When the witchers returned another hour later, Dandelion had already woken up and learned about Oxenfurt and the possible threats. He decided to contribute and ride there with Kain. They set out immediately, and Geralt joined Avallac'h once again at the table at the window.
Geralt rubbed his neck tiredly, sighing.
"Is there any way to know when they attack?"
Avallac'h shook his head. "Highly unlikely. I am surprised they haven't already and a day or two ago to catch you off guard."
"They still might," Geralt said. "While we cannot predict which place they pick. How do they navigate?"
"By the magic lines and impulses that guide them. It's either following Zireael's trail or something else they can sense - like the remaining elvish magic of the ruins Oxenfurt is built on."
"Elven ruins are scattered all over the continent," Geralt said. "They could come from anywhere."
"True. They might be in your world already. Riding on and leaving frosted trail behind them."
"That is an alarming thought."
"The situation is grave enough. We have to see it for what it is."
"We do, Sage. We do."
When Ciri and Yennefer returned inside, Ciri excused herself to her room. And immediately snuck out again.
An hour later, back at the inn and descending the stairs to where Geralt and Avallac'h were sitting, she had a new vial with three tiny crystals pressed against her breast, hidden beneath her clothes. Poison. Quick but painful, the woman who had sold Ciri the substance told her. Ciri did not mind. She had never imagined her death would be painless.
Avallac'h had gotten to her with his words. It is not just her life alone - it is her world and her family.
She knew. Of course, she knew. But having it pointed out to her so blatantly had shot an icy ball of fear right through her.
Now, she was calmer. If Eredin did catch her, if he took her away and there was no more hope, she would end it all. It was a precaution. But one she knew Geralt and the others would not appreciate.
She approached the two after casting a quick glance around the room. She could already sense that Kain was no longer here.
"Where is he?" she asked Geralt.
Geralt and Avallac'h both frowned when Ciri approached. There was something about her both men sensed as alarming, though the elf perceived more than the Witcher did.
"He went to Oxenfurt with Dandelion, they rode out about thirty minutes ago. Why?"
"Oh." She felt a slight relief at that. "I sensed he was not here. Worried something might have happened."
Ciri shrugged and headed for the bar to find herself a drink.
"Are you sure you can sense the portals to block them?" Geralt asked, joining her at the counter. "Kain had no time to train with you. Do you know how it's done or you need him to tell you? Then you better catch up. There will be no other time."
"The Hunt's energy might be different," Yennefer said, approaching them from the stairs, "but Geralt's right—it's probably something you need to practice a little. In essence all magic is the same."
"There is not truly a way to practice," Ciri said, sipping from her tankard. "I can feel the sorceresses' portals open when I am close by. But I think The Hunt's magic is different. Kain has taught me how to connect to nature. She will aid me."
"Hopefully," the Witcher said. He was studying her for a bit. "Are you all right, Ciri?"
Ciri met his gaze, wondering what made him ask. "I am. Are you?"
"You look different, more preoccupied," he said. "Like something is gnawing at you beyond the usual worry. What is it?"
She smiled a little. "We are going to battle. The same kind of battle that killed two people I loved. Of course my mind is preoccupied. Isn't yours? Aren't you frightened of losing the ones you love?"
The Witcher smiled sadly. "What would it change if I were mourning losses before they happened? It would only damage my will to fight to prevent it. It would mess with my mind and put focuses where I don't need them, which would damage my fight. I can't afford such risks."
"For me it has the opposite effect. It gives me the will to fight. To not give up." She drank once more. "But it doesn't make it any simpler."
Geralt cast a gander at Yennefer standing by, as if assessing her opinion and whether she would want to put any word in.
"I guess it's not supposed to be simple, Ciri. No battle ever is. No kill ever is. It's not supposed to be."
"I know," she replied. "But I am fine. All things considering, I am fine." She smiled, prodding his chest with a gentle finger. "That's your one a day. Remember? One 'are you alright' a day."
Geralt winced in mock annoyance and tried to swat away her finger. "No way. I'm sure I'm allowed as many as I like if I clearly see you're not fine."
"I am fine," she insisted. "I do not know what else I can say to convince you of that."
"There's nothing you can say because it won't be true," Geralt sighed. He plucked a bottle from behind the counter and went back to the table.
She frowned, watching him go, uncertain of why he was so insistent she was not all right. She had not lied. She was fine, all things considered.
Ciri sipped her drink and put the tankard down on the bar top.
