Haunted

Cerys loved the open water. So did I. Triss… not so much, but as I was in control of our little craft, she admitted she felt safe. Certainly safer than when on the ship that took us from Novigrad to Skellige. Cerys was wearing An Craite colours, and the sail carried the colours too, so anyone who came looking would know who sailed aboard. I had asked about a longboat, but Cerys didn't want anyone else to help. This was something she needed to do alone… or with as little help as possible.

"Still think we should have brought Geralt along," I muttered.

"We'll be fine, Ragnar. If we need his help, you can always use the xenovox. And you've spent plenty of time with him. You can usually figure things out on your own. Smarter than you look." Gazing ahead, I took my eyes off the horizon to look at her, returning nothing but a sweet smile at me. "You'll be fine, Ragnar. Trust me."

I did, so I put any concerns to the back of my mind. Sailing from Kaer Trolde on Ard Skellig to Svorlag on Spikeroog wasn't a short nor easy journey. The seas were rarely calm in this part of the world. And if it wasn't the sea trying to kill you, it was the sirens that prowled the air. Cerys was armed with a crossbow, Triss could fling her fireballs if we found ourselves under attack.

Cerys had explained at breakfast the basics of what she wanted to do. During the journey, she expanded further on what she believed the problem was. Jarl Udalryk an Brokvar was apparently a man under a curse, according to rumours and it was something Cerys firmly believed. She had met the man more than once and saw the effects of this curse. She believed helping Jarl Udalryk would be a feat worth of someone who could become the first Queen of Skellige.

Sailing took two days, needing to spend a night sleeping on the small craft, each of us taking sentry duty, just in case a storm arrived and caused rough seas, though we figured any monster that might want to attack would be asleep. They had to sleep as well, after all. When it was Cerys' turn to keep watch, Triss snuggled with me, and when it was Triss' turn, Cerys snuggled. As I was already half-awake, and she wasn't exactly sleepy, I felt her hand eventually start to caress my cock.

"Cerys," I warned gently. She just met my eyes and leaned forward to kiss me. That woke me up. Glancing down the boat towards Triss, she was looking at us and simply smiled, before she looked away, though the smile remained. "Triss?"

"Just don't fuck her on the boat. It will rock too much and I'll get sick."

The three of us chuckled as I looked back at Cerys. She was biting her lip, so confident one moment, shy and nervous the next. Gently pulling her towards me, I resumed the kiss, keeping it gentle as I didn't want to turn her on too much, though ran my hands down her back towards her arse. Even that made her lightly whimper, needing to break the kiss, gently caressing her face. "Really like me, don't you?" she whispered.

Having complete privacy, this was when she let the emotion show, blinking rapidly before burying her head into my chest. "Too much," she whispered, "My heart hurts, Ragnar. I've dreamed of you for so long."

Triss moved immediately so she could hug Cerys from the other side. No surprise to see her eyes glistening in the moonlight. She understood… "Cerys," she whispered into her ear, "As soon as we return to Kaer Trolde and our room, you will make love. You'll just have to wait a little longer."

"How can you be so understanding?"

"You're not the first, might not be the last. One thing, though. I want to be there to see it."

"Of course."

"You do?" I asked. Triss would ask, but never wanted details from any other lovers I had been with, and I figured never wanted to watch me with anyone else.

"This is different, Ragnar. It's Cerys. I've known about her feelings for you as long as she has." She leaned over Cerys to kiss my cheek. "Use your fingers," she whispered into my ear, "I'll keep watch otherwise."

Cerys eagerly undid the buttons of her trousers, quickly lowering her trousers and underwear, meeting my lips again, accepting my tongue. Running my hands up her leg, she spread them enough that I could fondle her, and it was no surprise to feel the warmth and wetness already. As soon as I started to fondle her, she had to break the kiss and gasp, but her eyes were alive. And little surprise she needed to blink rapidly again.

"I love you," she whispered, "So much."

She was only the third woman to tell me that since I arrived on the Continent. Triss had confessed her feelings within a few days of meetings me. And she told me constantly ever since. I'd had numerous lovers since, but no-one had ever said those three words. Except Shani. Loved her to bits, but we seemed to know that being together would be difficult. Not impossible, just incredibly different. But Cerys had no problem whatsoever admitting her feelings.

