The Witcher: Fire & Blood
…
Chapter 7: Clean as Dandelions VI
Quickly making their way back to their horses, the Witcher and his apprentice rode back to the Van Tassel estate. Leaving their horses at the stable, Draco and Maspeth hurried inside. Striding up to the guest room, the Witcher prepared to open the door when it swung open to reveal Katarina.
"Katarina?" the Witcher raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Might I ask what you were doing in my room?" he asked calmly.
"I came looking for you," replied Katarina with a sweet disarming smile.
"And you found me." The witcher gave a terse thin smile and asked, "How may I help you?"
"I wanted to ask how your wound is," said the young woman. "Does it hurt? Or itch?"
"It's fine," Draco said in a terse voice.
"I see." Katarina gave a slightly sad smile before nodding, saying, "Well, I hope you're feeling better after last night. I know I am." A slight blush tinged her cheeks as she said the words.
The Witcher merely nodded as the young woman walked past him and Maspeth. With a grunt, Draco entered the guest room with Maspeth following him.
"What happened last night?" the young lad asked the Witcher who fixed him with a cold glare. A look of fright was in the boy's eyes as those cold amber viper eyes frozen him to the spot.
"That. Is none of your concern," was all the Witcher told him. "Right now, we need to find the Nilfgaardian's skull. My best bet is that it's in Van Tassel's study or private quarters," he said coldly.
"How do you figure to be in Lord Van Tassel's quarters?" Maspeth asked meekly.
"Summoning the ghost of someone often requires a physical object that once belonged to the deceased. In this case, it is the Nilfgaardian's skull and so long as one possesses it, they will be able to control the ghost," explained the Witcher. "We need to wait until Lord Van Tassel is out of the house so that we may search for the skull and with it prove Van Tassel's guilt," he stated as he walked over to his desk and suddenly realised that all his notes on the case were gone.
"Where are my notes?" the Witcher asked.
"Your notes?" Young Maspeth asked.
"Yes. All the notes I've taken of the case," said Draco. "I left them right here," he stated before an ugly frown came over him as he realised who had taken them. Looking at his apprentice, the Witcher ordered him to wait and watch if and when Lord Van Tassel left the estate.
Leaving the manor, the Witcher found that Katarina's horse was gone. Mounting his horse, the Witcher rode for the old cottage.
Within half an hour, Draco found Katarina at the cottage, sitting by the hearth which glowed with the embers of a fire.
"Katarina. Might I ask what you are doing?" the Witcher asked her coldly.
Katarina looked at the Witcher with something akin to pity and spite as she replied, "What is it you believe I am doing?" Her bottom lip trembled as her eyes became wet with tears.
"Protecting your father, no doubt," said the Witcher. "You've read my notes and come to the conclusion that your father is the guilty party," he added as a statement of fact rather than a question.
"You wouldn't understand. I have to protect him…" Katarina said mournfully. She then looked at the Witcher with imploring in her eyes, adding, "Can you not see why?"
"I understand why you must protect him, but the evidence is against him," said the Witcher. "He stands to gain the most from the deaths of the Van Garretts," he explained.
"My father was good friends with the Van Garretts!" Katarina all but screamed. "They gave him the land we stand upon! They were his friends!" she cried.
"Even friends may kill one another over money, and the Van Garretts were the wealthiest people in this village," Draco said calmly and coldly.
Katarina gave a choking sob before she said, "I thought you understood. That you had a heart." Rising to her feet, she walked to mount her horse. Looking at the Witcher with dead eyes, she declared to him, "I rue the day you came to Slumbering Hollow, Witcher, and I curse the moment I gave you the gift of my body." She then wheeled her horse around and rode off.
The Witcher stared after the young woman. Frowning deeply, the Witcher sighed quietly to himself; the evidence was against Lord Van Tassel, there was no denying it. Why couldn't Katarina see that her father was not all he presented himself to be?
Growling in frustration, the Witcher mounted his horse who snorted and whickered at him. "Don't start. Not in the mood," the monster slayer muttered to the equine who pawed the ground with a hoof. "It doesn't matter," the witcher said to his horse as he took the reins and clicked his tongue.
…
Arriving back at the estate, the Witcher was met by Young Maspeth. "Has Lord Van Tassel left at all?" the Witcher asked the boy who shook his head.
"He hasn't left at all, and I've not been able to get into the study without anyone noticing," the boy replied. "Miss Katarina came back before you did. She was crying," he then informed the Witcher.
"It doesn't matter," Draco said sternly. With a tired sigh, he muttered, "I need something to eat. Haven't eaten at all since yesterday." Leaving for the kitchen, the Witcher found Lady Van Tassel cutting vegetables with a kitchen knife.
"Lady Van Tassel. Good afternoon," the Witcher greeted cordially enough.
Lady Van Tassel smiled kindly at the Witcher and said to him, "Witcher. A fine day isn't it?" she ventured.
"It is," confirmed the Witcher tersely.
"Katarina came home quite upset. She refused to tell me why," Lady Van Tassel then said. "Would you perhaps know?" she asked looking at the Witcher knowingly.
"She learnt a few hard facts about the world that she didn't quite realise and is having a hard time accepting," replied Draco as he moved to stand and look out the window across the meadows.
"I know you were there last night," Lady Van Tassel suddenly said, her voice becoming more serious and sombre.
"Pardon me?" the Witcher asked.
"Last night. You saw me with Reverend Steenwyck," Lady Van Tassel said to Draco. "Do not think me a fool or an unobservant woman," she warned as she walked over to stand beside him. "I only beg that you keep your silence on this matter. Can you promise me that, Witcher?" she asked as she held up her cut palm in front of the Witcher's gaze.
The Witcher looked at the scabbed over but still red raw gash on Lady Van Tassel's palm. The Witcher then looked at Lady Van Tassel and made to say something when the door to the kitchen swung open and walking in came Lord Van Tassel who had a very worried look on his face.
"Ah! I've found you both," the portly man said in relief. "I bring horrible tidings! Notary Hardenbrook has been found dead!" he exclaimed.
This caught the Witcher's attention. "The Dullaghan killed him?" he inquired.
Lord Van Tassel shook his head. "No, he was found dead in his office. He hanged himself!"
"That poor man!" Lady Van Tassel exclaimed in woe. "What could've possessed him to do that?" she wondered.
"The elders have called for a town meeting to decide what is to be done," Lord Van Tassel said before he looked at Draco and asked, "Have you made any progress?"
Draco looked at the man coldly and replied, "I have an idea as to who might be controlling the Dullaghan, but I need to find the evidence that will vindicate the proof I've found."
Lord Van Tassel nodded at this before he looked at his wife's cut palm and exclaimed, "Oh, my dear! What happened to your hand?"
"A silly accident with the gardening shears, my sweet," Lady Van Tassel lied easily.
"It will need some ointment. Perhaps Doctor Lancaster has some he can give you," her husband said.
"No need to trouble the good doctor. I can brew some ointment from some arrowroot; I know where some grows," Lady Van Tassel said with a sweet smile.
The Witcher did not say anything at the exchange, he merely stared out the window as the sun slowly began to set on the horizon.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! After close to a year of not touching this, I've finally updated it! I apologise for the chapter being so short, but next chapter will definitely have some action in it as the Galloping Nilfgaardian makes a bold move to claim a new victim in front of everyone, leading a very bloody affair, so keep an eye out for that.
And apart from that, I haven't got too much more to say about this, so I'll leave this here and see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.