Something Wilder (Child of the Winter Moon Book 2)

7: To the Rescue

Geralt found his way into the prison, finding that Aiden and Gwen had come through with their distraction of alcohol, as the guards and Witch Hunters here were quite shitfaced, allowing Geralt to easily dispatch them. He found a bedraggled Margarita on the floor of one of the cells, covered in bruises and cuts. Her blond hair was unkempt, her green dress dirty and torn, exposing more skin than she intended to.

"What... What is this?"

"Margarita!"

She looked up at him. "Who...who's that?" She blinked. "Geralt? Gods, I'm hallucinating..."

"Getting you outta here."

"No chance. We'll both die in here." She looked over her shoulder and Geralt followed her gaze, surprised to see Síle de Tansarville on the cot behind her, looking mostly dead. Her face and jaw were swollen and all she was wearing was a man's shirt, her short black hair wild about her head. He hadn't seen her since he saved her from being torn to bits by a trap laid by Letho in her own megascope when she used it as a portal.

"Síle?"

"They captured her first," Margarita explained. "Her condition's critical. It's pointless... You'll never open it without the key... The warden keeps them with him at all times. His room is upstairs."

"Be right back."

After finding the warden, who was so drunk he thought Geralt was one of his men and the Witcher killed him anyway for his key, he returned to the cell and unlocked it. Margarita looked surprised that he'd succeeded. He pulled the rune out of his pocket and held it out.

"What are you doing?"

"Yen insisted on coming."

A portal appeared, Yennefer stepping through it. The moment she saw the condition the two sorceresses were in, storm clouds appeared on her face.

"Rita?" She was just as surprised to see Síle as Geralt had been. "Síle?!" She knelt next to the sorceress. "When I get my hands on the sons of bitches..."

"Yenna..." said weakly. "I shan't make it..."

"Hold on, you must hold on." Yennefer helped her into a sitting position, Síle giving a cry of pain as she did so.

"I'm dying, Yenna. I'm a sorceress, let me die with dignity."

Geralt knew what he had to do. "Yen, get Rita out of here."

"Geralt...," Yennefer began.

"Yenna, for once, don't argue with him..."

Yennefer lowered her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek, before she stood and went over to Margarita, helping her to her feet.

"I can't pass through the portal with you both. You'll need to get out on your own."

"Don't like portals anyway. Go."

Yennefer escaped with Margarita, the portal she'd opened to Jaskier's inn winking out of existence as soon as they stepped through. Geralt then turned back to Síle.

"Funny..." she said. "There was a time I'd have asked you not to do this..."

Geralt knelt next to her. "No, you'd never have asked... You're too proud..."

Síle smiled. "Thank you, Geralt. For letting me die with dignity. You're a good man."

"I'm not going to let you suffer at Radovid's hands. I know what he has planned for you." He drew his dagger.