The Witcher: Elder Blood

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***

- Let's close our eyes at such a rambling greeting,' I commented on the action of the old spellcasters who had so easily and casually thrown Litta off our backs. - Since we don't need any more introductions, let's step aside,' I point to Sabrina in the corner, looking at us with a goblet in her hands. - Let's get to know each other and discuss business,' I hand the two young warlocks each a goblet of wine and then take one for myself.

- Oh,' Jennyfer sighed, then whispered quietly in my ear as we went to Sabrina's room, 'Whether you're so crazy that you've decided to get under every woman's skirt in front of me, or whether your merchant ways are so ingrained in you. Whenever you talk, you ruffle feathers,' Litta Nade followed us, and I hoped she hadn't heard my companion's outburst of jealousy.

- Learn to communicate properly with people, Ian,' I whispered back quietly, just before we approached the red-haired enchantress.

Sabrina Glevissig was less provocative, and she made no caustic remarks at our whisper, the end of which she was sure to hear.

- Let me guess, Litta, right? - Sabrina wasn't familiar with the new face in our company, but had heard from Jennyfer about a possible assistant in the shop. And seeing the moment the Rector brought the young sorceress up to us, she was able to put two and two together.

- Yes, Litta Nade, and this is Sabrina Glevissig,' I pointed with my palm up at each of them in turn.

- Is she one of the workers in your shop? - Litta asked, causing the red-haired girl's eyebrow to twitch. Litta only glanced at her at first, and then stared at Jennyfer and me expectantly.

- 'I don't know why you would think such a thing, dearie. 'She-' - Sabrina emphasises herself in the third person, and then continues with a raised chin: - ...dealing with her family's affairs. You should spend more time studying influential families, little one,' the latter was clearly alluding to Litta's height, which was half a head shorter than the two enchantresses standing next to her.

'Can you just keep quiet? Kind of trying to hire a shop assistant here so I don't have to brew potions myself in the morning...' - I was about to cut in as the conversation continued without me.

- Oh, why do you say that, Sabrina? Surely everyone knows about your ancestor Jade Glevissig. But you can't expect someone to know about every noble family, you'd get tired of reading their list,' Jennyfer simply couldn't let her sworn friend get away with it.

- What did her family have to do with anything? I don't care about the western lands or any of the families in Kaedwen,' Litta clearly didn't like the remark, but when she heard Jennyfer's response, she apparently decided to turn the conversation to business: 'Who do I talk to about work?

The original plan had been for Ian to talk to the girl, to discuss duties and days when it would be convenient for both of them to work together, or one at a time in the shop. It was mainly the assistant that was needed, that is, to help with the preparation of household potions and ointments, as well as tending to the herbs on the grounds and inside the ground floor. In return, in addition to a portion of the proceeds, Litta would be able to practice with new potions and medicine - the latter even more important for the young lover of healing magic and treatises on healing. Tissaya had spoken of her hobbies when she recommended the young graduate.

Galanthea sometimes helps with herbs when she is at home all day, which is a common occurrence. After a few appearances at the nobles' birthday parties, the girl had gained enough popularity that she no longer needed to play in the taverns. Lately, Galantea has taken it upon herself to buy groceries, believing that in this way will pay for living. However, the help from Galanthea is certainly nice for a sorceress, but still, Ian lacks constant help, and I spend less and less of my time at the shop.

So, plans are plans, but there was a feeling that the conversation would have to take over: - I'm with you now, but work can wait, I've got all night, there's no rush. You mentioned your disinterest in the western lands, why is that?

- I come from Skellige. The sea is in my blood, and nothing beats the air of the sea.

- The sea. it has its mystery, I agree, the sea beckons with its secrets. It's a pity only dangers lurk in it, but secrets protect, - I have learnt enough about the sea depths to understand a simple thing - diving would not survive in these parts.

Ships sail only along the coasts, maximum to the islands, in the open sea there are creatures so large that an unintentional accident can lead to the death of the crew. How many ships have been lost out there, I can't count. Sometimes not so much from the big creatures in the water as from the marine races that inhabit the ocean here.

- This is the first time I've heard you praise the cursed sea,' Jennyfer squinted her eyes. - And what do you like about it, salt water? - The question was asked in Litta's direction.

- The vastness of the sea, sometimes I can watch the ships on the roadstead with a spyglass. You wouldn't understand, the people of Skellige get the sea life from nappies.

- And they take boys on ships from an early age,' I interjected, before any of the other sorceresses could say anything. - What about your passion for healing, and from what I've heard, you've had time to start studying healing.