"Are Dandelion and Kain staying in Oxenfurt during the battle or do they plan to return before that?"
Geralt shrugged. "They will probably stay there if it gets attacked."
That made her feel uneasy, but she didn't say anything. Instead she turned back to her drink, hating the silence that stretched between them but unsure how to rectify it.
"Why don't you go and see him then?" Yennefer offered from where she'd been standing by listening to them skirt around their concerns. "You've got the means."
"Not sure it's a good idea. Might make their work more difficult if the people see the girl who is supposed to buy their safety," Ciri said.
"You're not going there to see the people. You're going to check on Kain. You're able to track his energy, are you not?"
"Zireael is right in her caution," Avallac'h said. "She should stay out of sight. It's best for all."
Ciri gestured with a hand as if to say What he said, and drank again. "It would be nice, Yennefer, but he is there for a reason. I don't need to distract him and make things more difficult."
"And yet you could be infinitely more distracted worrying about him." The sorceress shot a look the elf's way. "It's not as if she can't dash there and dash back. I'm not suggesting she spend the night."
"We have no way of knowing when they attack," Avallac'h said. "Zireael has to stay here where we can protect her. The sun is setting. The time is almost up."
"And yet, we don't even know if they're going to attack this very minute or even in the next hour. The Wild Hunt doesn't follow a timetable."
"Precisely why we have to stay put," the Sage responded.
Yennefer averted her attention from the elf to focus on Ciri. Yennefer wasn't asking Avallac'h to shoot across the sky and rush up on Kain. The battle was a big one and Ciri needed to live her life before then – not for it.
"What do you want?" Yennefer asked, her voice quiet.
"I'll stay. It makes the most sense. I trust Kain. If he needs our help I believe he will manage to let us know."
Also, she was not so sure he'd appreciate impromptu visits for no reason other than 'I wanted to see you'.
"You never know until you actually do it. Your concerns matter as much as his do," Yennefer had added that quietly as well since she'd taken a leap into Ciri's mind. "Don't do what you think is right, do what you want – no more restraints."
"I am," Ciri replied, shooting Yennefer a small smile. It died the moment Philippa joined them. It always did.
"Are you going to just drink the night away?" Philippa asked descending the stairs with the other three sorceresses in tow. "We have to get ready. I believe all people have been evacuated already."
"Then let us get ready." Ciri stood and headed for the basement. She'd seen a shoulder bag there earlier which she intended to fill with grenades, making it easier for her to move from portal to portal carrying the dimeritium.
Yennefer regarded Philippa coldly.
"I'm guessing Dijkstra told you that?" Yennefer knew he hadn't, but for her to assume that it was just done that way, and taken care of was enough of a knock. "Where are you going to be stationed?" she turned to Geralt.
"I'm going to patrol around the center" Geralt said getting up. "Assuming they will open their portals where they did the last time."
"Which is not likely," Avallac'h put in, "for it defeats the element of surprise."
"I'll stuff my element of surprise up their frozen arses any place, any time," Zoltan said on his way out of the basement carrying a crate of bombs.
Ciri followed Zoltan back upstairs, bag slung over her shoulder and carrying another crate of grenades. She set it down on one of the tables and began filling the bag.
Avallac'h sidled up to her while the others were busy talking, pretending to inspect the work Ciri and Zoltan had done with the bombs while whispering to her, "I need a word. In private."
Ciri hesitated momentarily, then rapidly began stuffing her bag again. "Alright. You can help me carry the rest of the crates up from the cellar."
He didn't look pleased at the prospect but did not argue, either.
Ciri propped her bag up on a chair and headed back downstairs. Avallac'h followed.
"It is unlikely we will come out of this battle victorious and rid of The Hunt for good," he said once they were alone. "But on the off-chance we do, you need to be ready to leave immediately."
Ciri lifted one of the crates and held it out to him to take. Avallac'h did not relieve her of it, so she had to put it back on the floor. "What do you mean?"
"Remember what we talked about? Once The Hunt is no longer a threat, our new priority will be The Frost."
Ciri's eyes narrowed. "Immediately, eh?"
"There is no time to spare. The Aen Elle are already in danger."
"What am I supposed to do, exactly? You never told me."
Avallac'h's face remained expressionless. "I will when the time is right."
She watched him for a long moment, then nodded. Ciri had no intentions of leaving her family right after battle, but he did not need to know that. The more she openly defied him, the tighter his leash on her became.
Avallac'h returned upstairs without any crates, leaving Ciri to haul the rest of them up to the bar by herself.
