Yennefer appeared back in her bedroom, the last place she'd been before she left, and started her way back down the stairs in search of the rest of her family.

It didn't take long to find them in the dining hall of the Keep.

"Interrupting?" she asked as she entered, a means of announcing herself.

All heads turned to her wearing identical masks of surprise.

"Speak of the devil!" Zoltan laughed. "Greetings, lady! Ye hungry?"

Ciri whirled around at the sound of Yennefer's voice and promptly dropped all the bowls she was holding in favor of rushing to her, embracing her tightly. "Yennefer! Are you alright?"

She caught Ciri in her arms and hugged the girl tightly to her chest, pressing a kiss to the side of her head, to her hair, as if Yennefer feared there would come a day she couldn't do it again.

And the sorceress knew how easy that could be.

"I'm okay and I'll pass on the supper," she said, spearing Zoltan a look over Ciri's shoulder, meeting Geralt gaze, and then Eskel's noting that Kain was nowhere in sight.

"Where's your friend?" she asked, loosening her hold on Ciri to draw back from the embrace slightly.

Ciri inhaled her distinctive scent before allowing her to withdraw. "Up in the mountains somewhere. He doesn't like being confined to being inside."

"Has your mission been successful?" Avallac'h wanted to know.

Yennefer wanted to ask her if she was fine with that, sensing again that something was off, but not of the foreboding side like Yen had with Triss. It could wait.

"No, it's—there's been a bit of trouble. I couldn't get of the sorceresses to join us and others have been locked away by witch hunters. Philippa might even be dead."

Ciri wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was bad for them, obviously, and yet… Philippa Eilhart and several other Lodge members were not exactly her favorite people. Like The Wild Hunt, they thought they had a claim to her, her body, her magic, and whatever offspring she might produce. "I doubt it. Philippa is too conniving to let herself be killed."

"A report like that suggest you should be still out there working on this task along with Triss Merigold," Avallac'h pointed out.

"That was my thinking as well. Margarita is being held prisoner and Triss and I have been trying to gather up more information without success," Yennefer narrowed her eyes within Avallac'h's direction. "I've tried every resource that I can without putting myself in the line of fire." And she wasn't going to apologize for that. "Triss assured me though that she could probably talk to Dijkstra, that he'd be able to help as a favor to Philippa."

Ciri looked from Yennefer to Geralt. "I thought you already talked to Djikstra?"

"What we talked about was his possible assistance – which he refused to provide," Geralt specified, finishing his mead. "Now, as far as I understand, the matter of importance is how to find Philippa – and I bet he would love to know that himself."

Yennefer nodded, "I guess that's what she's going to go to him with. How have things been here?"

"Quiet for the most part. I have been training. The boys have been fishing." Ciri moved to collect the bowls she dropped earlier, intending to take them out for the washing up.

"Not that we could truthfully call these meagre attempts training…" Avallac'h murmured.

Yennefer's eyes narrowed as they landed on Avallac'h again. He seemed to be a mind of his own, as if every little thing going on was wrong and had a better solution.

Only he wasn't providing any.

She moved toward Ciri, lowering her voice so they could talk privately for a minute. "How's Kain? How come he chose not to stay?"

Ciri contemplated throwing one of the bowls at Avallac'h until Yen sauntered over to talk. "I told you, he doesn't like to be confined inside. Child of nature and all that."

"That may be so but less than two days ago we were facing off with The Wild Hunt." She didn't doubt they would return at some point and he needed to be around the Keep to survive. Unless he'd already decided he'd had enough.

"He's close by," Ciri whispered before Yennefer left her side, continuing outside to take care of their dishes.

"You want some mead, Yennefer?" Geralt asked.

Zoltan brandished the bottle. "I'll getcha a mug. Stayin to drink or nay?"

Yennefer broke away from Ciri's side so she could finish with her dishes, and smiled at Geralt. "Sure. But that's not the only reason I'm here. We need to get to Margarita."

Geralt frowned, getting serious. "You know where she is?"

"Radovid has her in his cells. That's all I know and have been able to guarantee. She's set to die but I don't know when."

"You know where the cells are? How to get there?"

"I do." At least she thought she did. "But it's definitely a trap. It would be risky going in there." For Triss, for Ciri, even for Geralt. "For all of us. But she's a necessary evil. We need her on our side."

"We'll do it together," the Witcher said. "Your magic, my sword – we should hurry before she's executed. Will Triss help? Why are you alone?"

"Triss said she'd talk to Dijkstra to try and get him to supply us with more help. A day for when she might be executed and if he'd heard anything about Philippa. If she's out there or perhaps imprisoned it'll be good to know what we're stepping into."

Geralt peered at her with an exaggerated doubt. "Dijkstra won't tell her anything unless he thinks it benefits him somehow. I don't think there is anything for him in this. It's a useless affair, and Triss should have known it as good as I do. Are you sure she went to Dijkstra?"

"That's what she said." That foreboding kicked in again, like maybe she'd been keeping something from Yennefer. Was it that maybe she'd decided to go to Ida and Francesca again and tried to play over the Kain thing?

Yen exhaled. "I should go back."

"But you just got here," he protested.

"Aye, sit aroun with us a bit, Yennefer," Zoltan piped in. "Tell us how things are at Novigrad. Just rest before goin back. Our lassie was so glad to see ye."

"Yes, have a talk with Ciri at least before you go," Geralt added.

"I know," she said, slipping a hand onto Geralt's shoulder, surprised even that Zoltan appeared to be so eager for her company, although he happened to be of the few who could actually stand it and not worry that she'd bite. "Radovid's men seem to be everywhere. I didn't feel good about leaving Triss and if anything of what Geralt is saying is to go by, then its possible Triss might be doing something unwise."

"What would she do, you think?" Geralt asked. "Going in there to save Margarita all by herself? She can't be that reckless – it's a suicide, and Triss is anything but suicidal."

"Apparently not." Triss was many things but she wasn't that crazy. "I guess I'll stay for one drink."

Zoltan poured her one and pushed the mug across the table. "There ye go."

Avallac'h shot a disapproving glance and sent another reluctant spoon of the stew into his mouth, barely wishing to chew as if it was made of something partially disgusting.

Ciri returned inside with clean bowls and put them away on one of the shelves before she took her seat again, happy that Yennefer was still here. "Are you staying the night?" she asked hopefully. "Will you sleep next to me?"

Yennefer grabbed the mug Zoltan had pushed her way, thanking him with a nod of her head. "I can't," she said, gently placing her hand over hers. "I only came to update you and check in."

Ciri nodded, disappointed but trying not to show it. "Alright."

"It's good you came," Geralt said, smiling. "We appreciate it."