Fondling her pussy was almost too much for me, achingly hard and my thoughts regarding her were absolutely carnal, mind filling with all sorts of visions of the lovemaking we would surely share upon our return to Kaer Trolde. When I slid my fingers inside her, she burst into tears, and I immediately stopped, though she closed her legs to keep my hand in place.

"Sorry," she murmured.

"Never apologise," I whispered back.

Triss couldn't sit back and watch, back in place behind Cerys again, gently stroking her hair. "It's a big moment, Cerys. Wait until he makes you cum."

"Gods, I'm going to be an absolute mess!"

"So we'll both cuddle you afterwards. Want to make her orgasm, Ragnar?"

"I do, but in a better way."

Throwing back the furs, it took a minute or so to get comfortable, but I soon had Cerys on her back, removing her underwear and trousers entirely, to reveal her glistening pussy, the thin strip of red hair above it but otherwise bald. It was beautiful to look at, and I definitely wanted to taste her. I would normally tease any lover I was with but, as we were on a boat, and it was rather cold, I figured just eating her out straight away would keep her warm plus make her cum.

She moaned loudly when I used my tongue. I… loved her taste immediately. Cerys had her head rolled back though I glanced at Triss, who watched me eat her out. Wrapping my arms around her thighs, I pulled her into my mouth and just went to town on her. She had an orgasm within a couple of minutes, turned on as she was.

Triss distracted her by kissing her constantly, though it was obvious from her body language that she didn't want me to stop for a second. Not that I was thinking about that anyway, I was enjoying her taste far too much, and I'll be honest, I loved eating pussy of young women. I heard her moaning into Triss' mouth constantly, and little wonder she eventually lowered her trousers and panties, so I could eat out Cerys while finger Triss at the same time.

"Oh fuck yes!" Triss cried out.

"Keep going," Cerys whimpered.

"Don't you date stop!" Triss added, "Eat her out until she passes out!"

Cerys laughed and cried at the same time. No idea how many times she did cum by the end, but once she needed to ask me to stop, Triss positioned herself above Cerys, and I just moved from one pussy to the next, giving Triss a couple of orgasms for good measure. Once she was satisfied, they laid side by side on the deck, amused that their chests remained clothed but were naked from their hips downwards. I amused myself by licking fingers on each hand shuffling, shuffling forward to sit between them, sliding my fingers inside both of them.

"Oh god," Cerys whimpered.

"Had enough?" She shook her head quickly. Triss simply grabbed my wrist to keep it in place. "One more, then we'll relax."

"And you?" Cerys asked softly.

"This has been all about you, Cerys. And a little about Triss."

"I'd love to taste your pussy one day, Cerys," Triss added quietly.

"You would?"

"Cerys, Triss has plenty of experience with women. You'd enjoy yourself so much."

"As long as you're involved," she said softly.

"Looks like you're guaranteed a threesome, Ragnar," Triss stated with humour.

The two women dressed themselves but any idea of Triss keeping watch ended, as both snuggled into me. She asked me more than once if I wanted a blowjob, but I assured her I was fine. She knew how much I loved going down on her with nothing reciprocated, and I had just adored going down on Cerys, with the only thought of making her orgasm again and again.

Cerys cuddled me, now very tired. "Love you," she whispered.

I glanced at Triss and she nodded. I kissed Cerys on the forehead. "I love you too."

She burst into tears. Triss cuddled into me as Cerys practically moulded her body into mine. "Ragnar, I know you love more than just us two here."

"I know, but it's… difficult…"

"One day, everything will be calm, then who knows what could happen? Maybe you'll have a harem of lovers?"

Cerys giggled. "Will I be one of them?"

"Depends on what happens, Cerys. You wish to be queen, yes?" Triss asked. Cerys nodded. "Well, I'm sure we will visit as often as possible."

We all snoozed for a couple of hours, waking with the first rays of sunlight. Cerys woke with a broad grin, simply cuddling into me, Triss having woken before us, sitting at the other end of the small craft. Noticing we were awake, she opened the bag we'd brought along, offering us some salted meat and bread to sate our appetites. I'd never been to Spikeroog, but Cerys had visited every major island in Skellige, and the main town or village had a tavern where we could get a proper meal and drink.

Arriving at the docks of Svorlag that afternoon, I was surprised at the friendly greeting, considering the colours of little craft had flown, but then again, it wasn't Crach stepping off the bat but Cerys. Being a rather unknown quantity, or just unknown in general, there was no real suspicion as to why she had arrived. As for myself and Triss, they recognised her as being a Continental, but it seemed word of myself had even reached them here.

