“What brings you to La Valette, Roy?” Eveline held Roy’s shoulders with trembling hands and slowly moved herself with the young witcher’s help. She tore the wounds on her body with every inch she walked, and she clenched her teeth in pain.
“We’re on our way to Novigrad. Planning on crossing the White Bridge.” Roy wrapped his arm around her lower back and held her up. He looked at her closely. The elven dancer was nothing more than skin and bones now, and her chin was unusually sharp.
Eveline’s wounds were severe. From what Roy read about medicine, the incessant lashings and malnourishment had destroyed her body. Even if the wounds were to heal, she would be left with complications like arthritis. Eveline was oblivious to that for the time being, however.
“The city in Redania? I heard that’s where the Eternal Fire’s headquarters are. They’re hostile to non-humans.” She was looking at the young witcher’s ears and hair. Eveline could see that his elven blood had thickened. He was no longer a quarter-elf. Roy was slowly turning into a pureblood, much to her surprise. Atavism?
“Novigrad the free city, to be exact.” Roy waved his hand before her and explained, “It might be in Rednia, but ever since the negotiations between a representative of Temeria’s previous king and Radovid III, Novigrad has been a free city. It belongs to no kingdom, and everyone’s happy about it. As for the Eternal Fire…” Roy hissed, “I’ll forget they exist if they stay out of my way, but if they don’t, my companions and I will teach them a lesson they won’t soon forget.” The Eternal Fire isn’t as tyrannical at the moment. Radovid V the Stern isn’t powerful enough to support them yet.
“You guys have something to do in Novigrad?” Eveline looked around her. A dozen soldiers, Dylan, and Letho were following them. Roy convinced Serrit, Auckes, and Felix to settle into an inn and keep an eye on the horses. They were on a reconnaissance mission, not a battle. There was no need for a big team.
It was the first time Eveline saw six witchers, apprentice included, going around in a team.
“Technically, yes.” Roy fell silent. In the end, he said honestly, “But I’ll be seeing my parents as well. It’s been more than a year since I saw them. We’ve been separated ever since I left with Letho. I wonder how they’re doing.”
“Um, I thought you said your parents were dead.” Eveline stared at Roy unblinkingly.
“Um, uh… It was just a little white lie. Don’t think too much about it.” Roy hemmed and hawed, and much to his relief, Kantilla stepped in to change the subject.
“Witchers have parents too?” Kantilla stubbornly refused Roy’s help. She dragged herself ahead despite her wounds. Her beautiful, muscular feet were abraded, as she was walking barefoot. A trail of blood followed her, but she paid it no heed.
“Of course.” Roy heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. “We didn’t just appear out of nowhere, you know.”
“You might laugh at me, but…” Kantilla guffawed, but it quickly turned into a wince. She’d pulled her wounds. “I always thought witchers came straight from a sorcerer’s lab like some sort of emotionless homunculus, but now I see I was dead wrong.” Kantilla turned around to look at Letho, then she stared straight at Roy. “Most witchers look cold and emotionless, but you’re actually regular humans inside. You came to our rescue even though you knew the baron was out for us. You put yourself in harm’s way for us.” Kantilla patted his shoulder. “Thanks, Roy.”
“I just happened to be in town.” Roy thought pensively. “Never thought I’d hear about you from the soldier. You guys are my friends. I couldn’t just do nothing.”
Everyone fell silent this time.
“It’s harrowing how far the troupe has fallen.” Eveline had a melancholic look on her face. “It’s like we lost everything overnight.”
“This happened because Alan died. I’m partly responsible for this,” Roy said to himself. If things were to take their own course without any intervention, Eveline would become The Ermine and help Geralt with a heist involving the Borsodi Auction House. Things changed though. If Roy had not arrived in time, everyone in her troupe would’ve died, including her. The baron’s fury would burn her whole future away. Roy had an epiphany. I’ve changed at least a few people’s fates so far. Adda, Ciri, Verrieres of the White Orchard, the Ladies of the Wood, Kunguran, and the Sea Scorpion Troupe. Roy was reminded of the butterfly effect, and a smidgen of fear tickled him. He would lose the element of surprise in the future if he made one drastic change.
