The Witcher: Raven and Wolf

13. Departure

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The second time Aderyn wakes up, the boy is no longer in her room. Her energy restored, her wounds healed and her body no longer as weary. Instead, she is lying in the luxurious bed, alone, the dark night sky letting only some bright stars shine through the window. The witcher quickly slips out of the bed, now feeling stronger and healed. Whatever it is these "doctors" as Jaskier said, did, they were surely mages or druids of some kind. It is practically impossible for normal humans to heal anything except small wounds. She rapidly puts her armor back on, tightening the protecting corset around her waist before stepping to a cracked mirror to tie some of her hair back, the way she learned from other mages, such as Tissaia de Vries.

Lastly, she slips into the worn-out black boots, grabs her daggers and slowly opens the room's door. The old woods creaks as she pushes it back, revealing a long, overly decorated hallway. Aderyn checks that there is no one there, pulls her hood over her face and steps out of the room. She tiptoes down the hallway, where stone stairs on her right hand, lead to a glass door out of the house. She turns that way, but as soon as she takes one step down, she feels magic in the air. And mere seconds later, light appears on the other side of the door.

"Fuck," she whispers, quickly turning around and taking the stairs on the left, that presumably lead to the kitchen. She hopes for the best and opens the door, shutting it behind her right before the other door is loudly burst from the outside, many men entering. She watches as they storm up the stairs and down the hallway, and soon enough, she hears the screams of the people as they are slain.

Then she gasps: Jaskier.

Her breath trembles in fear for the little boy, but she wipes away her tears even before they get a chance to fall. Aderyn sits back against the stone wall, leaning her head back and shutting her eyes. The screams in the house fill the room, making it impossible to forget them. The kitchen is dark, no candles are lit whatsoever. Perfectly sharpened knives hang on the walls, pans overhead. Aderyn scans the room for exits. Many dried herbs are hung in small bundles against the back wall and she recognizes a bit of light coming from there- just a bit of warmth in the otherwise cold and damp kitchen.

Aderyn steps up and away from the wall, slowly tiptoeing towards the light. She recognizes movement on the other side of the door; a faint voice is speaking poems. It's Jaskier. Her heart beats quicker in relief, but she sighs when she realizes that she has to leave him behind to. What is he doing in the kitchen? But then she remembers. The boy was timid. And had burnt his hand, only to witness her perform a spell on him to heal him. He wasn't scared of her; her was curious. And the poetry in her spell moved something inside him.

He might be a bard someday.

With that, Aderyn turns away and to the other door on the left, that leads behind the tall, grey house. She doesn't waste a second to look back and instead rushes through the bushes, as far as possible from it. Eventhough this was the first time she met Jaskier, she feels for him. The need to protect him is far too grand for her to risk seeing his glowing face again. If he is seen with her, it will brew a storm far too dangerous for the two of them.

For the first time in probably days, Aderyn tastes the rain on the tip of her tongue as it drips down onto the muddy ground surrounding the sleeping town of Kerack. The buildings here are all aged- looking as if they could crumble with a light push. On her left side, a bit further down the hill, she can see the waves of the sea crash against the shore. Waves. This means her portal brought her at least a weeks' journey away from Geralt. She sighs, shaking her mind off the white wolf, knowing that he is not her priority and he can damn well take care of himself.

But nonetheless, her thoughts often wander to his yellow eyes while she walks past many wooden cottages. Kerack is known for its wood, and the people sure do know how to prove it. Her hood is well pulled over her head as she quietly rushes through the depressing town, trying to find out where she is exactly. After mere minutes of searching, she finds a lodging, where the light is still on and quickly enters.

Inside, in her favor, is only the owner of the house. And old, grumpy looking man, wearning but used trousers and a warm sweater. No fire is lit in the main hall- he is lodging no guests. The curse of Daeva has reached this town, too. He is cleaning some dishes when Aderyn slowly steps towards the counter and stops in front of him. The owner, she soon realizes, is blind in one eye and didn't see the witcher step in. So, to his dismay, when he looks up from the metal mug he is holding, his heart almost jumps out of his ribcage.

"Blimey! Don't scare me, would ya! I'll be right with you for lodging," he says, picks up the mug he had dropped and turns around to put it back into the cupboard. Aderyn waits patiently, not wanting to scare the poor old man again. When he does look back at her, he sees the witcher chain hanging from her neck and gulps. His hand shaking, he offers Aderyn a glass of water and she thanks him, chugging it down.

"All right, I suppose I could light the fire for ya and you can have a room, they're all empty-"

"I don't wish to stay here. I merely came to ask what town this is."

The man is shocked at the strength in her voice. He cannot see her face, nor seem to feel her presence. It's almost like she's invisible. But nevertheless, he nods and answers: "Yes, well, this is the town of Kerack."

Aderyn nods under her hood and turns to make her way to the door, when she hears the voice: "If you wish to leave, you must do so through the sea- they won't take passengers on the river anymore."

She freezes in her steps and listens.

"For days it's been dark and deadly. People have been disappearin' in the rivers, drownin' I suppose. But the horses have stopped listenin', too. They've run."

Aderyn sighs, knowing she has no time for this: "The continent is under a curse. The curse of Daeva."

With those words, she leaves the lodging and heads towards the sea. Stepping down the hill, running as swiftly as she possibly can. Away from the dying town. The town, that is crumbling from the inside. Not too much later, the sound of waves crashing gets louder and closer, and she stops right before water hits her boots. Hastily looking around, she recognizes the outline of a small fisherboat. The need to leave this town takes over her thoughts and she pushes the boat into the sea, sailing out into the night. As unbelievable as she thought it be, days later, Aderyn pushed up against another shore. Which, if her calculations were correct, was no other place but Cidaris. A city close to no other but Thanedd island.

It was on this island that Geralt now sat by the shore, watching the waves crash into the stone. His eyes fixated on the movement close to him. But something else catches his eye when he glances further out into the horizon. A scent. One he had almost forgotten.

"Hm," he smirks.

Of course she's still alive. Aderyn is not one to give up, and Geralt certainly won't do so on her.

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hello everyone!!!

it's been so long, but this is what's up!

After I heard the news that Henry Cavill will not return as the Witcher, it kind of took away my motivation to continue.

But, since I know that you guys like this book, and frankly, I love the perfectly built world behind the witcher, I decided to continue.

Aderyn and Jaskier will see each other again, don't worry.

thanks so much for waiting so patiently,

x

Brooke