The Heart of Alchemy - A Witcher Eskel FanFiction

Chapter 12 - Kaer Morhen

In the darkness of the night the half-ruined fortress was barely visible to the naked eye. Not until they were only a few hundred yards away Thalia could make out vague outlines.

No torch lit the way, no lantern illuminated the gate, through no window a light beamed out. Kaer Morhen was not very inviting at all. But Thalia felt immense relief as they rode across the bridge and passed the great gate to the courtyard.

It was pitch black in the yard, which obviously did not prevent Lambert from orienting himself. Thalia had stopped wondering about the witchers' night vision. Already on the way to the fortress she could barely see her surroundings while Lambert had easily taken over the leadership of their small column.

"Get off the horse and wait here," she heard him say nearby. He had a rough, slightly scratchy voice - so unlike Eskel.

When she had dismounted, he apparently led Arenaria and his own horse further, while Thalia continued to hold Scorpion's reins. She fumbled blindly for Eskel, who was lying over Scorpion's back and was still unconscious. When she found his carotid artery and felt his powerful pulse, she breathed in relief. Luckily it wasn't too late.

From a distance she saw a light coming closer. Lambert had lit a torch, probably because of her, and was now walking in her direction.

"Give me the reins, we'll bring him to the hall," explained Lambert. He handed her the torch and led Scorpion himself up the path to the main building. Thalia followed suit.

Once at the top, Lambert lifted Eskel from the back of his horse and put his arm around his shoulders. Thalia hurried to open the huge wooden door so that Lambert could carry the unconscious man in unhindered.

"Merigold!" Lambert's voice echoed in the great hall. He laid Eskel on one of the beds that stood against the wall near the fireplace. The blazing fire spread a pleasant warmth. Thalia put the torch in a holder on the wall and immediately stepped over to Eskel.

"Merigold!"

Thalia touched Eskel's hand - his skin was cold, but she could clearly feel the emanation of magic that radiated from him. She opened the straps that lay over his chest and put the two swords on the floor beside his bed.

She was about to turn to Lambert to ask him what to do next, when he shouted the sorceress's name for the third time.

"It's alright, Lambert, I'm coming already," she heard a soft voice somewhere from the back of the hall, from where a staircase led to higher floors.

As the person called approached, Thalia could not help but admire the woman's appearance.

The sorceress wore only a light, long nightshirt that looked like a regal robe and suggested a breathtaking figure. The red hair seemed perfectly coiffed and fell as a fiery mane around the woman's delicate shoulders. Although she had apparently already gone to bed, eyeliner and mascara emphasized the radiant, cornflower-blue eyes, the sensual lips were gleaming. She moved with such grace that she seemed to float rather than walk.

Thalia suddenly felt inconspicuous like a mouse. Hopefully, this woman's abilities were in no way inferior to her beauty and she was able to help Eskel.

When the sorceress saw who was lying on the bed, her eyes widened and she quickened her pace. "Eskel! What happened to him?"

Thalia explained what she had told Lambert earlier on the way. The sorceress' expression darkened during Thalia's narration.

She moved closer to Eskel, touching his forehead and chest. A pale glow seemed to spring from her fingertips. Triss Merigold closed her eyes, concentrating entirely on the magical probing.