Dinner wasn’t as sumptuous as the one they had before, but meat, stew, and greens were available. Training exhausted the witchers, and they could’ve devoured a whole bull. They chomped through the meat and bones easily, eating as fast as they could. It was like a competition of who could eat faster, and in five minutes, there was nothing left of the deer but its bones.
Letho put down the leg bone and gave his companions a look, and then he raised his mug. “Thank you for your tutelage, Vesemir. A toast to all of you. To the Wolf School! To Kaer Morhen! To everlasting friendship!”
***
The Wolves returned the toast, though someone harrumphed a little. “Just because you’re more experienced than I am in battle doesn’t mean you’re a better drinker, Auckes.” Lambert raised his mug as a challenge to Auckes. Flames shone on his eyes where determination flickered within. “Wanna have a go?”
“Sure, but we gotta have some stakes,” Auckes accepted the challenge. “What if you lose?”
Lambert announced, “Then I’ll bang my head against the ground and apologize to you.”
“What if you go back on your word?”
“That is enough!” Letho shot Auckes a deadly look, and the latter shut up. “Sorry. Auckes is a straightforward man. Never filters what goes off his tongue.”
“Lambert is the same.” Geralt looked at the bantering witchers. “He only shoots off at people he likes. It’s his way of showing concern.”
“Huh?” The bantering witchers turned their attention to Geralt, the intensity of their gazes making the White Wolf shudder.
“I said that’s enough. Now let’s talk business.” Letho scanned everyone. “As thanks for your generous tutelage, we’ve decided to give a return gift. Or to be exact, we’re giving back what is rightfully Kaer Morhen’s.”
Sounds of chewing and cutlery clattering against plates disappeared, replaced by a deafening silence.
“What do you mean, Letho?” Eskel was confused. “We couldn’t have lost anything. Seventy years I’ve been here, and I didn’t know we had any stolen treasures. How did you guys know about it?”
Lambert, Geralt, and Vesemir were equally befuddled.
***
And then everyone fell into a sorrowful silence.
Dozens of witchers and some resident sorcerers were a force to be reckoned with, but still they were almost annihilated when faced with a horde of frenzied invaders. They were crushed and smashed apart like a lone wooden boat in a raging sea.
Resolve glinted in Roy’s eyes. I won’t let history repeat itself. We must change for the better, and first, I need to gain their trust.
“So Roy’s premonition was spot on?” Lambert gulped in disbelief. “He’s a talented swordsman and Signcaster, and now you’re telling me he’s a clairvoyant? Is he even really a witcher anymore?”
“Of course he is. This is beyond your imagination though.” Auckes patted his shoulder. “He’s the sign of the Viper School’s rise.”
“Ah, shut it. A single witcher can’t change anything.”
***
Roy looked around. “Vesemir, Wolves, if you’d like to, we can set off for the search anytime,” he said genuinely. “I saw it. The diagrams weren’t taken away. They’re hidden in a place nobody knows about, and we have to use a portal to get there.”
Vesemir looked at Roy calmly. He had a feeling this witcher was different from them. He’s full of life. “Are you really going to give those diagrams back to us?”
“Of course. But we’d love it if we could have a copy.”
Vesemir nodded. “We’ll set off tomorrow. Get enough rest and prepare yourselves. It’s been years since anyone last stepped into that place. It’s probably infested with monsters now.” He knocked on the table. “Once dawn breaks, we’re setting off.”
***
***