{ pfsb } on the Path

[jaskoleczka]

 The black mare the Baron had given her isn't as fleet as Kelpie once was, but she's sturdy and swift and Ciri reaches the inn before nightfall, which is all she'd really hoped for. She sees to the mare first, making certain she's set in a comfortable loose box with plenty of hay and water, then makes her weary way to the heavy wooden front door.

But –

"This inn has improved somewhat, since my last visit," she says to herself, and smiles as she lowers the hood that had covered her ashen hair.

Milliways, again. At last.

Comments

[lightamidchaos]

He nods his thanks for the offer. "A letter," he tells her. "To my brother."

[jaskoleczka]

"I see."

She gives her ale a thoughtful look. "Perhaps I should write one for Geralt, in case he comes back...but no." She shakes her head, dismissing the thought.

"Who knows if he'll be back here? And I must focus on finding Avallac'h."

[lightamidchaos]

He takes a sip of his tea before he speaks, thinking. He cannot say that he is fond of Avallac'h, despite having not met him, not after what Geralt had told him. It is also very, very apparent from what she has said that Ciri - who was the one most affected by what he did, after all - still considers him a friend. Lan Wangji holds his own thoughts on the matter, deciding to wait and see, and asks,

"Have you found any sign of him?"

[jaskoleczka]

"Of him, no. But I think I may have something that will help lift the curse Eredin placed on him."

She rummages in her pack again and produces a small, beautifully detailed – and empty – casket. "It's called a phylactery," she tells him. "It's meant to contain strong magic. It could help lift the curse... but it's broken. I'm on my way to Novigrad now to find someone who might be able to fix it."

[lightamidchaos]

He looks at it with interest, then back at Ciri.

"What kind of curse is it?"

[jaskoleczka]

"I don't know," she says. "But I remember the words Eredin used: va fail, elaine - caed' mil, folie! glaeddyv dorne aep t'enaid, bunn'droh ithne i'yachus."

She shrugs, leaving the phylactery on the table as she goes back to her ale. "What it means, I have no idea."

[lightamidchaos]

He shakes his head; it has no meaning for him, either.

"Should you need help," he says, instead, as he studies the phylactery without touching it, "I have some experience with removing curses."

[jaskoleczka]

Faint surprise flickers in her eyes before she smiles warmly at him.

"Thank you," she says. "I'll remember that, when the time comes. Geralt or Yennefer might be able to help... Geralt has broken curses before, although whether he'll have any knowledge of this one, I couldn't say. And Yennefer..."

She amuses herself for a moment, picturing a meeting between Yennefer and Lan Wangji. Yennefer would like him, she thinks. "She's a powerful sorceress, but whether she can even touch this curse, I have no idea."

[lightamidchaos]

He looks at her for permission before he reaches out to pick up the phylactery, holding his hand in the air above it.

"Are curses so uncommon in your world? Or is it that this one is that powerful?"

He cannot volunteer Wei Ying without asking him, but he feels certain that he would help, too.

[jaskoleczka]

"Not uncommon at all, I'm afraid."

She leans back in her chair and watches as he examines the phylactery. "But this is beyond the usual garden-variety village witch curse. I've never seen or heard anything like it before. I'm hoping Geralt or Yennefer – or Avallac'h himself – have some knowledge of it."

[lightamidchaos]

"Mn."

Blue light sparks at his fingertips as he carefully calls forth a spark of spiritual energy and touches the phylactery with it. Something shivers about the box and he can feel it pull for an instant before it fades. Lan Wangji releases the energy and sets the box down in front of her once more.

"It resonates with power," he says, simply.

[jaskoleczka]

"Yes."

She's always fascinated by his magic, and it's no different this time. "But it's broken, somehow. I don't know how to fix it, or even how to use it once it is fixed. I'm on my way to a city in the north of Velen, Novigrad. There are mages there who may be able to help."

[lightamidchaos]

"Novigrad," he repeats, clearly making note of the name. "If they cannot..."

Lan Wangji looks at the phylactery again, then back at Ciri. "If they cannot. Perhaps Wei Ying can." Something dark and sad flickers in his eyes for just an instant. "He is skilled at creating objects of power."

[jaskoleczka]

Her own expression softens as she looks at him. "If I cannot find anyone to help, I will ask him," she says.

"How is he? Well, I hope?"

[lightamidchaos]

"He is well," Lan Wangji assures her. "Exploring all the intricacies of the inn. Adding to the list of new inventions that he wishes to create."

[jaskoleczka]

"There's much to find, I'm sure," she says, somewhat amused by the mental image of Wei Wuxian poking into every dark, dusty corner he could find.

"Has he invented anything of particular note since I was last here?"

[lightamidchaos]

"More than one might expect," he agrees.

"He is refining talismans, and also the array he has created that reveals and distinguishes between magical energies of different types." There is pride in his voice when he speaks of the latter.

"He has also created an inscription that allows one to store spiritual energy, magical power, in an instrument for use by a musician that has no such ability to wield those powers on their own."

[jaskoleczka]

"Those both sound incredibly useful."

She takes another swallow of ale and watches Lan Wangji with interest. "The array, especially – oh, Yennefer would love to see that. It would no doubt be helpful when untangling problems of a magical nature."

[lightamidchaos]

"I am certain he would be pleased to show it to you," he tells her. "There may be talismans, too, that would be of interest. He has invented several that have proven very helpful to me in fighting and on the road."

[jaskoleczka]

"I would love to see them," she says, sincerely. "I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as Yennefer, but I have some experience with useful talismans."

She curls her hands around her mug and gives him a curious look. "What have you been coming across on your night hunts?"

[lightamidchaos]

"Some yaoguai - beasts and monsters of various types," he tells her. "More ghosts; restless spirits, angry ones. Yesterday there was a shui gui, a water ghost, haunting a village well so that none could go near it to draw water without risking their lives."

Something about the expression on his face hardens slightly. "She had been drowned in it by the man who was her husband, and was pulling others in to drown them in her rage and grief. I was able to convince her that I would see justice done, and send her to peace, leaving the well safe once more."

[jaskoleczka]

She nods in understanding, her expression turning grim.

"I've heard of many similar cases," she tells him. "Geralt has dealt with the wraiths which are the result of violent death on more than one occasion."

Some thought strikes her, and her mouth twists, wry. "Somehow I've never heard of a male wraith. It always seems to be women who die horribly at the hands of some man and return desiring vengeance."

[lightamidchaos]

"I do not know about the wraiths of your world," Lan Wangji tells her, "but there are male ghosts in mine." He considers. "Although fewer in situations like this. They are often caused by other things, it seems."

[jaskoleczka]

"Ghosts, yes," she agrees. "But this particular type of vengeful spirit – wraiths – always seem to be women."

She smiles slightly. "I wish I could show you the shelves of books at Kaer Morhen that I had to read in order to learn about the kinds of monsters witchers might engage. Ghouls and Alghouls, Fauna of the Northern Realms, volumes one and two... how I hated reading them, they were so dull. But I remember the information still, so I suppose they were of use after all."

[lightamidchaos]

Understanding strikes, and he nods. "Like a nu gui, in my world. Those are always women. Women who have been wronged."

"I would like to see that, too. And to show you the library at Cloud Recesses."