173 Toussaint (Part 12)

Eagle cried high in the sky.

Its sharp eyes locked on the target inside the courtyard. It looked without blinking, entirely concentrating on the task that its new master ordered to do. Some were asleep, some pretended to be.

One of the people woke up. Sun was about to rise and they already were on the move. They never knew that a certain eagle followed their tracks.

It flapped its wings and gained acceleration, reaching for the higher altitude. Eagle viewed the world below with disdain and took notice of the direction the group was heading to. They separated and dispersed in the poor district. The search had started.

Eagle cried and made a sharp turn to the north. There, visible from nearly every part of Beauclair proudly stood the palace.

"Your Highness, I never thought your audience will happen so early in the morning." - Alan nodded in greeting and stood still, waiting for her to tell what is on her mind.

"Naturally, we ordered your presence here not out of boredom or beautiful sunrise. Although the latter part is great to take heed of." - said Anna Henriette with hands elegantly underlying every word. Even her body language resulted from years if not decades of strict training and royal etiquette.

The eagle cried in the distance.

Some ladies-in-waiting raised their heads to see, others were still staring at Alan with eyes full of burning desire. The latter in return didn't even try to use Vibe to understand what was happening inside their heads.

"We have a request for you to fulfill. Naturally, it will be rewarded handsomely. We need you to rid us of this menace!" - she raised the voice by the end of the sentence to remind everyone how dreadful the issue is. - "We want you to save our husbands and knights from the clutches of the creature, known as succubus! A true evil of Beauclair. Witcher, you need to kill her, we command you to do so."

The eagle cried nearby. It was flying above the heads of everyone present.

"We order to shoot down the insolent bird."

"Your Highness. It is my friend and companion. No need to kill it. It must have found something urgent."

"A bird? Are you joking with us, witcher?" - Anna Henriette frowned at Alan with an obvious threat in her sharp gaze.

"No. May I show you, Your Highness?" - Alan knew when to speak up and when one should act carefully. Although Anna Henriette was a benevolent ruler, her temper can be rather... explosive. Naturally, when it happens, consequences of her tantrum might vary from broken piece of art to rolling heads.

Still, she is a straightforward woman that demands due respect, not a kid that will do what she pleases. In short, she is someone who can be reasoned with, if one minds her position.

"We give permission." - the duchess nodded slightly and glanced at the eagle briefly. A barely traceable smile appeared on her face for a moment.

Alan outstretched his hand and eagle dived from the sky like a comet, unfolding its wings only near him and gently landing.

"Good boy." - Alan felt smooth feathers under his palm and connected to its mind, immediately scanning for information.

"Leave us." - said Anna Henriette with glowing eyes.

None even tried to disobey, but her private guards seemed reluctant.

"We want to touch it too." - she said after the entourage left them alone. - "Also, when we are alone, you can address me with my name, Alan."

"As you wish, Anna." - he answered without hesitation or usually shown timidness. It pleasantly surprised Anna Henriette. Perhaps even Alan was unaware of how rare such attitude from the duchess appears.

It was very hard to fathom the mind of Anna Henriette and the way she granted praise or condemnation. One day you might be her closest friend, another taking a step on the scaffold. So Alan never took her permission to call her by the name in private to heart.

And the situation proved it to be the right way.

"They are so soft. If only I have an eagle of my own. I always admired and envied them, more so in childhood. If I were an eagle, I could have just followed... just flew away and followed..." - she smiled at the bird and stroked its back. - "But I'm not." - her gaze became sharp again. - "How is your investigation going? Have you figured out what happened with Morivaldi estate? This case caused chaos and unrest among my people. Dreadful occasion."

"I know what did it."

"Then kill it."

"It is not so simple, Anna."

"Is it? I bet not harder than rule the entire Toussaint."

"It is a revenant, a rare creature of cursed category. To kill it, I need more investigation and to find who the revenant transformed from. It should be a person, killed and cursed unjustly in the place of power. Many things should connect with each other to give birth to such a powerful being."

