Knights of the Nine - Beginning of the End

Chapter 18: Reunited and It Feels So Good

The area around Ciri was dark blue. Obsidian blueish purple. She saw bodies of fallen guards. Fallen Elves. And a single Knight. Ciri walked over she looked at the faces of the dead. The knight had the face of Derek. She took a knee and the area around Ciri changed to a cave. A dark green coloured cave. Dried blood covered a shrine to what was labeled 'Drachi'. Ciri was confused. She knew this wasn't real.

Ciri shut her eyes and felt her body spinning but her head not. She looked down and saw the sky, she was looking down. The body of a dragon and two people stood around its body.

Ciri was in a puddle of rain water. A lady wearing all black and smelt sweet was standing over her. The lady bent down.

"You okay? Derek said he knows you."

"Yeah, where is he?"

"Woah, hold your horses, girl! You just fell from the sky, surprised you didn't die."

"I feel great... hmph, where's Derek?"

Ciri sat up and cracked her back and knuckles. She didn't have any weapons and was left with nothing but the clothes on her back and those were wet.

Ciri stood up and bent down and back up. She walked around looking for a sign of the Knight. She looked back at the lady.

"See? I'm fine. Now Where's Derek and who're you?" Ciri said stamping in the mud.

"Yennefer, pleased to meet you. Derek went back to the fallen dragon."

"Ciri," Ciri took a slight bow. "Where is the dead dragon?"

Yennefer pointed in what Ciri thought was north. Ciri began walking the direction. Yen followed aswell. Derek was sitting on a stump and sharpening his sword. The wing of the serpent was torn completely off, as was the head. Ciri and Yen came out of the brush behind Derek and walked over to him.

"Jeez, finally got her?" Ciri asked placing her hand on his shoulder.

Derek winced and pushed her hand off. "Bitch got a few bites in. Thanks to Yen and a bit of magic my arm's almost in good shape. If Yen wasn't here, arm would be torn off and I'd have bled out."

"I thank you for that." Ciri said nodding to Yennefer.

Derek put back his sharpener in his bag and stood up. His pants were torn up and a chunk of his calf was hanging by a flab of skin. He walked with no trouble what's so ever. Ciri walked with Derek and they went to the horses which were parked away in an opening from the battle grounds.

Yen, Derek, and Ciri - saddled on Derek's horse - rode towards the direction of Borden. Ciri didn't care the slightest where they were going, she was happy she was back with Derek.

"So... you and Derek. How'd you meet?" Ciri asked looking to the lady in black.

"He fell from the dragon he killed and me and my sister found him barley alive. Took him in the house and revived him to speed. Then we set off to kill the dragon and succeeded."

"Well, I thank you again, truly." Ciri smiled to Yen.

"And what of you, Ciri. What happened to you after the first dragon attack?" Derek asked applying a damp cloth to his leg.

"Long story but I suppose we have time," Ciri chuckled, the others nodded. "I was knocked out by the mother dragon and I followed over her babies to Ronin where me and some guards of a local king killed them off. I was then taken to the king and I don't remember the rest of the night. I hit my head or something and was knocked out. I awoke in this kings bed and had dinner with his children and he told me of Jeff. Jeff was sentenced to death and I was too, I escaped with the help of the Sili'otia - Elven people that know a lot about me - and I awoke in darkness. I saw weird stuff, dea-. I awoke to Yen, next thing I know and here we are." Ciri laid her head on Derek's back.

"You and Jeff were sentenced to death? For what and did Jeff get out?" Derek asked turning his head.

"No reason at all. King was a damn monster and his prison was, I don't even wanna speak of it. But Jeff... I didn't see him anywhere. I'm, terribly, sorry, Derek. I think he was murdered."

Silence overtook the three but the wild life roared. They rode in silence for hours, but nightfall forced them to stop and rest. It was hotter than a hundred suns and they couldn't find no shade. Derek was tending to his arm while Yennefer and Ciri ate cooked pheasant breast.

"So what are you and Derek? Seem to know him well." Yen asked focusing on her meal.

"Um, dating, I guess."

"Oh... awesome! Couldn't have a better man, I say." Yen stammered.

Ciri didn't notice. "Awe, you're so nice. You're so opposite of another Yennefer I know!" Ciri jested.

The two laughed and Derek sat down on a log beside the girls. "This breast is amazing. Thanks for making it, Yen. I shall catch some Zs and I'll speak to you in the morning."

Ciri smiled and kissed Derek on the cheek. Derek shuffled into his tent and went fast asleep quick. Ciri and Yen ate in silence. Birds chirping and squirrels chipping made the nightlife boom. Ciri went to bed next and later did Yennefer. It was just noise of the night.

-----

Derek was walking in circles around the little camp, stretching his legs and training them to get full momentum again. The same redded damp cloth was strapped around his wound on his leg. Each time he set his left leg down pain shot up into his stomach. He groaned but kept walking. After minutes of circles, Derek finally took a seat. He stretched his leg out and felt his leg bone scratch against a tendon. Derek winced and softly yelped.

Ciri was awake as well and went over to Derek. She sat beside him and looked at his leg, a lump had appeared on the right side of his leg. Ciri's eyes widened and she quickly smiled.

"Doesn't look any good." Ciri said removing the cloth.

"Mhm. Borden is about an hour away if we gallop quickly. Two to three hours trotting. If luck is with us today, maybe a healer will be walking the roads. This is the highway, too. So increases our chances."

"Your beard makes you look older than what you are." Ciri said with a grin.

"Haven't bathed since Yen's house. Knights of the Nines headquarters are still intact there, maybe Coën kept it nice and smooth."

Ciri and Derek chuckled and ate breakfast, the most important meal of the day.