Ciri's disappointment didn't go unobserved, nor did her earlier comment at the dishes. There was certainly more to that. "That was the plan, wasn't it?" Yennefer raised her mug and took a large sip. "You'll go back to Novigrad with me?"

"No!" Ciri said suddenly, looking between Yennefer and Geralt. "I mean… We're not finished here."

"Umm…" Geralt glanced between Ciri and Yennefer, searching for any excuses. "But you don't even know exactly where that prison is. I have no contacts in Novigrad to tell me that, so our only hope is you and Triss. Once you find out where Margarita is held, I will help get her out. I promise."

Yennefer gave a quick smile. "I know you will."

She took another sip of her mead, polishing it off to half before setting it aside and trying to probe their heads a little. There was a lot going on that she wasn't able to see.

"How's everyone recovering?"

"Doing our best," Ciri said softly. "Lambert left with Keira."

"It's been all right," Geralt said. "Ciri's training, we're just trying to keep busy. Zoltan's taken up cooking."

"If not for me, they'd be famished and gnawing on roots," Zoltan said, pouring himself another drink, then refilling Eskel's.

Yennefer smirked, "I thank you for making such a spectacular point of fattening them up."

Avallac'h stood up, having mustered a half of his stew. "My thanks for the… meal," he said with the slightest bow of his head, then turned and walked away.

Unfortunate. Yennefer would have liked to recruit Keira to help them with this problem, she knew Keira didn't like her, but she'd jump on it to save her fellow sorceresses. "Any idea of where they've gone?"

Ciri trailed Avallac'h with her gaze as he left, well aware he was sulking. He had not been happy since it was just the two of them. "No idea where they went. He didn't even say goodbye." Not to her, at least.

"She said she had some business that required a witcher's help," Geralt said. "And Lambert agreed to aid her. They left at dawn after the pyres. They didn't tell us where they went."

Yennefer guess they'd snuck away and decided to lick their wounds. She couldn't blame them, they'd taken quite the beating. She only hoped they were recruiting more hands.

"Guess we'll have to contact them the old fashioned way." She hoped they'd be able to hear when the time came. Unless maybe Keira had decided to recruit Lambert to help with the sorceresses, as well? Did she even know?

"I don't think they're into repeating all of it," Geralt said. "When they went, it looked like quitting the Hunt war. Keira said to me that had she known what would happen, she'd never have come in the first place. I can't blame either of them."

"None of us can," Eskel shook his head.

"There's no quitting." Yennefer knew they'd lost a lot, that Vesemir meant the world to them, but there was no way she was going to lose solid soldiers, people who was strong enough to further help protect Ciri. "We agreed to do this. We all did. We can't go this far – can't leave her unprotected."

"And they did their part," Geralt reasoned. "We cannot demand more than they've given, Yennefer. It's not in our power. Let it go."

"I—" She knew what he was saying was reasonable, that it was far, that they'd lost and they'd survived and had every right to try and go off and start somewhere else to fight another day – another war – but this was Ciri. She might not be as important to Keira, but Yennefer knew Lambert had a spot for the girl, that he was part of the pack that raised her. "What about you Eskel? Zoltan? You'll both be fighting on? What about the boy?"

"I'll be there, ye know it," Zoltan said.

Eskel was fiddling with his mug, grim and frowning. "I don't know what more I can do, Yennefer," he said. "It's just my sword, and they're so much more than any of us were ever prepared to fight for a living. They're fighting with magic, those hounds, and their frost... What can I possibly do about it with my silver? They would've killed me if not for Ciri. And they did kill Coen. And Vesemir."

"No one will ask more of you, Eskel," Geralt said, squeezing his friend's shoulder. "You're right about all of this. We do need magic to defeat them. And I don't want to see you die, too. Neither does Ciri."

"It's all right, mate," Zoltan nodded. "It's all right."

"As for Gwyncath," Geralt said, turning back to Yennefer, "he will decide for himself."

Yennefer freed Zoltan a genuine smile, one that she didn't suppose she wore since the boat and after her conversation with Ciri when she'd come to the conclusion that there was nothing Yen could do about Geralt's head and that she was going to have to roll through it again.

"I understand," she answered. That didn't mean she liked it. She was also disappointed, also scared for Geralt since he was of the same but no longer with more than one pair of eyes on his back.

She could maintain that position, she would, but she also had to provide it to Ciri, and when The Wild Hunt came at them from all sides, it was going to be increasingly hard, especially when their numbers were decreasing so quickly.

They'd been limited before but they were cut in half.

"What about Skellige? Hjalmar?"

"Hjalmar said we could count on him," Geralt said. "Mousesack would also help, as he did. We just need the Lodge if we can get it. If we can afford it, as in repay them properly. Because this is usually the Lodge does business."

Yennefer closed her eyes and breathed a small bout of relief. "The lodge takes some negotiation. Two had already outright refused and two others are missing." As she'd already informed them. "Guess we'll have to see what Triss makes of it. What she's able to accomplish with Dijkstra."

If that was even where she was going.

Yennefer drowned the remainder of her drink, feeling that she needed it, and then carefully gestured for Geralt as she stood from the table. "You mind if we talk? Privately?"

"Not at all," he stood up to follow her.

She waited until they were away from the table and then turned to face him slowly, lowering her voice to make sure that their voices wouldn't carry. "Have you spoken to Ciri about Kain? I only ask because Triss has got it in her head that is special, apparently saw something that he did during the battle and she—wants to negotiate."

Geralt peered at her, utterly confused for a moment. "Negotiate? With whom? What do you mean?"

"The Lodge. At least those that remain. Triss saw Kain do something during the battle that made her think he was really special. Ciri special. That she could perhaps use him as a chip to get Ida and Francesca on board."

A shiver of ice cold ran down his spine. He was shocked, and a huge part of him refused to believe it. "It can't be right. She couldn't be considering it... Maybe you didn't understand her right?"

"I didn't misunderstand her," she stated coolly, unable to control the fact that she was a bit thrown by the fact that he didn't believe her. "This isn't also the first time that she's suggested something like this. You remember what she tried to encourage with Ciri?"

Scowling, he was trying to think it over. "She wouldn't hurt Ciri - she's been risking her own life protecting her, fighting for her.

"Kain, however, is not Ciri. If she thought it was the only way to interest the Lodge..." Geralt peered at her helplessly. "She might want to trick them, but she wouldn't sell him like a trinket. She wouldn't do that."

"I never said she'd hurt her." Yennefer knew for a fact that she wouldn't. Yennefer also knew that when it came to Triss and the way she viewed certain things, when an idea struck her she latched on like a dog and wouldn't let go.

Ciri never would have worked with the Lodge, and Kain had come at a time in need of negotiation.