No use thinking about that though. Roy took a deep breath and held those thoughts down. He then asked the troupe members of their experience over the last few days.
Ever since Amos ‘escaped,’ the baron took his fury out on the remaining troupe members. He locked them in the dungeon and tortured them for answers. He demanded to know where Amos was hiding.
“I’d love to know where Amos is right now.” Adeline craned her neck, tears welling up in her eyes, a frown furrowing her brows. “The soldiers tortured us, day in and day out. Whips, hunting knives, and red-hot pokers.” Fear filled her eyes.
“More importantly, these bastards wouldn’t even give us anything to eat!” Kantilla growled. “All we had was a bowl of dirty water and a piece of bread that was as hard as rocks. I couldn’t escape, even if I wanted to. Didn’t even have any energy.”
There had been a line of people styling themselves as some sort of powerful saviors who claimed they could save his son lately. They turned out to be charlatans in the end, and Baron had enough of this fruitless waiting.
“That’s me.”
“I think I’ve heard that name before.” He paced around like a cat on hot bricks and slammed his fists together. “Oh, right. An old friend of mine told me about a new play in the capital’s opera. It’s called Legend of the Sewer Butcher—Ender of Filth. The protagonist is a witcher called Roy. Is that you?”
Roy exchanged a surprised look with Letho. Well, Agorn works fast, that’s for sure. “It’s surprising that you’d take an interest in the play, lord baron. Yes, the protagonist is based on me.”
Baron nodded, and the look in his eyes turned just a bit gentler. He asked, “Did you really wipe Vizima’s sewers of all the monsters like the play said, Master Roy?”
“Ahem. That’s an exaggeration, but I did kill a lot of monsters,” Roy answered humbly for once.
“Well, then I hope you’re as good a tracker as you’re a monster killer.” The baron said, “You know what happened, so I won’t waste my time repeating the case. Do please bear in mind that my son has been bedridden for a long time now. He’s the heir to this land, but he’s dying because he can’t even eat. If you’re willing to help, then I would like to see Amos within one week. As promised, you shall be rewarded handsomely if he lifts the curse from Aryan. I swear on the honor of the La Valette family.”
Your wife tainted that honor a long time ago, Roy thought. He said, “Pardon me, baron, but our mission is to save Sir Aryan, not catching that circus performer.”
“What’s the difference?” The baron clenched his fist, displeased about Roy’s question. “If you can arrest him, he can lift the curse he cast on my son.”
“I don’t think so, baron.” Roy’s eyes glinted. “I’ve talked to the troupe members not too long ago. And judging from what they said, it’s obvious that Amos is not the curse giver.”
“Witcher!” Baron raised his voice. “Someone told me the same thing before, but they failed to prove it. Nobody can prove that the performer is not behind this. Instead of wasting your time finding this… culprit, I suggest you track Amos down and bring him to me.”
***
“Have you heard of the name Ignatius Verrieres?” Roy suddenly asked.
“The White Orchard’s lord?” Baron frowned. He wondered why Roy was bringing up someone irrelevant to the situation.
“Yes.” Roy stared into his eyes. “Baron Ignatius used to be in your situation as well. Letho and I cracked the case for him and made sure his bloodline got to go on.”
“Witcher, lying to a lord is a severe crime.” Baron put his hands behind his back and pushed his belly forward. He gave the witchers a sidelong glance. “And we tolerate no liars. They’re either burned or hanged.”
“You can always send someone to Amavet and get the confirmation you need,” Roy said confidently. He knew the baron had no time for that. “I’m just saying that you should trust us. Give us time to look into this.”
The baron fell silent. He was wavering.
Roy kept pushing. “Baron, you should have searched everywhere at this point, and nothing happened. Why don’t you change your approach? Take it from the top and find out who the hidden culprit really is.”
“What do you have in mind, witchers?”
“We’ll be checking the crime scene again. Everyone who worked on the banquet must be present too,” Roy said. “I’m sure you missed some details.”