"Margarita filled you in on the strategy?" Yennefer asked Philippa once Geralt had gotten up. Philippa stared at Yennefer as if she were stupid.
"We'll be taking the Hierarchy square," she stated.
"We?" Yennefer mused.
"Margarita and I."
"I'm with you, Yennefer," Fringilla announced as she descended the stairs, moving to pluck her cloak off the hook that she'd hung it on before. Yennefer moved to do the same.
The Witcher was leading his horse out of the stables when the sorceresses stepped out of the inn.
"Yennefer," he called. "A word?"
Fringilla let her gaze linger on Geralt for a moment and then moved to speak to Philippa and Margarita as they stepped out behind them.
Yennefer nodded in acknowledgement and made her way over to Geralt, tightening the cloak around her shoulders and neck thoughtfully.
"If Avallac'h stays here, I thought it might be better to send at least one more mage to Oxenfurt," he said. "Kain is powerful, but not invincible. He could use some help. Should I ask Triss or you can... leave your differences with him out of focus for one night and work together?"
"Differences," she mused, biting back a bitter chuckle itching in her throat.
"Feelings for Ciri and so on. What you fought over. If you think you can't work with him, I shall ask Triss to go to Oxenfurt immediately."
She felt the same bile-like aftertaste of waking up with caked blood under her nose and on her trousers. Even if there was no pain...
"Perhaps it's best I stay here," she said. "I'll feel better being closer to Ciri. I hope you understand."
Geralt frowned as if sensing some undertone, but nodded curtly. "Very well."
She nodded and watched him walk down the street, calling Triss's name.
She detached from the group and stood with him listening closely, nodding. She smiled, stroked a hand down his shoulder, and went back toward the inn. She beamed a smile Yennefer's way in passing.
Geralt mounted and galloped through the street.
"Shall we?" Yennefer asked.
Fringilla exchanged a few more words with her group and then broke away to join her. They hadn't needed the horses for travel, but they'd moved to take them anyway, allowing themselves a time to preserve their energy as they headed for the docks, to a tower that would give them an advantage of the sea and the land and keep them well above the bombs. The wind was another tale, altogether, and something none of them could control if it was to pick up.
Philippa had taken Margarita, headed into the inn and appeared above the bank on the Hierarch Square with no more than a practiced wave of her hand.
"We'll put some of these crates outside the inn," Zoltan said. "For easy access. But ye should bring one with ye to where ye'll wait as well, Ciri. In case ye run out."
If Ciri ran out of grenades, it would either mean there were too many portals to handle, or she'd lose the bag somewhere. Neither scenario was a good one. But Zoltan's advice was decent.
"I will," she promised, helping him haul the last few crates outside before she claimed one of the smaller ones for herself. And then in a flash, she was gone.
She reappeared a few streets over, pushing the crate under an abandoned market stall hidden away in an alley. There she crouched, her hands to the ground, her eyes closed, and she invoked her magic, finding that connection to the earth and air that Kain had taught her.
She waited.
"... more than Novigrad?"
"What?" Dandelion blinked and turned to Kain with his eyebrows raised inquiringly.
The Cat Witcher was amused. "I said you seem to like this city more than Novigrad. You look dreamy."
"Oh... I..." Dandelion scratched his temple looking around as they rode down the street. "Don't know about the ultimate preference, but I do like it here. Feels close to... home, you know? The Academy's been my home for years. Gods, can't believe all of this beauty could be wiped out by those elven savages. I can't allow that! How could this world be without Oxenfurt and its Academy of fine arts!"
"Don't worry ahead of time, Dandelion. The last thing they want is your Academy. They don't care about humans and their arts. They want Ciri."
"Wouldn't they want you just the same, though?"
"I don't know how to use that power Ciri has. I never shifted to another world or even place inside this one by my own will. I don't even know if I can."
"But you've lived in the past," Dandelion argued. "You did get there, and no other power could have done it, or could it?"
"No, I would suppose not. It doesn't change the fact that I was drugged and guided through it."
"I composed a whole ballad while being drunk once. Or maybe a few times. Didn't recall one single note or word when I woke next morning. But would you believe, they always came back to me! There was a lot to rework, however, but they did come back!
"What I mean is, you might remember." The Poet shrugged. "One day. Sometime. Or they would make you - um... if they would get you, that is. Which we better not allow."
He smiled apologetically, but Kain didn't feel offended by such suggestion. He was busy sightseeing while they headed for the Academy. It had been a while since he'd been here.