"You are the Dragonborn?" one of the guards asked.

"Aye."

To say they were deferential afterwards wouldn't be a real understatement. Islanders were generally reserved people but I'd found an affinity with them upon meeting them the first time, a real reminder of my kind from back in Skyrim. And in me they saw someone who could have been an Islander, so little wonder I always enjoyed my time in Skellige.

Approaching the longhouse of Jarl Udalryk, the guards noticed it was a representative of Clan An Craite approaching and were respectful at least, allowing us to proceed without any questions. There was no sign of the jarl, but his advisor was standing by the fireplace. Triss and I stood back as Cerys approached him. We made sure we didn't overhear the conversation, but the fact he escorted her to the jarl's private quarters was a slight surprise. She glanced back and nodded, so Triss and I headed outside, figuring Cerys needed to speak to the jarl alone.

We were nursing a tankard each when Cerys must have walked in at least a couple of later. Once she had a tankard of her own in hand, we gathered close together. "Definitely cursed," she murmured, "We need to investigate."

"Where?" I asked.

"There are a few rumours about the jarl and what happened with his brother. I think we need to investigate his old house. It's further inland. Been abandoned for years now."

"Okay, it's late now so we should head up there in the morning." Cerys immediately looked a little antsy. "Cerys, it's going to be dark soon and I think stumbling up and down a mountain in darkness wouldn't be a good idea."

She didn't look happy but agreed. Thankfully, the tavern we were in had some spare rooms. Cerys asked for her own room, which didn't surprise me. It had been a rather busy and emotional couple of days for her, so taking a few hours for herself wasn't a bad idea. As soon as Triss and I were in our own room, though, we were naked within a minute and I had my face between her legs seconds second. I ate her to one orgasm before she was begging for my cock. We fucked for a couple of hours before finally drifting to sleep, Triss happily snuggled up and spooned against me as always.

Waking the next morning, I was expecting to hear Cerys knock on the door. Opening the window, I noticed there was already bright sunshine though the wind was still bitterly cold. Dressing and walking into the bar, we ate breakfast, waiting for Cerys to show her face. We must have been up for half an hour before I wandered over to her door. I knocked three times. Without a response, I just opened the door to find it empty.

"Damn it," I stated, turning and hurrying to the door leading outside, "Come on, Triss. She's not here."

"What?" Triss asked, falling in alongside. "Why's she left without us?"

"She's desperate to get this done quickly. I understand but could still have waited an hour or so until we woke up.

No point heading to the jarl's longhouse. Instead, we followed the mountain path toward the old house. Even from a distance, there was something about the place that sent a chill down the spine. Even Triss shuddered next to me, muttering something under her breath that was lost on the wind.

Climbing the stairs to get a look at the place, it was certainly dilapidated and long abandoned. Considering where it had been built, exposed to the elements, little wonder it was abandoned. Just standing outside the place was spooky enough. With no sign of Cerys on the path up nor outside, it could only mean that she'd gone inside.

"What was she intending on doing?" Triss wondered.

"No idea. Guess we'll head in and find out."

"You're not mad, are you?"

"No, I'm worried. She's strong, almost as stubborn as her father. But she could have waited."

Unsheathing my sword, as I simply had no idea what we were going to find inside. It was empty but that feeling crawling up the back of my spine, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I'd been in more than one creepy building in my life, but this one felt particularly haunted. Triss… I think she was terrified, taking her hand with my free one.

"Cerys?" I called.

The lack of response was concerning. Abandoned as it was, I was thankful the building wasn't too big so it wasn't going to take much searching. The door to the first room was locked, and no amount of shoulder barging was going to open it. The second room was empty save for some crumbling furniture. The house was otherwise collapsing on itself, and that's where we found Cerys. No idea what had knocked her out. The couple of beams nearby suggested she might have taken a hit on the head. Carefully picking her up, I carried her outside, sitting down on a bench, continuing to hold her until she came around.

When she finally woke up, she realised rather quickly I was holding her, and the embarrassment was obvious. "Don't worry about it," I whispered.

"I asked for help but need to do some of this alone," she whispered back, "Thought I'd get an early start."

