A scream ran through the empty forest as a woman from a dark clocked figure. She pushed branches out of her way but was still getting them hems of her skirt caught up in the brambles. A quick glance behind made her notice that the figure was getting closer. Then the woman fell after tripping over a root. The clocked figure jumped atop her and plunged a dagger into her chest. She whines and curls up when the figure leaves her on cold ground. She looks up at the dark spindly branches of the canopy above her before dying.

It was not often that Geralt regretted walking into a village that had a monster problem and an empty coin pouch however he was five feet in a sink hole with an echinops shooting its poisonous thorns at him. He had to think himself lucky that his bard always followed him then he told him to say at the inn. Said bard was now loudly singing a verse of Toss a coin to your witcher. Jaskier gave enough of a distraction that the monster was more focused on the new noise to notice that Geralt had freed an arm from the sinkhole and reached for the sliver sword on his back. Jaskier ducked down as the sword impaled the echinops in the head and to the nearest tree, pulling its roots out of the ground. Geralt used the roots to pull himself from the ground. He dusted the dirt off his pant then turned to the echinops that Jaskier was poking with a stick.

"Don't do that," Geralt said as he pulled his sword from the tree bark.

"And what was that hideous plant? A thanks would be nice too sometimes."

"Echinopsae are poisonous and I don't have an antidote on Roach. They grow where a crime was committed or were the victim was buried. I think this place is holding something darker than an echinops."

"Well we might have to stay a bit longer" Jaskier quipped in.

"What the fuck did you do this time?"

"Actually it's more like what I did for you," He reached around and pulled out a full coin pouch and tossed it to Geralt before speaking again "Two lovely men stopped by the inn when you were out, hearing there was a witcher around they seek out his services. Now because you were away, I took it upon myself to make the contract. What is better than one coin in a village but two. They are very persistent about it and gave me that to entice you".

The witcher glared at the bard before setting off into the forest to get Roach. "Don't do that again. I say what I hunt. What monster is it?" He walked up to Roach and petted her mane before getting up on her.

"They did not say but they promised to wait in the village until we returned to show us the way."

Jaskier walked along side singing away and Geralt zoned out to deal with the singing. He would not admit to the bard that some of his songs were too pitched for his ears and would give him headaches if he focused on them. The village path grew wider and more worn as they emerged at the edge of the woods. While Jaskier looked for the men again, Geralt delivered the echinops head to the old lady who made the contract and dumps it at her feet. She looks horrified at the head and gave him the promised coinage.

He heard Jaskier before he saw him with two men that looked like each other. At first, he thought a doppler mostly because it was not the first time something similar had happened but as they closer he noticed the difference slightly and took them as twins. The bard waved at him.

"Oh Geralt! Great, found them." He gestured to the men. One gave a small wave and a smile while the other looked more annoyed being dragged around a dirty village in his fine clothes. The clothes gave away why they had given Jaskier a whole pouch of money. They were either very desperate or rich or possibly both. "Allow me to introduce Waran and Hossor of Kovir. Hossor is a lord who has a particular problem that's been bothering the lordship over the past year."

"Ah yes as your bard was saying, we have a contract for you witcher but it is not wise to talk of such things in a public place. Come back with us to our manor. It is just over that hill." Hossor pointed to the opposite end of the village to the hills that boarded the village land. "Gather your items and we shall head off. We will make it before the sun sets."

Jaskier made conversation with the two lords while Geralt lingered behind out of shot of conversation taking in the scenery. Everything seemed normal to him, no dark shadows or evil presences that seemed to cover land when a monster was about. That was until they walked by a freshly dug mound of dirt by the road. He could see the manor in the distance but stopped Roach at the mound. Jaskier looked behind when he did not hear Roach's hooves on the gravel.

"What is it?"

"Why is there a grave here? There was space in the village plot." Geralt's brows furrowed before looking up at lords who looked nervous behind the bard. "It's your monster problem, hmm?"

"Yes, sadly. The staff are superstitious and insisted that anyone who has died since her appearance by buried away from the manor." Waran shook his head before blessing himself.

"Her?"

"As I said in the village, I would explain at the manor. We should make it for dinner. I expect some songs afterwards bard," Hossor said harshly.

Geralt did not like the tone of his voice directed at Jaskier. He was more suspicious of the man now he was holding back what kind of monster he was going to kill. The road wined on and more graves appeared at the side of the road. It started to upset Jaskier but it didn't show much unless you had been around him enough. He would stop singing and just keep to polite conversation.