The young woman with shoulder-long red hair who Dandelion introduced as Shani the Medic and Herbology Scholar stared at them with a mixture of suspicion and naked disbelief, then laughed.
"Are you pulling my leg, Dandelion? And you got a witcher to help you with that prank? I'm amazed at your dedication."
"This is no prank," Kain said, looking at her dead-serious.
"I wouldn't drop everything and come here with a Redanian unit in tow to prank anyone, Shani!" Dandelion said with an exaggerated hurt.
All mirth slipped right off Shani's pretty face, her green eyes widened peering from one to another. "But... Wild Hunt... It's a legend! It's a... a... a strange night sky phenomenon! With a scientific explanation! I even heard our old astronomy professor explain that! Something about humidity and cold air—"
"It's not one of those that's coming," Kain said. "They're very real and wield a very deadly frost magic. They kill with that and swords and have no mercy for anyone."
"Oh gods," she whispered. "How do you fight them?"
"With swords and magic."
"Haven't you heard of them showing up in Novigrad a few days back?" asked the poet.
"I've heard some gossips from people on the streets, but I didn't pay attention to any of it. How would I know! They always talk nonsense on the market."
"We need to evacuate people," Dandelion said. "Can you help? Tell those who would believe and let them make an announcement-"
"We cannot do that!" Shani protested. "There will be panic! So many people will get hurt! Probably more than your Riders would kill. If they want Geralt's ward, why would they kill us? We have nothing to do with it, nor does anyone know that girl!"
"But they want people to hunt her for them," Dandelion reasoned. "They will benefit from people knowing why they suffer and how to end it." He fixed her with a look as if he'd remembered something. "Has Dijkstra arrived with the troops?"
"I haven't seen anything, but my recent patient said there were Redanian soldiers in the port with Sigismund Dijkstra. The man thought Sigi came to be seen as the next in line after Radovid's death, to ensure his position of power."
"He most certainly agreed to come for precisely that reason," the troubadour said. "What a slimy weasel!"
"Either way, we need to ensure people's safety in case of an attack," said Kain.
"What if there is no attack?" Shani looked between them. "What if they attack Novigrad as you say they promised?"
"What if they come here instead?" Kain played back, deadpan.
Shani peered at him for a few seconds, then sighed with defeat. "I don't know if we can arrange people to evacuate unless someone like Dijkstra says so. This... This whole story is so out of this world! No one would believe it without having seen with their own eyes."
"We shall talk to Dijkstra, then," the troubadour concluded.
"I'm not going to do it," said Dijkstra. He was stationed at a tavern by the port and currently stuffing his face with fried pork served with apples, oranges and a huge pitcher of wine.
"People will die because of you and they will know whose fault it is!" Dandelion threatened. "They won't ever forget that betrayal."
Dijkstra snorted and cut himself another piece of meat. "If I come to their market to announce an army of ghosts that's coming to steal their babes and that army never comes, how long do you estimate I keep my position before someone like Roche or that pig Cyrus get hired to replace me? Nothing shall be done unless those bastards actually attack. In that case I shall bring the soldiers to fight and protect them people. Now, get out of my sight before I lose my appetite. That ride was a bitch to my leg."
"We need another plan," Shani said when they strolled back through the market. "Something that would make people want to gather in one place willingly, with no panic." She frowned in thought looking down at the road before her.
"Oh! Master Dandelion! Master Dandelion, isn't it? Oh, I see it is! Ah, such honor! Such honor! Please, take a look at my wares! The best parchments and quills in whole Oxenfurt!" The trader was all but dancing around the poet who couldn't care less about the parchments at the moment but liked the attention and was at a loss how to escape.
"I know!" Shani twirled to Kain, her eyes gleaming in triumph. "I know what shall be done! Come on!"
The Cat Witcher and the poet exchanged glances and hurried after her toward the Academy.
In less than half an hour a dozen students were on the streets and market announcing a free evening of ballads and poetry granted by the famous troubadour Dandelion visiting the Academy that taught him arts. Everybody willing to participate was invited to Dandelion's alma mater to enjoy the beauty of his talents.
"Nice work," Kain praised as they watched people begin to arrive to the Academy's gate as soon as the dusk came.
"I don't think we can accommodate the whole city," Shani said, "but it's better than leaving them all to their fates in case you are right."
"And as always I'm doing all the hard work," whined Dandelion while tuning his new lute.