What more could she say, though?

"You're right. But you think the Lodge will accept that? That she would offer something that she didn't think there was a chance of gaining? You said it yourself; 'Triss isn't suicidal' and the Lodge isn't quick to forgive a betrayal like that."

That's why they were in this position to begin with. If only he remembered that.

"We'll have to talk about it with her, then," he said, his face preoccupied. "What he did was truly outstanding: he somehow managed to scorch an entire unit within a few seconds. And back in the forest... I don't know what kind of magic he used, but it wasn't too far from what mages can do. Ciri said he was trained by druids. I can't judge - I haven't seen too much of druid magic." The Witcher looked at her, conflicted. "Perhaps best not to alarm Ciri about it. She's already worried that Eredin marked him as a target along with her."

"I've already told Triss that it isn't an option and that we aren't going to throw the boy at them like that so that they can fight over his carcass. You know what she's like when she breeds an idea though and when she feels that it's the right thing to do. The Lodge is broken apart and if what we've discovered is true, then, like you Witchers, we're a slow vanishing breed. At least in her eyes. It's what she's been fighting for all her life. Who she's been fighting for."

Yennefer guessed he didn't know that, either, that with her removal from his fate and life a lot had been adapted and changed. She turned back to the table.

"I thought you should know, at least – warn him. If it comes to that."

"They're not gonna get him, just like they're not getting Ciri. He trusted us enough to fight for us, so we can't let him down. He means a lot to Ciri. She won't have any of it."

"Which is why I should probably head back."

She couldn't trust Triss wouldn't turn this around on them and push them into a corner that was going to become even worse than it was. Yennefer had failed them with Ciri before and it was going to happen again.

Yennefer didn't touch him this time, not wanting to invade his space after the look he'd given her, searching the room for Ciri to make sure she hadn't left while they spoke. "I'll say my goodbyes and then be on my way."

Still preoccupied by thoughts of Triss and the Lodge, he nodded absentmindedly. "All right. Thank you for coming and warning me."

As if he needed to thank me for that, she thought bitterly. It pulled at her heartstrings as though this was the first time he'd ever heard something like that from her and like they were strangers dealing with this issue together.

It shouldn't hurt but it did – a lot.

Ciri watched Geralt and Yennefer from her seat, unable to hear what they were talking about, and her curiosity growing each time one of them glanced over at her. She imagined this was what children felt when their parents were discussing them, maybe contemplating some sort of punishment for wrongs done, or trying to agree upon who to marry them off to.

But that was not what was happening here. At least not the latter part. Ciri did not think Geralt would ever want to see her married. Or touching a man in general.

And so her curiosity grew. Even as Zoltan tried to distract her with the story of how he'd lost his favorite Gwent card.

Yennefer walked up behind Ciri, leaning over her, enclosing her arms around Ciri's shoulders so that she could hug the girl from behind while she conversed with Zoltan. "I believe I need to go. Care to show me out?"

"Of course," Ciri said, trying to keep the sadness from her voice as she rose to her feet and linked one arm with Yennefer's. "Soon, we won't have to part again," she told Yen as they headed for the front doors.

"Never," Yennefer agreed, although a part of her was unsure of that.

She thought that she and Geralt might have been able to flow forward together, that she was prepared to push through every obstacle and attempt to make it work.

But how? When? What was going to change in the next few weeks?

"Never again." Yennefer patted her hand, gave both Eskel and Zoltan a departing smile, one she supposed measured the fact that one of those faces she wouldn't be seeing until all of this was over. "How've you been feeling?"

"Tired, frustrated, scared," Ciri admitted. "But with pinches of happiness sprinkled in. Geralt and Kain are to thank for the latter. What about you? Things in Novigrad are still ready bad, aren't they?"

"Happiness?" Yennefer repeated. Ciri wasn't going to dissuade the sorceress from that particular topic and the fact that she'd mentioned two names involvement. That was no easy fiat. "Novigrad is at war with itself, within its folds, but it's been coming for a while. You can't stand o neutral ground and not expect a few waves to come in and pick you up."

Ciri had seen firsthand how bad Novigrad had been. It was foolish of me to assume it had changed so quickly.

Yennefer patted her hand once more to let her know Yen didn't want to talk about it and pushed forward.

"How is Kain settling in with Geralt?"

Her question made Ciri's brow furrow in mild confusion. "How do you mean?"

"I mean are they getting along?" They'd been at odds before and after the trial seemed to have reached an understanding with one another. However, he was still here – Kain hadn't left. "Have you spoken to him much?"

"I don't think they have spent much time together at all, but… yes. I'd say Geralt is warming to him. Kain is more complicated. He has been alone for so long, I think he feels uncomfortable with the company of others. But there does not seem to be any animosity between them.

"I have tracked Kain down now and then. Spent some chunks of time with him when I can get around Avallac'h."

"And?" Yennefer asked, keeping her close to her side, gaze probing Ciri's face, trying to gauge if she was willing to talk more of her connection to the boy.

The boy, but it was only because he looked young. If he knew Geralt and a lot of other Witchers she hadn't even met — that said a lot about his extensive history. And possible age.

"He doesn't seem to mind your company?"

"Not really. He has been teaching me some magic, some exercises to help me connect with my power." Ciri paused, looking up at her. "Don't tell Avallac'h."

"Why would I ever care to tell that Elf anything?" She hardly liked the man and the fact that Ciri had been stuck with his miserable antics for so long was a bit of a kick in the face. "I am curious though, why do you think he'd object to you and Kain spending time together?"

"The more time I spend with Kain, the less I spend with Avallac'h," Ciri ventured as a guess. "And even if he acts like he has put his old ambitions aside for now, the same way your sorceresses think they have a claim on me, he believes I belong to the Aen Elle. Stolen blood and all that."

"You don't," Yennefer answered without hesitation, immediately annoyed with the Elf for making her believe that nonsense, for anyone trying to poison her mind with that drivel. "You don't belong to anyone but yourself, never let them make you believe otherwise."

The fact that Kain seemed to enforce that in her without her even knowing made Yennefer all the more adamant to make sure that Triss didn't get any ulterior motives.

"I know I don't," Ciri assured her with a small smile. "I belong to you and Geralt. Because I choose it. And not as an object." There was a big difference between them and everyone else.

Yennefer's lips curved into an automatic smile. True. She did belong to us. She always would. They were a family and no one was going to tear that apart – not even Yennefer herself.

"You know, if there's one thing I regret, it's not listening to my heart, or even understanding it's drive, what it was and the doors that it opened for me. I didn't think it possible and those things scared me, seemed so far out of my reach that when it was happening it felt like it shouldn't – that I didn't deserve it. I probably don't. But you do, you're young, you're brave and you're strong, don't let anyone else think for you and don't feel like you owe them either."

