CHAPTER 9 – Mine or no one's - Part 3
*Geralt*
The night goes on swiftly, we eat, we talk. Our host, Nivellen is a rather pleasant company, although I'm not utterly happy how he looks at Roni...
"Are your magical powers innate?" I ask, finishing up another glass of wine.
"No, I've had them since growing this trap" He taps his head. "I don't know how it happened myself, but the house does whatever I wish. Nothing very big, I can conjure up food, drink, clothes, clean linen, hot water, soap. Any woman can do that and without using magic at all. I can open and close windows and doors. Can light up fire. Nothing very remarkable."
"It's something." I nod agreeing. "And this trap, as you call it, have you had it long?" I ask carefully.
"Twelve years" He answers simply, but in his hesitation I feel suspicion kindling.
"How did it happen?" Roni questions without a blink of an eye as I repress a swear inside me, but it can't be taken back.
"What's it got to do with you?" Nivellen asks her harshly.
My fists are clenching immediately as I fight the urge to put him back to his place. Who does he think he is talking to?
"Nothing." Roni shrugs with a small smile like nothing happened. "I'm just asking out of curiosity."
"Curiosity" Nivellen repeats it, measuring the truth of her words. "Alright, little minx, I decide to believe you" He nods eventually with a strange smirk which boils my blood even more than his rudeness did. "Just to satisfy you a little I'll show you what I used to look like. Look at those portraits." He shows us the wall across the room. "The first from the chimney is my father. The second, pox only knows, and the third one is me. Can you see it?"
I glance at the portrait only for a moment. A nondescript man with bloated, sad, spotty face and watery eyes, nothing special, especially considering how portrait makers tend to flatter their clients...
Jaskier stands up to take a look at it more closely, but I don't really pay too much attention to is... I swear I'm going to punch this beast if he calls Roni minx again!
I almost jump out of my skin when I feel her hand on my thigh. Her touch is ever so gentle, yet I feel the heat of her skin. I know she only wants to calm me and in a way it's working. At least I have another thing to focus on...
I release a sigh, embracing her small hand in mine, squeezing it lightly as a reassurance; message received.
"Can you see it?" Nivellen asks again as I nod.
"I can" Roni answers too, calmly.
"Who are you?"
"What do you mean?" She questions, frowning.
"My portrait is hung beyond the candlelight. I can see it, but I'm not human. At least not at the moment. A human, looking at my portrait, would get up" He starts explaining, showing Jaskier as a proof. "Go closer, no doubt, have take a candlestick with him. So, the conclusion is simple. Are you human?"
He is right. My improved vision makes it possible to see it and to Roni her magic.
"If that's the way you put it, then not quite." I admit it regaining my presence. "I'm a witcher and she is a mage."
The air freezes for a moment.
"Ah" Nivellen starts in the end. I'm pretty sure these terms are not unfamiliar to him. "If I remember rightly, witchers earn their living in an interesting way, they kill monsters for money. Just as sorceresses completing any order for the same reason..."
"You remember correctly" I agree as I feel Roni tensing up next to me as Jaskier decides to keep a low profile in the corner. He's right. This could end very badly.
"Who paid you to deal with me?"
"No one. We're here by accident" I say honestly.
"We're here because of me" Roni confesses "I was adamant to make this detour, out of curiosity."
"You again, love, I shouldn't be so surprised" Nivellen says warmer. "You wanted to meet me this badly?"
"Geralt" She yelps my name as I realize I squeezed her hand too strong, trying to keep my composure. "Geralt actually tried to talk me out of it." She finishes her sentence.
"That's reasonable." Nivellen nods considering it. "Clearly you're attracted to monsters, he didn't want any competition" He teases, but somehow I don't find it funny at all...
"None of you are monsters, Nivellen" Roni states intuitively, before things could've escalated.
"Wow, that's something new. So what I am, dear? Cranberry pudding?"
"You're not a monster. Otherwise you would't be able to touch this silver tray." I explains, but he just laughs out loud.
"That's great. What's next? I'm going to be told that I grew these ears because I didn't like milky porridge as a child?"
"No, it happened because of a spell" Roni adds simply. "I'm sure you know who cast the spell. In many cases the spell can be uncast." She adds suggestively as our host hesitates.
"Can you really do that?" He considers the option.
"I can. Do you want me to try?" Her eyes light up in excitement. I'm sure she's eager to try her abilities out.
