Vizima basked in the dim rays of dawn's sunshine. Humidity hung in the air, filling it with the scent of petrichor and cool morning mist. A carriage came from the far west. It traveled across rural Vizima and the suspension bridge over the lake. Into the trade quarter it went, and a group of fully-armed soldiers escorted it to Foltest's castle in the north.
A muscular, hook-nosed man in a blue coat emerged from the carriage and looked around him. Lake Vizima unfurled before the man, glimmering peacefully under the sun. But there will be a great battle awaiting me in that castle.
***
The king of Temeria took his place behind the long table. A crown sat atop his head, and a cape billowed behind his back. He held the armrest with one hand and rested his chin on the other as he stared at his guest arrogantly.
Adda stood on his right, keeping her silence.
"Cintra is home to the bravest people on the continent. Your soldiers are famous for their unyielding spirit. You and the Lioness of Cintra are more than capable of leading your army to victory in any battle against those southern ruffians."
"Your Majesty, you flatter me." Eist looked at Foltest, trying to see through him. "You must have already sent your scouts to Amell by now. It is obvious the Nilfgaardians are far more powerful than we imagined. I believe you are wise enough to realize Cintra isn't the only kingdom they're after."
"And what of it? The Nilfgaardians will see that passing Yaruga is an impossible task. That river is under our control. We control the riverbanks and all its routes. Skellige, Cidaris, and Verden surround us, keeping us safe. Those Nilfgaardian… runts, should they try to cross the river, will soon find out it's a path of no return. If we stop their kingdom from providing any supplies to them, then that will be it."
Foltest spoke with confidence, like he didn't care about Cintra's coming disaster. Like their fall would not affect Temeria at all.
Eist looked outside the window and took a deep breath. Raindrops started falling, pelting the window. The sound of it frustrated the king a little. "I am a man of the isles, and we don't like beating around the bush. I'll cut to the chase. Cintra might be home to the bravest people on the continent, but our land isn't big enough. We do not have enough soldiers to fend off Nilfgaard's incoming army. We are simply outnumbered."
"But you still have Skellige on your side."
Thunder boomed across the firmament, bolts of lightning swimming among the dark clouds.
"Only Skellige," Eist said loudly. "To be honest, even with our troops, the possibility of Cintra falling remains high. You should know that Temeria can't sit idly by as this happens." Eist paused for a moment. It was a hard task to do, but in the face of that dark future, he must do it. "Cintra is a strategic location for the southerners. We too control part of the river. If the Nilfgaardians were to take us, it would become a threat to all the northern realms. They will have a base to operate. To send in countless soldiers to battle us. They will come for your land, people, economy, and even culture. But if Cintra's defenses are strong enough to hold them off, the southerners can never gain any ground in the north."
"I do not deny that." Temeria frowned. "That's why despite my council's repeated protests, I agreed to this meeting."
"I'll save the formalities, then." Eist said, "It is my wish that you send your troops to reinforce Cintra."
"You do understand that I do not have any reason to agree to that." Foltest's eyes shone. "I've heard of your conference with the other kingdoms. Toussaint, Cidaris, Brugge, even your vassal state, Verden, and even Lyria and Rivia, the kingdom under Queen Calanthe's relative's rule, refused to form an alliance."
Eist's face fell.
"Redania, Aedirn, and Kaedwen didn't even bother replying. I too have sent them letters elaborating the severity of the situation we're in, but still they refused to work with me. So tell me, why should I ask my soldiers to sacrifice themselves for a war that plagues any other country that is not Temeria? For some potential threat?"
And Foltest finally got to the chase. "Our kingdoms are not friendly enough for me to send any reinforcements. Unless you choose to be our vassal state."
"Your Majesty!" Eist's face turned red with anger, and he balled his fists. "Cintra is a free, sovereign kingdom. We will not submit to any other nation, be it Nilfgaard or any other kingdom. But we are not averse to a partnership. You have to understand that the people of Cintra will not acknowledge any ruler that isn't a part of the royal family. As of current, my only heir is Ciri, my granddaughter. And as far as I'm concerned, Princess Adda is your only successor."
