A/N: Hello all, hope you're all doing okay in these difficult times. Hopefully my bit of fun is a momentary distraction from all the real world chaos. Our band of witcher boys are back together and long may it continue. Just a warning that there is the suggestion of assault in this chapter, just to be aware if this is upsetting to you. Hope to see you all next week, thanks to all those who have reviewed so far. As always I'll leave you to read, review and enjoy! :)
Chapter 11
Ellie stared into the fire Lambert had left her, a feeling of unexplained dread and fear washing over her in waves. She wasn't entirely sure why she had freaked out so much earlier; maybe it had been her heightened emotions from that tense, sexually charged ride, or the fact that everyone had begun to stare the minute they got off Horse. Or maybe it was the tickling, insistent feeling that they were being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck rising and that subconscious feeling in her gut warning her to get to cover. Fast.
She had looked around for the mysterious watcher as Lambert led them away from the road, but all she'd seen was a sea of curious eyes. No one staring at her with an intensity that would warrant her flight or fight instinct being triggered. As soon as they had come upon the abandoned house, she had ducked inside and pushed herself into the farthest corner. Trying to dispel the unnerving sensation. A pang of guilt had shot through her at Lambert's somewhat confused but largely concerned expression. She should've told him, but after their awkward ride here she was worried her fear of a phantom stalker would just destroy the tentative relationship they had even further.
He had lit her a fire, the peculiar ringing piercing her head as he did his magic, and had reassured he would be back soon. Strangely, as soon as he had left the miserable shack she was cowering in she had wanted him back more than anything. Instead of feeling safer from the invisible watcher, she felt more exposed. Lost and afraid in this strange land, without her annoying, brash travel companion. Hugging her knees to her chest, she shrank into the dark corner of the tumbled down house and waited for him to return.
She listened to the fire spitting and crackling, and the sound of Horse's deep breathing as he grazed contentedly outside. Calm down Ellie, it's all fine. They can't find you here. Her scare in the street had dragged up memories of being hunted. Of men chasing her through a dark wood, her brother crying in great gasping sobs as she dragged him behind her. She could feel their eyes on her back as she ran, the hair rising on her scalp, adrenaline shooting through her veins as she pushed her legs faster. But she was never fast enough, and they always caught her.
'Breath Ellie, breathe.' She panted to herself. If she had a heartbeat it would be pounding right now, as if in sympathy her chest throbbed in a steady two-time rhythm. She could try to make a door. She could try and get back to the familiarity of her own world, but again, Lambert's concerned eyes popped into her mind. Oh, how she wished he was here, distracting her with his snarky comments and stupid, arrogant face.
Horse abruptly stopped eating, the sound of his munching cutting off right before she saw his head appear in what used to be a window as he lifted it, ears pricked. Her body tensed, and she strained to hear what had caught his attention. Past the crackling fire, past the call of the birds and the sounds of life in the nearby town, she heard the faintest sound of leaves rustling and someone's feather light footsteps as they approached. Fear instantly gripped her. Was this her phantom watcher? They were far too quiet to be a normal person, and the only other person she knew who could move that silently was Lambert. But why would he be creeping up on her?
Horse gave a low nicker, his ears swivelling violently on his head. Listening again Ellie zeroed in on the approaching footsteps, now that she was aware of their approach she could easily pick out the shuffle of feet in dried leaves and the creak of leather armour.
Get up you coward. Move. She commanded herself, forcing her arms to release her knees. She had fought off monsters and men alike since coming here, not to mention all the horrors she had already faced in her own world. But the memory of that frightened girl running through the woods kept resurfacing. Straightening up, she crept silently towards the blocked doorway of the house. Horse gave a little start as she poked her head out, his eyes rolling in his head. Whomever it was coming to their hideout Horse wasn't a fan. Ellie tried to swallow the last of her fear as she squeezed out of the house. Being trapped in that place was the last thing she wanted.
