Chapter 7

Burn to a Cinder

'Hirad,' Erienne said calmly, 'sometimes you're an idiot.'

'What have I done this time?' the barbarian asked.

The Unknown smiled. 'Because sometimes you don't see who's in what position. Thaler wants our help but doesn't need us. We need someone to teach us, however. The only one who has a sensible grasp of the language already is Will. Did you understand anything of their exchange, by the way?'

Will seemed taken aback by the question. So far, The Unknown had only spoken to him when it had been completely unavoidable. That he would do so out of mere curiosity was unexpected. 'Well … I … a bit. First Shani just said she was worried or something, because what Thaler's planning to do is dangerous. Makes me think he told the truth, she knows exactly what he's trying to do. The second I didn't catch. That last I'm not sure about. Something like you don't always need to know the words to know what was said. And he replied … he replied that sometimes it's better not to know, but that he would tell her anyway. And she laughed.'

'Thank you. Let's try Hirad's angle and pretend we have a choice here,' The Unknown said. 'I want to hear reasons for either working with him or not, I want to make the right decision, and we will not make it because we're forced to. There's always another option.' He looked at Ilkar. 'A good reason to agree is the promise of learning the language and an additional reward at the end. Anything speaking against it?'

Ilkar sighed. 'Out of the top of my head, no. He seems a little dodgy, but I guess that's what you'd expect of a man of his sort, no?'

The Unknown nodded. 'Out of the top of my head, that's a reason to decline. I don't want us to get entangled in politics.'

Sirendor snorted. 'Because that worked so well in Balaia. Let's face it, we are in no position to bargain. And what's worse, we don't know anything about this place.'

Hirad shrugged. 'Why's that a problem, he'll tell us.'

Sirendor rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'Yes, he will. In great detail, I should think. He'll tell us how his side is the one to choose, how he's the one who was wronged, or a sister we don't even know exists. Shani doesn't speak our language, so he might have told her something completely different than us.'

Will grinned. 'I could find that out. Try my skills with the language on her.'

Sirendor smiled, but again it was The Unknown who spoke. 'Brilliant. Let's also keep in mind that being helpful doesn't mean she's taking a political side we want to support. We have to know the whole score.'

'Let's tell him that.' All eyes were on Thraun. The big warrior looked slightly anxious at the attention.

He glanced at Will, who smiled and placed a hand on his arm. 'Go on, Thraun, speak up.'

A smile stole onto the tall man's face. 'Well, if we tell him we want unbiased information, he can hardly refuse. He can filter bits, but he can't overdo this without us noticing that there are parts missing.' His voice had gone from hardly more than a whisper to confident. 'He talked about an order and about Scoia'tael, whatever those are. I think there's a war going on. Not one between countries, but between political sides.'

'Where do you get that from?' Erienne asked softly.

Thraun shrugged. 'I don't know. The way he spoke. He seemed to pick his words very carefully. You're right, Unknown, we've got to know what we're getting ourselves into. What's that noise?' They fell silent and listened. There seemed to be a commotion outside.

Sirendor opened a window and looked out. 'Not good. One man surrounded by six. Doesn't look armed. The others have swords.'

Hirad was there a second later. 'Oi!' he roared. 'What's going on?' One of the armed men looked up. Their prey reacted quickly, vaulting over him and starting to run. His foot caught and he went sprawling. Ignoring Hirad, the armed men stormed towards him again. Hirad looked at them all. 'Well? What're you all waiting for?' He had barely finished the sentence when he was out of the door, confident the rest would follow.

Erienne looked at Denser. This was the first time they were going to fight without magic. Six random people were no match for the Raven, even without magic, but it was horribly frustrating. Erienne decided this had to change one way or other. Before they were out of the door, The Unknown stopped Hirad. 'Listen. We'll see what this is about before we launch into an attack. This may very well be a cornered criminal. If he is, he's theirs.'

Hirad nodded. 'Talk first, then. You do that.'

