Geralt stared at the skies, where the purple light of dawn was starting to shine through. He could see the silhouette of The Collector's mansion standing nearby, and he thought back to what happened the night before. "Thank you for everything you did for Jaskier."
"So you've met him."
"Auckes took us to the apothecary shop last night, and then we saw a show in the ballroom." There was a smile on Geralt's lips. He was happy for his friend.
"He's already thirty years old, but the guy just won't settle down. Flirts with everyone, from a noble's daughter to a laundress. Professes his love for almost every young lady he runs into. Like Lambert, he frequently sleeps with someone else's woman. I spent a long time worrying if he might fall from a balcony and die during an escape from a particularly furious husband. But now he has a job he loves, and it's all thanks to your investment."
"You give him too little credit." Roy smiled. "Even if he can't survive Novigrad, he can always get a job at Oxenfurt Academy. He's talented enough for that. And we're not helping for free. The ballroom is making a profit, and we're taking most of it. But most importantly, Dandelion and his friend can turn witchers' infamy around. It works in our favor, especially when we're trying to open up an orphanage."
The Wolves exchanged a look. They were starting to approve of their new leader, who was also a clairvoyant.
***
The fat guard in a green robe took one look at Felix and bowed to the witchers as he opened the steel gates. "Master Orloff has been waiting, witchers. Come with me, please."
A servant led the witchers across a garden filled with tall trees and decked out with a fountain in the center. They eventually entered a mansion with a triangular roof and colorful walls.
"You sure they work for the Collector? Feels like they work for you." Lambert gave Felix a look of surprise. All the guards in the manor wouldn't even meet Felix's gaze. It felt like they were mice who saw a big cat.
"I've been training these fools for two months." Felix grinned toothily, his eyes glinting. "They know what happens if they get on my bad side."
The manor was lavishly decorated. The ground was covered in exotic Ofir rugs, and oil paintings, antiques, and porcelain items stood everywhere for everyone to see. Despite the size of the house, there weren't a lot of servants around. The Collector preferred a quieter environment, it seemed.
When they came to the second floor, they were met with a pale, handsome, purple-haired man with a mustache sitting behind his desk, going through a bunch of files and accounts. He seemed to be in a rut.
A star-shaped pendant hung before his chest, and he was wearing a silk robe, while nearly ten magical rings clung around his fingers. Compared to a month ago, the Collector looked a lot more listless, and dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
He noticed someone looking at him, and the Collector raised his head. When he saw who it was, a smile broke out on his weary face. The man waved his servants away. "Friends, witchers. It's been a month, and you still look as dashing as ever." He happily approached the witchers and shook their hand.
Rather than a ruler of Novigrad, the Collector felt like more of a friend. "And these are?" He turned his attention to the new faces.
"Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert of the Wolf School. They just came to Novigrad," Felix explained. "They're one of us now. We just gained three more members for our alliance."
"Best news I've heard recently. Our alliance's roots are gaining more ground. Even if they know I've replaced the real Collector, the Eternal Fire can't hunt me down openly now." The Collector's excitement was almost palpable. He kept staring at the Wolves like a cat who smelled fish.
Eventually, his gaze became a little too much for the Wolves. You sure this guy is a doppler?
The Collector noticed the looks on his guests' faces, and he quickly massaged his temples. "Sorry. The guy was a perverted mage, so I inherited some of his more unsavory parts. Disgusting ideas pop into my mind the moment I see new things. Including humans."
"It's alright, Orloff. We know how dopplers work. Don't apologize." Lambert shrugged.
"We're friends here. Call me Gawain or Samsa. That's my real name." Gawain waved it off.
"You don't look too good, Gawain." Roy plopped down onto the sofa. "So, what happened over the last month?"
"Thanks, but I'm fine. I live in a manor and eat the best things this land has to offer every day. It's a lot better than my old life." Gawain smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in his eyes. There was a price to pay when it came to a life of luxury. "But honestly, upper society isn't as easy as it seems. I have to check on every single estate and land I have. And the reports are just endless. Everyone just keeps inviting me to this ball and that party every single day. Blacksmith association, merchant association, town hall, other gangs… If there are thirty days in a month, I can go to thirty different events hosted by thirty different organizations. I'd be gone if you came two hours later."
"Can't you refuse some of it? Or just let your assistant handle them?" Roy asked.