"No, I don't"
"What?"
"Surprised you, hasn't it?" Nivellen asks as I have to agree, he did surprise me too. "As no doubt you've noticed, this is quite a remote area. It's a long way to the nearest human settlement. It's because you see, my father and my grandfather too, in his time, didn't make themselves particularly loved by the neighbors or merchants using the highway. If anyone astray here and my father spotted them from the tower, they lost at best their fortune. Not many liked my father. Except for me, of course. I cried awfully when what was left of my father was brought home on a cart one day. Grandpa didn't take part in the robbery anymore either since he was hit on a head with morningstar. As their heir I had to lead the gang." He tells us his story as Jaskier slowly joins us again, listening to our host's every word. Just like Roni. "I was young at the time, so the lads in the crew wound me around their little fingers in a flash. We soon begin doing things which father would never have allowed. One day we took ourselves as far as Gelibol, near Mirt and robbed a temple. A young priestess was there too."
"Which temple, Nivellen?" I question with a bad feeling arising inside.
"It must've been a bad one. There were skulls and bones on the altar, and green fire was burning. It stank like nobody's business." He shrugs as I just hum thoughtfully. I only know one kind of a temple like that... "The lads overpowered the priestess ans stripped her, then said I had to become a man." He continues as Roni snorts next to me in disgust. "Well, I became a man, stupid little snot that I was, and while I was achieving manhood the priestess spat into my face and screamed something."
"What?" Jaskier asks anticipating the story as Nivellen looks at him just like he only realized he's there too.
"That I was a monster in human skin, that I'd be a monster in a monster's skin, something about love, blood... I can't remember." He answers, recalling it. "She must've had a dagger, hidden in her hair. She killed herself and then... We ran like we never did before." He finishes up. "A few days later I woke up like this. I scared everyone away before I could explain that only my appearance changed." He pauses, staring into the candlelight. "For a long time, a very long time I sat in the manor, quiet as a mouse. If anyone appeared, which rarely happened, I wouldn't go out. I'd tell the house to slam the shutters a couple of times and that usually was enough for them to leave in a hurry. But one day I looked out of the window and saw some trespasser stealing a rose from my aunt's bush. The very one that my grandfather brought from Nazir, the blue ones. I flew into a fury and jumped outside. He almost fainted then squealed that he only wanted a few flowers for his daughter, that I should spare him. I was ready to kick him out when I remembered something. Stories Lenka, my nanny used to tell me. I thought if pretty girls turn frogs into princes then maybe... maybe there's a gain of truth in those stories..."
"The act of true love..." Roni murmurs.
"Yeah, I know, ridiculous, right?" Nivellen scoffs, but I just shake my head.
"Love is one of the most powerful force"
"So I hoped. I asked for his daughter for a year in exchange sparing his life. Turned out she's only eight. Are you laughing now?" He asks as both Roni and I signal no.
"Only if you want me to" Jaskier says still intimidated.
"I didn't know whether to laugh or cry over my shitty fate. But I felt sorry for the old trader. I invited him inside, made him welcome and when he was leaving I poured gold and precious stones into his bag. The merchant beamed and thanked me and then later on he must've boasted about it, because not two weeks passed when another merchant approached, this time with a daughter."
*Roni*
"This time she stayed with you for a year?" I question, but already know how things worked out. He is still in a monster shape.
"Yeah, she and quite a few after her. I remember how excited I was after each first night together, but the mirror still showed the same image. I looked at myself with growing anxiety. Less and less did I long to return to my former shape. I used to be a weakling and now I'd become a strapping fellow. I'd keep getting ill but now I don't watch anything. I'd come terms with the fact that no virgin's kiss can transform me back. And it is good like this. I'm serious. My being different works on girls like aphrodisiac. I'm sure Geralt can relate, right? You can get any girl you want, don't you?" Nivellen asks as I feel totally baffled. Of course, Roni, what were you expecting?
"Nivellen, are you alone now?" Geralt asks ignoring our host's suggestion for the best.
"Witcher, do you really want to insult me like treating me a dimwit? I noticed how you've been cocking your ears and glancing at the door. You know perfectly well that I don't live alone."
"Right, I'm sorry."
"Have you seen her?" Nivellen then questions it easing up.
"Yes, in the forest, by the gate." I tell him what happened. "Is she why merchants and daughters have been leaving here empty handed for some time?" I figured that much.