Giving Horse a reassuring pat to calm him down, Ellie surreptitiously stuck her hand in one of the saddle bags. Keeping her ears trained on the sound of footsteps as she did so, she moved her hand around searching for one of Lambert's many bombs. Maybe a loud explosion would scare them off. Man, he had a lot of crap stored in them. She pushed aside a hundred glass vials, being careful not to clink them too loudly, an assortment of what felt like body parts of some kind and various bits of food. She would have to talk to him about organising these when he came back, it was hard to imagine how he survived with bags like this.
It was about half way through this process that she realised she had lost track of the footsteps. She froze, adrenaline coursing through her as she desperately tried to pin point her stalker again. She couldn't be sure it was them but that horrible, tingling feeling was creeping up the back of her neck and her gut clenched as an abnormal silence fell over the place. Almost as if everything were holding its breath. Not being able to die should've made her fearless, but she knew all too well there were worse things you could do to someone than kill them.
A faint click and high pitch whistle proceeded sudden fiery pain in one of her calves, as a projectile was launched from an unseen place amongst the trees. Ellie fell against Horse, gritting her teeth together as the crippling feeling grew, a quiet grunt escaping her despite her best efforts. Gripping onto the saddle, she half turned to look down at the source of the discomfort. A short arrow shaft was sticking out of the muscle of her calf, dark blood already trickling down her leg in streams. It looked like it might have come from a crossbow, and that would explain the click she had heard.
Glancing around wildly, she could feel her senses leaving her in her panic. She needed to get out of the open. She needed to find her attacker, but most of all…she needed to get this damn bolt out of her leg. As she was deciding her next move another click and whistle came from somewhere to her right. Turning towards the sound she saw the tiniest glint of light on steel, then another blast of pain to her other leg. This time, she fell completely to her knees, Horse let out a harsh whinny as she slid down his side. Her eyes narrowed as she looked to the shadows where she was sure the bolt had come from, and opening her nostrils, took in a deep breath.
Wood, earth, leaves, decay…sweat, leather and…there it was, human blood mixed with what smelt like lemongrass. Pinpointing her attacker wasn't good enough though, she was still immobilised. Twisting slightly, she grabbed one of the wooden shafts sticking out her legs and attempted to pull it free. The pain tripled and amid the haze she heard a distant voice murmur, 'No you don't.' Then her attacker was on her.
He slammed into her with such abrupt force that Ellie had no time to react. Whomever this guy was he was quick, quicker than Lambert certainly. Clamping a hand around her mouth, he stopped her trying to pry the crossbow bolt free and held her wrist in an iron grip. 'Don't struggle now.'
The voice was hot in her ear, and there was an edge to it that Ellie really didn't like. The hand blocking her mouth moved to grip her chin, pulling her head round to an uncomfortable angle so he could look at her. She got a glimpse of a bald head, clean shaven face, thin downturned lips and glowing amber eyes with black slits for pupils. She felt her flesh prickle underneath his touch, an ominous swirling in her gut as she took in his strange, yet eerily familiar features.
'Scar over one eye, blue eyes and short, tailored trousers. You fit the description.' He said.
'You're a witcher.' She gasped out, struggling to pull away from him, but the surprise attack and the awkward position he had her in was making it hard.
His mouth turned up into a nasty grin. 'That I am darling. Unfortunately for you.' Her flesh crawled at his twisted, term of endearment and the fear she had managed to suppress overwhelmed her. She began to pull against the grip he had on her wrist, her animal instinct to get away taking over all reason. The witcher tensed against her fighting, the grin dropping from his face.
'Hey now, I thought I told you not to struggle.' His voice was acidic as he let go of her and gave one of the bolts a vicious twist. Ellie heard herself scream as it tore into her muscle. Her body convulsing, trying to get to the point of pain and stop it by any means. However, her head was still held firmly in one of his hands, her neck pulled to an extreme angle. He looked down at her angrily. With a violent shove he pushed her flat to the ground, placing his knees on her legs, right where her wounds hurt the most. Then taking both her hands in his he held them either side of her head, pinning them into the dirt.