Shani was studying Kain with an expression of either awe or wonder. "I believe I can see some resemblance, but it's still so bizarre... to think Geralt has a brother... who's also a witcher! It's like a ballad in itself."
"Oh, there will be ballads," Dandelion promised enthusiastically. "I've had enough time to cope and settle the rhymes."
"Here you are!" Triss came up to them, detaching from the newly arrived crowd of Dandelion's admirers. "Since Dandelion went with you, I knew where you'd probably be." She smiled at Shani when the poet introduced them.
"Oh, the famous Triss Merigold!" Shani beamed, igniting Triss's own smile. "I've heard stories about the battle in Sodden."
"It's not something I like to recall," Triss smiled apologetically. "So many of my friends have perished."
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't think."
"It's all right. Not your fault." She looked back at the students walking the arriving citizens along the alleys of the Academy like tour guides. "It's a great idea to gather people here. I'll try to protect this place to the best of my abilities."
"I'll watch over the rest," Kain said. "We've brought bombs with us for the portals. Can't afford dropping fire on them here."
"And yet I shall cover you if needed," Triss said, smiling. "I'll take a position on one of the towers to overlook the territory."
"All right, thank you," Kain said. "I'll patrol the rest from the air."
Shani stared. "How?"
"He's got a griffin friend," Triss said.
"Oh gods," the Medic breathed. "I'd never believe unless I'd see it with my own eyes."
"Perhaps you will," Dandelion said. "I should get ready."
"I'll show you where you can," Shani said and led him away.
"I'm sure Ciri would love to be here now," Triss said wistfully.
"I'm sure she prefers to be with her family," Kain responded. "I should get going, too."
"Yes, we all should," she nodded, then gave him a warm smile in parting. "Be careful."
After a dozen circles around the city and all throughout, Geralt rode up to where Zoltan picked a spot for himself on a roof around the market, and let Roach rest while he joined the dwarf.
"I see yer not fond of all the pointless waitin'," Zoltan said. "Aye, no fun in that at all. Not for us. Or the people who had to leave."
"It's not the people I worry about now," Geralt looked over the roofs and heaved a sigh. "What if they decided to not attack?"
Zoltan peered at him, scowling. "At all?"
"That or another time? To wear us out or make us lower our guard. It's impossible to tell."
"Aye... Well, it's a shite for an idea to listen to elves. We let them command us when we had to take the initiative and find a way to draw them to us!"
"We have tried that already. And what? We lost Cöen, Vesemir and good men Hjalmar brought. For what? To make a small dent in his army? I'm not even sure the dent was worth it. It feels their soldiers never end."
"True, their numbers are plenty. But we have to find a way to make them come to us. Yer sorceresses have to work on that. I dunno... sweat over some books or ploughin' scrolls but find something useful."
"Not as easy as it sounds."
"Argh, come on, Geralt!" Zoltan threw his hands up and stared at the Witcher indignantly. "They're all pushing the hundred, some of them have to know something from somewhere! They're just lazy to dig. Or unwilling, like that snake Eilhart."
"Go ahead and offer them to dig next time you see them," the Witcher suggested, slightly amused.
"Right. Why don' I bare my arse and sit on an anthill!"
Fringilla and Yennefer stood with their backs to one another in the tower, reviewing the horizon, their cloaks wrapped around their shoulders in preparation of the frosty winter to come with their enemies.
They'd been talking off and on in small increments, the conversation running fairly dry before the first hour had even passed.
"How long were you Emhyr's prisoner?"
Fringilla speared a curious look at Yennefer's back before it softened into that of idle resignation.
"One hundred and thirty days."
"And you were set to be executed?"
Fringilla's lips twitched, her eyes glistening with what Yennefer knew to be fear as she twisted to meet her eyes. They both had a predisposition to stubbornness.
"Undetermined. Our Nilfgaardian Emperor was waiting on more Lodge members with which to barter and torture. They never let me forget."
Yennefer could only imagine what they did to Fringilla – their own kind – a fellow Nilfgaardian who'd turned her back on their leader. Yennefer had it bad—with reputation and connection alone—but not for one minute did she think they took it easy on Fringilla. Especially with the bruises that had peppered her body and still did in harsher light. Fringilla had also been without her magic, cut off from a force that was like breathing to sorceresses after they'd managed the trials.
"Don't pity me," Fringilla added once silence descended on them again.
"I don't," Yennefer retorted, meaning it.