"What do you mean you don't deserve it?" Ciri asked, pausing their walk to consider her. "Why would you think such a thing?"

"I've always been hard to love. A destructive force."

However, not even once, not in all the time Yennefer had known Geralt or Ciri had either made her feel like that, which is why she fought so hard for them, why the removal of the link had been important. Magic had changed her life so much, shaped who she was on the outside—and even some of the inside—that it was important for her to know that it wasn't for that reason alone that they were connected.

"At least I felt that way. I don't anymore. It's taken me many years to come to terms with it."

"Hard to love," Ciri mused. "Because you take no crap from anyone? Because you are ruthless and intelligent and so beautiful no one can ever measure up? You are not hard to love. People just expect women to be meek and subservient with no opinions of her own and see anything else as being wrong or unnatural. Because it scares them."

She wrapped an arm around Yen's waist and squeezed her, smiling. "I want to be you when I grow up, Yennefer of Vengerberg. Add some Geralt in there, too, and I would be the perfect specimen."

Her words warmed the sorceress, brought a bout of tears to her eyes because as beautiful as they were, as profound and touching, that was only who Ciri was now, not the horrible beast buried beneath this façade of magic that had been so hard to navigate around as a child.

Even an adolescent.

Yennefer freed up her arm and hugged Ciri tightly against her, peppering kiss after kiss to her head.

"You already are perfection," she said, speaking against Ciri's hair, smiling softly. She inhaled her scent, loosened her hold on the girl a little so that she could look into her eyes. Those beautiful emerald eyes. "I know you probably tire of hearing it at this point. But, 'I love you'."

Ciri couldn't help the slight uncharacteristic giggle when Yennefer began kissing her head, secretly adoring the affectionate attention she was gifting her.

"I never tire of hearing it. Not from you." It was one of the few things that had kept her from giving up during times of trouble – knowing Yennefer and Geralt were out there somewhere, loving her, needing her. "I love you too, Mum."

"Then expect to hear it until I'm hoarse." Yennefer laughed softly, drew Ciri against her chest once more and then stepped back. "Take care of Geralt while I'm gone." Not that he needed the extra pair of eyes. "And yourself."

She touched a hand to her face as if to memorize the change, and then used her other hand to call up the portal for herself.

"I will," Ciri promised, stepping back.

Yennefer waited a beat, studying her features awhile longer, and then stepped through, once again appearing in the Spearhead as though she'd been there the entire time.

The portal faded and darkness ruled once more, highlighting Ciri's sudden loneliness. There had to be a time when they would all be together again, right? A time when they would be a real family where no one had to run away to tend to other things every other day?

What was she even thinking about? It was likely she would be the one to crush those dreams. The White Frost...

Ciri turned to look at the keep, so empty now that Vesemir was no longer here. She reached for his medallion around her neck, examined it cautiously before wandering for the main gate.

"What's with the grim face?" asked Zoltan when Geralt sat at the table and the Dwarf handed him another refilled mug.

"Yennefer says the Lodge might sniff out about Kain's powers and then decide to claim him same way they tried with Ciri."

"Oh, that's shit," Zoltan resoluted. "How would they know?"

Geralt shrugged, reluctant to frame Triss's name. "There's always a way to find out things. Keira saw it... Many of us saw that."

"Think Keira will tell em?"

He shrugged again, thinking about Triss.

"Damn sorceresses," Zoltan spat. "Except Yennefer, that is."

"And Merigold," Eskel added.

Ciri arrived at Kain's cave twenty minutes later, having blinked to the lake and walked from there, navigating through the dark in order to find him. It wasn't as hard as it would have been to find anyone else. She felt him. Like a pulsing beacon in the distance calling to her.

A fire was lit and she took her seat close to Kain and the griffin.

Griffin scoffed with surprise at seeing the girl again. Kain looked at her with a mute question, an eyebrow rising.

"There used to be a time when I found solace in the dark and cold at night. It was easier to hide, easier to be left alone. It meant safety. That has changed a little. I no longer relish in absolute solitude." She looked at him, swallowing. "May I stay here tonight?"

"I don't own that place," he said. "You can stay anywhere you wish.

"No training with the Elf?"

"He went to his room to sulk when Yennefer arrived," she told him, adjusting her cloak. "She's left again. Back to Novigrad to try and find, well… free, our allies."

"Free?" he asked with a confused frown.

"Have you been to Novigrad lately?"

"Not for some years."

"Well, the cult of The Eternal Fire rules Novigrad these days. And by their laws, anyone with magic, anyone practicing magic, will be arrested, tormented, and eventually executed. Last I was there I saw three women burned right on the town square. It is a dangerous place for any mage, and many of the Lodge's former members have been captured."

"Isn't it unwise for your magical allies to have even stepped into Novigrad at all to be captured there?"

"Yennefer and Triss?" She nodded. "Yes, that is what I am worried about. But they are quite adamant we need more magical aid. And the sorceresses are the ones to provide it. The ones they have managed to contact already have declined."

Kain nodded, not surprised. "They'll never help without a worthy reward."

"That is their way. As for those imprisoned, I would not put it past Yennefer to make their aid the condition of springing them from prison."

"I wouldn't expect it to be enough for them."

"Their lives?" she arched a brow. "People tend to re-evaluate their past choices and standards when their head is on the block."

"Once they're free, they won't be willing to endanger their lives again for you without anything important you would give in return."

"We'll see," she shrugged. "I would not want to be caught on Yennefer's shit-list. Besides, it is not for me. What The Hunt will do to me pales in comparison to what they will do to the rest of the world."

"While everybody knows their fixation on you, they don't think about any other agendas."

"Meaning?"

"For now they view it as your war because it's you the Hunt wants. No one cares yet about what comes after they get you. So, for now they name their price for saving you - not the whole world.

"Not everybody lives in the future like you try to."

Ciri thought about that for a moment. "Perhaps. Whatever they demand, I trust Yennefer to handle it. She knows them all painfully well. She will be able to see through any deceit."

"It's not as much about see through their deceit as convincing them to fight for you. And with that Yennefer might not be able to help."

Ciri smiled a little. "Trying to take my hope away, Archer?"

"Hope is a good thing, but expectations - not so much. You can hope. But try not to expect."

"From the Lodge I expect betrayal. Having any of them join us would actually surprise me. But I do hope, against all odds. We need the help we can get."

"Thinking about it now is useless - there are no actual results yet."

"Right. Now is now." It would take a lot of practice before she could start thinking like that effortlessly. "Have you eaten?"