Ellie was reminded of a similar situation. One where a man pushed her to the ground roughly, her nightdress rucked up around her thighs, her brother's screams echoing in her ears. Unable to move from pure terror. Helpless and useless. A small whimper escaped her throat as she felt his weight push down on her. She could get him off, she was stronger than him. Despite her words of encouragement her body didn't respond. Remaining crushed beneath this unfamiliar man.
Should've got out while you had the chance. Shouldn't have let your curiosity get the better of you.
'You don't look like a demon, but a jobs a job.' Another sob broke from her, and he felt her attacker lean down so his face was hovering just by her ear. 'Now, now. It'll be over soon. But no one said I couldn't have some fun with you first.'
The bile rose in her throat as she felt the tip of his nose skim her neck, inhaling deeply. He made a noise of disgust and lifted away from her slightly. 'No offence darling, but you stink. Maybe those idiots were right, you don't smell human.'
Her brain was so muddle with fear and panic that she barely registered his voice talking to her anymore. She was slipping away, retreating to somewhere safer. For some reason, right in that moment, Lambert's face came to mind. His expression fixed in that mixture of sarcasm and disdain he always wore, his eyebrow raised at something she had just said. Then, as if to complete the illusion, she heard his snarky voice, far off, like he was down a well.
'What do you think you're doing pal?'
Through the ground Ellie suddenly felt unmistakable vibrations of three sets of feet, sprinting towards them. Did he have reinforcements? Ellie's heart sank as the new arrivals came to a stop a few feet from them. She couldn't see who they were, as her head was pressed into the ground facing away from them. Although, she wasn't sure she wanted to see them. Lambert's voice came into her head again, this time louder and closer.
'This how you deal with all your contracts cat? I suggest you let the girl up.' Ellie frowned in confusion. It seemed like an odd choice of words for her imaginary witcher to be saying. Then her attacker spoke, replying to his question.
'Fuck off wolf. I already got this one. Why don't you and your buddies find your own contract?'
Using what little strength, she could muster, she pushed against the unknown witcher's crushing weight. Managing to raise her shoulders just enough, she turned her head so she could see who he was talking to. From this angle she could see three pairs of armoured feet, two she didn't recognise but one was wearing a familiar black leather trimmed with red.
'Lambert?' She said, her voice a muffled gasp due to her restricted chest.
'Yeah, it's me Blue eyes. Has this asshole hurt you?' A wave of relief flooded through her at the sound of his arrogant voice. She could feel her eyes prickling with tears as she replied in a shaky, emotional voice.
'A little. Nothing…I can't handle though.' One of the hands holding her down lifted and shoved her head further into the dirt. An audible growl came from the feet belonging to Lambert.
'Shut it bitch. And you lot…turn around and piss off. This is my contract, and I'm the one that's taking her in.' One of the new sets of feet took a step forward so they were next to Lambert's boots. A deep, gruff voice came from somewhere near head height, his words level and calm.
'Three on one, and my friend asked you to let the girl up. I suggest you listen.' The hand that had driven her head into the dirt was still gripping her skull, his fingers digging into her scalp. He took a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back. A shooting pain ran from her head down her spine, causing her to grimace. Through the veil of tears, she got a better look of the three men stood in the shadows of the trees. One was Lambert, his face twisted into a mask of rage. The same amber eyes she had seen in the stranger's face, trained onto her attacker with pin sharp focus.
Slightly to his right stood the gruff voiced man; he stood a few inches taller than Lambert, his armour a different make but still constructed of leather, he had a full beard and long hair pulled back at the sides like hers. There were two deep scars on his face, one across his forehead and one down his left eye. The most striking thing however, was his hair which was a brilliant snow white, as if he were an elderly man but the lines and set of his face stated otherwise. His own amber eyes were looking straight at her, his expression guarded.
