Kaer Morhen (Part 1)

"I told you so, Geralt. And you tried to down play me that time." - said Lambert, watching a boy moving like a wind among three pendulums swaying under the strong blizzard and changing wind. Not even a layer of ice can hinder his firm steps.

"I trained him a bit and noticed his talent. But this is a bit out of my expectation." - same cold voice and same stoic face of a warrior. He looked a tiny bit younger outwardly and more energetic, but it was all contained with experience of age. Expression in his eyes was contrary to outer looks more tired, more exhausted and piercing, like what you will see from a person with a story to tell. A long and brutal one. - "You and Coen got here early. What happened after Maribor?"

"Triss wasn't hurt, if you are asking about it."

"No." - he said plainly with no feelings.

"Suit yourself. Hey, brat, Vesemir already freed you from books?" - Lambert noticed a certain silver haired disaster in a unique scarf that seemed to be made of metal, but still soft and warm to the touch.

Not like she let him touch it for a second time, it was protected like a treasure of her life.

"Yeah. Alan is on Pendulum?" - came a girl in good fitting witcher outfit. She stood there without any coat and didn't seem to catch a cold.

"As you see. Doing three already."

"So soon? Will I even be able to do it?"

"Don't compare yourself to that freak of nature." - scoffed Lambert at her as he clearly knew one thing – even witchers can't be so fast to learn that. - "I don't know how he is doing it, but his adaptivity is insane."

"Adaptisify?"

"He gets used to everything very fast." - said Geralt not breaking his gaze away from the training figure under the watch of Coen, who had nothing to do, except for pointing at couple mistakes.

"Why is he doing it like this, Geralt?"

"Pendulums are made to be very massive specially to imitate a strike from osluzg tail, giant's mallet or royal griffin claws. There is no man in the world who can withstand it. Parrying or blocking are just a straight road for a graveyard."

"Even for you?" - she looked at him with big forest green eyes, full of life and curiosity to the world.

"Yes, Ciri, even for me, Lambert and Coen."

"Speak for yourself, I can do it." - bragged Lambert with a cocky look, but received unimpressed gaze in return.

"Even Geralt can't, how can you?" - said Ciri dismissively. - "So why is he jumping like that?" - she again pointed her finger at Alan, who was shifting on the edge of the wall, stepping on the tops of wooden columns.

"Really, why?" - Geralt looked at her. - "Think Ciri, why? You learned everything you should theoretically know to have the answer."

"But... isn't it cheating? He just jumping from one to another."

"Exactly, why?"

"Mmm, he is using them... their... mm..."

"Momentum."

"Right, that thing, to propel himself... oh, he maybe can avoid all three, then why?"

"What a warrior can use momentum for?"

"Escape or counterattack." - she answered without thinking much. After all Ciri did went through the same rigorous training as Alan did. It is just that for her to reach his level will take more time.

"What is he using it for?"

"To strike the bag on the third pendulum to the rear! Oh, I see, you can't do it another way." - then she closely looked at him and added with some hidden bitterness. - "Well, he can I guess."

"Good. At least in theory you have a bright head."

"I am bright overly!" - she sent her nose to the sky, retorting Lambert.

"Say that when you memorize first tome of bestiary." - snorted the witcher.

"It is hard... I sometimes don't see the difference between alghoul and normal ghoul. They are the same." - pouted Ciri at cynical Lambert.

"It will be so until you fight them. Then you will know that they are nothing alike." - said the later in return with a superior look.

"Lambert."

"Yes?"

"How is you swordsmanship lately?" - asked Geralt giving him a tranquil gaze.

"Fine, I guess." - said the witcher and made a step back. - "I should go cook, my day cooking today."

At that revelation many faces, even Vesemir's who came out to have some fresh air, became unsightly.

"Geralt, I want that drink... the blue one. I'm sick of water, it is not refreshing and nor tasty." - Ciri said and both Vesemir with White Wolf looked covertly at Triss, who was standing all this time on the wall watching Alan with rapt attention.

For once she didn't make a move to get closer to Geralt like she always does.

"Maybe later." - he said. - "Now it is your turn to take the Pendulum. Coen, remove one." - the witcher nodded in response, while Alan jumped down with a flip.

He walked to the stand, while removing the blindfold.

* * *

"Triss, what is this all about?" - asked Alan with a red face.

"First, take a breath after your run and than we will talk." - she said. Since she arrived at Kaer Morhen she had two problematic kids to take care of. Well, Alan was an enigma of a boy who learned magic she can't really fathom and Ciri... she is yet to understand what is happening as it was only no more than a week since her foot crossed the outer gates of Kaer Morhen.

Never the less sorceress already started to grumble about brutes, who understand about girls and women even less than a child in front of her. Thank goodness he actually insisted on Ciri not training during these days and wearing dresses whenever she felt 'ill'. Otherwise she might just have blown up this den of evil men chauvinists.

When she came to the room Ciri was staying in she experience a real shock of her luxurious life. Witchers lived in simple apartments with nothing but a bed, trivial table and a chair. What they can do to remodel it to give... more personal feeling is actually quite simple – they hang a pelt of a beast they hunted themselves without any help and swords.

For Ciri it was a very big hide of a rat with that ugly tail dangling around the floor. And the girl was very proud of it, although sometimes she looked at the door of Alan's room with clear fighting spirit.

At the question – what about wardrobe? She said simply and with nose turned to the sky that a witcher don't need wardrobe.

"Of course, witcher don't need it. Witcher needs alcohol, bitches and a good monster to impale on his sword every day! Damn knobheads! I'll break their eggs!" - raged Triss with avid periodicity.

More of less that was the feelings Triss had about how Ciri lived this year here.

Returning to Alan, he was doing not just good, but absolutely out of the norm. Even witchers admitted that they never saw such adaptation from a body not mutated by their Trial of Grasses and always wandered where his limit are.

Still, his magic was also very strange, however to Triss taste it lacked substance. He clearly new a very advanced language of magic, on par with the one she learned in Aretuza Academy, but aside from that came basically no education in spell weaving and force feeling. Let alone he had no aura of astral around him, or Chaos itself, how some liked to explain magic.

It means he is still working on his own reserves that will deplete after one or two serious spells and will hold for about a couple of dozens of what he used. Actually, what Alan practices as magic was no more than signs of witchers, but of very advanced form and extremely diverse in effects. Still, to Triss, it was child play, albeit a very fascinating and combat oriented one.

The fact that Alan can use them so good in combat was commendable. And dangerous.

That is why she decided to teach him about spell weaving and proper mediation. The last step will be elemental magic empowerment and manipulation.

"Alan, come, sit in front of me in meditation pose. Good, you are well practiced, done it before?"

"Yes, I use it to guide..." - than he stopped and looked at Triss seriously. Albeit he knew her character and already befriended a woman, he can't trust her identity. He knew that she is obliged to report to the Capitol of Mages. And that is a problem, because after Sodden Hill battle, Vilgefortz became a prominent figure there.

"Alan?" - she clearly understood his silence and was, unexpectedly, hurt. That surprised even her.

"Triss, can I trust you? No, wait, wrong question. You see, if it was only you I would have told already, but you need to understand that everything is more complicated."

"You are afraid of other mages? Why? I have a responsibility to guide and inform about people like you. Your aptitude for magic is unheard of, Alan."

"Triss, there are many people who would like to use me in not very pleasant way. Let's not play games. Afraid or not, my life is for myself to keep. Carelessness here is just a sign of ones stupidity. If you can promise me that everything said here and my identity stays between us, I will tell you much more. But if not, sorry, it will be just a mutual beneficial trade."