The Unknown caught his grin and huffed. 'No. Will does.'

Will's mouth fell open. 'Right.' The Unknown clapped his back and approached the group, the others close behind.

Ϡ

It had all gone completely wrong, he thought. Fleeing from a burning and very angry mage, hiding from the world for two full years, fighting a battle against himself he thought he had won long ago. After such a huge and absolute mess, he had thought he could return to a small village and live near it. Making profit of his considerable faculties while living in the wilds was a good thing, but he didn't like isolation. It would be easy to blend in again, he had thought. He had been very wrong.

'Fight back, scum.'

He rolled his eyes. He had managed to get back on his feet and was now spinning slowly, trying to keep an eye on all six men. 'With what weapon? Cut me down and leave me to bleed to death, why don't you? That'll make it easier for all of us.'

One of his assailants spat right into his face. 'That won't help. We're not stupid.'

He wiped the spittle from the corner of his eye with a sleeve. 'Really? I didn't notice.' He paid for that with a lash at his left knee. He was too slow to evade. Something cracked audibly and he went down.

'Stop.' The voice was commanding enough to stop the men surrounding him from cutting him to pieces. The man was huge, followed by more. They outnumbered his foes.

The man beside the tall one was rather short. He was the one who continued speaking. 'You are not guards. So this is not justice. Stand down.' The little one had an accent that was hard to identify. Might be southern. The fallen man tried to escape while the militia, or whatever they were, were distracted. The sharp side of a sword connected with the top of his skull, sending him sprawling. 'What did you kill him for?'

'This is a monster. It murdered and ate three virgins in the last week.'

The little man shook his head. 'He was just a man! Leave him alone, don't keep cutting at him! Unknown, do you really need to hear more than this?'

The big man shook himself. 'No. You just murdered an innocent man. Face us now.' They did. It was a very short fight until four of the vigilantes were dead and two running. He dared to lift his head. The little man spoke very rapidly in a strange language before running back to the inn they had emerged from.

A blonde woman approached him and knelt next to him. She held him down with one hand. 'Hush, stay. Will's gone to get help. We were certain that blow killed you.' She was harder to understand, her accent more pronounced. It wasn't long before hurried footsteps announced Will returning with someone else. Another voice spoke in their own tongue again, then yet another translated. Upper class Temerian accent. Interesting.

'He's been hit on the head with a blade, his knee's probably shattered. They killed his assailants and two fled. Hirad also said they thought it more important to get you to help, if you can, than pursue them. And he said they accused him of killing and eating virgins, but I suppose he might have misunderstood something there.'

'He hasn't, that's what they said,' Will told the medic. The woman by his side left.

Someone else approached. 'Can you turn round?' He could. He had mud in his eyes and couldn't see the face belonging to the voice. 'Thaler, I'll need hot water. Please see that it's prepared. Will, bring me a clean, wet, cloth. Quick.' She ripped the fabric of his trousers over his knee. 'Listen to me. I'm a medic. We'll bring you inside and I'll see to your wounds.'

He reached up and grabbed her wrist. 'No need. I just need rest.'

She looked at him. His face was caked in a mixture of mud and blood, he knew. Not pretty.

'You don't feel the pain yet, but that'll come. Oh, thanks Will.' He wanted to sweep her hand away when she started cleaning his face, but somehow he lacked the strength. Pathetic. Suddenly she stopped and he blinked the dirt out of his sight.

She had hardly changed. Brown eyes, short red hair, an insolent little nose, and a kind expression. But now there was disbelief in it too, and she seemed frozen in something close to shock. 'Fancy seeing you, Shani.' He struggled to a sitting position, took the cloth from her unresisting hand, and wiped over the cut on his head with a more or less clean corner. He looked at the blood and sighed. 'Well, I've been worse.' He tried to rise. Still, she was gaping at him. 'I'll be leaving. Oh, no, wait. Dear rescuers, what is it you usually take for protecting someone from an angry mob? I'll pay.' His left knee gave way under him. His head slammed back down into the dirt, hitting the only larger stone in the vicinity. Pathetic.

