ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ (Geralt of Rivia)

xxxɪ.

ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ: xxxɪ.

Thazina dreamed of Sodden.

It was only reasonable. It was the first night since it had happened that she was sleeping in a proper bed, comfortable enough to drift away completely. She almost would have preferred a vision to the memory of that night, her hand tangled with Yennefer's as fire and chaos overwhelmed them. She had smiled that night, but in the dream, there were tears rolling down her face as she cried out in anguish, watching Yennefer crumble into ash in her hand.

"Yennefer!" she was crying when she came to to find Geralt shaking her awake,  desperation filling her voice and tears staining her cheeks. He held her steady as she took in a deep breath, processing where she was and what had happened. Nivellen's manor. She was safe. Yenn was gone.

"It's a bruxa," Geralt said, ignoring the confusion in her face as he continued, "We have to go."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Roach is by the gate. Get Ciri. If anyone other than me leaves this place, you both go," he stated, and then he was straightening, disappearing from the room without another word.

Thazina wasn't going to refuse that order. She climbed from the bed on shaky legs, stumbling her way through the unfamiliar hallways until she found Ciri, fast asleep in her bed. "Ciri," she said, catching the girl's shoulder and waking her with a start.

"Thazina?"

"Something's wrong," Thazina said. "We have to go. Geralt will join us."

She helped Ciri to her feet, wrapping a protective arm around her.

Unlike Thazina, Ciri wasn't willing to go quietly. She spotted Geralt down the hallway, pulling free of Thazina's grip, grabbing his arm as she demanded, "Geralt, what's going on?"

He whirled to face her and Thazina let out a sharp breath at the sight of him, his eyes gone an inky black and his voice a low growl as he stated, "Go! Now."

Roach was waiting outside as promised. Thazina smoothed a hand over the mare's snout, trying her best to calm the animal. "We're not leaving without him, are we?" Ciri dared to ask, and Thazina couldn't help but snort.

"There's no way in hell I'd leave him," Thazina replied, her voice firm. Seeing the anxiety in Ciri's face, she offered a smile and added, "And no way in hell you'd let me, I imagine."

Ciri looked as though she was about to say something more when one of the windows suddenly shattered. Thazina's eyes followed a small, white-clad form as it crashed into the snow, knocking down one of the statues in its wake. Ciri hurried to investigate, Thazina close behind.