"Know how you were knocked out?" She shook her head. "Okay, so that means it was something simple, or that's something fucked up in the house. Triss, look after her. I'm going back inside."

"Wait, I need to tell you why I'm here first."

"Hmmm. Good idea."

"As I explained, the curse must be tied to what happened earlier in his life, particularly with his brother. His sword. Find his sword. Brokvar. That will help us lift the curse."

"How?"

"I haven't figured that bit out yet."

"I'll go find it. Any idea where it is?"

"No idea. That's what I was looking for."

Lifting her up and sitting her down next to Triss, Cerys immediately leaning into her, I unsheathed my sword and approached the door. Still felt that sense of foreboding as I had when approaching the first time, so I simply took a deep breath and wandered inside. I swear, within a few seconds, I heard whispered words. Not just words, subtle threats. I ignored them… well, for a while until I muttered whoever it was should just fuck off.

With no sign of the sword anywhere on the top level, I knew I was going to have to go downstairs. Opening the trapdoor, it was nothing but darkness downstairs. Finding a torch scone nearby, I used a little magic to light it before dumping it down to the stone floor below, climbing down the ladder. Upstairs was bad enough, and I don't easily frighten, but by Talos, I hated every second I was down there. The whispered voices seemed even louder, not sure if it wasn't just my imagination.

Thankfully, I found the sword and simply got the fuck out of there as quickly as possible. Walking outside a few seconds later, I stopped and just released a shudder. "Okay?" Triss called.

"This house is fucking haunted. I don't care what anyone says." Taking a seat next to Cerys, I asked her to explain the idea again. Once she did, I had to think for a moment. "This doesn't make sense. Udalryk is being cursed yet his brother died at sea?"

"Aye," Cerys replied.

"So how does this sword and a haunted house relate?"

"I've talked to Hjort. He swears Udalryk didn't start hearin' voices until after Aki's death. And I don't think Hjort's mistaken, he knew both those boys from the cradle. I think we've to give Brokvar to Aki, and he'll leave Udalryk alone."

"What do you think, Triss?"

"Better theory than anything else at the moment. I guess we try this and see if it works."

Returning to the village, we found the jarl and his advisor outside. Udalryk looked utterly exhausted, like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in years. Sunken cheeks, scars all over his faces and arms. And he was now missing a finger. Triss and I shared a glance as Cerys asked, "What happened?"

"A necessary sacrifice to appease the gods," Udalryk stated.

"What? What sort of god would ask for that sort of offering?" I almost shouted. No god I knew of, whether on Tamriel or even Skellige would require such sacrifice. I looked at his advisor. "Surely you must see this is madness?"

Before anyone could reply, Cerys grabbed my hand. "Forgive him, Jarl. Ragnar's got more to learn about our customs. We're close to the gods in Skellige. And the chummier you are, the greater the offerin' you make. It's our belief that the greatest thing a man can offer is his pain, his suffering, the pure sacrifice."

"To hear the gods is a gift, not a sacrifice," Udalryk added.

I wasn't prepared to argue with someone clearly off the deep end. Curse or not, something was clearly afflicting him as no-one in their right mind would start lopping off parts of their body. Not entire hands anyway. I'd heard of fingers being chopped for various rituals, but most I knew of were simply blood. Cut your hand or palm, offer a little blood, job done.

I walked away, asking Cerys to get the information we need. Triss walked after me, no doubt sensing I was thinking this was all just a little ridiculous. "Ragnar…"

"I'm not mad at anyone really. It just doesn't make any sense. I'm almost tempted to write him off as someone off the deep end."

"Ragnar, he's clearly, as you would normally say, a little fucked up."

Taking a seat outside the tavern, Triss sat next to me, taking my hand in hers, and we sat in silence until Cerys returned a little later, holding a map. Offering to me, she looked a little embarrassed by everything. I patted the bench so she sat down next to me. "What am I doing?" I asked.

"Udalryk was able to describe perfectly where Aki went overboard. He's probably still on the seabed. I reckon all you need do is leave the sword somewhere nearby and it should solve the curse."

I wasn't convinced, but Cerys was confident, so I kissed her cheek and told her I'd be back as soon as I could. Triss wasn't going to let me go alone, suggesting a spell would help me breath underwater for longer. I was tempted to joke that she was the one going swimming, but I didn't think joking about it at that moment would be wise.