Behind both him and Lambert was another man, another set of amber eyes. This one had distinctive red, metal studded armour, two swords strapped to his back and a high turned up collar like Lambert's. A shaggy mop of brown hair framed his face which was significantly marked by a series of scars that cut across his features and twisted his lip on one side, giving him a permanent sneer. Despite his macabre appearance, Ellie sensed a gentleness and patience about him that was at odds with his two companions. He stared at her with a worried expression.
Her thoughts were abruptly dragged from Lambert's entourage by her attacker, yanking her head again viciously. 'You're really gonna' fight me over this? We're brothers. Brothers don't steal from each other.'
Lambert took another step towards them, his eyes blazing with an anger she hadn't seen in them before. 'Exactly. And she was with me first, so I'll say it again, real slow so you get it through your thick skull. Let…the girl…up.'
'Lambert.' The white haired one said in a low voice, placing a hand on his arm. He shrugged it off, his lips curling up into a sneer. His eyes never left the man on top of her.
'I wouldn't recommend attacking me right now. Might catch your girlfriend in the cross fire.' Lambert's fists clenched but he froze in place, his furious gaze finally snapping down to look at her. Something in that moment clicked inside Ellie. The witcher's face was fixed in its livid sneer, but his eyes were desperate, looking at her in helpless anger.
Lifting her free hand, she formed a claw with her upturned fingers, creating a cage of sorts with them. Gritting her teeth, she did her best to focus past the pain in her head and legs, and past the paralysing fear that had rendered her useless before. The day was fine and clear, the clouds few and far between but even in this tranquil calm she found the static energy that perpetually existed in the air. Drawing on it, she channelled it towards the Faraday cage she had made with her fingers. She hadn't attempted to do this since her parlour trick for Mr Deer head, and this time she was trying to summon a lot more electricity. Beads of sweat began to form on her brow, as the tiny electric sparks coalesced out of the air and leapt from finger to finger, until she had a ghostly ball of static energy captured in her palm.
She felt her attacker shift as he sensed the change in atmosphere, the air growing hot and metallic around them. Satisfied she had gathered all she could without passing out from the effort, she steadied her breathing and relaxed the muscles in her body. Feeling his captive go limp under him, combined with the alarming shift in air, the unknown witcher let out a confused, 'What the-'
Ellie opened her fingers, releasing the captured energy through her body in a rush and into her attacker. There was a flash and the smell of burning hair, then the weight that had been crushing her abruptly lifted and she was able to sit up. Turning her head, Ellie gave a satisfied smirk as she saw the unknown witcher sprawled against the wall of the abandoned house, an enraged but bemused expression on his face, curls of fine smoke drifting up from his armour.
'What the fuck?!' He shouted, springing to his feet. She rose slower, mainly due to the two crossbow bolts still lodged in her calves. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lambert also smirking at the other witcher's sudden change in circumstances. Then his attention switched to her legs and he let out a low curse.
Ellie's eyes flicked to him reflexively and in that moment the unknown witcher leapt at her. Despite his recent shock, he still moved with an incredible speed. She was only vaguely aware of him moving towards her before his fist connected with her temple, sending black stars dancing in front of her eyes. She staggered back but refused to be knocked down a second time. Bracing her injured legs so she could stay upright. Before he could launch another attack, a large black and red leather clad body inserted itself between them. With a resounding thud, Lambert's fist slammed into the side of the witcher's face. He leapt away, clutching his face where Lambert had hit him, his eyes glinting menacingly.
'You'll regret that.' He spat. 'Both of you.'
