Kyana Of Cintra

64

The next morning, Kyana woke a little earlier than planned. Hunting was on Yarpen's group that morning, so there wasn't much for her to do. She decided to dress slowly in hopes that it would pass time quicker, even using some of her lavender water for her hair. When Kyana was either subliminally bored or felt brilliantly distracting, she used drops of water scented with lavender to add a noticeable and nice smell to her hair. Kyana decided on a blood red shirt and her black corset, followed by her leathers and her necklace.

Kyana put on her belt, which had her sword on it, around her waist, clipping it to the edges of her corset. She made her way outside, pulling her bag with her and taking down her tent. It was easier than she expected, seen as it was so small. It folded nicely and fit into her bag, which she had taken instead of her satchel to fit more in.

Kyana carried her bag over to the fire pit, setting it by a log and noticing that the others were starting to wake. Yennefer poked her head out of her tent, her purple eyes searching through the faces that had woken up. "Has anyone seen my escort?" Yennefer asked, slight concern lacing her tone.

Kyana shook her head no, turning to see if the knight was behind her. Geralt, who had heard Yennefer, stopped and noticed the pile of armour on the floor. They didn't have to look very far after hearing Yarpen cry out in disgust. "Bloody ball sacks!" He yelled, which had Kyana walking quickly to the area it came from, Yennefer and Geralt hot on her heels. Jaskier and the two warriors came out of their tents at the noise, joining them as they looked over the side of the ledge.

Sir Eyck, who hadn't been seen after the fire the night before, lay dead on the forest floor. His trousers were at his ankles, although there was his satchel covering him. Kyana thanked the gods for that. His throat was slit open, and he had obviously been there quite some time.

"Who slits a man's throat while he's relieving his bowels?" Jaskier asked rhetorically, clearly shaken, but finding humor in the situation. "Is nothing sacred anymore?" Yarpen groaned, the sheer stench enough to make his eyes water.

"Fuck." Yennefer cursed, spinning around and storming off. Clearly Eyck's death had put some sort of hole in her plan. When Borch was told, he simply restrained a laugh and told everyone to pack up, pull up Eyck's trousers, and leave him until they returned to collect him. Kyana was half unsurprised, half horrified that they just left him there, in his own shit and blood, like some sort of animal for slaughter. They walked for a few hours up the mountain, far enough to have escaped the trees and reached the burnt, lifeless land the dragon had left behind.

"We're halfway to the dragon's lair,but it's getting dangerous. We cannot continue like this." Véa insisted. Yarpen nodded, agreeing with her.

"The warrior woman is right. Someone killed that self-righteous fud, and it wasn't any of us. Somebody's not playin' fair." He told Borch, looking up at the mountains ahead of them. "Our people used to mine these mountains." He said, pointing with his pick axe. "We know a shortcut that would cut half a day off your journey. Let the Reavers take the long way around." Borch stopped to listen, holding the warriors, Geralt, Kyana and Jaskier back. "We'll nab the treasure before they even set foot in the cave. We'll watch each other's backs until we reach the next peak, then every man for himself. What say ye?"

"Let's go." Borch said simply, encouraging Yarpen to lead the way.

Yennefer had left both halves of the group, catching Kyana's attention. "You go on, I'll catch up." She said, taking off after the sorceress. Geralt continued walking, having still not resolved the argument from last night. Jaskier held him back.

"I know this is bad timing, but I heard what happened last night." Geralt sighed, shrugging Jaskier's hand off his shoulder. "I know Kyana better than anyone. Even when you were so cruel to her, she would defend you. Protect you from the rumors-" Geralt whipped around, facing him.

"Rumors? What rumors?" Jaskier realized he had said too much, but knew he couldn't back out now.

"Some townsfolk think you're married. And some people think, well um." He paused, unsure how to phrase it. Geralt gave him an irritated look that screamed for Jaskier to spit it out. "They think you hit her. Make her do this for your own gain." Geralt's face was nothing short of horror. He couldn't believe Kyana had managed to keep him from this for over several decades.

"I have never hit her, ever. Oh god, is that why people refuse to talk to me but will talk to her?" when Jaskier remained quiet, Geralt had his answer. He sighed, his hand drifting to his forehead.

"She's been trying to stop them for years. Nobody seems to get it through their heads that women are powerful too." Jaskier shrugged. "They don't believe her." He said truthfully, watching Geralt's face seep with determination. Without another word, Geralt followed Kyana away from the groups up the mountain a little further to talk to her.

When he caught up, Kyana had just fallen into step with Yennefer. "Then I'm guessing you killed Eyck." Kyana said, clearly linking onto a previous piece of conversation Geralt had not heard.

"Kill him? That's rather pedestrian when your boyfriend is the one who's been staring daggers at him since we arrived." Kyana rolled her eyes, but saw no point in cutting her off. "It was the Reavers. That bastard Boholt killed my escort before he could accomplish the one damn task I actually needed him for."

"Which was to kill the dragon, I'm guessing." Yennefer stopped in a small patch where no trees covered them from the sun. "Why do you need that dragon dead, Yennefer?"

She sighed, her eyes fluttering over the view. Geralt decided to stay back and refrain from interrupting their private conversation. "There are certain healing properties it's rumored to possess." She confessed. Kyana looked at her strangely, unaware of the point.

"Forgive me, I thought your transformation healed all parts of you? I must be mistaken?" Kyana asked, watching Yennefer's face give into her feelings.

"At the cost of losing others, yes." Kyana thought for a moment, then her hand drifted to her womb unconsciously.

"Oh." She said, unsure of what else to say. "I see."