Chapter 16 Alone

Eira ran through the mist, hardly able to see what was in front of her. She held one of her arms stretched out in front of her to keep the low branched of trees out of her face. Her other hand still clung onto the bard's.

"Eira, we can't see anything," she heard Jaskier from behind her.

The elemental slowed down, not because she wanted to, but because she thought Jaskier's voice seemed so far away to her. She came to a full stop and abruptly turned on her heels. The bard almost bumped into her and Eira her gaze flickered wildly around their surroundings.

The mist made it unable to see anything, but the sense of dread became almost too much to bear for her. Her magic hummed nervously inside her, the golden cord flickered into the direction the Witcher must be.

"Something's not right," she whispered again and Jaskier let go of her hand.

A panicked feeling took hold of her and Eira snapped her gaze into his direction.

"Don't let go," she said, her voice strong yet begging at the same time.

"Eira, slow down," he said, but to Eira it seemed the bard spoke slow. Too slow.

When she looked up at him, she saw the obvious worry in his eyes and Eira shook her head.

"No, Jaskier," she said while the elemental grabbed his hand again, "You don't understand. There's something wrong here. I don't know what. Can't you feel it?"

The bard looked at her, features serious and he nodded slowly.

"The mist is something I haven't seen before," he spoke. His words slowly reaching Eira's ears and it looked like his lips were moving sluggish.

"We need to stay together," she said, the sound of an owl in the distance reached their ears.

"Eira," Jaskier grabbed her hand again, pulled her a bit closer to him. "Everything seems to go slow."

The elemental nodded, not replying to the bard since she felt the sudden tug on the magical, golden cord again.

"We need to find Geralt," she spoke up, turning again and walked into the direction of where the magic told her to go.

The forest was a maze. They couldn't even see the nearest tree and more than often, Eira or Jaskier tripped over some roots or low growth. Except for the hooting of the owl in the distance, there wasn't any sound to be heard around them. Which made Eira's heartbeat speed up frantically.

"Geralt," she yelled into the endless mist.

It seemed to swallow up her words, just to be returned to her own ears. An echo that didn't reach the Witcher. Because something didn't want her to get to Geralt.

"Something's holding us back," she spoke loud.

It took some time before the bard replied, as if he only heard everything a few minutes later.

"We should go back. Geralt will be fine," there was fear in his voice.

Something that Eira could not blame him for. Fear had settled in her stomach and bones by now.

"Eira," her name came as a whisper around them. "Eira."

The pair stood still and for a moment, Eira thought it was Geralt. Something was off by his voice. It sounded like him, yet there was something in there that didn't fit the Witcher's timbre.

It was sudden and fast when Jaskier let go of her hand. It made Eira spin around to face him. His beautiful eyes wide with fear and the bard held his stomach.

"Something has me," he was able to say before Jaskier got pulled back into the mist.

"No!"

Eira screamed, stretched out her hand for him to take it, but the bard was soon out of sight. He screamed her name and Eira ran into the direction Jaskier disappeared in.

Tripping over bushes, scratching her arms and knees in the process while her hands clenched into fists. Whatever it was that took Jaskier, Eira's magic was ready to be used.

The earth moved around her, trembled under her feet and rocks started floating around her. Her hands were ice, ready to strike when needed.

"Jaskier!"

Her voice didn't seem to carry far and Eira had to stop to catch her breath. She frantically looked to the left and right. Behind her and in front of her. Every direction looked the same : clouded in the heavy, impenetrable mist.

"Alone again," the same voice reached her ears and Eira looked around her.

Her breath came in short intervals and it left little clouds before her lips. It told her it cooled down, almost to a freezing point and Eira now feared for the bard's life in this cold. It didn't harm her, yet the vessel she was using shivered and her lips turned blue.

"Let them go," she spoke loud. "Where are they?"

A chuckle was heard. First a male's voice that resembled the witcher's, yet now, it was obvious feminine.

"You think you can command me, little one?"

It sounded so close, yet so far.

"Alone, you're alone," the voice laughed, moved again from direction and Eira moved with it.

"You're powerful," the female hummed into the air and Eira saw the mist move slightly at her right side. "So powerful. Yet, so scared. Tasty fear."

Eira swallowed before she raised her arm. Ice was thrown into thin air. She had no target, just the moving mist next to her and the laughter only grew louder.

"Poor Elemental," it hummed, voice back to male. "So scared of being alone."

Something clicked behind Eira and she spun around. Her eyes grew wide, her head nodded back because there was a tall creature who stood before her now. Its limbs long, too long to be in proportion. It had no eyes, at least, what she could see. Just a face with a mouth, large and sharp teeth were seen.

The Earth moved again. Rocks spun through the air, hit the monster before her yet it didn't face it. It merely moved his long limbs to let the rocks fall down on the ground again.

"Your fear makes me stronger," it giggled like a child. "The bard is dead."

Eira took a deep breath in, shook her head.

"You're lying, monster," she snapped viciously.

"The wither is dead too," it said.

Eira hissed angrily and moved her arms in front of her. The ground started shaking underneath them and the monster was caught off guard when an enormous rock shot out of the ground in front of it.

"Where are they?!"

Her voice high and heart beat fast. The beast fell back slightly, regained its posture and with one swing of his long arm, the rock scattered in a thousand pieces.

"Dead!"

Its voice roared, causing Eira to held her hands before her ears for the second time tonight.

"You're alone! Completely alone!"

She couldn't control the fear that settled in her stomach and around her heart. The fear that the monster was right and that Jaskier and Geralt were dead. That Eira was alone once again like she was for years before meeting the Witcher.

Tears stung behind her eyes while she realized that this was her biggest fear ; to roam around the world completely alone again.

The monster laughed, loud and obnoxious.

"Tasty tasty fear," it hummed.

"Dramatic," another voice came from behind the creature. "And that says something when you know I travel with a bard most of the time."

Eira looked up, saw Geralt holding himself steady by a large branch of a tree. His silver sword ready to strike. And so he did. The Witcher jumped and the monster was too slow to turn.

The Elemental swiftly raised one of her hands and with a flick, she made the earth bound to her will. Creating a circle of rock around it so the creature couldn't step back.

The weapon sliced through the beast ; a sickening sound of flesh being ripped and blood that gushed heavily onto the ground. It fell down into its stone prison and Eira let her tears flow freely when she cast her gaze upon the Witcher.

"You're alive," she stuttered when he walked to her.

"It tricked you. It feeds on your fear," Geralt said calmly and studied her face.

His eyes softened a bit when he noticed the tears and the scratches.

"Jaskier's fine too. He's waiting outside of the forest. Took me some time to convince him to stay put," Geralt offered her the faintest smile he could muster up.

Eira took a deep breath out of relief, yet the tears kept coming and she couldn't hold them back. In one movement, she circled her arms around Geralt's torso and rested her head against his chest.

The Witcher grumbled something she couldn't understand, but put one arm around her.

"I'm fine, Eira," he said, pushing her off of him after a few seconds. "Are you?"

She nodded while taking a step back and tried her tears.

"I am now."

"Good. Let's go. Before the bard gets a heart attack and dies."