From behind Lambert, Ellie got her first good look at her assailant. There was the bald head, thin mouth and amber cat eyes she had glimpsed before, and like the other three men he had a scar on his left cheek. The signs of a witcher that she was becoming increasingly familiar with. His armour was fairly distinct, he had on a leather jerkin but his arms were exposed, only a short sleeve shirt covering his upper arms. He had his two swords strapped to his back, along with the crossbow he had used to attack her. Around his neck was a medallion like Lambert's, except his was adorned with a cat's head instead of a wolf.
'Don't you fucking touch her.' Lambert growled. The witcher narrowed his eyes at him. The muscles in his arms flexed as he squared off with Lambert, his hand still rubbing the place where he had been punched. His eyes flicked to the side as the two men that had arrived with Lambert moved so they too stood in the way of his target.
Ellie took the turn in tables to pull out the two protruding bolts from her legs. With a sickening sucking sound and a hiss of pain she freed the first one, discarding it with a flick of her wrist. She saw Lambert and his friends glance at her as she began to remove the second one. Pulling the barbed head free she threw this one at her attacker's feet. Rubbing the congealing blood away from the wound, she could feel the flesh stitching itself back together, as her abnormal ability took effect. She was aware of every one, apart from Lambert's, eyes widening slightly at the sight. He gave her a cursory look before turning his attention back to the unknown witcher.
The witcher glared at the three men now in his way. 'So, what now? You going to fight me? If you mean to defend this monster from me, then draw your steel brothers.' The tension between them rose as they stared each other down. White hair gave Ellie a long, lingering look before taking a step forward and placing his hand on Lambert's shoulder. This time he wasn't shrugged off.
'Calm yourself. Drawing blood now is only going to bring trouble.' Her attacker smirked.
'Listen to your white-haired friend, wolf. Don't throw everything away on a good lay.' Even from behind Ellie saw Lambert's entire body tense as he saw red. Her own temper flared at the unknown witcher's mocking tone, and his lude assumptions. As Lambert's hand moved to his sword she made her way to his other side, so now nothing stood between her and her assailant.
'Not that it's any of your business, but he did take out the contract on me first.'
'What are you doing Blue eyes?' Lambert hissed angrily, from the side of his mouth. His hand was frozen on its way to its sword, the white hair witcher was giving her another long look.
'Not according to the ealdorman who gave it to me.' The unknown witcher's tone was dangerous as his eyes met hers.
'Who's to say there wasn't more than one contract on my head…witcher.' As she said this, her lips pulled back from her teeth in a menacing grin, the word coming out with a slight snarl. He looked taken aback for a moment before casting an arrogant look over the group, his thin mouth twisting into a smarmy smile.
'A monster defending its killer. Well, now I've seen everything.' Taking a step back, he relaxed his tense pose. 'I know when I'm beaten at least. You can say a lot of things about Gaetan from the School of the Cat, but a foolhardy, idiot I am not.' Lambert let out a loud snort.
'Nice to meet you too, now fuck off.' Gaetan gave him a hard stare. Ellie didn't like anything about him, but the deadly glint in his eye as he looked at Lambert she disliked the most.
'I'll leave…for now. But this isn't over.' Giving one last look to the three witchers stood around her, he turned to Ellie and pointed a finger at her. His amber eyes burning with a cold hatred. 'I'll see you again. I promise that.'
With that he turned on his heels and disappeared into the shadows of the trees, melting away as if he had never been there. The group stood motionless for a few moments before Ellie felt the men next to her break out of their tense positions and begin to turn to one another. As the wave of rage and adrenaline wore off, she found herself frozen in place, staring after her attacker. The thought of what might have been if Lambert had not arrived in time making her limbs shake with terror. She could hear the witchers talking but her brain wasn't focusing on any of them, until a rough hand grabbed her arm and shook her causing her to flinch away automatically.
'…and what the hell were you thinking you crazy ass demon? We had it under control, you didn't need to do…whatever the fuck it was you did to him.' Ellie looked at Lambert who was shouting at her with dazed eyes. His expression was pure fury, but she was vaguely aware that the grip he had on her wasn't as hard as it could have been. Looking past him she could see the two strangers that had rushed to her aid staring at them both with curious expressions.
