Chains of Destiny (book 2)

Chapter 44

Selene stood there, shocked to see her mother. Yet she wasn't entirely surprised she had the book. "Mother." Meya raised an eyebrow. "Come now I know you have better manner then that." Selene's eyes narrowed as she scowled. "Don't act like a mother now. You lost that right when you lied to me and basically threw me away." Meya said nothing to this. "You abandoned me at Kaer Morhen! You spoke awful and hateful words! Words that I use to live by!"
    Meya was still silent, letting Selene get out everything she had bottled up. "And now, now you suddenly give a shit?! Now you wanna sit there and say welcome home? After what 100 fucking years?! 90 of which I had to relearn how to let people back in?! You showed up, saved my life, don't get me wrong I'm fucking glad you did. But you also knew I was after those books! And you had one this entire time! And what the fuck was with your cryptic message!"
    Meya crossed her arms. "It wasn't yet time for you to have this book. I only recently brought it back out of hiding. You are worth more alive then dead Selene." Selene glared at her. "Yeah but why?! If I'm suddenly worth so fucking much why did you leave me in a place that I could have died?!" Geralt placed a hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down. "Sel, easy. You need to calm down."
    Meya spoke again. "Let her go Geralt, she has every right to be angry." Selene felt her shoulders shake with rage and Geralt frowned before backing off slightly. "I did what I did to preserve the future. I knew you would survive Kaer Morhen. I knew you would grow and be safe." Selene snorted. "The future? Fucking Vesina fell! What future?! How many innocent people had to die!?"
     Meya snapped this time. "I was preserving your future! You were never meant to die here! I did what any mother would have done to protect her child!" Selene snapped. "No! You threw me away! You fucking hated me! You told me you didn't love me! That no one did, and no one would! That I was unwanted!" "I did what was needed to make sure you would survive!"
     "By making me think no one wanted me?!" Meya was silent at this. Selene was angry and rightly so. "I did what I did. To that I admit, could I have done better? Yes I probably could have. But I was going insane, war was coming. There wasn't enough time to hide you and evacuate as many people as I could." Selene tensed at this. "Why would you have needed to hide me?! Because of you grandma died!" Meya looked down at that. Selene saw this and she snapped. "What aren't you telling me!?"
     "Settle down Selene. We need to talk and this argument is not helping us." "Oh? I need to settle down? No! I want answers! How did we end up at Lekar? Where did that portal come from? Why is the hunt chasing us when Ciri is in hiding? What protected me in Toussaint?!" Meya held up a hand. "I protected you! I summoned the portal, I sent you to Lekar!" Selene was shocked for a second. "The Hunt wants the children of elder blood, they want Ciri, but they want one other Selene, someone else who could lead to either their downfall or their greatest achievement yet."
     "then why chase me! I don't know where Ciri is!" Geralt nodded, Ciri had kept it a secret from him as well. "Bait naturally. But this is a very private conversation. So." Before anyone could move Meya had raised a hand. "Fri'ja elvna akem!" And with that the entire are froze over in ice. Selene turned to check on Geralt when her eyes widened in horror. "Geralt!? What did you do?!" She turned towards her mother anger in her expression as she reached for a sword. "Put that hand down Selene, he is unharmed. I said this conversation is private. Meaning it's just for your ears."
    Selene lowered her hand, her rage still evident in her eyes. "When you were in Lekar, you saw the statues of people right?" Selene looked at her mother and raised an eyebrow. "I did why?" "Ever wonder how they got there? Ever wonder what they are?" Selene only nodded. "They are survivors of Vesina and of Lekar. Frozen and turned to stone."
   Silver eyes widened in shock. "How?" "My doing, I however am not strong enough to undo it." Selene felt rage again, white hot rage. "Then why do it?!" "To save them! To save everyone!" Selene drew her sword this time. "Put it away Selene. I made my choice. I turned everyone I could to stone. One to protect them, two to stop the war, three to make sure the bloodlines wouldn't die out."
     "But there are descendants out there!" "Of course there is! Some fled this entire area! Not trusting the area due to the war." Selene once again put her sword away.  "Yet you still let your mother, my grandmother die!" Meya looked up at this. "She's not dead." Selene froze. "What?" "She's not dead Selene." "How is she not dead? She was buried by Yennifer and the necklace was given to me!"
     Meya shook her head. "It was a Doppler, one that was able to keep her form even in death. The necklace kept the illusion up. And would only fade when removed. Meaning after the body was buried it would have reverted back." Selene was in shock. Her grandma was alive. "She's stone Selene, she was turned to stone by me." "But...I saw her in my dreams..." "I know, she's been reaching out to you. Trying to guide you."
    Selene shook her head. "How do we reverse this? How?!" Meya sighed. "You. You alone can reverse this." "How, I'm a Witcher not a mage." "I know this." "Then how? And why tell me all of this now when you hated me as a child?" Meya smiled sadly. "Oh Selene, I never hated you. I have always loved you. I did a pour job showing it, I made many mistakes. But you are my greatest joy and I couldn't let you perish here." She walked over and placed a hand on her daughters face.
     "You are my greatest Joy, my biggest hope. You are the one thing I couldn't bear to lose, and the one thing I would do anything to protect." Selene stiffened, Meya wasn't lying. "You my dear daughter are the last of an old and ancient bloodline. A direct descendant from the goddess Selene." Selene's eyes widened. "But that's not all." Selene frowned. "You my dear sweet child, you are the keeper of time itself."