Keira opened the portal with a shimmer of light.
"All right then," she said, patting the grey mare's snout with careful fingers. "Come with me." Storm balked at her a little. She was due to foal any day now; it wasn't safe to have her try to make the journey to Nilfgaard on foot. Keira would take her through the portal and meet them there. Yennefer had already gone ahead, taking the most fragile and delicate of the equipment from the lab with her.
Maya rubbed her hand along Storm's distended belly, the pale dawn light outlining her profile. Eskel could see the ridges of legs move inside the mare, responding to Maya's touch. He wondered what Scorpion's foal would look like. Wasn't exactly careful breeding, but sometimes life was like that.
"Go on girl," Maya said. "Keira will take good care of you and your baby."
Storm nickered softly but stopped pulling against the halter and let Keira lead her. Lambert didn't say anything, just watched as Keira disappeared into the swirl of light. The portal closed behind her. He cleared his throat.
Eskel watched Maya give him a knowing look and Lambert sort of smiled at her and nodded. It was funny, seeing that. Lambert trusted Maya too. Never thought he'd see the day.
"All right men," Geralt said, swinging up on to Roach's back. "And lady," he added to Maya. "Let's do this."
Eskel turned back toward Kaer Morhen. There wasn't much left. Smoke and dust still billowed up from the rubble. Yennefer and Keira had worked together, using magic the tear the keep apart. Only a jumble of stones and broken timbers was left. Even if scavengers tried, it would take years to dig through it. By the time they managed it, the weather and time would have done the rest, making anything they were forced to leave behind completely worthless.
He looked back at Maya, running her fingers through Scorpion's forelock as the stallion nosed into her hair.
He had the important things with him. Everything else didn't matter.
Lambert sniped at him from his perch in the front of the wagon. "Well, let's get on with it. I want to get to a tavern before nightfall. Sleeping outside is bullshit."
"Right." Eskel nodded. Not that he cared much where he slept, as long as he had Maya with him. Taking her around the waist, he boosted her up into Scorpion's saddle and swung up behind her. He wrapped his arm around her. She settled back against him, her perpetually warm fingers over his.
Geralt grinned at them and nudged Roach forward. Lambert snapped the reigns and the cart wheels creaked forward. He felt Maya take a deep breath and her fingers squeezed his.
"Off to our new adventure then," she said. Her voice was soft and a little frightened.
He tightened his arm around her as he prodded Scorpion forward. Hooves crunched in the slushy snow, against the hard packed dirt and gravel underneath. They fell into rhythm with the movement unconsciously.
"It is a beautiful morning," Maya said, her head resting back against his chest, her face towards the bright sky as the run crept up over the horizon. The light lit up her face, made her hair glow, sparkled off her damp eyelashes.
Eskel kissed the top of her head but didn't say anything.
She was right. It really was beautiful.
THE END