'Pay attention when I'm fucking mad at you.' Lambert gave her another, not too hard, shake and she focused back on him.
'I needed to get him off me.' She said, her voice quiet compared to the witcher's insistent shouting. Despite this Lambert heard the uncharacteristic fear in her tone and loosened his grip, casting an assessing eye over her. He pulled her closer to him so her face was only a few inches from his, and spoke to her in a low voice.
'Did he do anything to you Blue eyes?' There was a quietness to his words that sounded scarier to her than all the shouting he had been doing seconds before. A silent promise for retribution if he didn't like her answer. She shook her head, closing her eyes as she tried to get rid of this silly fear.
'No. No, you got here just in time.' His grip hardened for a fraction of a second then he let her go, turning away to face his friends.
'All fine. No thanks to you two, waylaying me.' He said sardonically. Letting out a shaky breath Ellie pushed the encounter to the back of her mind and instead focused on Lambert's sudden entourage. What she hadn't noticed before, being in the middle of a heated exchange, was that all three men wore the same wolf's head medallion around their necks.
'Quite the interesting situation you've got yourself in Lambert. Even for you.' The brown haired, scarred one grinned at him. Lambert crossed his arms, his familiar arrogant sneer back in place.
'Well, when you find an un-killable demon Eskel, get back to me and we'll compare notes.' The witcher called Eskel laughed, his disfigured face suddenly transforming so Ellie could see the handsome features he once had peeking through.
'Demon's aren't a laughing matter. They can be dangerous and conniving. You sure you know what you're doing?' White hair said, his expression serious.
'As always Geralt, your superior knowledge is welcomed, but I'm not some rookie just starting on the Path. As you can see the demon hasn't killed me yet?' Ellie recoiled slightly. Somehow, hearing him refer to her as a demon as if she wasn't there affected her more than the others doing it. She would have even preferred Blue eyes over that.
'Half demon.' She said, her voice still not quite at full volume. It didn't matter however as all three pair of amber eyes turned to her.
'Pardon me?' Eskel said, his tone polite.
Ellie took a tentative step forward so she was no longer partly hidden by Lambert. She could feel his eyes on her, burning into the side of her face. 'I'm half demon. I told Lambert, but he seems to keep forgetting.' She glanced at him. 'And I don't want to kill anyone. I can't.'
Eskel and Geralt both stared at her in fascination, as if they were examining an unknown species. Beside her she heard a heavy sigh, then a dismissive voice followed it. 'She does this a lot. Speaks in riddles.'
Her sharp glare didn't go unnoticed by the other two. She saw Eskel grinning out of the corner of her eye. 'Excuse me. I've been nothing but honest with you.'
'Honest to a point. You didn't tell me you were half human until a water hag outed you, and you didn't tell me about your crazy lightning magic…well, at all.'
'I did that to get the fucker off me. It's not something I've kept hidden, I just didn't see a need to tell you.'
'That's the very definition of keeping something hidden. You hid it by not telling me.'
'Well, if you didn't keep leaving me alone with Horse all the time, maybe I wouldn't have to keep fighting every monster and man that wanted a piece of me. Wasn't I supposed to be your prisoner?!'
'Stop calling him fucking Horse!'
Their voices had increased with every barbed word and jibe until they were stood toe to toe practically screaming into each other's faces, oblivious to the two spectators. A loud, deliberate cough broke them apart, both of them whipping round to glare at the interruption. Geralt raised an eyebrow slowly at them, in a gesture that wasn't dissimilar to Lambert's own look of scepticism.
'Are you two finished?' He asked in his steady, gruff voice. Ellie felt her face heat up under the serious, but slightly amused eyes of both Geralt and Eskel. Ducking her head, she worried her lip, unsure where that outburst had come from. She just hadn't liked being talked about as if she wasn't there, but now that the last of the adrenaline had left her she suddenly felt exhausted.
