To Thaw A Frozen Heart

~ chapter 29 ~

The walk to the Cockatrice Inn was a pleasant one. A short distance away, the building stood on a bridge - between Corvo Bianco Vineyard and Dun Tynne Castle in Toussaint. It was bustling with extravagant looking people, but the building itself was almost abandoned looking.
Walls placed in random places with arches and vines leading the way to the main structure. Hushed whispers about secrets and adventures filled the entire place, and a sweet smell of berries and vanilla flooded Anteas nose.

Entering the Inn, it was lit dimly by candles in corners and tables, the only daylight streaming through the open door.

"By my troth!" Milton proclaimed, "Could that be the musty smell of fresh pâté??"

A gravelly voice echoed from the corner of the room, "Naught else, Sir de Peyrac Payran. I see time has not dulled your senses."
Antea rounded Geralt's body to view the man - dressed in bright checkered clothing with a feathery hat, and his companion was dressed similarly -
"We would be honoured that you join us, and your companions, as well."

Milton stared at them for a moment, a look of confusion on his face.
"But why do I not detect even a whiff of crayfish chowder?"

Antea glanced up at Geralt, and raised a singular brow. What the hell was this place? Geralt simply smirked and led her to the other side of a the room, to a free table.

"No soup today, on account of there being no crayfish. I reckon you've not heard, but all I caught was a corpse!" A new man spoke, in peasants clothing, "I woke at the crack of dawn, as I do each day, but when I looked up, I beheld a blood red sky..."

Milton sat at the table next to him, and responded by explaining that the corpse is exactly why they were here. "My companions you have invited to join you were summoned by her Gracious Magnificence from a far-off land and are tasked with tracking and killing the beast!"

Geralt and Antea made their way over to the table, to Milton, and sat with him and the other men, nodding at them.

"And with whom do we have the pleasure?" One of the colourfully dressed men asked Milton.

"I'm Geralt." He spoke shortly, and looked at Antea to introduce herself.

"Antea. Hello" she spoke quietly. If Geralt wasn't keen on talking with these men, then neither would she be.

"Ah, Geralt - a humble introduction for you both!" Milton exclaimed, and turned to the man, "He is a master of the witcher img trade, and my Lady is a sorceress - powerful, what she can do!" He hushed his voice slightly, "They have questions concerning the beats last victim..."

"I was the one to find the body. Went out at dawn - as I always do, and looked up and be-"

"Beheld a sky as red as blood, yes, we know. Did you see anything else?" Antea interrupted.

"Erm, yes - there was a hand, bobbing on the water... But the parts gave me such a fright I ran to town, came back with the guards, who cut my nets to free the body!"

"We need to examine the body. Do you know where the took it?" Geralt spoke.

"Yes, yes, they ferried it across - then loaded it on a cart to a cellar at Corvo Bianco, to keep it cool, see."

The men started bickering about the estate of Corvo Bianco, and it's Baron. Meanwhile, Antea felt a wave of cold wash over her, and touched Geralt's arm to signal something was up.

He looked around subtly, and his eyes landed on a cloaked figure in the doorway. They turned, and a woman's face gazed on them both, with a slight smirk.

Geralt turned back to the group, "Who was that? Woman who just left. Didn't see her walk in, didn't see her in here before, either."

"Ah, doubtless the Innkeeps daughter. Always hanging about. But listen ! This is an outrage - Corvo Bianco sold... Of course the Baron was known for his gambling issues - but he always payed up! It is..."

As the men continued bickering and arguing about morals and estates, Antea couldn't shake the shivering feeling from earlier. She felt incredibly uneasy, nearly frozen. Geralt's hand on her thigh drew her from her thoughtful trance, and he looked at her with concern. She smiled and shook her head, placing her hand on top his his large, callous ones.

"It's true what they say." The fisherman spoke again, "The Gods sent the Beast to punish us from straying from the old path."

"Thanks for the hospitality." Geralt said to the men, he and Antea standing from the table. "Gotta go examine the body."

"Corvo Bianco lies a short ways away from here, near the tourney grounds. Follow the road outside and you will arrive shortly. Good luck , Geralt of Rivia, and fare well, My Lady." Milton spoke, with a curt bow of his head.

"We'll see you soon Milton." Antea smiled, and the pair exited the Inn.