And then Foltest turned red with anger as well.
"But I would never have you help for free. We're willing to pay for your army." Before Foltest could fly into a rage, Eist said, "I would like to hire your troops to help us fend off the Nilfgaardian army."
"I would have kicked you out of this room had you made that offer one year ago." Foltest switched positions. He put one hand on his knee and rubbed his chin with the other, a pensive glint glimmering in his eyes. "But I'd be willing to consider that offer, given our current situation. So how much are you willing to pay, and how many soldiers do you want?"
"Ten thousand. Cavalry and infantry. We will be paying for all the expenses during the war. All according to Temeria's military expenditure. And we'll also be bearing all indemnity. And on the name of my family and kingdom, I swear, as long as Cintra stands, the southerners will never step foot in Temeria."
Foltest shook his head without even thinking. "That's a bit too much, don't you think? Ten thousand is not possible. The war hasn't even reared its head. I cannot give away that many soldiers. Three thousand, at most. And I decide what kind of units will be sent. And since you're treating my soldiers as mercenaries, they should be paid accordingly. Generously. But we'll go into detail later."
Eist heaved a sigh of relief, but he put on a solemn look right away. The real battle is coming. I need to hold my ground. Cannot let Calanthe down. He looked outside the window. The winds had stopped howling, and the dark clouds were slowly disappearing.
***
"Triss, Keira, Fercart, have a seat." Foltest spoke, his voice delighted. The king was rubbing the amber on his ring, and it glimmered the way Foltest's eyes glimmered with excitement.
On the other hand, sweat was pouring down Eist's forehead, and he looked like he was flinching.
Sitting before them was a copy of the agreement they made.
"Eist and I have come to an agreement. I shall be sending my troops to Cintra soon," Foltest announced. "If the southern runts wish for war, then war is what they will get. I am a proponent of peace, but if violence is what they choose, then we shall show them what we are made of. Alas, now we come to the difficult part. Aside from the soldiers, we also require a mage to go along. Does one of you wish to undertake this task?"
Temeria shot a look at Eist. "This is quite the difficult task, and you will be paid handsomely. Eist will not spare any expenses in this, you have my word."
The mages fell into silence. Any sane mage would never have offered to fight in a war. Even if they wanted to, at least they would send a man. Or that was what Keira thought.
She had been keeping an eye on Triss. Oh god. She's pursing her lips. And she's looking straight at Foltest. I have a bad feeling about this.
And then, Triss took a step forward. She pinched the edges of her dress up and curtsied. "Your Majesties, I am willing to undertake this task. I shall assist Cintra in fending the southerners off."
"Are you sure, Triss?" Foltest looked at Triss's chest. There was a hint of regret in his eyes. Shame. Haven't gotten to kiss her yet.
Triss nodded, memories flooding her mind. Roy told me I would fall in the Battle of Sodden Hill. If his prophecy is true, then this war in Cintra should not be the end of me. It was stupid reasoning, but that was all Triss had. I wonder how he's doing.
***
Roy was in the underground lab, watching Lytta perform her experiment.
The light of the brazier shone upon a moss-covered, round-bellied gargoyle with a pair of disproportionately small wings. It was circling a dried fountain slowly, its eyes glinting green. Every step it took was slow. Heavy. Clumsy. It made the ground shake a little.
But all of a sudden, it fluttered its wings and disappeared into thin air. A moment later, it reappeared near a wooden dummy ten yards away. The gargoyle sliced it in half with its claws easily, then it crouched and spat a burst of green acid at the remaining half of the dummy.
The wood hissed and roiled. Smoke billowed in the air as the corroded wood melted.