'Yeah, we're done.' Lambert said. She saw his feet walk away and her chagrin grew.
'So…Why do I feel like we only got half the story on the way here?' Eskel said, his voice was softer than Geralt's and it held some of that gentleness that Ellie had sensed in him before. There were the beginnings of a chuckle in his words and she could practically hear Lambert grinding his teeth. Weren't they meant to be friends? Seemed like Lambert just wanted them gone.
'Because I didn't have time on the way here to give you fuckers the unedited saga, was kind of in a rush.' Lambert's voice came from further away, and glancing up she saw him moving some of wooden beams blocking the door to the abandoned house. With a determined shove they fell to one side with a thud. The witcher then disappeared inside and she heard him crashing around and cursing loudly doing Purgatory knew what. Moving to go and see what he was doing, she felt a firm but gentle hand grip her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw the hand belonged to Eskel, his amber eyes appearing softer in colour to the others. His scarred mouth pulled into a cautious half smile, half grimace.
'I'd leave him if I were you. He needs to get it out of his system.' Frowning, Ellie looked back in time to see half a broken chair fly out of one window, breaking easily on the ground in front of them. Another loud curse word, this one stronger than the last, followed it from somewhere inside the house.
'What's he doing?' She asked.
Geralt came to stand next to her, looking down at her with that neutral expression that she found oddly unnerving. 'Lambert's a bit…highly strung. If he doesn't get to chop anything up after getting into a rage, he needs to vent it.'
'I've never seen him like this.' She murmured, eyeing the house with a still rampaging witcher inside.
'And you've been with him over a week?' Eskel said, stunned. 'Then I'd take that as a compliment. Now, come and sit down here. You had quite a fright I bet.' There was something about Eskel's quiet voice and gentle touch that made Ellie relax properly for the first time since she'd landed here. He steered her over to where Horse was tied, his head up and ears pricked towards his master's shouting. Taking Lambert's bed roll from his back, Eskel laid it down on the floor. Without waiting for a cue Ellie sank down on it, crossing her legs on autopilot. Eskel lowered himself so he was balanced on the balls of his feet, whilst Geralt remained standing. His attention dancing between her and his friend who had now appeared to have found a lot of old furniture to smash up.
'How are your legs?' Eskel began. She shifted so the backs of calves were showing, the puncture wound made by the two crossbow bolts long gone, the skin flawless and unmarked. Eskel's eyes moved to look too, but his expression remained impassive. She could feel the gaze of Geralt burning into her still. Out of the both of them, she got the sense he trusted her the least.
'Fine.' She answered lamely, the visual evidence obviously enough to answer his question. An awkward silence fell between them, during which Lambert's raging could be heard clearly from inside the house. A flicker of worry went through Ellie. She wanted to go to him despite his friends' assurance this was normal, his emotional outburst didn't feel normal to her.
'Lambert said you can't die.' Eskel said, drawing her attention back to him.
'He did, did he?' Ellie glanced up at Geralt, his towering form and granite hard stare beginning to unnerve her more and more. 'He wasn't saving face. He tried…twice.'
Eskel and Geralt shared another look. She had only been around these new witchers five minutes but she could tell the bond between them was extremely strong. The two in front of her communicating with no words.
'So how did a half demon, half human from another sphere wind up travelling with a witcher?' Eskel asked. His voice friendly but there was a razor-sharp intelligence in those eyes that didn't fool Ellie one bit. She tilted her head, unsure how much she wanted to say without Lambert present.
'Didn't he tell you? I'm stuck here and he offered to help.'
'A witcher helping a demon. Sounds suspicious.' Geralt said. Eskel looked up at him sharply but this time the white-haired man ignored his friend. 'You got him in some kind of deal or pact?'
