The sloshing noise ebbed and flowed, echoing across the high grey-stoned ceiling where almost all decorations had long faded from the constant wind and wet air. It smelled strongly of the sea and the tall, narrow windows burned brightly with sunlight as if it tried to reach for them and scorch their skin. It was too chilly with the winds gusting between the columns that stood like solemn guards.

Shani shivered, hugging her shoulders and rubbing them. She looked around wildly. "Where are we? And where is Geralt?"

"Hopefully in one piece where we left him," Kain said, peeking out one of the windows that looked more like an arrow-loop. He saw the endless sea worrying beneath a blue sky, slashing against the rocks beneath and breaking into fans of splatter and shreds of foam.

"What do you mean?" Shani inquired, her voice close to panic. "He could... he could be stuck somewhere? Wounded?" She gaped around urgently. "Where did we even step from?"

"It could be some mistake," Kain said, detaching from the arrow-loop. "Portals are not always precise. All things Geralt said about them are true."

"Oh gods," Shani groaned, rubbing her shoulders. "What if he... What do we do?"

"We figure out where we are first," Kain said. "I think he simply didn't make it to the portal in time and it closed."

"Are you certain?" She searched him with eager hope. "He's safe back there?"

Kain sighed and caved for bending the truth a little for her benefit: "I'm certain."

He wasn't that certain, but the truth was he hoped for it. The alternative was the worst, and Kain wasn't ready to consider it. There would be time for it, and it wasn't up yet.

"What is that?"

He turned and frowned, approaching her. She was staring at a huge cavity in the wall. It looked like a spot hit by the most powerful destructive fire spell Kain could imagine. Stone seemed to have melted and hardened again like cooled candle wax. When he glanced down, he noticed a bizarre pattern on the floor, like a distorted silhouette, a shadow etched into the even flag-stones.

"An explosion, wasn't it?" Shani asked, studying the cavity in awe. "What could've made it?"

"Magic. And it seems I know where we are."

"Where?"

"About five days' ride from Oxenfurt. Let's hope Margarita is around."

Kain cast the last glance at the blasted portal - he noticed some meagre remains of the characteristic arch amidst the black smudges - and nudged the girl gently toward the stairs.

"We better hurry if we want to get back soon."

They appeared in another cavernous room cloaked in darkness. Several silhouettes were barely outlined until Yennefer summoned magical light and allowing them to see.

From first glance, Ciri could only describe the room as a laboratory. It reminded her of the horrid room Vilgefortz had once brought her to at Stygga Castle, making her face twist in displeasure of the sour memory.

"Oh, joy. A home to crazed and perverted scientists. What a treasure."

There was still no sign of the witchers, but there were spots on the shelves and tables where the dust had been disturbed sometime recently. Had it been them or someone else?

Yennefer touched a hand to her bracelet, the connection to the necklace she'd gifted Geralt and attempted to feel around for his energy. If he was close she'd be able to feel him.

She came back with nothing, not even a whir of discomfort.

Yennefer moved to the opposite side of the laboratory, agreeing with Ciri's displeased consensus. The upside was that there were no creepy lurkers readying to pounce. If anything, all the dust that littered the surfaces were enough to let them know that no one had been here in a long time.

Not since Geralt and Kain.

She traced the few things they'd looked at, and then headed for the door, slowly and cautiously working her way through the corridor until she was able to check one room after the next.

It was in one of these rooms they discovered the bodies of two familiar riders from The Wild Hunt.

"Now we know why Geralt and Kain were here. They must have followed them."

But if they had, how would that have been achieved?

Yennefer sighed, worried, immediately beginning to examine the bodies.

Ciri shook her head. "I don't think so. These corpses aren't all that fresh."

At the very least, they were not from today.

Ciri knelt next to one of them, running a hand over the dead elf's clothing. It wasn't armor. The fabric was far superior to anything Ciri had felt on her body lately, but it would certainly not protect one from harm.