"So do you know about that too? Yes, she's the reason." He nods absentmindedly.
"Is she...?" Geralt goes on, but our host cuts him off clearly.
"I think we said enough"
"Oh well, it's up to you. Thanks for your hospitality, it's time to be on our way." Geralt stands up as we all follow his example.
"Quite right. For certain reasons I can't offer you a room in the manor for the night, and I don't suggest, you to spend the night in these woods either. You should get back to the highway before dusk" Nivellen warns us as we slowly walks out to the courtyard again.
"Are you sure you don't need my help?" I ask once more just to be sure, but Geralt shakes his head.
"I'm not sure you'd be able to." He tells me, then turns back to Nivellen. "You had some bad luck, of all the temples in Gelibol, you picked the Church of Coram Agh Tera, the Lionheaded Spider. In order to lift the curse thrown by the priestess you need knowledge which we don't possess."
"And who does?"
"So you're interested after all? I'm sure I can find the needed information..." I get carried away. I really want to help him.
"You said things were fine as they are." Geralt frowns knowingly.
"As they are, yes, but not as they might be" Nivellen answers vaguely.
"What are you afraid of?" I ask him knowing there's more than he shares.
"For some time now I've head hideous dreams. Maybe the word would be monstrous to be more accurate. Am I right to be afraid? Briefly, please." He looks at Geralt now, who considers the facts.
"Have you ever had muddy feet after waking from such a dream? Conifer needles in your sheets?"
"No."
"Have you ever..."
"No. Briefly, please." Nivellen says impatiently.
"You are rightly afraid."
"Can anything be done about it?" He wants to know and as silence settles for a moment, I become pretty sure that the answer isn't positive.
"No." Geralt confirms my suspicion. "You know your permanent guest is probably a rusalka?" He adds before Nivellen can react.
"I suspected as much." He nods. "Slim. Dark. She rarely speaks and in a language I don't know. She doesn't eat human food. She disappears into the forest for days on end, then comes back. Is that typical?"
"More or less." Geralt agrees as I try to note all the attributes they said. Rusalka? I've never heard of it though...
"She isn't another merchant's daughter, or another attempt to find a gain of truth in old folk tales. It's serious. We love each other." Nivellen ensures us as we walk to Roach and Geralt unties her reigns from the pole.
"Hmm, no doubt you think she wouldn't return if you were to become human?" I wonder, saying it out loud.
"I'm sure of it. You know how frightened rusalkas are of people. Hardly anybody's seen a rusalka from up close, but Vereena and I..." He stops in mid-sentence, but I got him perfectly. It's nice to have someone to love like this... "Animals like me." Nivellen says as he reach out for Roach and she neighs joyfully at the touch of his. "And I like them too. My cat, Glutton, ran away at the beginning, but she came back later." He tells us while still patting our horse. "For a long time, she was the only living creature who kept me company in my misfortune." He mutters getting lost in thoughts as Geralt finishes up with the saddle. "Anyway, take care, Roni, Geralt, Jaskier."
"Take care Nivellen" We answer in union and as he bids us farewell we leave the mansion.
"That was an interesting detour" I smirk at Geralt when we're in the forest again. There's no way he can deny it, I saw he was quite entertained himself too.
"Yeah, that's how you lose a day" He looks up at the sky. The sun is already pretty low. I roll my eyes at his grumpiness, but even that can't change my good mood.
"It would've been better with some fight" Jaskier adds. "The story would be more compelling"
"What are you talking about, you were standing in the corner, shaking like a leaf whenever there was a slight chance of a fight" I remind him.
"Don't forget to write it in your story too" Geralt agrees with a half-smile.
"Ha-ha, very funny-" Jaskier retorts and about to bring some witty comeback, but Roach neighs anxiously again, almost uncontrollably. She doesn't like the forest, and she's not the only one.
"Come on, girl, what's wrong?" Geralt struggles with her until he finally draws an Axii sign on her forehead.
Then it hits me hard. The forest. Nivellen. Something wasn't right there from the beginning, but I couldn't describe it before.
"Animals like me..." I murmur Nivellen's last words. If it wasn't him that freaked Roach out, then...
I look at Geralt horrified as we lock eyes immediately.
"She's not a rusalka" He reads my mind perfectly, turning around, marching back right towards the compound...
But then what she is?