Two servants greeted the group as they came into the manor's courtyard. One took the horses to the stable. Geralt patted Roach and took his pack before handing over the reins. Jaskier quickly grabbed his lute from Geralt earning him a glance but he always loved having the witcher's eyes on him.

"Dinner has been served in the grand hall. Shall I take the guests belonging to their rooms?"

"No" Geralt bluntly said. He did not trust this place never minding some servant pocketing something that they might not be able to control or touch the wrong item.

"Oh, don't mind Geralt. He is just protective over his swords. Now where is that food?"

Dinner was nice. Too nice for Geralt's liking like he was about to become a sacrifice or something. Jaskier offered to bring his stuff to his room after dinner when Hossor offered a drink and an explanation. In a separate drawing room, he sat in an arm chair by a hearth. Hossor offered a whiskey before sitting himself down across from the witcher.

"My servant informed me that another person has fallen victim of her terrible screech. That brings the death toll to twenty in only half a year. We had no problems before then. Waran suspects that it is a banshee. We are not from this region originally and did not think that the legend would follow."

Geralt lifted up the tumbler then eyed the lord. "And why would a banshee be bothering this household. There is always a reason behind it. There have been disturbances in the village with an echinops which only appears with crimes. Is there a connection that isn't being explained because I won't kill a monster until I've the whole story?" He placed the whiskey on the table before leaving the room.

He still had dirt and mud on his armour from killing the echinops earlier and just wanted to wash. A faint candle light shone from under the door that a servant pointed out as his room. He suspected that Jaskier was still there.

Jaskier hated monster slaying talk before it happened. He had a valid excuse to stay away this time however. He looked down at the packs then at the stairs. He huffed before carefully picking up Geralt and his packs and almost tripped at the first step if Waran had not caught him.

"Careful, I'm such that your witcher would not be pleased if you broke something. Please let me help you at least carry something for you," offered Waran. Jaskier looked down at his lute on the ground that he didn't risk adding it on top if it fell.

"Well you could grab my lute. I do not prefer leaving it in the entrance hall. Could you show me where we are staying far better plan than walking endlessly until I walked into a servant." He smiled.

"Delighted to. You are quite a person to travel with a witcher. Surly it is more than just a source of your material." Waran whispered the last part as they walked by two maids. Jaskier hoped that no one seen the blush on his cheeks. He did like Geralt too much for his own liking that some nights it was all he could think about but the witcher would never like him back in that way.

"We traveled through all the continent and he has gotten me out of a few too many court situations. Alas he would rather dump me off a cliff than admit he cares for my company. This room?" Jaskier pointed to the first door of the hall.

"Yes, this is the room for the witcher. Dump the pack and come with me." He kissed Jaskier neck.

"I usually wait until Geralt is finished and we discuss what he is going to do." The bard started to panic a bit. He chose his bed partners careful because he didn't want them to get a shock when they would take his pants off expecting something that isn't there.

Waran pushed him down on the bed, pinning him with a hand to the shoulder and greedily taking kisses from him. Jaskier tried his best to push but his strength was working against him. When the man pulled away from him mouth to take his pants off Jaskier tried to warn him ."You are determined but let me explain before-" he was cut off with a hand to his mouth muffling out his protests.

"Hush darling. I will be gentle with you." It happened fast and Jaskier felt the cool air on his bottom and the man stood still looking down at his crotch. Jaskier looked away from him and before the man could react, he kicked him right in the face.

"What the fuck?" Geralt looked at the young lord clutching his bloody nose then back to Jaskier. The bard shuddered in embarrassment and tried to cover up before the wither saw him so exposed but Geralt had already saw everything. Now a few things made more sense to him on why Jaskier would not strip down even when his clothes where half frozen in rain or the occasional mood change and an explanation to the scent changes every month. Geralt took his attention off Jaskier and back to the man who very nearly raped him.

"Get out while your head is still attached to your body."

He picked him off the ground by the frills of his collar. The slight choking sounds did not stop him from throwing him out the door then slamming it closed. Now it was just Jaskier and him in the dim room. As he walked over to the bed and the huddle of blankets, he heard the sniffling of crying coming from under them.

"Give me a reason not to kill him and I'll leave you alone." He sat at the edge of the pile. Jaskier reached out and gripped onto the witcher's arm.

"I don't care what you do but don't just leave."