"I did, but refusing these invitations too much is bound to raise some eyebrows. I don't trust anyone but you either. Everyone else might realize something's wrong with me and tell the Eternal Fire about it."
The Collector put his hands behind his back and shook his head. He was still wary about the church that had hunted him for most of his life. "I have to hang on no matter what."
"Guess the burden comes with the luxury." Auckes let out a sigh as well.
"Alright, everyone's here now, so let's talk business," Letho said. "We're told you found three potential spots for the orphanage?"
Gawain unfurled a map on his desk. It detailed Novigrad and the geographical structure near the city. Every single house in the city was drawn on the map, and three spots were circled out. Two were in Novigrad's slums and business district, while the last one was in a rural area outside the city. It was a thirty-minute ride away from Novigrad.
***
"I have an empty plot of land in the business district. Say the word and I'll give it to the orphanage." Gawain looked at the witchers. "It's just a few yards away from the marketplace. If we build the orphanage here, it'd make life so much easier for the kids."
"It's not in the central area, but his plot of land still costs a ton." Geralt shook his head. "You might not mind, but I don't think it's the best place for an orphanage. It'll attract too much unwanted attention."
"And the yard isn't big enough. Sure, it'll work if you want to rear some ducks and small animals, but…" Serrit peered at the map and stretched his thumbs and index fingers out. "It's not enough for the kids to move."
They needed a big enough space to train new witchers. At least enough to place some wooden stakes and pendulums.
Gawain nodded. "What about the spot in the slums then? It has a big enough yard to hold a tournament. And it comes with three houses, enough to house a hundred kids. Rent is lower than a hundred crowns a month. And it's less than twenty thousand crowns if you're buying the place. I'll be paying the bulk of the price too, as promised."
It was a tempting offer, and the witchers discussed among themselves.
"The slums are filled with Bedlam's men. He'll know what we're doing if we build an orphanage here." Roy shook his head. "He might find out what we're after, and if he tells the Eternal Fire we're training apprentices in this city? Either them or the town hall's army is going to come after us."
Most people were still holding onto the notion that witcher training was a pretext for human trafficking and evil rituals.
"We need to avoid getting into any conflicts with Novigrad's rulers. At least before the orphanage has established itself." Serrit mused. "Keep a low profile and see how that goes."
***
Gawain nodded. He expected the witcher to have this response. "So you'll go for the one in the rural area, then? Not bad. The price is negligible, and I've bought the place. It's surrounded by wilderness, rivers, and woods. The kids have enough space to run about, and it's remote enough to not raise any suspicion."
The witchers nodded.
"I have a question. Does the Eternal Fire have an orphanage?" Eskel asked. "If we build one, won't that be a cause for conflict?"
"I've looked into this. Orloff is a part of the council, and he knows stuff." Gawain sighed. "The Eternal Fire has been taking in orphans, but the slots are incredibly limited. About a dozen or so every year. Most of the time, they just give the kids free porridge. A show, of course, for the people of Novigrad. They need more believers. Compared to orphans, they prefer adult believers who can give them their hard-earned crowns. Because of accidents, diseases, and all sorts of reasons, there are at least fifty orphans being born every year in this city. And that's excluding the kids in the villages outside. The Eternal Fire rejects them, and fewer than one out of ten can survive this place. Either Bedlam takes them in and turns them into beggars, or they leave for somewhere else. Some would live in the temple of Melitele, while some…" The look in Gawain's eyes sharpened. "Go missing."
"Novigrad has an oversupply of population. Building an orphanage for the kids is a good thing. The church and town hall would beg for someone to share their burden and keep Novigrad stable. That's all I have to say. Want to see the place? We can open up shop tomorrow if everything goes well."
"Sure. We'll talk about details on the way."
Roy turned his attention to the doppler, and there was a hint of respect in his eyes. Dopplers weren't even an ancient race. They were hated and despised for their abilities, but instead of getting back at the people who wronged them, they chose to show mercy instead. "Guess they're saints."
Gawain took his purple cape off and donned it, and then he led the witchers out of the manor and into a black carriage. "I have a few conditions regarding the orphans. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from."
"Sure."
"I've heard of your training. Even strong, powerful adults find it to be great torture, let alone undeveloped children." He looked at the witchers. "So, what's your plan? Are you going to make every child who joins the orphanage go through the training?"
"You're worried we might force them into this, aren't you?" Kiyan shook his head. "That's unnecessary. We do not force the children if they refuse to. And our training is strictly about the basics. Instead of harming them, it helps them. If they're interested in more advanced training, then we'll teach them that, but until then, it's all basics."
