Click. Click. Click. The sound of Tissaia's high heels echoed down one of Aretuza's dimly lit corridors as the Rectoress hurried to the council chamber. The hour was late and the halls were empty. Tissaia picked up the pace. It wouldn't look good if she was the last one there, especially when her unusual tardiness couldn't be explained. The summons had caught her by surprise. She knew that the mages would need to reconvene to discuss Sodden and their next steps, but she had expected to be given more warning, to have more time to prepare.

Four days had passed since Nilfgaard had been pushed back from the Yaruga. Most of the mages had returned to Aretuza to recover after the Northern kingdoms had arrived, but a few had stayed behind to help organize the defence of Sodden, Sabrina and Vilgefortz among them. Tissaia had only been back for a day and she'd been avoiding the Brotherhood since her arrival. They would have a lot of questions for her and their paranoia and curiosity hadn't been helped by her late arrival. Tissaia couldn't guess what they thought, and she didn't care, as long as it was far from the truth.

The room was bustling when she arrived, and the rest of the Brotherhood were already there, but a few people entered after Tissaia as she made her greetings and took her place beside the table. Stregobor and Artorius Vigo watched her from the other side of the room and Tissaia did her best to maintain an air of calm indifference while keeping her thoughts closely guarded. Presentation was everything.

A few minutes after her arrival, the meeting began.

"Nilfgaard's advance across the continent has been halted, but at what cost?" said Artorius. "Our numbers have always been small and now, because some of us decided they would rather be soldiers than mages, we have too many empty seats in our kingdoms. Sodden has weakened us and it has weakened the North. We must act quickly to refill those positions before the North decides they can rule without us."

The chamber was silent. Stregobor and Artorius stared Tissaia down but she didn't flinch.

"Sodden might have diminished our numbers, but it has not taken our strength," she said, placing her hands on the table and leaning forward looking around the room. "The Northern Kingdoms fear the Nilfgaardian Empire. When they learn that the Brotherhood and its mages gave their lives to stop them, they shall demand and praise our council. Sodden has given us strength, the North will hear us and listen as they have not done for centuries."

"But who will they listen to, Tissaia? Because of your actions council chambers throughout the North have been left without a mage. They cannot hear our wisdom when our seats are empty."

"Then we will adapt, as we have always done."

For almost two hours the mages discussed where best to place their remaining members. A lot of mages did not want to move seats, but the Northern Kingdoms bordering the Yaruga would likely want survivors from the battle and they needed to capitalize on the victory at Sodden to extend their influence. Tissaia grew impatient as the mages squabbled and sometimes debated placements. It was a massive upheaval and the council was determined to get it all sorted in one sitting, taking the meeting well into the night.

When the end finally appeared in sight, Tissaia was anxious to leave.

"There is one other matter that needs to be discussed before we disband," announced Stregobor, his eyes momentarily catching Tissaia's. "Yennefer of Vengerberg."

Tissaia gripped her hands more tightly. "Yennefer is dead," she snapped. The room looked at her and she straightened. "Her chaos killed her."

"That's not what Nilfgaard believes," said Artorius. "We've heard rumours that their agents are looking for her."

"And when did the Brotherhood decide to start believing in tall tales over truth. I was there," said Tissaia, addressing the room, "I saw Yennefer raze Sodden to the ground. Her chaos was completely out of control; she could not have survived."

"But you did," Stregobor commented, pointing a finger at her. "Do you deny it?"

"Would I be standing here if I did, Stregobor?"

"Do you, Tissaia, deny that you were incapacitated during the attack?"

"I do not."

"Do you-"

"Get to the point, Stregobor," Tissaia interrupted. "Many of us have better things to do than watch you enjoy the sound of your own voice."

A few of the mages laughed and Stregobor inclined his head politely, smiling with blatant insincerity.

"The council would like to know how you survived Yennefer's rampant chaos, which burned down everything on that hillside but you, when you were infected with dimeritium poisoning." Stregobor paused and swept his eyes across the room as people began to murmur. "We all know the properties of that accursed metal, so I do not need to explain to the council that it would have been impossible for you, Tissaia, to have saved yourself. Do you deny it?"

"I do not."

"Then the council must assume that someone else intervened. Yet," Stregobor swept his arms around the room, "no one has come forward to claim the honour of saving the life of Aretuza's great Rectoress. How did you survive, Tissaia? Who saved you?"

Tissaia paused. "Yennefer protected me from her chaos, but-"

"And there we have it," said Stregobor, smashing his hands against the table, "if Yennefer had completely lost control, then she would not have been able to spare the life of her mentor. But as we can all see, Tissaia de Vries is thankfully still with us, so I do not believe that anyone should object to the council declaring Yennefer of Vengerberg alive and missing."

The chamber was silent. Stregobor smiled.

"Fine, believe your rumours if you wish," said Tissaia, "and let this meeting adjourn. Or do you also wish to regale the curse of the black sun or Lilit's return too, Stregobor?"

A few of the mages laughed and Stregobor narrowed his eyes. He opened his mouth but closed it again when Artorius placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Whether you chose to believe Nilfgaard is up to you, but be warned," he said, "the Brotherhood demands that any knowledge of her whereabouts or condition be reported. Yennefer of Vengerberg is a traitor; she used forbidden magic to win a war that should never have taken place. She has painted a target on her back that could see our work be interfered with. If Fringilla wants her, then she is valuable to us. Anyone caught harbouring Yennefer will be considered a traitor and will face the same punishment that awaits her. This meeting is adjourned."

Tissaia moved around the council chamber for a short while, conversing with the other mages as was expected. It would be against etiquette for her to depart immediately, and decorum was of the highest importance, especially when she did not want to draw attention to herself. Most of the mages who approached her inquired about Yennefer with varying degrees of subtlety. There was nothing unusual about their curiosity, besides being Yennefer's mentor she had also seen her defiant stand at Sodden. But that didn't mean she wasn't under suspicion.

When the chamber was almost empty, Tissaia withdrew and headed back to her quarters. She was careful to walk slowly this time. Each action she took needed to be thoroughly considered now because everybody would be watching. Tissaia smiled at two of her colleagues as she passed and did not rush to leave when they pulled her into conversation. She played the uptight and formal Rectoress of Aretuza while inside her chest tightened with each delay.

Yennefer was alone in her chambers, and Tissaia had been gone too long. She had to get back before something happened; before someone found her. If Yennefer had an episode in Aretuza… Tissaia didn't want to think about it. It wouldn't happen. She wouldn't let it.

After hiding Yennefer in Sodden for three days, Tissaia and Sabrina had been forced to move her through a portal. It had been getting too risky hiding her in the ruins with all the soldiers moving about. It would have been easy for a spy to slip in and look about and the spells they had been using to hide Yennefer in case someone entered the tent were slowing her recovery.

The glow had almost faded from Yennefer's skin when Tissaia and Sabrina carried her through a portal and into Tissaia's chambers, but it had returned before she'd reached the other side. Most of the progress Yennefer had made was reversed, but in Aretuza she would be able to recover faster. They wouldn't need to hide her with magic. She would be safe, as long as she slept.

The Rectoress' office and chambers were deep inside Aretuza and she was stopped several times along the way. When she reached her floor, knowing that it would be empty, Tissaia began to walk with some urgency. Beneath the long, wide sleeves of her dress, Tissaia's forearms were marked with red fingerprints and she did not let go until she was at her door.

Tissaia froze. A small bead of blood pressed against her fingertip as she broke the surface of her skin with a fingernail. The door to her chambers was open. Tissaia ran inside.

I managed to get this chapter ready in time, yay! Hopefully I'll update next weekend too :)

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