A clap echoed in the air, and the gargoyle waddled to the corner of the lab, where a woman in a black dress stood. It crouched down and let her pet its head, then the woman clapped her hands again. This time, the light in the gargoyle's eyes dimmed, and it plopped down onto the ground.
"Never thought you'd be an expert in gargoyles." Roy approached the mage and held her in his embrace, his eyes twinkling. "That was stronger than the one in the lake."
"That gargoyle had existed for a century. Its heart was heavily damaged, which then impacted the gargoyle's strength." A smile curled her lips. "But this one… This one I made from scratch. It's as good as new. Cost me two thousand crowns, but it's more than worth it. The gargoyle can run for a hundred years at no extra cost. The best and most reliable bodyguard you could get."
Roy carefully approached the gargoyle and tapped its skin, but the statue didn't move an inch.
"Don't be nervous. I've whitelisted everyone in the orphanage. It won't hurt you no matter what. But tell the more… hyperactive ones not to treat this as a training machine. It's not a kid's toy."
They talked about the transmutation concoction for a bit before Lytta returned to her research, while Roy hurried back to the orphanage.
***
Eskel was staring at the surprise guest who had come earlier. He had eyes like a witcher. Wild eyes the color of indigo. But his clothes were tattered like a tramp’s, and he smelled like sweat and rotten food. A gleaming griffin medallion hung around his neck. He took a look around the classrooms and workshop, his eyes filled with shock and confusion. All the kids frowned when they smelled the odor coming from him.
I can't believe this is a Griffin. I thought they were supposed to be knights. But this? This looks like a tramp. Eskel turned around. Coen was standing behind the man. It had been two months since he left, and now he too looked like a tramp. His clothes were tattered, and he smelled rancid. And yet he looked energized, his colorful eyes dazzling like stars in the sky.
If Igsena finds out her boyfriend looks like a homeless guy, she's probably gonna kill that old Griffin. And she's the future star of the ballroom. Might bring her friends along for the beating too.
"You did it, mate!" Roy shouted with delight. He waved at the witchers and looked at Jerome, a smile curling his lips.
And then the witchers took a seat beneath the stakes. All the apprentices were taken away for training. Felix was leading them. After killing some drowners and swimming in pools of excrements in Toussaint, they were a lot braver now.
"So, where have you been these last two months, Coen?" Roy looked at Coen. Man, his face is covered in soil and grime.
"I took Jerome to Kaer Seren. Then I came all the way back here."
"Long trip." Eskel cocked his eyebrow.
"We spent all our time making the journey. Except during meditation." Coen said, "At least it amounted to something.
He exchanged a look of camaraderie with Jerome.
"We thought things through, and we decided to pick ourselves back up."
Jerome nodded. This time, his eyes were not filled with despair and death. There was a hint of life in them, and sometimes, Roy swore he saw determination flashing in them. And no longer was Jerome skin and bones. He had more flesh on his bones now.
Roy nodded.
"Did we get new kids?" Coen balled his fists.
"Yep. Thirty of them. We have fifty kids now."
"There are boys and girls here." Jerome asked, "You gonna train them all to be witchers?"
"Only twelve are undergoing witcher training at the moment." Roy and Eskel exchanged a look of pride. "But we promise there'll be more soon."
"Didn't think there'd be a witcher organization still expanding today." Jerome shook his head, but he was praising them. "You're creating a miracle."
"So, what is your decision?" Roy looked at the Griffins.
"I'll join the brotherhood. So will Coen." Jerome held his right fist with his left hand tightly. He then gave Eskel and Roy a look of plea. "But I hope you will search for Erland," he requested hoarsely. "I don't care if you fail. And Coen told me you have a clue about his whereabouts."
"Yes, but we'll need the Book of Shadows for that. And you'll have to help us out, Jerome."
"Are we starting right now?"
"My suggestion? Rest for the day. Get changed." Roy looked at their tattered clothes and shook his head. "If Igsena sees you in this state, she's going to put you through the wringer."
Horror filled Coen's eyes.
***
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