Something that was made perfectly clear when Ciri found the elf's shirt to be darkened and torn over his chest.

The entrance of a fatal wound.

"I don't think this was a battle," she mused eventually, rising to get a better overview.

The second elf appeared to have the same sort of chest wound. The tips of their weapons smeared with blood and lying close to their bodies. Yennefer touched a hand to the end of the blade, found the blood to be dry, confirming Ciri's thought that they'd died some time ago.

Something else caught her attention. Their armor. Their familiar armor. They'd stripped it off and then proceeded to what? Kill each other? Why else would they have taken it off and stacked it so neatly in the far corner of the room like soldiers resigned to a nightly routine?

"They're part of the Wild Hunt. What reason could they have to kill themselves? Fear of starvation?"

Ciri was silent for a while, pondering. "The portal closed behind us when we came in," she said, gesturing in the direction they had come from. "If there is no other... if they had no way to summon another... maybe they gave up?"

Or maybe they had already known coming in. Ciri didn't think Eredin would grieve the loss of a few soldiers as long as his orders were carried out. What those orders were, however... that was another riddle entirely.

Yennefer looked up at her. "Don't they have some kind of mechanism to help them travel? Isn't that what we've been looking for? Why would they come down here? How would they have come in here?"

If what Ciri said about the wall was true. That Geralt had been the one to blast it, they must have come through somewhere else and that meant, that they'd been travelling through the ruins. She hadn't much time to really look at the portal, its etching, but she'd suspected that there must have been a tie. Could be they thought the portal would take them somewhere else and were wrong?

Yennefer clucked her tongue. It didn't matter what the outcome was, they were dead, and Geralt and Kain were here somewhere – hopefully not mortally wounded.

"Shall we keep looking?"

"Sure," Ciri agreed half-heartedly, having taken hold of one of the dead warrior's daggers and pulled it from its sheath.

The elven craftsmanship was beautiful; a golden handle carved from bone that supported the long and narrow blade, both decorated with engravings of what appeared to be vines and leaves of the forest.

It felt good in Ciri's hand. Like it belonged there. And why shouldn't she have it? She came from Aen Elle royalty, after all.

After another admiring glance, she tucked the dagger away in her boot and followed Yennefer outside.

It wasn't long before they happened upon another marble arch, set to house a portal. Only this time when Ciri touched it, nothing happened.

She tried again, pressing her whole palm to the surface.

Nothing.

A flash of annoyance struck through her like lightning. She set her gaze on the arch itself and the carvings it carried on its frame. They were hard to make out in the dim light.

Yennefer scrutinized the arch, deep in thought. Maybe it had been deactivated? But why was the portal still working (or why had it worked), was it no more than coincidence or a carefully crafted plan? If it was, whoever they expected to come through the door was limited.

It wasn't out in the open.

"Make some light," Ciri demanded of the sorceress, never taking her eyes off the elven architecture in front of her.

Yennefer obeyed Ciri's brusque demand and a light that looked no more than a firefly appeared in her open palm. She moved to stand on the opposite side of the arch to see if the markings there were any different from those that Ciri was studying.

No need for them both to stare at the same carving. Yennefer had read up a bit on elven magic during her studies to find Ciri. She muttered an incantation.

Nothing happened.

"I think one portal might have been enough travel for them. I doubt they would have attempted to go through another. There has to be another way out of here."

Ciri was frowning, Yennefer's voice a mere blur in the background. "Why didn't it open for them? They were elves. This is of the elven world." It should have been enough to let The Hunt through. Unless Eredin had ordered them to stay here, for some reason.

And why wouldn't the portal open for Ciri? She was of the elven world as well.

Not enough, a sly voice in her head whispered. Not enough elf left in you.

"Shut up!" Ciri snarled, her hands curling into fists that soon pummeled the marble archway with furious blows. The marble, strong and unyielding, didn't change. But Ciri's knuckles became bloodied and bruised, staining the white stone with its crimson. "I am better than they were! More! There is no door I cannot open! No world I cannot enter!"

