Of Women and Wolves

Hostility

Triss took them back through the city and into what seemed to be a laboratory of some kind. The walls were lined with jars filled with substances of a questionable nature and the smell of formaldehyde overpowered all other scents in the area.

"Six years ago, stable hands started vanishing at the castle above the city. Before long, citizens were disappearing throughout all Temeria. Foltest's royal guards soon realized the creature was coming from the crypt where the king's sister Adda is buried. Rumour has it she was having an affair with a young man in town when she died." Fianna's head snapped to the sorceress at that last bit of information. A churning feeling began to grow in her stomach.

"Was she pregnant?" She asked warily, looking to Geralt whose eyes widened slightly in realization at her train of thought.

"Well, if she were, that would make her child the sole heir to the throne as Foltest never married. The king fled the castle, ignoring the rising death toll. After Nilfgaard overthrew their king, the Brotherhood couldn't risk it happening again, so they sent me here three months ago to cure the creature." The redhead explained as they walked further through the lab.

"Vukodlaks are freak mutations. They can't be cured." Geralt explained to the hopeful woman.

"Good thing it's not a Vukodlak." She stated, very sure of herself then gestured with her head to follow her into a room on the right.

"Two thousand orens if you can tell me what exactly killed these people." The two Witchers glanced at three bodies covered in salt to prevent rot before spotting something that made his blood boil. He caught Fianna's attention and nodded towards a body at the back of the room. She looked at the corpse and shot a furious look at the witch before approaching the dead Witchers body. The Witcheress braced her hands on the edge of the tub and hung her head.

"Fuck!" She snapped. Geralt rested a large hand on her shoulder as she silently fumed.

"Did you know him?" Her lover asked cautiously.

"Ivo of Belhaven, School of the Bear. A bigger prick you'll never meet but he was a friend." She lamented. Carefully removing his medallion from his cold body. Fianna tightened her hand around the snarling bear and raised her head to look at the Sorceress in disgust.

"And he certainly does not deserve being hailed as a thieving coward by the people of Temeria just because you were scared that the people would know that a Witcher was bested by this beast. You and everyone involved, disgust me." She spat. Geralt tightened the hand on her shoulder to prevent her from lunging at the Sorceress. Triss looked away in shame, not being able to meet Fianna's filthy look.

"This is why everyone on the Continent started to believe that Witchers are monsters opposed to monster hunters, people like you and your king." Fianna raged at the witch while removing her gloves to prepare for what had to be done next. Steeling herself with a deep breath, she started dragging her hand through the salt that was packed into her friend's chest cavity.

"Wouldn't be able to tell that you two had been acquainted." Triss tried to joke. Fianna didn't bother looking at the witch before she replied.

"Not all of our jobs can be as glamorous as yours. Try trading the Royal court for monster guts and see if you can afford to respect their victims, friend or not. Our job has to be done so people like you can keep your hands clean." She stated bitterly before removing her now soiled hands from the body.

"His heart is missing, along with his liver." She stated while looking at Geralt gravely.

"Only one creature I know that is that picky an eater." She finished while cleaning her hands on a nearby rag. Geralt hung his head in dread.

"A Striga." He confirmed her thoughts.

"Strigas are old wives tales-" Triss said, oh-so sure of her assessment in their mistake before Fianna cut her off.

"I'm not here to tell you what way to fold the paper you use to wipe your king's ass, so how about you don't try and educate me on monsters. Hmm?" Fianna snapped, her patience was running thin and the control she had on her temper was faltering. Geralt moved his hand from her shoulder to her lower back and rubbed slightly as a calming gesture.

"They're very rare. The only way to make one is through a curse." He elaborated better than Fianna was able to in her current mood.

"Someone wanted Adda dead?" Triss half asked, half stated.

"Mmmhmm. But the curse didn't stop with Adda. It turned her daughter into a monster."#
"Her daughter?" Triss questioned, seemingly horrified.

"Strigas are female. This Striga is a princess." Geralt informed her solemnly.

"Of fucking course it's a princess. Seems your destined to save every princess you come across Wolf. We may as well move to Toussaint and make it a full-time job." Fianna ranted.

"We must inform the king immediately!" The sorceress was fretting already about the implications of this scandal. Fianna rolled her eyes at the dramatics.

"Ooooh... yeah, hard pass on that little soiree" Fia drawled, gaining the attention of her two companions. She nodded at Geralt.

"Take Geralt, he can hold his temper better than me. Do you have somewhere that I can brew some potions and oils in preparation for this little shit-fest?" She asked, looking at Triss for the first time since she had examined Ivo's dead body.

"Oh? Well, yes of course. But what will you brew? We want to lift the curse, not kill the princess after all?"

"I would rather have the appropriate potions on hand and not need them than to need them and not have them. Now, where can I set up?"

"Come, I have a fully stocked alchemy lab. You'll find everything you need there." Triss explained while leading the two witchers out of the morgue.

"Oh, I highly doubt you'll have the ingredients I need love." Fianna snickered to herself at Triss' indignant expression.

"I assure you, the royal laboratory is fully stocked in preparation for all eventualities," Triss said condescendingly.

"Oh? So you have a supply of Cave-Troll liver? What about the hide of an Ekkimara?" Triss started to look a little green at the question. Geralt chuckled at her sass.

"Leave the witch alone Fia."

"Oh yeah, of course. Now, Triss, point me to the Endrega embryo's and you may be on your merry way." Triss just looked at her incredulously and left the room without a word. Fianna couldn't hold in her laugh any longer. Geralt pulled her towards his body by her hips and growled in her ear.

"You. Are a menace."

"Hmm... but it was just too easy. Now go on, speak to the king about our contract. This should only take me an hour. I'll meet you at the castle gates love." Fianna pushed Geralt toward the door lightly and turned to light the burner. Geralt spun her by her hips and pulled her into a fierce kiss that sent her world spinning. He pulled away and laughed at her dazed state.

"Hmm, what was that for? And can I have another?" She flirted, trying to clear her now fuzzy head.

"Because I wanted to, so I did. And no, we can't leave the king waiting, can we?" He said with a smug grin and walked out.

"Sly fucker" She muttered and turned back to her workstation.

"Right, so cursed oil, Thunderbolt, and maybe some Cat. Hmm, Petri's philter might not be a bad idea either-"