- That's right, it's been a year of waiting for graduation. And as for healing, on Skellig it is customary to visit the Druids if the usual options don't work. There are some who have a knack for healing,' she lowered her head slightly, giving in to the memories. - Once my father was seriously wounded, then one of the druids was able to heal him....

- So, well, it's a commendable endeavour to learn how to save lives,' I nod at her. - Isn't that a reason to drink? - I turn towards the two sour faces with a smile, which makes my smile wobble slightly. - Well,' I shake the goblet slightly.

They reluctantly clink their goblets and take a light sip.

- Can we finally get down to business? - Jennyfer said unhappily.

- Business? Aren't we having a nice conversation about life? - echoes Sabrina.

The troubadour in the invited group of musicians interrupted our 'pleasant conversation about life' by the sound of the opening of the ball. Before that, they had been playing a relaxing tune that one hardly paid attention to, especially during the conversation.

All eyes turned towards the Rector of Arethusa. Tissaya de Vrieux, with a straight back and in an ironed dress, began her welcoming speech, followed by a commencement address to the young female graduates of Arethusa, whose journey on the expanse of the Continent was just beginning.

- A couple more listens and I could recite it by heart without notes,' Sabrina said quietly.

Tyssaya thanked those present, gave a farewell to the graduates of the academy, and announced the beginning of the ball.

The musicians began to play, and the sorceresses were to dance in the centre of the hall. What was a surprise to me was a completely random choice of a partner, and Litta's choice fell on the closest man to her - me. I could dance quite well, helped by a little practice with Ian, and the dance itself was simple. A bit like a waltz to many.

Then I had to repeat the dance with Yennifer when the second one started, but this time for everyone. Thankfully, the third time I didn't have to dance with anyone, Sabrinna was just making a face at the dance, with which I was in agreement, except that I kept a slight smile on my face.

The rest of the evening passed in a more festive manner. But we moved to the garden on Jennyfer's recommendation. There, under the faint illumination of the lamps hung along the path, we discussed working nuances with Litta Neid. The stupefaction of the wine only served to smooth the edges and cool Ian's displeasure at my attentions to another sorceress. As if I needed anything more than paid help in the shop.

Before I left the island, I met up with Hen Gedimdeith towards the end. We stepped aside from prying ears to discuss the next meeting, and to have a brief chat at the same time.

- I can only thank you for the fact that there is no such thing in Ban Arda; I couldn't bear it twice a year,' the old warlock laughed weakly at my simple joke.

- There is no point in two of them. The main purpose of the whole 'performance' is to communicate between wizards in a pleasant atmosphere. The graduation is just an excuse. And as for Ban Ard, we differ with Tissaia on many things when it comes to the training of warlocks and their place in the world.

- Do we, for example?

- The first thing that comes to mind is the mandatory sterilisation of all female students.

- Infertility? I used to think it was a consequence of a procedure to alter one's appearance.

The wizard shook his head: 'It's partly true, but in the case of rituals, sterilisation is a consequence. In other cases it is forced. This was not practised in Arethusa before, only Tissaya decided to introduce such a practice. Also, our academies differ in dwimweanders policy.

- Sorcerer's apprentices? - I recall the term from a lecture at the academy.

- Yes, they are. Your new acquaintance might be considered one, but not fully,' he said, referring to Litta. - Practice outside the academy before graduation. As you know, that's not the case in Ban Arda. In my years of running the academy, I've decided that adding extra years to the tuition is a much better price than sending the underachievers out on their own to retake the exams.... - unlike Miss de Vries, the rector of Ban Ard Academy is also its founder. So he's seen more than one Arethusa chancellor in his lifetime. - But you didn't come to talk to me about academies, did you?

- It's about the business at hand. Obviously, we'll have to talk about them later.

- Did you come across anything important? - The sorcerer was interested.

- I'd say reasonable.

***

A couple of days later it was time for Litte and Jennyfer to interact with each other in the shop. One to tell the other all about the new job, and the other to memorise and get used to the new place.

Litta was currently living on Skellige, or the Skellige Islands, a state located in an archipelago northwest of Cintra. The archipelago consists of twenty islands of varying sizes, the largest of which is called Ard Skellig. It is on this mountainous island, which is at least twice the size of the others, that the capital of the entire archipelago, called Caer Trolde, is located.

The inhabitants of Skellige are renowned as sea pirates. What are they talking about, if the main income of the islands comes from sea robberies and raids on villages and towns along the coast. They could be considered Vikings without a second thought. Both culturally and in their actions in life. A multitude of clans ruled by jarls, one king over all, chosen for life by those very jarls, and no clear social division - people are peasants, warriors and sailors at the same time, and therefore Skellige is probably the only state where the voice of the peasants can make any difference in the choice of a jarl.