He nodded. "Think we'd be hungry in a forest full of food?"

"Just checking on you," she said, removing her cloak now the warmth of the fire had set in.

He made no response, making himself more comfortable against the griffin. The latter croaked softly and lowered his head on his front paws.

Ciri laid the cloak out beneath her and lay down, hands beneath her head as a makeshift pillow.

It was strange. Out in the wild, in a cave, on a stone floor… She was more comfortable than she had been in her own bed. Because he was here. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes.

Kain observed her smile for a bit, then followed her example and closed his eyes to sleep, as well.

Ciri woke sometime in the night from a bad dream. In her hurry to get to Kain she had, of course, forgotten to take Mousesack's sleeping draught. The dream had not been a visit from Eredin, she knew that much. But whatever it was had left a sour, fear-filled aftertaste that made the prospect of lying back down and closing her eyes seem impossible.

She looked over to watch Kain asleep, his back propped against the griffin who was also out, slow and shallow breathing sounding from their direction.

With some hesitation she got to her feet and crept closer to them, curling up beside Kain with her head in his lap. Right now everything about him screamed safety and comfort and she felt no shame in indulging her current needs.

She fell asleep again before she could contemplate whether or not her actions would be well-received.

Turned out it did not matter. She was the first to wake.

Ciri lifted herself up on her elbows once the sun peered in through the cave entrance, squinting before turning to look at Kain and his griffin. Still fast asleep. He looked so peaceful and innocent in his sleep. Vulnerable even. All concerns and reservations wiped from his face. Beautiful.

She did a double-take when her gaze strayed lower and noticed a considerable bulge beneath his covered crotch. She sat upright and stared for a few moments, cheeks flushing pink as she tried to contemplate what that meant. Was he… having a nice dream?

She felt as though she had interrupted on a private moment and silently scrambled to her feet, snatching her cloak off the cave floor and slipping into the sunlight just outside the cave.

Her retreat from the cave pulled him from the slumber, but he didn't open his eyes just yet. Griffin stirred, but stayed down, giving him a few moments to wake up properly.

There was a strange lingering sensation of some weight that had disappeared from his lap. He didn't recall any dreams, but it didn't really matter.

Kain stretched lazily and rubbed his face, then Griffin began to rise, pushing him to his feet, as well.

It was a brisk, chilly morning despite the bright light of the sun up above. Ciri briefly considered going for a swim in the lake, but didn't want to leave Kain behind without a word.

It probably wouldn't matter much to him considering his loner status, but she decided against it anyway.

Kain followed Griffin outside into the still chilly morning. The sun was well on its way to its zenith. Ciri was looming among the trees a bit away from the cave entrance. He stretched, so did Griffin, and when Kain went in the direction of the lake, Griffin went the opposite way, taking off to look for a deer from the air.

"Going to grab breakfast?" she asked Kain, trailing behind him. "Snatch a rabbit from the bush?"

"I don't snatch."

"Do you lure?"

"Sort of."

He walked slower, listening, picking the direction. It wasn't a long stalk – it never had been around Kaer Morhen. There had always been a lot of hares.

A few were feeding on a meadow on the hill's slope. He crouched, choosing one to focus on, watching it intently. He touched a hand to the ground, merging his power with it and sending it forth. After a few moments, the hare stood up, ears perked, looking around. And then it started toward him, a bit dazed. It walked into his hands, not really seeing him, and, Kain's lips moving subtly, he quickly snapped its neck. Kain looked back to the meadow and focused on another one. It took less time.

Ciri lingered behind him a few steps, watching him intently as he worked. It was magical. Quite literally.

Nature supplies.

"Think I could catch one by blinking?" she asked once he returned to her with two hares in hand. "I have always wondered."

"I don't see why not – no one can see you coming when you do it."

He strolled past her heading for the lake, picking up twigs and branches for the fire as he went.

She stayed behind while he continued, moving silently between the trees to find new prey. It did not take long.

She watched the little creature for a moment before she struck, a green flash as she darted from one spot to another, her hands around the rabbit's neck before it could flee.

She snapped it and felt a sense of pride, of achievement.

When she found Kain again she was carrying two, smiling slightly. "Zoltan will be happy."

"I see, you're freeing me from the provision duty today." He fed more twigs to the fire; it flared brighter with a breath of magic. He took one of the hares and pulled his hunting knife out of the sheath on his belt to skin it, making a quick habitual job of it. The second one followed, then he threw the skins into fire.

"Well, everyone's been of help back at the keep. And you, too. Time I did something to contribute," she said, showing her rabbits again before taking a seat beside him.

He found two sticks with forks on their ends – hidden behind a rock from yesterday – and stuck it into the ground on either sides of the fire, then used the third stick as a skewer for one of the hares.

He sat back a bit, extending a hand toward the fire; it flared up obediently, licking the hare's carcass. Kain flicked his wrist subtly, making the skewer stick turn.

"How did you do that? With the hares?" she asked, resting her arms on her knees.

"Did what?"

"Bring them to you?"

"I used my power to connect to that of the world," he explained. "This world, the earth, the air, everything around you has its own power. Its own magic. You can connect to it to enforce your own. All the living things belong to the world. And it can share when you have a need."

"And through that power you convinced the rabbits to come to you?"

"I dazed them so they didn't… understand."

She nodded, turning her gaze to the sizzling meat over the fire. It was already starting to smell good.

The hare was prepared and Kain took it off the fire, pushed the carcass off the skewer stick onto one of the boulders around. He skewered the other one and put it over the fire.

"You had no more dreams with him?" he asked, turning the meat as it cooked.

Ciri assumed he meant Eredin and shook her head. "Mousesack made me a sleeping draught. Seems to have helped. Either that or Eredin has lost interest in toying with me. Though I am betting on the draught."

"Helpful," he approved, looking back to the meat, turning the makeshift skewer. "You can start on the ready one. If Griffin comes back, he might snatch it."

"Thank you." She reached for the cooked meat and used her dagger to cut a piece, bringing it to her mouth. "What is your favorite food? Do you have a favorite?"

"Druids used to not eat meat, and their cooking was more sophisticated. It tasted really good. But since my being alone, meat works best. I'm not sure about favorites. Maybe I don't have any. Zoltan, however, cooks very good."

"He does," she agreed. "I haven't eaten like that for a long time. When I was at my grandmother's court, they had these tiny little cakes for dessert sometimes. I loved them so much I used to sneak into the kitchens and steal more than my share. My grandmother would spank me so harshly when she caught me," she laughed.

Kain cast a confused gander at her, "Why?"

"Taking something that was meant for everyone and not just me?" She smiled. "I was a greedy little thing."