They'd been in battle before and understood that it had its ugly consequences. There was nothing either of them could do to change it, and in time, even as the next began, it wasn't going to get any better or even easier.
All either could do was wait and hope they survived this one.
Ciri stayed low to the ground for what felt like an eternity. She didn't know how much time had passed since she first reached the alley, but the moon's position had shifted on the sky. And she had yet to feel anything.
She would have worried she was unable to do what she had been tasked with if not for the fact the streets would have erupted in panic and chaos had The Hunt truly arrived. How long were they supposed to wait? Until exhaustion set in? Would that be when Eredin and his forces decided to strike?
She stood eventually, wincing slightly as she stretched her knees after a long time in the same position. From behind the cover of the nearest building, she peered around the corner, down the street that led to the square. Nothing. No one.
Ciri had thought the peak of her fear would come with The Hunt. But the fact they had not yet arrived somehow seemed even more ominous.
She shook her hands and crouched again, assuming the same position as before, fingers pressed to the ground. And she focused, as hard as she was able. Surely she had to sense something?
"Waiting for an earthquake?"
Geralt wasn't trying to be quiet but Ciri seemed too focused to notice what was happening around her.
Ciri opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, looking up at him with childlike concern.
"Why aren't they coming? What are they waiting for?"
"Can't brag that I know them so personally to know why. But I suspect they aim to wear us out and make us let our guard down. They have a plan and we don't know about it."
"What do we do?" she asked, straightening a little but keeping one hand to the ground. As if worried they would suddenly sneak past them if she didn't.
"What can we do if we don't know what they will and when?"
"Wait," she breathed, lowering her head and closing her eyes again. "We have to stay focused. Vigilant."
Geralt crouched next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in support.
"Ciri, the city is guarded, there's only us, temple guards, witch hunters and Redanian troops. We're prepared. And vigilant. The Lodge is watching the city like hawks. Don't be so hard on yourself. Pick a spot on a roof and just breathe. Breathe deeper. We're fine. We are going to be fine."
Her stance relaxed ever so slightly when Geralt's arm slid around her. She whispered, "I don't want to let you down."
"Ciri..." His heart shrunk painfully, his arm tightened around her drawing her closer. "You absolutely cannot let me or anyone here down. It's impossible. Don't ever think about it. You're the best thing that happened to me. Nothing can change that."
Ciri swallowed, allowing her head to gently rest against him. "And I don't want to lose you. So I must always do my best. I can't allow them to take anyone else from me. Too many already."
"They won't take anyone. We won't let them. We'll find a way to kill him. I promise."
"I believe you," she said quietly. And she did. Because any other option was too horrible to imagine.
"You can join Zoltan or Yennefer. No need to sit here alone with your hands on the road. You lose track of your surroundings because you're all there. What if someone creeps up on you? We can't have that."
"At least then I'd scream and alert the rest of you," she joked before pulling away to look at him. "Where are you going?"
Geralt jerked a thumb back at his bored Roach behind him. "To continue our watch. Want to go with?"
"Yes," she nodded and got to her feet, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. She felt better being close to Geralt.
The Witcher squeezed her shoulder, smiling, and they went down the street, Roach trudging after them.
"I sent Triss to Oxenfurt to back up Kain and Dandelion, just in case," he told her. "Don't worry about them, if you do."
"I worry more about Dandelion than Kain," Ciri said, following. "He gets into trouble on a daily basis."
She smiled a little to ensure him she was jesting, falling into step beside him.
"He's not going to throw himself at trouble. I would think he'll take cover in the Academy if anything happens."
"Let us hope so." Ciri looked up and saw the silhouettes of two sorceresses in one if the towers, probably scanning the city with hawk-like attention.
"It looks like a ghost town," she said, eyeing the abandoned houses and buildings, many of them boarded up to protect them from potential damage.
"If you ignore all the guards and hunters - yes. The less people to get in the way of their swords, the better."
They walked in silence for a while, passing various soldiers and other individuals who were half-hiding in the shadows. Everywhere was quiet. Ciri couldn't even hear the sound of the crickets anymore, nor the familiar rumble of drowners whenever they neared the city walls.
"How will we know if they attack somewhere else? What if they don't even come to this realm, but another entirely? Skellige?"
"Mousesack is watching over Skellige," Geralt reasoned. "He will let us know if something happens there." He sighed, contemplating. "I do admit it's rather strange to warn us in advance. Even though we had lured them to a certain spot before, this time makes me wonder concerning their intention."