Ϡ

He opened his eyes. He was warm and comfortable. Above him, a ceiling. How odd. Probably the prospect of payment had let the men keep him alive. He smiled at that, until he realised it might mean Shani was dead if she'd stood in their way. For all he knew, they might be the kind of people cutting a medic down if they felt the need. 'Hello there, Regis.' He turned his head, and there she was, in a chair beside his bed. 'I bandaged you, and I've sewn the cut in your head, although I don't know if you need that at all.'

He swallowed. 'Need it, no, but it helps. Thank you. You may go.'

She didn't. 'Look, I know we didn't part amicably, but … I've learned a lot since then.' She smiled.

Regis turned fully to his side and propped his head up higher on a pillow. 'Did you tell them?'

Shani shrugged. 'I told them you're a barber surgeon, that you've studied medicine in Oxenfurt, that your name is Emiel Regis. And that you're my friend.' She frowned at him. 'The last time we spoke, you said you're very resilient, that normal injuries are nothing to you. But apparently that wasn't true. Why did you lie? Did you think you couldn't trust me?'

Regis gave her a quizzical look. 'I knew I couldn't trust you. I don't know why I can now. What happened?'

Shani sighed. 'Geralt. Or rather, Dandelion. They talked about you. I just listened, didn't let on I knew you. But when Dandelion said you're dead …' She shook her head.

Regis smiled. 'To answer your question: I didn't lie, and neither did Dandelion. I'm only here because a bored mage played games with my remains. I have no idea what he did, I didn't ask. I just fled. If you want a detailed account how I managed that, I have to disappoint you. My memory of these moments is vague at best.' He sat up. 'Shani, I ask you to bring me wormwood, anise, sage, and what other herbs you can find, if that is at all possible.'

She raised her eyebrow. 'Why?'

'To avoid what happened here. Five dogs barking at me until the militia realises there's something wrong. An urchin steals my knapsack and the next thing I know all the canines in the vicinity act as though I'm a very peculiar and dangerous cat. And there is something else. You said you talked to Geralt. When? I asked around, anyone that had heard of him told me he died five years ago, only a short time after my own alleged death.'

'I would have told you the same, but he's not dead. I don't know where he is, though. He's in trouble, but you need to look after yourself now. Dandelion is with him I believe, maybe that dwarf too. Zoltan.' Regis looked relieved at that. Shani opened her mouth to speak, but then a racket started outside. She walked over to the window and stared out for a few seconds. When she looked back, she was pale. 'I need to leave you for a moment. I need to speak to the Raven. The men that saved you. Don't go anywhere.' He watched her hurry outside. There were people out there, clamouring.

Regis swung his legs out of the bed and stood gingerly, putting his weight on his right leg only. He tried walking. At least his knee didn't give way under him, but it still hurt. In a few days he would be better.

Outside, there were a horde of villagers, armed with all sorts of tools, some with torches. He realised he might not have a few days.

Ϡ

The Raven were already preparing to go outside when Shani got there. She stopped them with a shout, then forced herself to speak slowly enough for them to understand. 'They want to kill Regis. You've got to stop them.'

The Unknown looked at her. He spoke quickly, and Will translated. 'Why are they so desperate to get to him? Any idea?'

Shani swallowed. 'He'd never hurt anyone. He's a barber-surgeon. And a medic.'

'That isn't an answer.'

'Look, just help him! He'll pay, he said so himself.'

'He prefers helping himself, but right now, he can't.' How he had managed to get downstairs Shani had no idea. He was leaning heavily on the banister, his face barely hiding the pain. 'I don't kill. I don't fight. I promise you to explain why they're here, but I'd rather do that knowing I won't be mincemeat within the hour.'

The Unknown nodded. 'If you turn out to be a murderer we'll hand you over. We do not protect criminals.' The big warrior glanced at Will, then grinned and shrugged.