"You were a child, weren't you? It's not so uncommon for children to be greedy about things they like. Especially when one is a princess."

"And so she had to reprimand me," she shrugged, taking another piece of meat.

Kain took the skewer off the fire and lay it on another rock to cool down. "You still miss her, anyway, don't you."

"Of course. She raised me. Loved me. And she was a good queen." She paused. "A few years ago I found out that Emperor Emhyr, the man who ordered the attack on Cintra which inevitably killed my grandmother, is my father."

"Why did he do that? Didn't he know you were there or… he didn't care?"

"He wanted to expand his empire. And he wanted me captured and brought to him."

"I heard the story of your parents – how they got together. Geralt's part in it. And your connection with Geralt. Partially from Mousesack, and most part is in the open in all those ballads played in most cities.

"But this – about your father attacking your kingdom… I heard your parents died."

"My mother did. Apparently my father had planned to take us away, my mother and I. To fake our deaths some for a political plot to reclaim his family's right to the throne of Nilfgaard.

"My mother suspected something was wrong, so she had me smuggled off their ship before they set sail. When my father found out, they fought and he pushed her over. She drowned. And he, with the aid of a mage named Vilgefortz, faked his death."

Kain winced, taking the knife to his cooked hare, cutting a slice of meat. "So he went on with the plan, then."

"Yes. And he managed to reclaim the throne of Nilfgaard with very few knowing who he truly was. He has been searching for me for ages, but I only met him four or five years after Cintra. I did not know who he was at the time."

He bit into his piece, expecting her to continue, even though he could see the story was still bothering her greatly.

"I did not know him, but I knew what he wanted. The same as everyone," she said, cutting herself another piece. "Geralt told me a week ago he has been ordered to bring me to him, the emperor. I don't know what he wants this time, but it can't be anything good."

There was nothing to say to that. The girl had been a walking prize all her life for everyone except Geralt.

Even though Kain's mother warned him to never alert anyone to his presence - he guessed, to prevent the same thing - his fate had been kinder to him.

Thus far, it had been.

He was silent, so she fell silent, too, focusing on her meal until they had practically gnawed the bones clean.

"I want to go for a quick dip in the lake before I return to the keep," she said eventually. "Will you join me?"

"After preparing the meal, I pretty much have to."

As he threw the hare bones into the fire, Griffin came trotting from the woods, his paws and beak and chest in blood stains. He went to the water, splashing it a bit before dipping his beak to drink.

Kain pulled his boots off and unfastened the buckles on his jacket, shrugging it off.

Griffin shook water off his paws and came to claim his spot at the fire, twirling in a circle before settling down to attend to cleaning his claws and feathers.

Ciri smiled at the display of the griffin as she removed her clothing, purposely leaving her undergarments on because it seemed like too big a step to undress completely in the company of another.

She decided not to put her toes in the water for a test of temperature. It would probably make her change her mind then.

Instead she gritted her teeth and determinedly strode into the water, diving under as soon as she was far out enough.

She gasped as she reached the surface again, the cold enveloping her completely. But there was a kind of joy to that sensation, too.

Kain piled his clothes next to the griffin and went into the water. It was freezing cold, washing over him in a painful, numbing wave when he dove in.

Surfacing, he stilled, focused on his magic and the connection to the lake, and the water around him slowly began to get warmer as the heat from his palms spread.

Ciri pushed her hair back from her face, grinning as she watched Kain repeat her process. He did not seem to enjoy the initial contact with the water either, but he still managed to stay calm and dignified.

Her toes curled beneath her and she could tell if she stayed much longer a cramp would set in. "I used to do this often in Skellige as a child," she breathed. "The children would dare each other to see who could stay in the longest. Think I have lost some of my bravery." Judging by her chattering teeth, anyway.

"You have your magic," he reminded, relaxing in the warmed up water. "Help yourself."

It took her a moment to realize what he meant about that. It was something she would never have considered doing on her own. "Show me?" she asked, swimming closer.

"Your hands - focus your power in them and turn it into heat seeping into the water around you."

She moved to stand and closed her eyes, her hands on either side of her. It was hard to concentrate due to the cold, but at least her every thought was HEAT.

For a long while she wasn't certain if the gradual warmth she felt was residue from his magic or her own, but the water did become more comfortable, making her bend at the knees to sink down again, chin resting on the surface.

He dipped again, surfaced and brushed his hair off his face. Ciri opened her eyes again, watching him, smiling to herself beneath the surface. He was so beautiful. She wondered if he knew. He probably did. She imagined people told him whenever he visited villages and towns. How could they not?

Kain wiped water from his eyes and caught her stare.

"What?"

Before she even thought to answer, a loud screech from the shore had them snap their heads there in alarm.

Griffin was standing in a menacing posture, wings spread, ears flat, paws wide, tail whipping. He screeched again, and a dozen yards from him a black mare reared up neighing. She didn't look scared, but kept her distance.

"No!" Kain yelled, then gave out a screeching sound pulling Griffin's attention.

The beast shot him a glance, surprised, then backed away a little, still screeching for good measure.

"Kelpie!" Ciri exclaimed, straining through the water to get back on shore. When she did, she rushed to her horse, wrapping her arms around her neck to hug her. She was warm and her heart was racing. She had been running.

The mare exhaled loudly, as if breathing a sigh of relief she had finally reached her destination.

Ciri pulled back to look at her, gently cradling her head in her hands. She gave an affectionate nip to Ciri's shoulder, then allowed the girl to rest her forehead against the bridge of her nose. Ciri wept silently.

Kain smiled; the mare made it, after all.

Griffin tipped his head sideways, watching them, croaking softly. Carefully he crept back to his spot and slowly lay back down, never taking his eyes off the two.

Kain came back to the shore, shivering at the cold, and began to dress hastily to warm up.

Ciri stood there for a long time simply basking in the reunion and the feel of Kelpie with her again. It was strange, but a good kind of strange. Brought up memories she would rather not carry with her, and yet she knew the mare was the one who had helped her make it through those awful situations.

When they finally detached, Ciri was shivering from the cold. She moved to gather her clothes and put them back on, skillfully whipping her undergarments off from under her shirt and threw them atop a nearby rock while she redressed.

All the while, she could not contain her smile and once she finished, she was back at Kelpie's side again, checking her over for any potential damages.

The mare was eyeing the griffin curiously, and then Kain, looking as though those wise eyes of hers saw more than Ciri ever could.

Ciri turned to him eventually with a grateful smile. "You made this happen. Thank you."

Kain shrugged, fastening the buckles of his wolf-fur leather set. "I merely directed you. And charged the bracelet. She came because of you."