Heading to the opposite end of the island, we found a rowing boat we could use and I rowed the pair of us towards the area on the map. Triss was constantly looking from the piece of paper towards our surroundings, eventually calling out for me to stop rowing. "Think this is where he might have disappeared."

I wasn't doing anything except diving and placing the sword in the general region, so took off my coat and tunic, her eyes lighting up as always. I simply smiled as I put the sword in the scabbard, holding it in my hand as I carefully dropped into the water. Triss cast a spell before leaning over to give me a quick kiss. Letting her now I'd be back surely, I still took a deep breath before diving under the water. Thankfully it wasn't that deep, but all I did was dive to the bottom, relying on the little light that was provided.

The Divines must have been with me that day, at least. I have no idea how much time I spent under water, but in the gloom, I actually found bones. Clawing at the dirt and sand, it was a skeleton. Was it Aki? No idea, but I left he sword with the skeleton and began my journey back to the surface.

Popping my head out of the water, Triss waved at me as I'd swum further away than I realised. I carefully got on the boat and rowed us back to the island. Putting on my tunic and jacket, we walked back to the village. "Think it worked?" she asked.

"Between you and me, no. This has nothing to do with Aki, at least in the terms that it's his brother haunting him."

"You still think he's just crazy?"

"I would have written him off before the chopping off the hand thing. He clearly hears voices. I just don't know whose voice."

We were about to enter the longhouse when we heard screaming from within. The guards didn't make a move. When I asked why they were not worried, they admitted they were now used to the screams, and as no-one else had entered, they figured it was the jarl just having a manic episode. I shared a concerned glance with Triss before we walked into the darkened hall.

Cerys was pacing though when noticing us, her shoulders slumped before she simply gestured at the jarl, who stood by the fireplace. Turning towards us, I heard Triss whisper, "Oh my god!"

Looking back at Cerys, she walked towards me, stopping and resting a hand on my chest. She looked terribly upset. I knew she'd probably been witness to it. "The gods, Ragnar… they ordered him to poke out his eye."

"No," I retorted, shaking my head, "No god would make you chop off your own hand before taking your own eye. No benevolent god anyway. And I know for a fact that the daedra don't exist here."

"The gods are mysterious, Ragnar," Cerys said quietly, "You…. wouldn't understand. Some of our beliefs are different. Far different to the Continent."

Walking towards the jarl, it was then that I noticed something in the shadow of the fireplace. The shadow… wasn't him. I had no idea what it was, but I knew I'd have to speak to Geralt immediately. I steered him towards his throne, gesturing for him to sit down. I'd rarely seen a more broken man. It wasn't just the sheer exhaustion. It wasn't the fact he'd mutilated his own body. I worried he was going to make the ultimate sacrifice and end his own life. Crouching in front of him, I just looked him up and down. Jarl's are meant to be powerful figures, holding the respect of all in their hold. I had a feeling this man simply had respect because he held the title. He needed out help desperately and now had a feeling he truly was cursed.

"I won't leave until you're free," I said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder, "Yours gods. When did they ask you to take your eyes?"

"After you departed. They called me weak and a coward for not going with you."

"Were you awake? Did anyone else see?"

"No. They generally visit me when I sleep. I… don't sleep well. I often take short naps." I believed that considering he seemed on the verge of falling asleep. If he was plagued by voices all the time, little wonder he didn't want to sleep.

Nodding, I turned and gestured for Cerys and Triss to follow me outside. Once we had privacy, I explained what I saw in the hall, the shadow that I had seen reflected by Udalryk. Taking out my xenovox, I took a seat and got in contact with Geralt. Took a couple of minutes for him to reply, but once he did, I explained as best I could what was happening. Thankfully, his mind was an encyclopaedia of knowledge regarding monsters.

"You're on Spikeroog, correct?"

"Aye."

"Yen, will we be done here soon? Ragnar might need our help."

"Geralt, we really need to be focusing on Ciri right now. I'm sure Ragnar is capable…"

"He's dealing with no ordinary monster, Yen. This is… outside his knowledge. I've never dealt with what he's deal with."

"Lay it on me, Geralt. What is it?"

"It's a hym. A post-Conjunction creature, very rare and very dangerous. It latches onto men who commit vile deeds. It feeds on their pain for years, fuelling their guilty conscience. In the end, hyms force their victims to mutilate themselves."

