The Dark One

TWENTY: JADE

I woke in a room, one that was all too familiar. Tissaia was laying behind me, her body flush against mine; I turned my head slightly and watched her, her silvery white hair matching the pillows. "I can feel you staring love." Tissaia muttered, opening her eyes.
"You're beautiful. Silver hair suits you." I replied, as she laughed.
"Blonde suits you too. Though I'd choose brown."
"Back at you. We need to get up, I'm not brooding in here all day. And I'll certainly drag you out of this room on your hands and knees if I have to."
"You're forgetting no one knows about us."
"Darling, I think you'll find Sabrina has been mouthing off about our wedding," I replied, getting out of the bed and changing into a loose fitting dress; "we did tell her not to speak of it. But the drinks at the ball obviously loosened one's mouth."
"Mmm. And let one's mind wander of the endless possibilities of the dances we could have done. Instead you chose a waltz, how dull." Tissaia stated.
"You'd have liked a tango or perhaps something more seductive?"
"I'd like to see you try and seduce me dear. I'm hard to please."
"Are you though? You seemed pretty easy to please on our wedding night."
Tissaia got up with speed and tackled me to the wall, "Test me again and I'll mark you in a more visible place."
"I'd like that." I teased as she chuckled and stepped back.  "I love you."
"And I love you."
There was a knock at the door as Tissaia wrapped herself in my arms, "Yes?" I called as the door opened and Triss stood in the doorway.
"We're going to Redania, specifically a castle. Yennefer asked if you both could come with us. Jade, there is a staff you can use to assist your walking should you need it."
"Thank you, if you could give us a few minutes to get ready?" I asked, unwrapping Tissaia's arms from my waist as Triss closed the door.

We walked up a small incline with bird calls echoing around us; "Ciri? Ciri, are you here?" Yennefer called as we walked into the castle.
"Oh, gods!" Triss gasped as Yennefer looked at the melted bodies on the floor, she gasped as the other mages joined her.
"What happened here?" Rita asked as I walked up beside Tissaia; "These are our girls."
Sabrina gasped as Yennefer approached the carcasses, "It's worse than Geralt described."
"If you're looking for Vilgefortz, he's gone." Philippa stated, as we all whirled around.
"We're looking for Ciri." Yennefer replied. I groaned as my leg began throbbing, a sign I needed to sit down.
"Then I'll save you the time. I've searched the castle. It's empty." Philippa stated, remaining by the main entrance.
"What kind of magic can do this?" Triss asked.
Yennefer turned away from the bodies, "None we've ever practiced. None like any we've ever seen." She stated
"I have. It's dark magic, stronger than mine." I muttered, sitting down on a rock as the others remained standing.
"How did we not see it? Who Vilgefortz really was." Sabrina asked, as I watched Tissaia tense.
"Some of us did. It'll take all of us to reverse this spell. Together. They deserve that." Yennefer stated as they all joined hands, Tissaia casting a quick glance at me.
They all began speaking in Elder, repeating the spell as a slight hissing sound echoed around us as their bodies separated. "Nissa. Eva. Elisabet." Triss whispered.
"May they have peace." Sabrina stated.
Keira turned to the door. "I want to get as far away from here as possible."
"This isn't right."
"Stay, if you like. I have to get back to Tretogor." Philippa stated, turning and walking back out of the entrance.
"Stop! We can't just leave them there! They deserve a proper burial. To honor them. To remember them." Triss explained as Tissaia sat next to me and rested her head on my shoulder.
"Now you're going to remember them." Philippa scoffed.
"Berate us all you want. But these girls were killed here, in Redania."
"Vilgefortz did it under your nose."
"Yes, and he wouldn't have brought them here if she had looked after them properly at Aretuza. You always propped up the Brotherhood, its importance in protecting Chaos. But with Vilgefortz, you simply propped up the man." Philippa growled, gesturing at Tissaia.
"Save your sanctimony. I know I failed. But so did you." Tissaia growled, her emotions showing as clearly as a scar; guilt. "Go, run back to Tretogor. Do not forget you were willing to bring the Brotherhood down with your purge. And why? Not for Chaos. No. You destroyed whomever so Vizimir would see you lurking in Dijkstra's shadow. You th..."
"We are partners. I can trust Dijkstra." Philippa stated as I shifted my weight next to Tissaia.
"Yeah, like I trusted Vilgefortz. But that is the problem with trust. You have it until you don't."
"Please stop. Every minute that passes, Vilgefortz draws closer to Nilfgaard. I don't know what he or Emhyr want with Ciri, but look at what he did to those girls. We return them to Aretuza. We give them peace. Then... we fight. To make sure this never happens again." Yennefer muttered, turning to look at the bodies of the girls."