Eveline thought she saw a pair of beastly eyes. There were a lot of emotions swirling in them, and it pulled her out of the abyss of pain. She was starting to have some hope. The young man in the crowd looked familiar to her. She knew that face, but it was different from what she remembered. For a moment there, she could not recognize him.
It had been more than six months since she’d last seen Roy. He had not gone through the trial yet. The young witcher had grown a lot since then, and his face and body went through a dramatic transformation. He grew taller, and his features got more chiseled. His skin got softer and leaned towards looking like an elf. He felt more dependable too.
Who is he? Eveline frowned. A few men appeared beside the young witcher. When she saw the bald, burly man, she realized who the young witcher was. Letho of the Viper School. So that young man must be his apprentice. “Roy,” Eveline murmured almost inaudibly. It felt like forever since she saw him. He was that young quarter-elf who loved calling her name. “He’s grown so much.”
***
“Hey, kid.” Letho huddled closer to Roy. “So what are you gonna do? Do you want to help?” Letho looked at the remaining troupe members. He said, “Amos did try to sabotage you, and he’s annoying, but Eveline was nice to you. She cared about you, and she really wanted you to stay. She took Alan’s kids to Melitele’s Temple. I wonder if they’re doing well.”
Eveline used to shine like a diamond, but now she lost her gleam. She was like an elf who lost all hope for life. Her companions were worse for wear too. Kantilla was a vivacious woman, but she was silent. Ferroz looked numb, like he had lost his soul.
They were already in a bad situation, but the crowd would toss rotten vegetables and garbage on them, calling them names like ‘sinners,’ ‘abomination,’ and ‘witches.’ Nobody stopped them. They were here for some laughs.
How’d this happen? “Should I help him?” Roy muttered to himself. The ‘criminals’ here were people he knew. He couldn’t stay out of it. “I guess I just love to mettle in somebody else’s business.”
“You know these sorry sods, Roy?” Auckes and Serrit looked at them curiously.
“Technically, they’re my friends.” Roy pursed his lips. But Eveline’s only close to me, not them. I can’t possibly ask them for help.
“Well, what are you waiting for then? You can’t stand around while your friend gets burned.” Auckes went straight to the stage. Everyone followed him, including Felix. He held Carl’s hand, and his eyes gleamed coldly. The Vipers helped him back in Velen. He would repay his debt if they needed it.
The soldiers’ leader who stood in front of the stakes held his whip tightly. He was about to lash at the criminals again, but then he saw five men barging onto the stage. His face fell. “Wait! Who are you people? This is against the rules! I know you’re excited, but stand aside!”
The soldiers around the instructor surrounded the witchers and held the hilts of their blades. The crowd wanted things to heat up even more, and they egged the combatants to fight. They would love to see a bloody battle.
“Calm down, soldier. We’re not here for trouble.” Auckes frowned and stopped in his tracks. He raised his hands to show that they meant no harm. “Can we talk to the criminals for a moment?”
The instructor scoffed. “Who do you think you are? This is an executioner’s stage, not an inn or a public bath. You can’t talk to the death-row inmates just because you want to. Now stop getting in my way and leave!” The instructor waved them down impatiently and lashed at the troupe members again.
The whip cracked and arced through the air like black lightning. Spikes unfurled like legs on a centipede, and the troupe members tensed up. They were horrified. Apparently, this whip left an impression.
Roy gnashed his teeth. He could imagine how the whip chipped away at the troupe members. “Mr. Dylan, we can’t help the baron if you won’t let us get near.”
The instructor froze. He was caught by surprise. “How do you know my name, young man?”
Eveline coughed.
“Dammit! The rope’s too tight! I’ll loosen it up.” Roy tugged on the rope, but Eveline smiled at him weakly.
“Don’t worry, Roy. It’s been a month. I’m used to it. I’ll tell you what happened.” The elven lady looked up into the sky and started talking about their experience.
***
“After we went our separate ways in Ellander, we went to Vizima, Oxenfurt, Dorndal, and eventually came to La Valette’s land. That was two months ago. We stayed in the fief and performed for the merchants who traveled through the White Bridge. It was business as usual. And then a big ticket request came to us. The baron’s butler liked our performance, and he hired us to perform at the castle to celebrate his daughter’s birth.”
“Lady Anais, the daughter of Maria Louisa.”
“Yes. The baron was blessed with another child. At his age, it’s a celebration.” Eveline smiled, as if reminiscing the event. “He invited a lot of guests of prestige to witness that. Everything went perfectly. We put on a nearly perfect performance for the baron’s guests that night.”
Kantilla added, “I promise you, Roy, that was the best show ever since Alan’s death.”
Roy cut the ladies off. “Hold up. Did you see a man among the guests? About forty years old, short, reddish-brown hair, and amber-colored eyes. The baron probably treated him with care too. Did you see anyone like that?” If I’m right, Foltest left Vizima about a month ago. He might have traveled to the fief just to see his daughter.
Eveline pursed her lips and fell into her thoughts, then realization struck her. “Yes, Roy. I remember now. I did see the man you speak of. He was majestic. The baron spent most of the time tending to him. He paid more attention to that man than his own family. We thought the man must’ve been an important official of Temeria. That, or he was royalty.”
Kantilla nodded, confirming her friend’s guess.
I pity you, Baron. You’re raising someone’s kid, and you still don’t know it, Roy thought. The ladies had no idea that the girl was not the baron’s real daughter. “What happened next?”
“It was… sudden. There was no warning at all,” Eveline recounted. “We had a break in the side chamber after the performance. Sir Aryan took an interest in Amos’ Gwent tricks. He hung around Amos and wanted him to teach a few tricks in private. Lots of guests saw that. And…” Eveline stopped, fear welling in her eyes. “It happened. We heard a servant screaming, and everyone rushed to see what happened. We found Sir Aryan in a bedroom, except he was on the floor, and he wasn’t moving. Amos was nowhere to be seen.”
Eveline had a look of confusion on her face. She had no idea where Amos went, even until now.
“Odd.” Roy massaged his forehead. “Amos had no reason to attack Aryan.”
“All of Sir Aryan’s valuables went missing. Someone said Amos cast the spell on Aryan because greed got the better of him.”
Kantilla stared at the young witcher and pleaded earnestly, “But we’ve worked with him for years, and Amos is no fool. Yes, he likes coins, but he wouldn’t do something that stupid. He would never cross a baron. That would be the end of him. The whole of Temeria would try to hunt him down. And this is just too obvious. There’s no way someone could hide a crime of this scale.”
“Yes. He’s not a fool,” Roy said solemnly. “And he doesn’t even know any sleeping curses.” Roy had cast Observe on Amos before. He was sure the performer was a regular human.
Roy fell into his thoughts and combed out the clues he got. “I think I get the gist of things now. If I’m right, Amos is just a scapegoat. The real culprit is still at large. We’ll have to look around the baron’s castle if we want more proof.” Roy stopped and looked at the troupe members. “I’ll talk to Dylan and see if he can let you guys go. We’ll head for the castle after that.”