He was not good with gratitude, so she decided not to push it, instead continuing her examination of the horse's body. She was fine. Better than fine. She looked exactly like she had last time Ciri had seen her. "I should get back. Appease the elf somewhat. Are you still up for some training this afternoon?"

"I don't mind. If there's anything left to teach you, that is." Kain sat down by Griffin's side; the beast calmed considerably. "You're doing quite well on your own."

"Am I?" she asked, genuinely surprised by that. "According to Avallac'h my 'attempts are meagre'."

"Maybe that's why you're here and not there," he jibed, allowing a small brief smile. "The more you hear of how meagre your attempts are, the worse your results get. I'm being honest when I say you're skilled and you learn fast."

"That might be one of the reasons," she admitted with a crooked smile. "I do prefer praise to snark, especially when the latter is not warranted."

"He's still a mentor you chose," Kain remarked. "You have to work with what you have. Unless you choose not to. All in all, it's all up to your decisions. Only yours. Because the power is yours."

"He was different when we were alone," she said. "Less… admonishing. More friendly than an authority figure. I think he is thrown now we've reunited with Geralt and the rest."

"He's all alone among you humans - the race his kin despises. He doesn't know how to be and how to hold himself."

"Zoltan's not human," she pointed out. "But I understand your point."

"Zoltan is one of the family while he is not."

"I don't think he wants to be," she mused, thinking Avallac'h and Kain might have that in common.

She stroked the side of Kelpie's neck before hauling herself atop her, running her fingers through her mane, rabbits dangling from her belt. "I will see you later. Stop by the keep should you feel like it. You are always welcome," she reminded him before urging Kelpie to turn around.

He saluted a farewell to her with a hand and leaned back against the griffin.

"Where is Zireael?"

Geralt looked up from the sword he had been polishing and regarded the Sage. His face was stony as always, but his eyes were sharp.

"I don't control her movements," he said calmly. "She likes to be alone at times. It helps her."

"She's with him."

Geralt shrugged nonchalantly. "You have to ask her about it. I'm no seer and she tells me no more than she does you."

He smiled a little; a cold smile. "We both know it's not true, Gwynblaidd."

He shrugged again and returned to his sword.

Being back on Kelpie's back caused a great sense of euphoria. They rode quickly, the mare rushing through the forests and down the roads towards the keep at a breakneck speed that barely seemed to wind her. People had often thought Ciri a witch or demon when riding her, believing she had imbued the animal with dark magic that allowed her to gallop faster than any other horse and jump heights that should not have been manageable.

Just inside the keep, Ciri slid off and led her towards the stables where Roach was eagerly chewing on her morning hay. She found Kelpie some water and a bucket of grains and allowed her to eat while she groomed her, taking her sweet time tending to her needs.

"Leftovers of Kain's deer today," Zoltan said when Geralt entered the kitchen. "It's marinaded just right, I dare say. Y'all gonna swallow yer tongues." He laughed, skewering the pieces in front of the fire. "How's lassie?"

"The Sage's looking for her. She's not around."

He laughed again. "We're not as exciting to er as we used to be, Geralt. There's one who is, and he ain't aroun, either."

It was not long after Ciri had returned that Avallac'h found her, looking his grim usual self. Though his eyes widened a tad when he saw the black mare and some of the anger briefly vanished from his face.

"You found her," he remarked.

"She found me," Ciri corrected with a smile. "Thanks to you and Kain." Avllac'h had been the one to piece the bracelet back together, after all.

The light dimmed in the Elf's eyes at the mention of Kain. "You have been with him," he said. It was not a question.

"Yes," she said, unhooking the rabbits from her belt and holding them up for him to see before temporarily hanging them from a hook on the wall. "We hunted together. And then ate."

"And slept together," he sneered.

She blinked, looking at him. He knew. Of course, he knew. He always did. Even when asking questions.

"Next to one another," she corrected again, leaning down to scrape the underside of Kelpie's hooves, removing a piece of gravel that had lodged itself there.

Avallac'h's lip curled as he approached. "And is that all you do, Zireael? Sleep? Or do you let him touch you? Is that why you keep returning to him? Is that what you find worth sacrificing this world for? Sex?" He scoffed. "You humans, unable to control your savage urges."

She straightened and stared at him, momentarily flabbergasted. "That is none of your business. What I choose to do with my body is of no concern to you! Even if I were to shag every man from here to Novigrad, you would have no right to have an opinion on the matter!"

"Oh, but it is my business," he countered, towering over her, both of them glaring daggers at the other. "The Aen Elle have spent far too much time to allow yet another carrier of the Elder Blood to mate with just anyone."

He paused, looking surprised at having said such a thing aloud. He was starting to sound like 'the old' Avallac'h.

Ciri scoffed, threw the brush she had been using aside, and grabbed the rabbits off the wall. She did not bother securing Kelpie. She would not stray far.

"I think you and I should spend some more time apart," she told the Elf coolly. "Because right now I can barely contain the urge to punch you, Avallac'h."

He still followed her as she made her way towards the castle.

"Nothin at all, then, is it?" Zoltan asked, studying her for a long moment. "Ah, that's a darn shame, Geralt. Not only because Dandelion will be heartbroken over his shite ballads, but... Argh. Sorry arse business, magic is."

He turned back to the frying meat, shifting the skewers slowly.

"It's more frustrating to me, I assure you," Geralt said. "It's like every time she looks at me, she urges me to remember, waiting for confirmations I can't give."

"It's shite," he agreed. "But there could be a way to fix it. Ye never know when it comes to that darn magic."

"If she knew the way, she'd have tried it already."

"Aye, well," he chortled, shooting the Witcher a cunning eye over his shoulder. "Ye truly don remember Yennefer of Vengerberg, mate. She'll find it. That stubborn mage never gives up on things she wants."

Geralt hemmed and drank.

Avallac'h had stopped talking but Ciri could tell if he got her alone again, it would start all over. So she sought the company of Geralt and Zoltan in the kitchen, offering the latter the rabbits with a small smile. "Can they be of use?"

Zoltan turned and spread his arms, laughing heartily: "There she is, our little bird! And bearin gifts!" He took the hares and shook them, assessing.

"Eskel went an hour ago to check his traps," Geralt said, shooting a glance at Avallac'h who stilled at the door observing them with an expression of mild disdain.

"Too slow, Eskel," Zoltan chortled and regarded Ciri with a prideful grin. "Yer a talent, lassie, yer a raw talent. Get yerself some mead while I skin em. And watch the venison, will ye."

Avallac'h hesitated, then turned and left.

Ciri beamed, happy the dwarf appreciated her gift. "I used my power to catch them," she said, relieved to see Avallac'h leave. "And Kelpie's here!"

"Who?" Zoltan glanced confusedly between them.