The light disappeared from Yennefer's hand and sent the room back into darkness as soon as Ciri's angry pounding had begun.

"Stop," the sorceress implored once at her side, taking a hold of Ciri's shoulders to gently rouse some sense into her and to keep Ciri from further harming herself on the arch. "Stop it!"

Ciri did, but she was still seething, practically spitting fire as she stared down the arch. The arch that still did nothing but silently taunt her.

"Let's go. This place is not worthy of m- ... our time."

Yennefer removed her hands from Ciri. She couldn't quite understand the girl's rage, but thankfully it was against an inanimate object and not another person.

Yennefer wasn't eager to push her way through the narrow passages again, and from what they already knew, there was no way out—unless…

There was still the thought that Kain and Geralt had been in the place. She closed her eyes and forced her magic to feel for their presence.

When she didn't feel anything she started moving again, picking a direction at random, deciding to follow the doors and rooms until they eventually hit another dead-end.

"This is pointless," Ciri grumbled. "I'm willing to bet Kain and Geralt aren't even here anymore."

In truth, they could be anywhere by now. It had already become clear in Ciri's mind that the witchers had lied. That the map they had come to Oxenfurt seeking had been left behind and that they were now searching for new anchors.

Whether Yennefer realised it or not, they had made excuses to keep her and Ciri away while they completed their task.

Why? Ciri didn't know. Couldn't fathom the reason other than that they simply didn't value her presence anymore.

"I'll take us out of here."

Yennefer reached for Ciri's hands, trying to meet her eyes. It was hard to do in the dark but Yennefer had no idea what else to do for Ciri. How else could she try to temper her mood?

An instant later they were back in the university building in front of the gap and its narrow passages.

"Are we still searching or shall we take a slow ride back to Novigrad?"

About a dozen big fish of different colors and sizes rode the deep blue and green waves topped with fluffy foam on the tall beautiful arc of the Sea Gate. The waves were almost transparent in a masterpiece of glasswork. The fish seemed to be smiling, which, Shani had to admit, didn't look as creepy as she would imagine it very well would, had it been any other city. But Gors Velen took pride in its looks, from the smallest pebbles on the streets to the finest sculptures decorating some buildings and fountains.

The city was bursting with life, basking in sunlight and noises, rising the closer they came to the market. Had to be the famous Fish Market, judging by the aromas intensifying along with the noise levels. Shani had never been to Gors Velen before but heard so much about it that it was nearly a crime in her opinion to miss this amazing opportunity to take the most out of the magical occurrence that brought them here. She entwined her arm with Kain's and absorbed the sights and sounds and smells with eager greed of a child that was taken into a fairy tale.

And what an enthusiastic sightseer the young medic was! She had eyes for all the plethora of fish and sea produce presented around the Fish Market, regardless of smell, as well as for the incredible collection of wares advertised all over the Marketplace. She stared in awe at a camel for nearly twenty minutes, and Kain said nothing against it, for the sight of the animal intrigued him just the same. They moved slowly along the stalls and tables, temporarily forgetting why they were there.

"Oh, look!" Shani cried, pointing. "It's the Thief's Bastion! And the platans!"

They strolled around it, gaped up from under the trees, then were on their way.

It took them a couple of hours (with all the distractions the city busted with) to reach The Silver Heron.

It was even better than what Kain remembered from his few visits in the past. Seemed like it took on more shine and lux and presented itself like an establishment of the best possible level and quality. Immediately upon entering the pair was approached by a host and, as soon as Margarita's name was provided, led to one of very few free tables (held for some special guests, Kain recalled) and served two wet cloths smelling delicately of roses to wipe their hands.

Shani put the wet cloth under her nose and inhaled deeply, her eyes fluttering closed. "I could get used to this rather quickly," she said, wiping her hands and bringing them to her nose to notice how the fragrance clung to her skin. She wiped her face, as well, before leaving the cloth be.