"They could be bluffing. They could be keeping us busy while doing something else they do not want us to know about."
"What do they want here besides you? What would you guess they are doing?"
"I don't know." She thought about it. "The Sunstone? Could they be trying to get to it before us? Or leave traps for us once we do go to search? Maybe Ge'els have betrayed us."
"I don't think he did. As for Sunstone - do they even know where to look? Do they have that advantage?"
Ciri lifted her shoulders and shrugged. "I do not know. These are merely speculations."
"Sunstone is hardly a solid reason, either. We don't even know if they are aware of what the Sunstone is. There must be something else. I was hoping you would have an idea."
"It's not as if I have done something like this with them before – arranging a battle." She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "Unless... Unless they know about Kain? Maybe they don't want me at all?"
"I'm certain they know about him," Geralt said. "The Crone must have told them. They have been in cahoots all this time. But he's not using the very power they are able to track."
"But The Crone tracks his blood," Ciri pointed out. "If she is in league with The Hunt still, she could be telling them of his every move."
"Knowing where he might be doesn't mean they get to catch him. His battle magic currently surpasses yours, and catching him would be hard."
"That does not mean it is not their intention."
"I would expect them to go about their intention in a more cunning way than a direct attack."
"Maybe that's why they would do it – because we don't expect it."
Geralt reflected a moment. "Have you asked Avallac'h for his opinion? Who if not the Sage would know?"
She shook her head. "I haven't wanted to broach the topic of Kain with him at all. Though I suspect that's where his priorities will lie now."
The Witcher scowled. "What do you mean?"
"Kain is stronger, more level-headed, and skilled in magic. If the Aen Elle want a savior, he is the better choice."
"He also is capable of more resistance than they may be expecting from you, given that time when they cornered you into submission."
She frowned, instantly wounded by that. "I did what I had to. You and Yennefer were in danger and I was running out of time!"
"I'll never blame you for that, I've told you many times." He turned to her with concern and hurt. "Don't ever think I judge you for any choices you made, Ciri. No one can judge you for any of it. You had no choice, that's why I said they cornered you."
"I know. I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know why I get so defensive."
"Because you demand the impossible from yourself. You judge yourself too harshly, and it's not fair at all. The way you view yourself is not the way I see it. You forget that."
"It's hard to see oneself in a certain way when you have been told for so long you are something else." She ran a hand along Roach's shoulder. "I'm sure you can relate."
"I consider myself lucky with having you and Dandelion, even Kain now. Who would ever imagine I had a brother... It's a wonder in its own right for both of us. And for you, too."
She snorted and shot him a playful glare. "Don't start with the uncle bit again."
He had to smile, then shrugged. "I'm not your father, so there's no uncles on my side."
"Yes, you are. In every way that matters, you are."
"Well, then... Kain's your uncle." He grinned; Roach snorted.
Scoffing, Ciri playfully punched Geralt's shoulder. "That makes your daughter one twisted girl. Woman," she amended quickly. "Woman."
"Girl," Geralt recited and smiled at her. "You're always my girl. Twisted or not, you're my perfect girl."
She couldn't help but blush, her cheeks reddening at that and she ducked her head with a small smile. She would never tire of hearing it – his affection for her. She would revel in it and imprint it in her memory so she would never forget, not even when she would next be alone and scared.
Ciri adjusted the strap on her shoulder again, sobering ever so slightly. "Are you worried?"
"About what?"
"The others? Do you think the sorceresses could send a message to Triss? Ask her what is happening their end?"
"If anything happened, Triss would find a way to send a message - I would think she'd try. It's why I asked her to go there."
Ciri nodded, but didn't quite feel at ease. What if Triss tried and failed?
"They're playing games with us. Mind games. I don't like it."
"It's what they're good at - deceit, cunning, wicked plots. If you're of another world and aim to conquer a new one, you have to think in cunning schemes. But my best guess is that no one knows them better than Avallac'h. If he tells you nothing, it puts him in line with them, not us. You understand it, don't you?"
"I do, but... if he wanted them to capture me, why would he continue to pull me out of their grasp?"
"It's a good question," the Witcher said, pondering. "Perhaps he's waiting for us to kill Eredin for him, and then he would be willing to present you to the next one on the throne. Who would that be? Ge'els? Or anyone else? Maybe it doesn't even matter for as long as it's not Eredin."
"You truly think he would do that to me?"
"He was willing to make you bear his king's child." Geralt looked at her with a keen eye. "Yes, I do believe he would do it again, in a heartbeat."