They are aided in their plundering by the largest navy and a culture itself honed to a life at sea.

Many monarchs, nobles as well as many spellcasters, consider the state on the archipelago to be the margins of history. Things are always the same there. From great-grandfathers to the current generation, and beyond, things are likely to remain the same. Gnawing between clans, constant forays for theft, which is unpleasantly prickly, but mostly doesn't affect the more economically advanced states much.

- This is where we put the small flasks,' Jennyfer pointed to a lidded box on the floor next to the alchemical table. - Here we store herbs and ingredients before cooking potions,' the two girls walked over to the cabinet on the left side of the workstation. - Prepared potions and ointments are near the entrance to the shop,' they walked to the fenced counter opposite the door. Under it were a couple of filled potion cases and one half-empty ointment case. - Ointments take longer to buy, so I don't prepare them.

- Where's the treatment? - Litta generally liked what she saw on the ground floor of the big house.

Her previous place of work had been confined to a room in a house on Skellig, and being able to free her own place from all sorts of distilling cubes, chests of work stuff and just ingredients, pleased the enchantress.

- There, a separate room, let me show you,' Yennifer led her to the back of the ground floor, where behind a thin wooden fence was a table designed to look like a treatment area. On the sides, inside a cabinet and a couple of bollards, lay everything she needed. Medical instruments that Yennifer herself had never used until now were also lying there. They had been bought for the future. - I've shown you almost everything, now I have to go out into the courtyard. And then I will show the first floor, but there are only living quarters and bathroom, well, and there is a place in the corridor with a long table, at the side of the entrance to the bedroom - there we eat.

Litta will move into the courtyard using the portal, whenever she needs to work. They'll also be able to keep in touch using the megascope. Luck has showered Litta with a cheap artefact found at the market in Skellig when she went home for a year before graduating from Arethusa - the raiders who live there don't know the value of such things, they can't use them themselves, and there's no way to find warlocks there.

- So Yeager is a noble family name? - The hired assistant asked, as soon as they had seen all the rooms and the courtyard behind the house.

- What makes you think so? He made up his own surname when he left the Blue Mountains,' the girl lied, telling the backstory that Eren and Hen had made up.

On the one hand, an officially trained mage is equal to the nobility, which by the way allows kings to hire them as advisors without a blow to their reputation, but on the other hand, for the family name to be considered noble to the fullest extent, you must first have an official family, and your own land will not hurt. The question about the surname was asked in order to find out about the possible family of the mage.

- But then where did it all come from? - Litta took her hands to the side and raised them slightly, pointing to their house. - He had only recently graduated, after all. Used to be a merchant?

As it happened, she hadn't managed to find out much about Eren. About the sorceress opposite, Litta at least knew briefly about the past, mostly from Yennifer's own words that evening - the two girls had talked a bit while Eren and Hela Gedimdeit had dialogued away from everyone else.

- That was exactly what he had been doing after he left the walls of the academy. That's how we met him, by the way. When necessary, Eren is as good a speaker as any peddler who has found a rich customer. He was dealing with another wizard at the time, Detmold by name, a nasty bloke. And he had Galanthea with him.

- I was beginning to think he only worked with monsters.

This morning, Eren went to a village four hours from Wengerberg. There was a monster there that had killed a couple of peasants and stolen a goat. Witches were not to be found in the winter, as they had gone to hibernate and were in short supply. Meanwhile, Eren had just found himself on the ear of the headman of the neighbouring village after his help with the rotten witches.

He and Hen had made arrangements for the next week to go to the found world with humans and vampires. Hen Gedimdeit needed to deal with the affairs of the Chapter of Warlocks: they had two meetings scheduled during the week. And the academy management was not cancelled, and the next students had just finished their studies there. So Eren had no special worries, so he decided to help the peasants, in any case not for free. And they would pay from the city treasury, or they would spoil the villages, and then where would the city people get food? The local nobility, fortunately for the peasants, understands the possible problems, and is willing to allocate a sum of money to kill the monster.

- Oh, that, no, no, no, what was it he said. hobby, strange word. Anyway, it's how he likes to distract himself and make some money. Can't sit on his arse... a fool,' Jennyfer finished her story, barely audibly. - But let's not talk about him, let's go over it again, show me where and what is located, and finish for today. Tomorrow we'll start brewing potions.

Litta started to show all the drawers and compartments in the cupboards from memory, listing the things in them and what they were all for. Meanwhile, the owner of the house was approaching the village, the second day standing on its ears because of the monster that had appeared.