Three days later, a ship was setting off from the port of Kerack, the foamy waves gleaming beautifully under the sun. Roy and Coral were nodding and smiling at the old ship slowly leaving the port. They could hear the sound of the horn coming from it.
Underneath the red flag with a silver arm embroidered on it stood Sonia and Varsili, happily shouting goodbyes and waving at the two people who came to see them off.
"Honestly, I didn't expect you to let them go, Coral." Roy looked at the sorceress. Sunlight draped her in a sheen of golden. She looked like a mermaid who was lying on the reef of a beach, though she didn't have a fish's tail.
"Do you think I'm a witch who'd break her word?" Lytta shot him a nasty glare and held his arm as they left the pier. "They're just poor souls who were roped into this situation against their will. They did work with us, and naturally I gave them a chance to survive. They can start anew in Kovir." A smile curled her lips. "Don't you see? They were already a couple long before we met them. And their love only strengthened after they were turned into statuettes. We did a good thing. We let a couple live."
"Well, that about sums Kerack's cases up. So when are we setting off for Novigrad?" Roy asked quietly.
"Someone's in a hurry, but we're not going to Novigrad so soon. You're staying for a few more days. Kerack has been my home for decades, and I want to bid it a proper goodbye."
Coral held Roy's hand, their fingers interlocked. Just like the day before, across the park and marketplace they went and through Kerack's city gates they traveled. Eventually, they came to a stop at the top of a nearby hill.
Roy laid out a red picnic mat, and they sat down to enjoy the view of the pier and the city.
***
"You're starting your second Trial right after we get to Novigrad, aren't you?" Lytta pushed her hair back and gave Roy a worried look. "I don't understand. Why do you insist on this? It's dangerous and unpredictable. Unlike the Viper's Trial, the Manticore's Trial is unknown territory for you. It's dangerous." There was an unspoken plea in her eyes.
"There are people in the brotherhood who have more chances of surviving the poison. Letho, Auckes, and Serrit, for example. Why don't you ask them?"
"This has nothing to do with them." Roy pursed his lips and insisted, "This is my own choice, and you have to keep this a secret. I don't want them to worry. You're the only one I told."
Coral calmed down a little.
Roy continued. "I've been getting the same premonition lately. I find myself on a ship, but not on a sea. The ship is flying. Like a ghost ship. I see the ship cruising through the clouds, and black and white sails billowing in the wind. I stand at the bow, my eyes no longer golden. That can only mean one thing."
"You went through multiple mutations?"
"Yes. Just like how I saw the Battle on Sodden Hill unfold, I have a feeling this too is one of the things that will happen in the future."
Roy smiled, and his eyes flared with confidence as he announced, "Destiny wants me to go through more than one mutation. Perhaps more than a few too, and I will pass them all."
Roy's confidence stemmed from something else. Over the last couple of days, he collected enough essence of wraith and specter dust for another summoning, and that was what he did. He almost had enough EXP to level up twice.
Roy explained, "And the Trials' data is crucial for the brotherhood, especially for the kids in the orphanage. They need a safer method to become witchers."
"You have an orphanage?" Lytta was slightly confused, and she listened closely.
"The House of Gawain. The brotherhood and a ruler of Novigrad worked together to set it up. We take in orphans, and it doubles as a filter for future apprentices. There are more than twenty kids there, and they're all really nice. You should take a look."
Lytta was tempted. An overwhelming majority of sorceresses were barren, so they loved kids. "Fine. I'll improve the recipe as promised and hold the Manticore's Trial for you. I'll stay until next year. It'll be a probation period. If the battle does not happen…" Lytta narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose up. She opened her mouth and threatened to bite, but it looked adorable instead of fierce. "I'll show you what happens to those who lie to a sorceress. But if it does happen, then I'll be working with the brotherhood." Delight filled her eyes, and she winked at him. "If you are a clairvoyant, then I'm going to side with you."
Roy heaved a sigh of relief. That's one mage convinced. They talked for a while more, and things were getting really interesting. "So, how did you reach an agreement with Ildioko?"
Roy kept asking her over the last few days, but she only smiled at him. This time, however, she answered honestly. "We made a bet, and the stake is their relationship. I bet she wouldn't take the potion or hand it over to the king."
"What happened?"
"Obviously, she wouldn't see the truth that their fairytale-esque love was nothing but an illusion based on some sort of potion. It won't hold up against any obstacle, but she opted to drown herself in the dream and never wake up. Artefact Compression isn't a combat spell, and she can't fight me, so the only choice was to work with me. I dealt with all the problems she might face and had everyone who knows about her secret leave the kingdom, including me. And I gained a great reward for that." She leaned on the mat and rested her chin on her hand. A lock of red hair covered her left eye, and she stared at the witcher. She looked almost as curvy as an hourglass. "Five years worth of remuneration."
Roy was pushing her hair back, and his hand froze. The young witcher turned around, and his eyes shone. So she's super rich now!
She continued. "I gave a part of that money to Varsili so they could kick start their new life easily. And I also bought his love potion's formula."
"Why did you buy that?" Roy was perplexed. The potion was a redundant one, since a couple that was in love didn't need it, and the user couldn't use it on anyone who had no love for them. But maybe I can try selling it in the shop? I think it's gonna make more money than the liquid viagra.
"It's only for research. I won't spike your drink with it." She shook her head, smiling. "Not even Varsili used this on his lover. That's enough to tell me the potion is not reliable. It's not true love if it's not fated and hasn't passed any trials."
Roy nodded. He listened to Coral talk as he lay beside her and stared at the sky in the horizon.
Coral paused for a moment and turned around to stare at the witcher. "So, are you the fated man of my life?" Before Roy could answer, she muttered, "I remember telling you I come from Skellige. I adore the sea, and I love basking in the sea breeze. I used to have the same dream…" She stared back into his eyes. "I would dream of being out at sea, and I was alone on the boat. I rose the sails and rowed the boat by magic, traveling into the infinite seas. The waves and sunlight were my only companions. The sea was warm, and its breeze would whisper in the air like a wise old man. I was alone at sea, and I enjoyed my own company as I drifted into the far ocean." She lay down on the grass. "But then, one day, I saw someone else on the boat. He was right beside me…"
A gust of warm sea breeze blew through the cliffs outside Kerack, and roses bloomed in winter.
Roy entered that patch of rose, answering, "From now on, you'll not be rowing alone."
***
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