"You have a week. Not more, yet not less."

The eagle transmitted all information to Alan and cried. It was eager to fly again.

"Set it free." - said Anna Henriette.

And so Alan did that. Eagle unfolded its wings, took to the sky and flew off for further reconnaissance.

"Anna, I want to know more about the request you made on the succubus."

"I never made the request. I ordered. You must kill this creature."

"If she is harmless, isn't driving away works?"

Anna looked at purple eyes that made her slightly nervous for some reason and sighed, while rubbing her forehead.

"You are just like him. Tolerant and kind. Well, he talks awfully more than you and doesn't know how to fight, but in other aspects you are similar."

"With whom?"

"Count Julius, of course, who else?"

Alan nearly passed out. That was one of the most shameful occasions in his life. Past, present, and future.

"No, Anna, we are completely, totally, absolutely, terribly, how will say my very dear person, different. I'm in no way like Jaskier, that purple clad peacock!" - he said without thinking and shut his mouth, seeing the gaze of the duchess.

'Crap. I'm screwed.'

"Haha... that is one of the most precise descriptions I ever heard of count Julius! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I applaud you, Alan." - yet she laughed. Only now Alan knew what was so unusual about Anna Henriette to him. He couldn't find a reason before, but now he understood.

She never smiled or laughed.

Never in a quinine way, from the heart. Everything she showed on the surface was just an act. As for real Anna Henriette, he never even tried to find out. It might be dangerous to do so and give unexistent signals to her highness.

Signals, that can make him shorter on a head.

"So, can I have an eagle of my own?"

"You can." - Alan shrugged. That was a trivial request for him. Making it obedient and loyal to her through vibe was a simple task to do. - "Give me some time and the eagle will find you."

"Thank you."

"Can we talk about the evil you told me to rid the Beauclair?"

"Ah, yes. It's not like that evil influenced we, it is plaguing lives of every married woman of our entourage and every woman of the Toussaint lands!" - the duchess again addressed herself in third person, signifying the end of private time. - "We know its name and where the lair of the creature is. It is called Natanis. We want that creature dead."

"I understand, Your Highness."

"Good. We await pleasant news. Now, our seneschal will escort you out. Audience is over, witcher."

Alan went outside the palace and breathed out. That crowd of court ladies and nobles was by no mean easy enemy to bring down.

"Sir Alan Violergos! Wait a moment, please!" - came a cry from the back and Alan nearly cried in grief. That exhausting morning won't end anytime soon.

He didn't bother to place a welcoming smile on his face.

"Oh, by the expression of your face I can easily tell how annoyed you are, but we really have a serious matter to discuss. By the heron, I'm very sorry about my lack of etiquette. It was so urgent that I forgot to introduce myself. Khm." - the knight in shining golden armor placed a helmet under his left arm and made a courtesy bow. - "Palmerin de Launfal, knight of Her Highness, at your service."

Alan made a very heavy sigh.

"You already know my name so I will skip all..." - the young witcher waved his hand at the upright posture and shining smile of the knight. - "...that and ask directly. What do you want?"

"I've heard about northern unique way of greeting the new friend. You witchers are direct and cut to the case. Just like the tales portrayed you to be, yes." - he said, smoothing that awkward moment with a bright gaze and eager attitude. One will say he is warm like sunshine. Alan thought the man shone like a bad neon advertisement in the street of red lights. - "Let us talk while we eat a great morning apple pie, shall we? I know the place."

"Then I will come with a friend if you don't mind."

"Erm... the matter is very... tricky."

"My friend is a witcher too. In training."

"Oh, then it is fine, let us go. This can't be delayed. Many lives are at stake and a good deal of happiness of men are at risk. By the heron, I know what I'm saying!"

Alan sighed again.

'Happiness, right? Maybe I shouldn't bring Ciri with me... whatever, we will see how it goes and act accordingly.'

With that thought the duo, a knight and a young witcher, went down the street to welcome their collaboration with an apple pie.