Kain smiled. "You could move here. There's always some work for a good medic."

"Even in a city full of sorceresses? Nah."

"Even here there are still people who prefer humans over mages to treat them," Kain reasoned.

Shani considered it with the smallest dreamy smile. "Tempting, but Oxenfurt Academy... I think I would miss it too much. And my clinic... My very own clinic."

"Understandable," nodded Kain.

They were served Cote de Blessure in two tall misty glass goblets that appeared to keep the liquid gold of wine inside cold and refreshing.

"It's almost as good as Est Est." Shani sighed happily, savouring the sip, and set her gaze on Kain as if pondering over asking a question or dropping it. She shook her head subtly like a person thinking she was being silly, but Kain noticed.

"What is it?"

"Oh, I... Nothing." She smiled; doubt flicked in her smile.

Kain was looking her expectantly, his eyebrows drown up.

"I... ehm... I was just wondering... It's not my place, really." She smiled apologetically and waved a dismissive hand.

"Ciri?" Kain suggested. "Dandelion shared his worries?"

"Yes, he did. I told him it's her trauma, being a child of war and so many troubles."

"It's true. She has a lot to digest and no time to do it."

"Does she talk to you?"

Kain sighed, fiddling with his glass; the remaining wine sloshing within the misty walls. "She used to. Now we have little to no time to ourselves."

"Oh," Shani blushed slightly, sipped her wine. "I bet it contributes to her frustrations."

Kain considered her and smirked. "It's not like that. We're not a couple."

"I didn't mean to pry," Shani assured fervently. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Many make that assumption."

She smiled. "You two look like you're a perfect match."

"It's not the best moment to think about these things," Kain said, sipping his wine.

"Looks grim for now with the elves," she agreed. "And yet she might benefit from closeness to someone she deems safe. Like any traumatized child."

"Child," he murmured under his breath, eyeing the golden liquid in his glass. "She has all of us supporting her. Her whole family and her friends."

"Sometimes it's not enough," Shani mused quietly and finished her wine.

"I don't see the point of staying," Ciri said, wandering out into the sunlit street. "They clearly do not want to be found. Nor have us tag along. So we can leave them to their own devices."

And if they were stuck down there in the labyrinth of a corridor, well, that was too bad. They should have thought of that earlier before deciding to ignore Ciri and the asset she could be to their team.

Why they had even come was still a mystery to Yennefer and had only served to further irritate Ciri. What could she even say in favour of their defence?

"Could be they're doing what they always do. Taking care of whatever gets thrown on in their path. I doubt they came here to get stuck in those burrows."

Yennefer hadn't felt them down there, so she assumed they'd escaped or found their own way out. Maybe the second portal? Could be that one opened, and another closed? They hadn't been able to check the first portal and Yennefer had no want to go back down there unless totally necessary.

She freed up her horse from a post, took the reins into her hands and easily pulled herself up onto her back.

"Dandelion will be happy with our return at least."

Margarita sat relaxed in her chair, twirling a lock of her hair with her finger and sipping her wine lazily while studying Kain as he spoke. She cast random amused ganders at Shani who was consumed by the amazing honey-glazed baked salmon with a siding of golden rice in fish sauce.

"I didn't think there were any working portals left beneath Oxenfurt," Margarita commented when Kain finished. "Amazing. Was there anything else of interest in those catacombs?"

"Not that we saw," Kain said, meeting Shani's quick glance. "Just one portal remaining from whatever quantity that has been before men."

"And connected to Tor Lara," the sorceress mused, smiling slightly. "It surprises me that it worked despite being destroyed. Or..." She perked up an eyebrow quizzically, eyeing him. "Maybe it's your own magic that made it possible. Which is no less interesting." Phil would love it, she thought, taking another sip and smacking her lips.

"I hope you can help us with our way back," Kain said.

"Of course."