Regis offered an enigmatic smile at the odd exchange. 'Good. I have nothing to fear then.'

Ϡ

Hirad shot a glance at The Unknown by his side. The big man had drawn his sword, the tip resting on the ground. He raised the huge blade with one hand and pointed towards the bodies of the men they had killed before. 'The man inside this inn is under our protection for now. Bring us evidence for your accusations and if we're satisfied, we'll hand him over. But right now we have to assume we're faced with villagers clamouring for the blood of someone who is conveniently unable to defend himself.'

'He's a vampire! He's eaten six virgins and if he eats a seventh, he'll turn into a giant bat!'

When Will was done translating with an expression that left no doubt about what he thought of the villagers, Hirad started laughing. He couldn't stop himself. 'You idiots. Even little children in Balaia knew there's no such thing as vampires.'

'And they don't eat people even in folklore,' Sirendor added. 'Will, please tell them that: Go home. We don't want to fight you, but we're not about to let you burn this place down.'

The mob didn't wait for a translation. 'Give him to us!'

The Unknown shook his head. 'And what exactly are you about to do with him, once you've got him?'

'Stake him, cut his head off, and bury him.'

'Bring me evidence that this man is a criminal. Or come and get him. See if I mind cutting you all down.' Will was beginning to enjoy himself, relaying what each party was saying. Hirad couldn't blame him. When this was over, they would all laugh about how ridiculous the situation was. A few men glanced towards the bodies of the militia. 'Go and bury these men,' the little man said without being prompted. 'We have no intention to stay here for a long time. I doubt that your … vampire wants to remain in such an unfriendly place. Just let him go.'

The Unknown gestured at the leader of the villagers and tried himself at the foreign language. 'You there. Come here. Closer.' He towered over the other man, his expression hard and forbidding. 'I want you all to go home. And I want your word that we can sleep in peace. We'll place guards. One of your men here and there'll be a slaughter.'

Hirad was still contemplating the wisdom of this when he was in the room he shared with Sirendor and Ilkar. The former was sleeping, Ilkar was still downstairs. The door clicked open. 'About time. The Unknown wants to …' He heard rather than felt the rush of magic and was bolt upright and ready in a second. He swore loudly and grabbed for his sword. He didn't get very far. The spell hit him squarely in the chest sending him with his back into the wall. 'Garvain? What on earth got into you?'

The young mage glared at him. 'You're protecting a vampire!'

Hirad exploded. 'First you're all gentle and careful because mages are feared, and now you join them on their lynch mission? Well, you die here.' Again, Garvain prepared to cast, but he fell forwards before he had any spell ready. Will stood behind him with a sword and a dagger, the latter bloody. 'Thanks.'

The little man waved him away. 'There's all hell breaking loose. Thraun's guarding Shani and her so-called vampire, Thaler's trying to talk the mob down. At least, this was their only mage. Let's go, before they murder our employer.'

Hirad had no doubt they would manage fine. Downstairs, chaos reigned. The Unknown came crashing down the stairs after him, Will, and Sirendor and launched himself into the first villager with a rake. Jandyr was fighting with a sword in the confined place. Hirad and Sirendor stormed to the door to stop more people from entering. Ilkar and Denser were already there standing guard. 'Never seen you fight with a sword, Ilks.'

The elf glared at him. 'Yes, you have. You just forgot.'

'Where's Erienne?'

Denser huffed. 'Upstairs, angry that she cannot do anything.'

'How many are there?'

'How many inhabitants does Stonewash have, do you think?' A single man approached them. He was tall, almost as tall as The Unknown, sported an ugly scar on his forehead, and looked grim.

Hirad grinned at him. 'Doesn't look like we'll find out.'

The tall man had his sword drawn but didn't attack at once. 'Are you the people hiding the vampire?' He spoke their language.

Hirad rolled his eyes. 'All mental.'