"He was willing when I was a stranger," Ciri said quietly. "When he did not know me and I meant nothing. Maybe it would be different now."
"Is there any smallest inclination in you to believe he genuinely cares about you for who you are and not for the power you carry?" Geralt regarded her closely. "Is there anything true, solid, besides your wishful thinking?"
She didn't answer and supposed that gave Geralt the information he needed.
Ciri averted her gaze, suddenly quite preoccupied with staring down at the cobblestones at their feet. Her heart gave a painful thump. She felt ridiculous but the hurt would not be ignored.
Geralt's chest felt a bit tight as he watched her. He felt sorry he didn't end the topic - gods knew, this was not the time at all. But the deed was done, and he had his answer.
He put an arm around her shoulders again and pulled her to him, kissed her temple. "Don't think about it now, Ciri. It's not helping. Put it on hold. We will deal with this later. Now it's about the Hunt, not the Sage. At least we know he didn't plot it with Eredin. This should be enough for now."
She nodded. "I have never wanted someone dead so badly. But it feels like there will be an eternity before that actually happens."
"You're too fixated on that goal, and when the goal is killing someone, it can be a painful path with a lot of self-pressure and unneeded reveries. I know how you feel, Ciri, but you will have to make yourself let go a little. Before it rules your life and later ruins it. You will stew in that desire longer and longer until it eats up everything else you have in life, and when it's finally over, you will find that, instead of being relieved and ready to enjoy your life and freedom, you feel numb and empty, like an empty shell of who you should be. Don't do this to yourself." He caught her chin to make her look him in the eye. The moonlight reflected in his eyes like a cat's. "We'll get him. But don't lose yourself to it. He's not worth it."
She met his gaze and felt the impact of his words. Yet she could not promise him she would embrace his advice. She did not know how. It had been everything she had thought of the last few years.
"I will try," Ciri said, for at least she could promise him that.
"You should," he said with feeling. "Otherwise he wins."
He already has. That's what it felt like. Eredin and so many other men had taken her childhood and her youth. Taken her life.
But Geralt was right. Self-pity was not useful. It would only destroy you more.
She nodded again, feeling a little more determined. "I will do better. And still run him through with my sword should I ever get the chance."
"One of us will do it sooner or later," he promised. "Rather sooner if he keeps bothering us like he does."
"He has to." Ciri took Geralt's hand in hers as they walked. "He has no other choice. His world is dying. His people..."
"I understand the urgency, but I do not stand by the means he chooses."
"Nor do I. And I suspect if he got what he wanted, he would still demand more."
"What more is there? The whole world? There is nothing more beyond that."
"I expect he would want that child. Someone to open the gates for him when I am gone. And a child raised by Aen Elle would be much easier to control."
"They cannot make you have a child to give away. It's not going to happen. We won't allow that."
"No. I would never let that happen now." She'd find a way out of it.
He studied her for a moment. "Do you even want a child of your own?"
"Of course not. I have never wanted to be a mother." She was certain about that. "But that does not mean I am so cruel as to let Eredin take him or her should it, Gods forbid, ever happen."
The Witcher peered at her with interest. "You don't feel you could be a good mother or you're scared to care too much and bind yourself to another being?"
"The first, obviously. But more importantly, I will never pass this life onto someone else. To condemn someone to being hunted and only wanted for your powers... it's cruel."
"Trust me, Ciri, if you'll ever feel you'd like to have a child, don't let your power stop you. These powers can be used for protecting this world, and you can teach this child the right things. Don't build your life on fears. It's not a life."
"It's not a life," Ciri agreed. "Which is why I will never make anyone else go through it." She shrugged. "Maybe, one day, if I have my freedom and coin to spare, I will take someone in. Plenty of orphans in our world."
The Witcher smiled. It was an unfair question, a badly timed one. There would come the day when she might reconsider. It was not that day yet.
"Good," he approved. "You'll know what to do when you know what you wish for. Either way, I'm proud of you. I need you to never forget it."
"I'm proud of you too. For someone who never wanted children, either, you've done quite well." Ciri smirked. "Just look at how well-behaved I am."
He threw his head back and laughed. "Yes. You're a blessing. Especially for a first-time parent."
"Have you ever wanted more? Children, I mean."
"No. Not with the way of life I have. I always knew it wasn't possible. Wanting something impossible is a waste of life."
"I suppose it is."
Though Yennefer wanted children and could not have them. She got something close in the end.