She leaned closer, and Kain sensed a thrill in his nerves at her spell.

"I can take one, as you know," she spoke in a softer voice, smiling slyly, and Kain realized she had cut Shani off from overhearing. Shani seemed to have momentarily forgotten about them and exclaimed in joy when a servant brought her a luxurious dessert composed of ice cream, cookies and exotic fruits.

"I know," Kain said, forking his salmon. "Take her. She'll tell Geralt where I am."

"Mmm, you don't mind staying a bit?" The enchantress skimmed a finger down his shoulder, smiling like a satisfied cat. "I shall make sure you're not bored."

Kain made a small quick smile. "I never doubted. Will you show me your school?"

"Is it of any interest to you? Or are the girls who study there?"

He returned her wily grin, "Neither, to be honest."

"As I thought," she nodded, and the spell fell when she leaned back in her chair and looked at the medic. "As soon as you're ready, Shani, I shall take you home."

"Thank you," Shani smiled, then sobered, looking to Kain. "But... you're staying?"

"You will tell Geralt where we ended up, and he'll send for me."

If he's still there, Shani thought, and nodded. It worried her still how highly hypothetical Geralt's whereabouts were.

When her meals were finished and the wine glass empty, Margarita led her away to summon a portal. When the mage came back, she was wearing a sly fox smile again and moved her chair closer to Kain upon ordering more wine.

"Now," she purred, "how shall we entertain ourselves?"

Just as the women were about to ride off, the doors to the Academy opened and Shani the Medic stepped out. She threw a searching glance over the courtyard until her gaze landed on them, and a relieved smile blossomed on her mouth.

"Ciri! Lady Yennefer!" She hurried over to them. "I am so pleased to see you again! Is Geralt with you?"

Ciri shifted her hold on Kelpie's reins. "No. It appears he has gone missing."

"You mean..." Shani's smile quickly died down. "He's not back yet?"

"Not to our knowledge."

"Oh, my... That's not good." The medic paled the longer she thought of all the possibilities of what could have befallen Geralt.

Ciri interrupted her train of thought. "Why do you worry? He's a witcher. He wanders musty catacombs on the regular."

Shani hesitated, looking between both women before finally revealing what had happened during the last leg of their journey, that only she and Kain had emerged at the same place after entering the last portal.

"You were with them?" Ciri bristled, looking the young woman up and down with a critical gaze. "Why? What good are you?"

Shani peered at her hesitantly, taken aback. "I was merely a guide and a go-between with the Academy masters. I assisted the witchers to gain passage to the catacombs and accompanied them. They were most kind to have me."

Yennefer slouched in her saddle and all the colour drained out of her face. Spots danced in front of her eyes, and then she'd shifted and climbed off her mare's back.

"Where's Kain?"

"In Gors Velen," Shani said. "We found ourselves in the tower on Thanedd. Geralt wasn't with us."

"Why did he not come back with you? Is he out there searching for Geralt?" Yennefer asked.

"Margarita was there, and she could only send one of us back. I hoped to find Geralt and tell him where Kain was, but there is no way I could get back into those laboratories to see if he's still there..." Shani looked between them in worry. "You think he could still be here in Oxenfurt? Kain said he was probably here..."

"We were down in the catacombs and saw no one," Ciri said, hands on her hips. "Is Kain still in the tower? That portal is infamously unstable. Dangerous. Those who use it can end up anywhere."

Shani shook her head, "He's in Gors Velen. Last I saw him, he was at The Silver Heron with Margarita."

If Margarita was still around, she'd be able to help Yennefer deal with the portals and figure out where Geralt might have ended up.

"Then we shall go to them."

Yennefer wove a hand through the air without further thought on the subject, her portal appearing an instant later with a rush of gold and fiery light that made her horse nervous and skittery.

She signaled for Ciri to step through.

"Kain didn't tell her about the laboratory," Shani added urgently. "I think it was a deliberate choice. I suppose... you have to know."

