofia interrupted. "But that is a fair question. What if they recognize you?"
"I have ways around that, but it is why I need to go alone." He turned and mounted his horse and the others followed. Eskel rode in front, keeping a brink pace and they reached the main road on the second day. When dark fell, they began their travels again, going slowly so as not to rouse suspicions of others but Eskel kept his cloak on and hood pulled low to hide his face.
They were passed by several soldiers riding alone without trouble until the second night. A large group had just the road from the nearby post. The superior officer pulled up and hailed them.
"Ho there. What brings you to the roads at night?" Eskel nodded in greeting before speaking.
"I came for my daughter and her sons. She is recently a widow."
"You speak with a northern accent."
"Yes. Kaedwen. My wife was Nilfgaardian." Eskel gestured casually but the men in front of him stopped and starred before blinking and turning away.
"Very well, then," the captain said after a prolonged pause. "Continue on." Then the company rode down the road. Once out of earshot, Sylvan let loose a heavy sigh.
"I thought we were in trouble. I can't believe they bought that."
"Like I said, I have ways around being seen." The following night they came upon the first sizeable village. He pulled out the small bottle of drops. Eskel eyed them, wondering how he was going to use them when Sophia plucked them from his palm.
"Sit," she said. He took a seat on a log and leaned his head back. He watched as the drop hung for a moment on the glass rod then fell into his open eye. Sophia medicated the other eye and Eskel sat squeezing his eyes closed at the slight burn. When he opened them and looked up, Sophia nodded.
"So, your eyes were brown once?"
"Yeah. A long time ago." He hid his precious cargo in a nearby copse and approached the inn. He bumped against the many patrons, but no one spared him a glance. He looked around but his amulet remained still. Whoever was to meet them was not here. He bought a drink, finished it and left. Returning to his companions he merely said, "not here" and rode on.
The following night another village came into view, larger than the last. Again, Sophia administered the eye drops and she and her family waited outside for him. He rode alone into the busy town and tied his horse at the inn then pushed through the doors. He glanced around from under his hood, taking note of the many armed men in the establishment and the one hooded figure hiding in the darkened corner. His amulet twitched. After he purchased ale from the maid, he took his drink toward the dark corner and a familiar scent wafted over him. His tankard made a thud as it hit the worn tabletop and he took his seat across from her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked before taking a drink.
"Who else did you think was sent to meet you?" she replied, her words clipped.
"Not you." He answered. She leaned forward and a lock of raven hair slipped from beneath her hood.
"Well, like it or not, here I am."
"Didn't say I didn't like it. Just surprised. How did Triss find you?"
"The mirror. It was risky but fortunately I was alone. Now let's get this over with. My absence will be noticed before too long." The pair rose and left the inn. Eskel mounted his black stallion and she joined him on a white horse. They rode out of town to a secluded field.
"This is Yen. She's going to help us out of here." Eskel introduced her as she lowered her hood and shook out her hair.
"Hello. Now let's get moving." She turned her horse.
"She's a real peach," Martin muttered. Eskel could hear Yen suck in a breath preparing to unleash her tongue on him.
"She's helping us at great personal cost. Be grateful that we are not going to have to traverse the length of Nilfgaard." Eskel responded, cutting her off. The group rode until the forest began to encroach upon the road again. When Yen turned off the well-worn path, the rest followed.
"I've been scouting this area for days waiting for you. This is best we can hope for. We must be quick. Patrols go by here like clockwork." She slid from her horse and pulled two pouches from her waist. One she handed to Eskel. "Give this to Kiera. It'll help her move you along. Toussaint is as far as I can go. Anything more and it would draw too much notice and the last thing we need is to be noticed." She opened the pouch and began to lay stones in a very precise manner when Sylvan spoke from his perch in a tree.
"Is it a bad time to tell you a patrol is headed this way?"
"Damn it," she swore. "They'll see us. Quick, into the forest." Martin and Sophia grabbed the horses and led them deeper into the woods. Yen turned to Eskel. "Kiss me."
"What?" he hissed as the patrol closed in on them. "We should head into the forest."
"They have already seen our horses. Besides they won't think anything of two lovers out here. And pull that sword off your back. Hurry!" Eskel unbuckled the sword belt and dropped the weapon to the ground before he took her in his arms and gazed down at her violet eyes as he pressed her back into a large tree. He closed his eyes and thought of Triss and how much he missed her. Momentarily forgetting where he was, he poured all of that longing into the kiss. His thoughts were interrupted by boorish laughter as the patrol stopped to get a lurid peek at the lovers before moving on. Eskel broke from her once they passed out of view. Yen remained against the tree, her gaze full of longing.