"Well, that's already happening," I muttered, "Okay, how do we deal with this thing? Tell me the easiest way where I can just kill the thing."

"Witchers' bestiaries say you have to spend a night in the hym's lair. With the affected individual."

"Where would its lair be?" Cerys wondered.

"Haunted house," I muttered, "I thought I saw something flickering in the shadows there. Thought it was my imagination. But I remember hearing the voices." I cleared my throat. "Ragnar, the only problem with that is that Udalryk is quite weak. Could that be a problem?"

"The hym won't try and kill him because it would mean losing its host. No, the problem is that if the host is weak, whether mind, body or spirit, then he might just… expire. What does the house mean to him?"

"It's been long abandoned, Geralt," Cerys replied, "But there is no doubt there are painful memories there, particularly of he and his brother. There is no doubt the hym has fed off all the guilt."

"The other concern is when fighting it, Ragnar. The more pain it causes Udalryk, the stronger it will grow."

"That's where my Thu'um comes in if necessary."

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Cerys asked.

"It's the best way for you and Ragnar to handle this. Ragnar focuses on the demon, you and Triss look after Udalryk. Keep him alive at all costs."

"What's the other way, Geralt?" Cerys asked.

There was silence for a few seconds. "I believe…"

"This was my plan, Geralt. Please, tell me the other way. Then Ragnar and I can discuss it."

"You can try and trick the hym. The problem you face is that the hym's a demon, and demons are notoriously hard to fool. Plus, the trickster can't know it's a trick."

"What?" I asked, admittedly a little confused.

"The hym attacks those who have a guilty conscience, truly believe they committed a foul deed. The hym strengthens their regret and feeds on it. Meaning... if the new host doesn't feel true sorrow, the hym will sense that."

"So if either of us have an idea, we can't tell the other person."

"Exactly. The person will need to be convinced of their own guilt."

"Shit," I muttered, "Neither way sounds great."

"I've never dealt with a hym before. You'll have to tell me all about it when you're back, Ragnar. Discuss it between yourselves and do what you think is best. I'd trust in your sword arm, Ragnar, but if Cerys believes she can trick it, then so be it. Try it that way. Perhaps safer for the jarl, at least. Need anything else?"

"No. Thanks, Geralt. We'll be back at Kaer Trolde in a few days."

"We're still making progress ourselves. We'll agree on our next move once we're together then. See you later."

Placing the xenovox back in my pack, I turned to Cerys and waited. She stood up and paced back and forth a few times, deep in thought. She finally stopped and looked at Triss and I. "I don't want to fight it, Ragnar. We can do this by tricking it."

"Are you sure, Cerys?"

"I don't want to cause the man any more pain. There is a way we can do this without needing to fight, without putting him through any more harm."

"You have an idea?" She nodded. "Then you can't tell me. But I trust you, Cerys. You've always had the brains of the family." That earned me the sort of grin Triss gave me at times. "Don't even give me the basics. But where should we go?"

"Head up to the house, wait for me there. Get a fire started in the oven to warm the place, light a few torches. Really light the place up. I'll join you there in a couple of hours. I'm going to have a chat with Udalryk, see if I can't figure out a way to get this done peacefully."

I stood up and gave her a quick hug, leaving a soft kiss on her forehead. "Pull this off and…"

"Oh, we are making love regardless, Ragnar."

Triss giggled next to me as I took her hand and we walked back up to the house. It still didn't like walking through the front door, though once we had a fire roaring and a few torches lit, the fact it warmed up and was now brightly lit certainly made it feel a little better. Though I figured, once all this was over, Udalryk should just burn the place to the ground. Even without the hym, there was no doubt it was just a painful reminder.

I checked outside every hour or so, watching the light slowly but surely start to fade. Triss happily leaned back against a wooden pillar and relaxed. As it was warm and bright, she certainly didn't seem to have any fear. The light must have driven off the voices.

It was dark outside by the time we heard voices outside. The wind had picked up, and there seemed to be an approaching storm, so I couldn't quite hear the words, but there was no missing the panicked shouts.

Cerys burst through the door, holding a baby in her arms. Handing it over, she urged, "Take him! You must put him in the oven! Trust me."

"What?"

"Trust me, Ragnar. In the oven! Now!"

I looked up to see Udalryk enter, flanked by a trio of his guards. I looked at Triss for a moment, her eyes simply wide in surprise. "Give me the baby!" Udalryk cried.

