160 Thanedd Coup (Part 5)

"Are you going already?" - a woman with a child in her arms asked a man.

"Yeah, Imma have good feel. The sea is good today, good wind and weather. Ya just wait, Imma catch good stuff today." - said the man, placed a net on his shoulder and stepped out of the shack.

"Don't drink again, ya hear me, Gurtin? And I need meat, ya go buy some. And come back before dinner, we have nothing to eat. And if..."

The man didn't listen more, only cursed at her under his breath.

"Cocksucking bitch... do ya think Imma not know what you did with Harry from the opposite village? Hmph... but I did his wifey too and more times than he did ya, the bitch not bad."

Sea breeze caressed his face and brought usual salty smell. The man walked unhurriedly, otherwise it he could slip on the dirty road. Storm tonight was really strong, he wanted to be the first to sail near the coast. Most likely there will be a fair share of fishes on the seashore.

"Tch, stuck again. That damn rope. Imma need to buy a new one." - he cursed at the tight knot. - "Fucking shit, imma cut you if you don't loosen now!"

He knew he is wasting time and became angry. But then he heard a splash from the water and froze in fear. Nothing good will come from disturbed seaside in the morning. He forgot about it in the heat of the moment.

"Imma not tasty... go eat my wife, the bitch is fat and nagging all the time." - the man said while turning around slowly. He was afraid to see.

But when fisherman finally turned around, he froze for a moment. He saw two bodies washed ashore. He went forward with fear, but more than that he felt greed. They were dressed like people of high standing. Every piece of jewelry will make him king and Harry, his lifelong rival, will finally admit defeat.

"Woa, what a bitch! Better than Silva from the brothel in Hamm!" - he smiled with only half teeth intact and looked at the grizzled man with trepidation. - "Fuck, scary dude. Oh... wolf's head medallion. Imma will wear it and show Harry who's the boss, ye!"

The moment his hand tried to touch it was the moment he nearly died from fright, because the man suddenly moved like lightning and caught his neck.

Geralt wasn't in his right state of mind after waking up and felt like someone or something tried to rob him. He caught the culprit and threw him off.

There were many 'ifs'.

If Yennefer didn't cast her last spell before falling unconsciousness, that helped slow down the fall, they both would have been dead.

If Geralt wasn't a witcher and didn't have a sash with elixirs he drank underwater, they both would have been dead.

But now they are together. For how long is a question.

Geralt shook his head and sat up groggily while his vision was blurred.

"Yen..." - he turned to the side weakly and saw a woman lying near him. He heard her firm heartbeat and breathing. She was fine, but utterly exhausted.

Geralt breathed out in relief and looked at the man in rough linen clothing. He saw a net at the side of a small boat and fishing rod that the man held like a club.

"What are you going to do with the fishing rod? Hit me to death?" - Geralt found it funny.

"Imma hitting!" - then he looked at the snake-like eyes and paled. - "Imma not hitting, not hitting! Ya ingrate, monster... we don't need ya here in our village, shoo shoo!" - fisherman stood up and made many steps back. He opened his mouth and talked only after feeling safe.

Geralt looked at the five-step distance mockingly.

"Where are we? Stop staring at me and answer the question. Where is this place?"

"No, no... Imma not answering to sea devil, ingrate, mon..."

"Answer the question." - said Geralt while forming a sign with his fingers.

"Yes. Answering the question. We are in Geresk."

"What town is nearby?"

"Hamm."

"So it is Vergen." - Geralt stood up and checked his swords. He turned to the man standing there dumbly. - "Go fishing, then go home and be a good husband. And stop banging the wife of your neighbor."

Witcher looked at the receding back without expression, then turned around and picked up Yennefer.

"I lost Plotva. Again. It will be second this year already." - he said to no one.

"But you found me." - came a weak woman voice from his embrace. He felt her arms firmly wrapping around his neck. - "I can't walk, don't leave me."

"I won't leave you. Not now, not ever." - said Geralt. She was as light as a feather. He walked steadily and marvelled at effectiveness of meditations Alan taught them all. - "But I want answers."

Yen sighed. Her warm breath tickled his neck with a pleasant feeling. Even after a sea bath, she still smelled like lilac and gooseberry.

"Sure. There, I see a very picturesque stump by the dirty road. I think ants are crawling on it. Oh, or maybe there, in front of such a charming pile of horse dung by the ruined fence? Where should I start telling you?" - she said with her usual tone.

"Good to know you are fine." - scoffed Geralt, but didn't put her down, only tightened his hold.

"I won't run. Not anymore." - she said in a low tone. - "Let's find a proper place to have rest. And we need to find them. Where is Jaskier? If there is a person who knows every gossip by this side of Yaruga, it will be him."

"Ran away, but I believe he will find us."

"Geralt, Ciri is just a little girl."

"Alan is with her." - he answered firmly. He can't exactly tell when he started to trust the kid so much. But one thing was for sure, he could even entrust Ciri's life to him.

"What if they got separated?" - asked Yen, slightly lifting her head from his shoulder. She took a glance at his stoic profile and couldn't help but find it very attractive. Geralt wasn't the best-looking man out there, but something magnetic exuded from him that drawn her in.

"It is possible." - he finally said, and Yen could read worry in his gaze. - "We need to find them. Her. Ciri can't be alone. She just can't. Or she will repeat my childhood. I can't let that happen. No one should be like me."

Yen sighed and lightly kissed his neck.

"Salty." - she said. - "You are not alone. Not anymore."

They were silent for some time, while Geralt walked on the deserted road to the nearby village. The fisherman lived quite a distance away from it.

"But where can they be?"

"Anywhere, Geralt. After we fell in the sea and before the current took us too far away, I felt a ripple in space. It was very heavy and spread like a storm atop the calm water. I believe the entire Thanedd island is in ruins and that's the best outcome. My bet is on Ciri and Alan escaping through the unstable portal in Tor Lara. They can be anywhere. And also, if Ciri is alone, I can try to find her through magic, but with Alan by her side it will be very difficult. His powers are special. They create chaos in searching spells. Only very strong astromancer with sufficient ingredients will be able to give rough location. And even that if he is lucky enough. If I can't locate them, that alone can be a confirmation that they are together."

"Will you need anything for the spell?"

"Sure, blood of the virgin, eye of the cyclops and let me think... how about a finger of a newborn?" - she said while rolling her eyes. - "I am a sorceress, Geralt, not some village witch. What I need is power, the more the better. That's it."

Geralt sighed. Yen is Yen alright.

"We are close, put me down. Geralt, stop groping my ass and put me down. Now." - she stood on the ground, but tripped. The witcher showed wondrous reflexes and caught her again.

"You can barely walk." - he said.

"Your care is heartwarming but unnecessary. We need to have rest and after that find out what happened. The north is at war."

"Yen, why did you involve Alan and Ciri? They are just kids."

"I had to try. To try to stop the bloodshed. Tissaia was with me on this, but I never thought she will act so impulsively. I made a mistake, Geralt. A terrible mistake. And got two of them involved. But Ciri... I should have known she will do everything on her own. What can I say, you trained her well." - Yen walked with Geralt hand in hand.

They arrived at the village that was only waking up from morning slumber. It was usual northern settlement. Same people, same misty weather, same smell.

Something felt different, never the less.

Perhaps, the flames of incoming war, looming over the horizon pressured both Geralt and Yennefer to change their outlook on the world around.