"She is a very lucky woman," Yen whispered before returning to her task. Sylvan whistled from above and his mother and brother returned to the small clearing. The stones in place, Yen said the incantation that lit up the circle, blue light streaming skyward from the ground as Eskel returned his sword to his back.
"What is that?" Sylvan asked when his feet touched the ground again.
"A portal." She looked to Eskel. "Different than you're used to. These are more stable but require more energy. This will put you just outside Corvo Bianco. Go. I can't maintain this forever." Sophia led her horse followed by her sons with the other animals. They walked onto the blue patch and faded from view. "Go Witcher. I hope this is all worth it."
"Thank you, Yen." And he led Scorpion through the blue light. When he looked up again, he could see the lanterns of Corvo Bianco. Someone was standing at the gate.
"It is good to see you, Sir." The man said as the group approached.
"Good to see you too, Barnabas." Several boys scrambled out to take the horses as their riders dismounted.
"Wow. Some place." Sylvan gawked.
"I inherited it. From a friend."
"Don't let Master Eskel fool you. He is quite adept in this business. Now come, there is food for you." The steward gestured and Eskel fell into step beside him while the others followed.
"All I want is a hot bath and my bed."
"Very well, Sir. I'll inform Lambert and Kiera of your arrival."
Eskel slept for a day and a half before finally getting up trudging out into the sunlight. Kiera sat at the table with a glass of wine.
"Good morning sleepyhead. Glad to see you're up and about." Eskel grunted and dropped the velvet pouch Yen had given him into her hands. She loosened the string and smiled. "Oh yes, these will do nicely."
"Where's everyone at?" Eskel asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"Well, Sophia is in the kitchen with Marlene, Sylvan is in the vineyard, and Martin was sparing with Lambert last I saw. We've all been waiting on you. Lambert was going to drag you out of bed, but Sophia insisted we leave you alone. Something about not sleeping for almost a week?"
"I meditated. Not quite as good but good enough."
"Good enough gets you dead, Witcher."
"So does sleeping on the job."
"Touche. Now that you are up, we can send you on your way. With what Yen sent, it will be easy, however, it has to be someplace I know well. Kaer Morhen is as close as I can get you."
"How well do you know Kaer Morhen?" Eskel asked and watched her blush.
"Well enough. Prepare yourself. I'll be in the southern vineyard when you are ready."
Triss looked up and covered her eyes from the harshness of the sun. It was getting hot. She watched as Benedict worked on rethatching the roof of the cottage. The tiny village had been very excited to see the King's advisor and gladly welcomed the new witcher. They had been greeted to the village square by three ghouls and a hag. Benedict quickly made himself a hero and earned an abandoned cottage on the side nearest the forest. Triss helped clean away the dust and prepare it for his family. Other women in the village gladly shared with the newcomers partly out of gratitude, and partly out of curiosity. So when the new group of road weary travelers arrived, the villagers gathered again to see what fate had brough them this time.
At the head of the group, Triss could see her very own travel worn witcher. Beside him was an astoundingly beautiful woman. Eskel addressed the alderman and he pointed them their way. Triss smiled and waved. Up on the roof, Benedict stood and stretched then looked out.
"Sophia," he whispered. "Sophia!" He jumped from the low edge of the roof as she swung her leg over her horse's head and slipped from its back as it continued to walk.
"Benedict!" He caught her up and held her tight, repeating her name over and over again before setting her on her feet and kissing her deeply. Eskel dismounted and slipped his arms around Triss. The boys began to unload the horses, giving their parents a wide berth. Benedict released his wife and hugged each of his sons, asking after their welfare before turning to Eskel.
"Thank you, Eskel. This is a kindness I'll never forget." He took Sophia's hand and led her into their new home. Triss turned in her lover's arms and gave him a quick kiss. She looked up into his eyes and instead of the usual golden glow, his gaze was a warm chocolate brown.
"This…" she ran a finger over his brow.
"Don't get too excited. It only lasts for a day." He chuckled.
"Have you seen?"
"Yes. It was…strange. Thought I'd let you see."
"I'm glad you did. But…"
"But what?"
"It's not you. I know that sounds silly."
"You're right. It's not who I am anymore. Who I am now just wants to go home."
"Yes. Let's go home."