'No. I don't go in for that kind of thing, besides it's only the rogue demons that go off forcing humans to do their bidding. We're not all bad you know.' Geralt's eyes narrowed at her answer.
'Heard that said about a lot of monsters, but never demons. The stories can't all be false.' There was something about the way he looked and spoke to her that led her to believe he had encounter demons before; and it hadn't been a good encounter.
'But stories are just that…stories.' At this there was a thunderous crash from inside the house. Horse let out a shrill whinnying, half rearing. Ellie sprang to her feet, probably a little too quickly judging from the alarmed expressions of both withers, and began walking towards the house. She swivelled as she walked, facing the two of them for a few steps. 'Don't believe everything you hear.' She said, ducking into the abandoned house before either of them could protest.
She found Lambert breathing heavily, his sword drawn and an impressive piled of kindling, which she assumed used to be furniture, at his feet. Trails of sweat ran down his face and he looked over at her with intensely wild amber eyes as she entered.
'Lambert?' She said, raising her hands and walking slowly towards him as if he were an agitated beast. His dark eyebrows knotted together as he watched her approach, then he turned back to his impromptu home renovations.
'Get out Blue eyes. I'm not done here.' She could hear the barely contained anger in his voice.
'Is this really helping?' She asked, taking another careful step towards him.
'Yes.' He spat, swinging his sword deftly over his head, bringing it down on a piece of timber. It splintered with a loud crack, sending bits of wood flying everywhere. Ellie held up an arm to keep the worst of it off her face.
'Are you sure? You look worse than when you came in here.' She was now only a few feet from him. He lowered his sword and turned to her with a livid expression on his face.
His mouth was pulled into a pained grimace as he spoke through gritted teeth. 'I don't want to hurt you so I suggest you back off demon.'
'Don't take this out on me. He attacked first.' Lambert took a menacing step towards her, his gloved hand flexing around the hilt of his sword.
'If you're trying to piss me off, you're doing a fantastic job so far. I know he attacked you, but shocking him with that lightning trick of yours was the stupidest idea ever. Now he's not only fucked off that we stopped him fulfilling his contract, but he's aware that you're a damn sight more powerful than you look and the bounty is likely to triple. As if I didn't have enough to worry about with you, now I'll have every witch hunter, mercenary and witcher with an empty coffer after us.' Ellie tried to step away as he advanced on her, but something about his stare rooted her in place. He was scared…for her.
Ellie's throat constricted and she found her eyes locking onto the wolf's head medallion hanging around his neck. 'You called him a cat?'
'What?' Lambert's anger was stopped in its tracks by her unexpected question. She raised a finger and pointed at his medallion.
'And he called you a wolf. Are there different types of witcher?' He looked down at where she was pointing, his brow furrowing.
'There are different schools. Me and the guys out there, we come from the School of the Wolf. The dick weed that attacked you, he was from the School of the Cat.' There was a simmering rage underneath his words but some of the fire had died in his eyes. She should have probably stopped there but her curiosity pushed her on.
'Is there much difference? You look the same.' Lambert stared at her for a long time; so long that she was certain he would answer her. Then with a small sigh he sheathed his sword and folded his arms.
'The way they teach us is different. Put it this way, I've only met one cat I like, and he's a very rare specimen.' The change in his tone made her scrutinise his face. The last vestiges of his temper dissolved from his expression. There was something unsaid in his words. A guardedness to his expression that told Ellie this was a subject best not pursued right now. Her interest was stirred however.
'Maybe you'll tell me about him sometime.' She said, her voice quiet. Lambert looked at her and she felt the air catch in her throat at the intensity in those eyes. For the second time since meeting him, an unspoken understanding passed between them and Ellie found the air suddenly very hard to breathe.
'Maybe I will.' He said, his voice equally quiet.
'Alright you two.' Eskel's voice broke the odd spell, and Lambert cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away from her embarrassed. 'You've had enough private time. We need to have a little talk.'