"Now, Ragnar. Now!" Cerys cried.

I knew what she wanted me to do. I feed the baby into the oven, I'd feel the guilt. I took a couple of steps back…

Slamming the door shut, I pushed the jarl back, his trio of guards unsheathing their swords. I didn't want to kill them, so backed off and unsheathed myself. Blocking and parrying their wild swings, I could hear the cries and whimpers of the jarl, banging on the steel door of the oven. I didn't kill his guards, managing to get close enough to all three to simply knock them out.

"Ragnar," Triss whispered from next to me, glancing to see her in tears.

Udalryk turned and strode towards me, though he near collapsed, beating his fists into my chest. "Why?" he cried, "Why, you bastard?"

"Now it's on my conscience," I muttered, "Now it will feed on me."

Then I heard Triss gasp as there was no doubt the hym had now moved from Udalryk to myself. And it wasted no time starting to feed on me. The voices were loud. They were insidious. They near enough caused me to fall to my knees, crying out as they whispered what I should do. Triss stepped closer but I yelled at her to stay back, lest it started to suggest I do something I couldn't stop myself from doing.

The sound of a crying baby caused all of us to look towards the origin of the sound. Cerys walked into the room holding the child, completely unaffected by the fact I'd thrown it into the oven. I had to choke back a sob of relief as she cooed over it, Udalryk carefully approaching her and the child. "Aki!" he whispered.

Cerys carefully handed over the child, Udalryk sitting down by the fire, the look of love on his face and his eyes almost overwhelming. It was easy to see the hym had already left him. Cerys walked towards me, reaching up to caress my cheek, a smile on her face. Then her face hardened as her eyes moved to somewhere behind me. "Go!" she called, "Go now. There has been no crime here. You will find no guilt. Only shock and relief, but also love. Go now, foul demon, and never return."

Within a few seconds, I felt a wave of relief flood over me, leaning down to give her such a kiss, making sure her body moulded into mine, she had to break the kiss to simply take her breath. "Wow," I whispered, "Talk about brains and beauty."

Letting her go, Triss walked over and gave her one hell of a hug as well. The jarl hadn't moved from his position on the floor, so I sat next to him. He continued to coo over his child, though he glanced at me eventually. "What happened?" he asked, "My head is… spinning… can barely stand up…"

"You're free," Cerys stated, "We tricked the demon infecting your mind."

He looked back down at his baby. "Free…" he whispered, "The voices, though. They're gone. It's all silent. But I feel… empty."

"I have some experience in this," I admitted, "Back on my homeworld, I underwent a ritual. There were numerous benefits to the ritual, but there were also numerous negatives. I enjoyed the gifts for a long time, but I have no doubt it was also a detriment to my soul. When I was finally cured, it felt like a piece of me was missing, and it took a long time for me to feel whole again. I have no doubt this demon was the same. It's been a part of you for a long time, so it seems. It's been feeding on you. Now that you're free of it, you feel like a part of you is missing. That isn't the case. Give it time. You'll soon feel your old self."

Helping him to his feet, he approached Cerys. "Thank you," he said kindly, "I won't forget what you've done for me."

"You're welcome."

We escorted the jarl back home, ensuring the baby was asleep before we all made sure he was put to bed. He fell asleep so quickly, no-one would have been surprised. Walking back out into the hall, Hjort looked around. "Tomorrow, we're opening the windows and letting light back in. No more living in the darkness." Then he offered his hand to the three of us. "Thank you for helping us. Helping him. It will no doubt take time, but hopefully he'll be back to his old self soon enough."

"I noticed the name of his child…" I stated.

"He loved his brother, Ragnar. Loved him more than anyone. I know of the rumours. Understandable, in a way. But the guilt was always about the failure to save him. Udalryk never hated his brother for what happened. If he blamed anyone, it was his father, even himself. But Aki was his younger brother, and he doted on him like any older brother would."

"Hopefully he now finds peace," I stated.

"We should stay a couple of days, Ragnar," Cerys suggested, "Make sure he's definitely released and making improvements."

"I'll let Geralt know. Are we sailing back?"

"I'm certainly not passing up another chance on the open water," Triss stated. I couldn't help glance at the suggestive tone.

"Okay then. Let me go speak to Geralt, inform him we'll be here a little longer, then we'll begin the journey back."