The Wolves nodded. If these people had tried to force orphans into the way of the witcher, they wouldn't have joined the brotherhood.
"You can always come for a visit after the orphanage is up and running. Or you can get someone to oversee the place."
Gawain nodded and pulled the curtains up, revealing the patches of grass outside. They had departed the city and headed into the wilderness. "Can you tell me more about the training? The specifics, please."
"Swordplay. And it's only wooden practice swords, so no worries about injury," Serrit explained. They talked about it before in the meeting. "And a little bit of physical training. They're going to dodge spinning dummies and leap across wooden stakes. It's a bit hard on the body, but we're professionals. The kids won't lose a limb or get in any danger."
"And we can stop the training at any time," Geralt added.
Gawain finally stopped objecting to the training.
"And then herbal classes. Even if they aren't going to end up as witchers, they can still be a healer or some alchemist's assistant. They'll at least survive in this world."
"But the kids are illiterate." Gawain rubbed his chin. "I'll have to hire a teacher for them, then."
"Hardly necessary," Roy said. "Aside from me, everyone else is old enough to be someone's grandfather. They know the Northern Kingdom's Common Speech, Nilfgaardian tongue, and even Elder Speech. They're experienced enough to be the kids' teachers."
"You're going to teach them how to read as well?"
It was an important part in building rapport.
Lambert's lips twitched. He was a little disgruntled. I'm only in my fifties. Not like there's a big generational gap between us. How come I'm also a grandfather?
Gawain nodded.
"And then we're gonna talk about the Almanac of Creatures. It includes all kinds of dangerous beasts and monsters," Serrit continued. "It'll come in really handy if they want to survive the wilds. And that's about it for their basics."
"I still hope you'll teach them something common folk do. At least it's a surefire way to help them in the future." Gawain suggested, "Like farming and husbandry."
"Well, how about this? We turn a few patches of land around the orphanage into farmlands and ask the kids to spend some time farming every day," Roy said. "And we'll give every kid one chick from the moment they join the orphanage. They'll be required to feed the chicks until they become chickens."
Gawain froze for a moment. The kids can train their body, learn how to read, and practice farming and husbandry at the same time? It sounded like a perfect plan, but he thought something was off. "And here's the crucial question. Witcher mutation is unpredictable and dangerous. How can you guarantee the children who undergo the mutation willingly survive it?" Gawain asked. "We cannot allow the orphanage to be the poor children's grave."
"We won't let them go through the Trial before we're sure they can handle it," Letho explained. It was the promise everyone came up with. "I assure you, we're raising witchers, not killing children."
Gawain finally stopped questioning them.
They came to a halt before a forest. Through the little path and some roads they went before they finally entered a clearing surrounded by alders. The witchers were greeted by four dilapidated but spacious wooden houses, and the walls and roofs were made up of whole logs. The houses were surrounded by woods, and sounds of flowing water came from the other side of the forest. This was a decent place for anyone to live.
***
They went around the houses for a better look. The houses were big, and shared bedrooms were already set up. These houses could house about a hundred orphans in total. The beds, sheets, blankets, furniture, and necessities were already prepared. Someone probably cleaned this place before, as it seemed almost spotless.
"Not bad. It'd be perfect if we had some stakes and pendulums here. You must have put a lot of effort into this, Gawain."
"As long as you're happy with it."
"So where are we getting the children?" Geralt asked.
"I'll tell my men to keep an eye out for vagrant children under ten around Novigrad," Gawain answered. "And I'll tell people about the news of the orphanage."
"Count us in," Letho offered. "We'll search for kids as well."
Gawain nodded. "I'll send a cook and a correspondent over tomorrow. Just tell the correspondent if you need anything."
"And what should we call the orphanage?" Letho looked at everyone.
"How does Kaer Morhen sound?" Lambert asked.
"This orphanage belongs to all witchers, not a single school." Auckes snorted and shook his head.
"We can't call it House of Witchers either, or that might invite our enemies right over," Eskel said.
"How about House of Gawain, then?" Roy looked at his companions. "We're not running this place out of the kindness of our hearts, but Gawain is. He put in time and effort and asked for nothing in return. People should remember him for the deed he's done."
And as long as the witchers were teaching the orphans, they were in control of the place. The name was nothing to worry about anyway.
***
***