"Her horse from before," Geralt explained and turned to Ciri with a widening smile. "I'm very happy for you. Is she all right?"

"She's perfect!" Ciri exclaimed, moving to get herself a cup of mead so she could guard the venison like Zoltan asked. "Not a scratch on her. And she runs just like before."

"It's great, Ciri," Geralt said. "Great that she found you. Like magic."

"Magic horse for a magic girl," Zoltan agreed.

"Magic horse for a magic bracelet," Ciri said, holding that particular piece of jewelry up to the light, examining it as she took a sip of her mead. "As much as I love her I am not sure she would stay with me should I no longer have this."

"Maybe she'd be with you, anyway," Geralt said. "You're hard to forget."

"Because I am such a spreader of joy?" she ventured teasingly, drinking heavily from her cup again. "Are you sad Yennefer did not stay longer?"

Zoltan and Geralt exchanged quick glances.

"She couldn't stay any longer," the Witcher said. "We'll see her later in Novigrad."

That was not the answer to her question but Ciri decided not to pry further. Maybe he felt awkward talking about her in front of Zoltan. "Yes."

She turned the venison slowly, pondering silently. Hopefully they would be off to Velen in the next few days. Maybe even tomorrow if she could convince Geralt.

"You talked to Avallac'h?" he asked. "He's been looming around waiting for you."

"Yeah." Her good mood vanished immediately and was replaced with something sour.

What Kain had said earlier stuck with her. About how Avallac'h did not belong. She had wondered if he felt lonely and had felt a touch of guilt, a desire to make him feel more at home.

An urge that had vanished the moment he started to inquire about her sex life. Or lack thereof.

Geralt studied her attentively, reaching for the bottle to refill his mug. "Hasn't gone smoothly, has it?"

"He is… becoming uncomfortably possessive. I don't care for it." Ciri turned the meat again, eyeing it carefully.

"Possessive?" Zoltan piped in, raising a bushy eyebrow over his shoulder, a menace in his eye. "Whatta ye mean?"

"He was unhappy you were away," Geralt said. "He's worried you're not getting your practice."

"Yes, he's unhappy with most of the things I do these days. It doesn't matter," she said with a small smile. "I will handle it."

"He's not getting enough of your time and after our facing the Hunt he might be a bit on the panicking side."

"He can't squeeze more out of eh than she can give, either," Zoltan said. "Magic's a tricky business. Overworkin it's never a good idea."

Ciri snorted. "I don't think that's what he worries about. At least not all of it." A murmur meant mostly for her own ears. She looked to Geralt. "What did he say?"

"Wanted to know where you were. I said he had to ask you himself. He didn't look like he was really wondering, though."

"Ah, lassie," Zoltan sighed. "Pay im no mind. Elves are so stuck in their own morals and rules, they don't bother lettin other people live. They're too old to understand any other race. Just leave im be. He ain't changin."

"No. He usually already has the answers to his questions," she said, turning the venison.

"I thought it'd be harder to find you."

Kain and the beast turned to Avallac'h with almost identical suspicious expressions. The griffin croaked, his ears pricked up.

"I wasn't hiding," Kain said.

Avallac'h allowed himself to stroll a few steps to them, but stopped a few yards short of their campfire. The griffin's tail was already beating against the ground.

"Zireael." Avallac'h's eyes bore into the boy's face. "What is she doing here with you?"

Kain raised an eyebrow, "She doesn't tell you?"

"I'm asking you."

"She likes to talk," Kain said after a short contemplation. "And ask questions. She's merely curious about someone new. You've nothing to worry about."

Avallac'h wrinkled his nose momentarily. "What do you know about my worries, halfblood?"

Kain smirked subtly; his lips twitched and evened a moment later. He was studying the Sage as though seeing him for the first time. "You deem her a savior of your people and your world. You want her to survive the Hunt and defeat the Frost, possibly laying her life on the line - which you don't mind her doing. And her special blood makes you salivate at possibilities of what her child could be like if bred correctly."

"She told you?" Avallac'h's voice was like cold steel.

"No need," Kain said. "I'm not as wild and ignorant as I look to you."

Avallac'h's face darkened with a gloomy frown. "You touched her?"

Kain scoffed softly, approaching the elf to stand in front of him. "What do you think?"

Avallac'h scowled deeper. "What should I think? That you're a wild thing—"

"I haven't laid a finger on her," Kain said, glaring at the elf. "Not once."

Avallac'h stared at him long and hard. Then he squinted, "Have I seen you before?"

"Certainly not."

"I have an exceptional memory for faces," the elf stated. "I never forget a face."

"Your memory must have slipped, then. Too many faces you're keeping there, it must be ripping along the seams."

Avallac'h was too engulfed to get insulted. He kept staring almost anxiously at the boy who held his gaze and looked conflicted between feeling uneasy and curious.

"Who are you?" Avallac'h asked in a quiet, slow drawl, as if the question wasn't directed at the boy. When he got no response, he threw another one: "Who are your parents?"

"I don't have to answer that," Kain said.

"You have something to hide?"

"Don't we all?"

Avallac'h studied him for another long moment, and then, without any word or emotion, he turned around and strolled away to where he tied his borrowed horse to a tree.

Kain watched him go, perplexed and a bit wary, and then returned to the griffin.

They had almost finished their lunch when Avallac'h's footfalls marched through the hall and toward the tower's stairs.

"Sounded angry," Zoltan commented, refilling his mug, then Eskel's and Geralt's.

"He's not cozy here," Eskel said. "We can all understand that."

"Maybe we should bring him food," Zoltan mused, drinking. "Not like he eats out there in the wild like the kitten-lad." He looked to Ciri with a question in his mien.

"Feel free," she told Zoltan, smiling slightly but making it clear she had no intention to go up there. At least not alone. That led to awkward conversations.

Zoltan growled into his mug, probably regretting his momentary good intentions. Eskel chuckled and masked it with a gulp of mead.

"He's a big boy, Zoltan," Ciri smiled. "If he is hungry he will find himself something to eat. He was good at providing for me on our travels. You know, if you enjoy roots and leaves."

"Seriously?" Zoltan exclaimed. "No rabbits? No venison? Nothin? Just leaves?"

"Out of the two of us, I'm the hunter. But there were places - worlds - where prey was not easy to come by. So plants had to do. Fairly certain I have gained a tremendous amount of weight since we returned here," she laughed softly.

Zoltan almost spat laughing. "Pfffft, please, lassie! Ye look like a twig! I dunno how to fatten ye up so wind wouldn't carry ye away."

"The wind does carry me away," she teased, whispering. "That's my power."

"Then any extra meat won't burden ye," Zoltan concluded and saluted her with his mead.