Ciri didn't bid Shani adieu before she stepped into the portal. She had no interest in the girl who had replaced her.

Appearing outside the tavern called The Silver Heron a moment later, Yennefer and Ciri didn't dawdle. They headed inside immediately and soon found Kain and Margarita at one of the many occupied tables.

They seemed to be quite cozy. At least the sorceress did. She was sitting far too close than what was necessary in Ciri's mind.

Ciri came to a halt behind Kain, staring down Margarita as though she wished the woman would spontaneously catch fire.

"Ah, and there they are!" Margarita announced, leaning back from Kain to behold the newcomers and salute them with her glass. "Please, ladies, join us. You both look rundown and could use some wine. And... is it dust and cobwebs? What dungeons have you two been crawling around?"

"Have you seen Geralt?" Kain asked, barely concealing a worried glint in his eye when he met Yennefer's gaze.

Ciri ignored Margarita entirely, focusing on Kain. "No. Word is you and the little medic lost him." Her eyes narrowed. "Would have been handy to have someone who could teleport with you. I guess the medic served you better."

"We couldn't know in advance what we'd find," Kain retorted.

"Ciri, darling," Margarita put in, "men never wait when they smell adventure."

And yet Geralt had known Ciri would have wanted to come. Not that it would make any difference pointing this out to Kain now.

"You don't have to tell me how Geralt and Kain think," she all but snarled at Margarita. She hated how familiar the witch appeared to have become.

Margarita merely smiled, oozing nonchalance. "Even though I look so fabulous, I've lived much longer, sweet child," she said, refilling her glass. "It would suit you well to accept the experience of people older than yourself. Your mentor should've taught you that truth of life." She cast a pointed look at Yennefer, sipping her wine.

"We'd have taken you if we knew," Kain said. "We didn't know we'd find any portals. We should find Geralt."

Ciri's hand flew to her new dagger and she had to fight the urge to pull it out. A vivid image of Margarita nailed to the wall briefly flashed across her inner eye. Until Kain's voice sank through.

"Yes." She inhaled, unclenching her fingers. "He could be anywhere."

"Are you certain he's not in Oxenfurt?" Kain asked, getting up, while Margarita watched them with interest, savoring wine.

Yennefer responded to it: "No, we can't be sure he isn't in Oxenfurt. We never checked the whole city. But he wasn't in the... basement." A flash of what Shani had said came to Yennefer at last minute.

"I need to get back there and check." Kain looked between Yennefer and Ciri. "As soon as possible."

"Leaving so soon?" cooed Margarita. "I'm certain the old witcher is fine as he always is. Have a sip of wine, Yennefer, Ciri. Sit a minute."

"Mind your place, witch!" Ciri hissed. "Don't try to get between family."

She turned her gaze back to Kain and gestured with a nod of her head towards the door. "I'll take you."

Kain followed the girl to the door, and Margarita gave Yennefer a dubious look.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's worried about Geralt," Yennefer excused with nominal indifference. "I am, too." Thus she didn't bother declining the wine and had started for the door herself.

Margarita frowned in momentary wonder, then called after her: "I can help, you know! Tell me what happened, and I'll help find him. I owe him, remember?"

Yennefer didn't get to talk to Kain much and she wasn't too sure what she could share with Margarita. Did it really matter? If it made sure Geralt was well.

She stopped at the door, and then gradually started making her way back to the table.

"I do. That's why you're helping us with the Wild Hunt. Why are you here?"

Margarita held out a glass for her, inviting her to sit with a gesture. "Getting things with the School in order. No one will do that for me, nor ensure my students' studies. Oxenfurt is restored, thus I came here."

"I thought the plan was for all of us to meet in Skellige."

Yennefer took the offered glass from Margarita but made no move to sit down. She wanted to go.

"I'd rather we skip the formalities and get on with finding the witcher. He could be hurt."

Margarita composed a concerned expression, "What makes you think so? He's not easily hurt by any creature or circumstance."