'Vampires are a very real threat. Why would anyone protect them? Let me in, I'll slay the monster before it can hurt you.'

'You don't look like all the idiots screaming for his blood. What's your angle? He ate your daughter?'

The dark man glared at Hirad. His eyes looked odd. 'I do not have a daughter. Stand aside. I have no quarrel with you.'

Ilkar shrugged. 'And we have none with you. So why don't we all go our own ways?'

'I'm a Witcher. I slay monsters.'

Hirad nodded sagely. 'Ah, Thaler mentioned Witchers. Well, we're not going to let you kill a man we're protecting, no matter what you call yourself.' The man raised his left hand, and Hirad didn't expect a threat. He was wrong. Like before, he was thrown backwards, but this time his stance made him catch himself before he fell. 'Mistake.' He yelled and ran towards the stranger. The man side-stepped him, made a pirouette, and slashed at him. He was moving very fast.

Ilkar shouted. 'Coldheart, come back here!' Hirad did.

The stranger glowered at them. 'Step aside.' Hirad looked at Sirendor. They nodded at each other, but before they could attack together, a high, screeching sound filled the air. Denser dropped his sword and screwed up his face. Hirad didn't. 'Another mage?' he asked.

Ilkar blanched. 'Yes, Hirad, I fear so.' A small red ball formed above the new arrivals, gaining size with every second. The elf stood frozen for a moment. Then he shoved Denser back towards the entrance. 'Inside! Now!' Hirad didn't question him and did as he was told. No sooner was he inside than Ilkar slammed the door shut. 'Raven! Behind the bar!' The Raven heard him and followed the order. Thaler was already there and had the presence of mind to see that Jandyr was too far away from the bar to make it fast. 'Jandyr, get under a table!' he shouted before dropping to the ground himself. The elven archer dived and vanished from sight. The villagers roared their victory. A deep, groundshaking sound came from outside. The door was blown into the room and a blaze of hell followed it.

Hirad gathered himself from the ground. There was smoke, but the building wasn't burning. Most of the villagers were dead, some dying. Jandyr's table had collapsed, but the wood was shifting, meaning that he'd survived. Thraun came down the stairs and gaped at the sight that greeted him before he helped his friend. Hirad's headcount was satisfying, but he asked anyway. 'Everyone all right?' There was muttered agreement. Will's hair was singed, but other than that he was fine. 'Right. Ilkar, tell me what just happened.'

Ilkar exchanged a glance with Denser. 'Erienne,' he said finally. 'Erienne is what happened.'

Denser swallowed. 'I'll go and see her.'

Hirad made to follow, but Ilkar stopped him. 'Don't.'

'Why? Depending on how many were still going to join in the hunt, we would have been overrun by the sheer amount of people. She saved us. And the rest of the villagers who won't dare come anywhere near now.'

Ilkar swallowed. 'You don't understand.'

Hirad slammed his fist into the bar. 'Yeah, because I'm too stupid to waste your breath on an explanation!'

Ilkar shook his head and grabbed his arms. Tears were forming in the hazel eyes and Hirad regretted his outburst when he processed that something must be very wrong. 'No. Listen. She cast. She may be fine, but I doubt it. He has to go alone, because if she's dead he'll want to say good bye. And if she's lost her mind he'll … deliver her. And I don't think he'll want witnesses for either.'

((Chapter heading is a song by Epica. I had a less obvious meaning in mind that had more to do with the lyrics, referring to Shani protecting Regis from a stake. I absolutely hadn't planned what happened there and I have little to no idea how to sort out this mess.

And the other thing … Yes, Regis seems very dead in the books. Since the author himself seems to have said that maybe Regis could regenerate after Vilgefortz was finished with him, I don't feel too bad. And he'll be nowhere near as strong as in the books.

Taking into account that Regis needed fifty years to regenerate after his encounter with the villagers a long time ago, I assume that even if the basic regeneration is done he will be weakened. A lot.))