The Witcher and the Seawolf

Chapter 11

Fenris

After supper they all moved to a lounge room. It was much smaller than the dining hall but not in any bad way. It was cozy, with a small fire lit in the corner of the room, warm fur rugs and chairs. Fenris and Ciri sat on the floor playing chess while Geralt and Nivellen spoke on the couch.

"The village below was abandoned." Geralt spoke while the Pig poured wine for him. Fenris meanwhile was playing aggressively, moving his pieces fast along the board while Ciri played much slower, taking long pauses to think about every move before taking action. "What happened there?"

"After the Battle of Sodden, the... countryside is a dangerous place." Nivellen said. "Hungry soldiers, deserters... then there is the Butcher of Sodden." Fenris tensed at the mention and moved his rook to take Ciri's knight.

"Not reason enough for an entire village to leave their homes." Geralt responded.

Nivellen looked at him with wide eyes. "It is... when the Wild Hunt's riding over the horizon." Fenris and Ciri stopped playing and looked over at the two older men. Geralt looked like he didn't believe the Pig, but the half breed sighed. "I saw them myself. Just last week. Riding their skeletal horses across the southern sky. A portent of doom."

"The Wraiths of Morhogg?" Ciri asked. Fenris had no idea what they were talking about, but it seemed like common knowledge if an entire village would abandon their homes because of it. If Fenris asked what it was, Geralt may question as to why he doesn't know of it if he lived a good life. "My grandfather saw them just before Cintra fell."

"Her grandfather was a drunk." Geralt pointed out, trying to persuade them that the Wild Hunt wasn't there or didn't exist. But Fenris had an inkling that Geralt was trying to persuade himself more. "He saw a lot of things."

"I'm simply saying, the North and South at war, monsters roaming when they should be hibernating, pestilence sweeping the land, the Butcher of Sodden anywhere at any time... maybe it's the end of days." Nivellen suggests.

"I've lived through a whole dark age and three supposed end of days." Geralt explained. "It's all horseshit."

"No, something has changed, Geralt." Nivellen gained a look as if he was looking miles ahead of them all. "The world's acting of its own strange accord these days. Far outside the reach of men."

As the pig was talking, an odd skittering and scratching sound appeared above them. They all looked to the ceiling and Fenris assumed it was that damned white cat again. "Nivellen, do you have a cat?" Ciri asked. "I think the poor thing might be stuck in the ceiling."

"I do, in fact. She's fine." Nivellen said light-heartedly before standing up. "Vereena, she's called. I'm very glad of her company, even if she's a shy wee thing." Nivellen walked towards the center of the room, his back turned to them while looking at the ceiling. "Not fond of strangers."

"I thought you said you were cursed to live alone." Fenris recalls.

"Didn't you say cats are afraid of Witchers?" Ciri asks.

All three of them turned toward Nivellen who shifted on his feet a little. "How about a show?"

"How about we scout the property?" Geralt says while standing up. "Make sure it's secure for the night."

Nivellen groaned but Ciri perked up a bit. "Go on, you two. We'll be alright." Fenris stood up and looked to his father who gave him a curt nod before walking off. Fernis sighed and leaned down to Ciri, placing a small kiss on her lips before following his father to his room.

Once Fenris grabbed his twin blades and his raven feathered cloak, he followed his father outside the manor. "You play like a soldier." Geralt said eventually. Fenris raised a brow and Geralt clarified. "Chess. You play aggressively and short sided. That works for a soldier, but in chess you are in command."