"He isn't a mystical Deity, Margarita. He's a Witcher. Witchers can lose their lives to the slightest error within battle. Moreover, I won't be able to enjoy my wine until I find him."

"As you wish," Margarita shrugged, and peered at her shrewdly. "You will certainly find him when he'll want to be found."

"You mean we'll find him when we want to find him. You're not retracting your offer to help, are you?"

She smiled, "I can tell you right away: he's not around here. If he used the same portal, he landed someplace else."

Yennefer smiled at the other sorceress indulgingly.

"Probably. Nevertheless, considering the means of travel, I'd like to make sure I know where he ended up. I gifted Geralt an item some weeks ago to use to call me for assistance. I've been trying to communicate with him through it, but as of yet, nothing has come back and when I try to focus on it, it gives me dead air in return. I assume it might be because he's lost it, or because of wherever he is there might be some kind of block in place."

Margarita mulled it over, indulging in a hearty swallow of wine, then smacked her lips. "Have you considered a possibility of that block being on him? What if he carries something that blocks your magic? Even though you're a mighty sorceress, my darling, there are things about witchers we might not fully understand as of yet."

"Fair," Yennefer agreed.

She hadn't thought about it to that extent, but it did make sense. The last time he'd called her for help, he'd had to have activated the magical device manually. He knew what to say. It could be, that in the times when it wasn't needed, it hung like a gratuitous ornament.

"Blood is another possibility. Kain's in particular."

They were related, had formed a stronger bond over the last month. Yennefer glanced in direction of the door, hopeful that the two hadn't left yet.

"What about Kain's blood?" asked Margarita. "And what does it have to do with Geralt's lack of reaction to your call?"

"Nothing. It's as you said. There could be something in his witcher element that I haven't considered blocking it. As for Kain's blood – it should work to strength another connection. If I were to find some way to… find him..."

Why had Shani said what she did before? Was Margarita not allowed to know about the portal? Was there a tie in on that information that she was missing and how much could she say?

"They're brothers, so you can use blood, it's true," Margarita shrugged. "It's easy, and Kain would've thought of it himself, wouldn't he?" She smiled, regarding Yennefer in a wily manner. "Maybe those brothers have something on their minds they don't want anyone else to know about. Including you and Ciri."

"He isn't a sorcerer. I doubt Kain thinks on ways to strengthen spells that aren't centered on his healing or himself."

Yennefer was prickled by the insinuation that Geralt might be hiding something from her, especially when there was an issue with Ciri and they'd had their plans. Why wouldn't he tell her if there was more? Because of the bank?

"We're wasting time debating it. I'll check to make sure he hasn't left yet."

With Ciri at the helm, they could leave with no more than a little blink, but Yennefer had hoped they got stuck talking. Yennefer moved toward the door to check.

"Don't fool yourself, my darling," Margarita spoke quietly into her glass, but every word reverberated through Yennefer's skull. "Kain is not just a sorcerer - he's more superior than you and I ever could be. He and Ciri are. If you believe he doesn't know what to do with his magic, you're truly losing your touch."

~WRITERS NOTE: Christmas is here for many of you, our dear witcher family, and we wish you the best one you could have! Let the new year bring peace after the storm and better things we couldn't get this year. We wish you all to dream boldly and follow your inner guide that leads you to the doors you always hoped to open. Let the new adventure in!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! We're happy to share a part of your adventures here with our story. Thank you for being with us!

Our trials haven't finished yet, and we don't promise an update next week. We shall do our utmost to put out a chapter as soon as we can, but there are factors that don't depend on us, therefore cannot be predicted. We hope for your understanding and patience.

We'll be grateful for any comments and moments when you wish to share something or talk - we always reply.

nd the next chapter is coming as fast as it can, if only our affairs get in order before New Year comes.

Thank you all for every comment you drop - it's the best gift for us!

Be safe and cozy and have the greatest holidays! We love you guys!~