Van Bereaver

Chapter 7- Source

Geralt

Yennefer was dead.

It was the day after the Battle of Sodden Hill when I asked the headmistress of the school of Aretuza, Tissaia de Vries, on the whereabouts of Yennefer of Vengerberg for her to tell me that she was dead.

I was heartbroken, yes, but I had to find a girl. My Child Surprise.

I was staggering in the forest from a wound in my knee and without a horse to aid my journey. I would've called myself lucky but then I realized it was all destiny for certain people to be meeting, especially when it was a reoccuring event.

I saw red hair in the distance and practically started running. Even with my bad leg, I quickened my pace to reach the red-haired beann'shie who was accompanied by a little blonde thing. I narrowed my eyes, noticing that she fit the discription of the child that was owed to me.

"Cirilla," my deep voice spoke.

"Geralt," she responded.

Her blue eyes flickered with pain and teared up in sorrow, and she ran into my arms, squeezing my waist. I looked at Sage for a moment and then the girl returned the embrace, and I rested my chin on her head.

***

"How did you find her?" I asked Sage later that evening as Ciri was sleeping.

"I ran into the Nilfgaardian who was chasing her and located her whereabouts," she explained. "I'm sure he's nearby."

"We must move in the morning. Where are you headed?"

"The Temple of Melitele."

"We're going there. I guess," I told her. She released a breath, most likely in annoyance that she wasn't going to her refuge in peace but with a Witcher and child. "I'm sorry if we're a disturbance."

"I don't mind," she undoubtedly lied. "Do you remeber Pavetta's engagement party?" She asked a rhetorical question that I didn't need to answer. "When she summoned some kind of energy in defense for her and Duny, I did some research and Triss Merigold and I concluded that she was a Source. Perhaps, Cirilla is the same. We would first have to test that out and if so, she needs the Temple to guide her as they did me."

It meant that Ciri could bend time and space at her will and possibly travel through it as the Elves before us could. If she was a Source, it would mean that her ancestors were powerful Elves and it went down the generation. It didn't appear in Queen Calanthe but was prominent in Pavetta and would most likely appear in Cirilla, especially if a beann'shie was saying so.

"You've been to the Temple?" I could only ask.

"When I first became a banshee."

"Likewise. It will be good for her."

"And for us. I don't know too much about Sources. I assumed that's why Nilfgaard wants her," she continued. "If they get their hands on her, the empire will have absolute power between the spheres."

***

As we agreed, we traveled to the Temple of Melitele. In the hills of Ellander, we reached the trail leading to the castle-like temple. Priestesses and book keepers wandered the entrance and as if by magic, the temple doors swung open at our approach. The godess the temple was built after stood in the foyer, her large statue bent over to bless those who entered. Out of respect, Sage went to the foot of the statue and bowed as those who had bowed under the pillar of Falka on Saovine Night.

"Sage Anika van Bereaver," the priestess, who I knew as Nenneke, called, "I've been waiting for you."

"Nenneke," Sage greeted. Her wide, generous smile matched the vibrant glow of her red hair. The two hugged. Admist their embrace, I cleared my throat.

"The White Wolf," Nenneke said solemnly. "Why are you back?"

I lowered my head and halfway turned to show the girl, Cirilla, behind me. She was too distracted by the temple walls to pay attention to the conversation about her. Once she realized we were looking at her, she turned her head and smiled at Nenneke, setting out her hand to shake hers.

"We need your help," I told her.

The priestess had called a sribe, Jarre, who worked at the temple, to introduce Cirilla to the people and show her around the ground. While she went off, Nenneke took Sage and I into her private quarters for a debrief. We, as in Sage, told her everything on her studies on Ciri's history and I concluded that she desceneded from an Elf, and the banshee proceeded to tell her what the girl was.

"A Source?" Nenneke questioned and we nodded. "Then why not take her to Aretuza?"

"She needs mental training. A Source has infintite power that has to be controlled. If she is mentally unstable, the power will consume her and she will end up catatonic," Sage explained. "She is still in shock from what happened at Cintra."

"And after I preform a miracle?"

I felt Sage's gaze on me. She wouldn't continue without my consent because I was Cirilla's guardian. I had no idea why she was helping but I assumed it was part of her nature to protect and control future chaos.

"We'll take her to Aretuza," I concluded.

"Alright then," Nenneke said, clapping her hands. "Cirilla and I will start tomorrow. Why don't I show you your rooms and we can have dinner?" She raised her eyebrows, waiting for us to agreee, and I nodded.

The priestess led us to the sleeping quaters and pointed to our rooms that were right across from each other. Nenneke added that Sage and Ciri were sharing rooms before parting, leaving us to freshen up.

"Are you sure about Aretuza?" Sage asked me, leaning against the door, her hands behind her back and probably resting on the door handle.

"Yes. Yennefer was a powerful mage who went to school there."

"Was?" I closed my eyes for a moment, the sudden pain of her loss hitting me. I then felt Sage's hand on my forearm. "You loved her."

"I-I did."

Her eyes dropped for a second and I waited for her to tell me that she wasn't dead. I wanted the banshee to say that Yennefer was somewhere in the world or another because her body hadn't been recovered after the Battle of Sodden.

"I am so sorry for you loss," she whispered. Then, it hit me. The reality of her death hit me. The worse part was that I knew that Sage could feel it too.