The Divine Hunter

Chapter 543: Reunion with Casiga

[TL: Asuka]

[PR: Ash]

“Thanks, Coral. Take care of Calanthe and Ciri.” Yennefer was on the other side of the xenovox, sighing in resignation. “But don’t let them stay for too long. Make sure they return by today, or Bran will skin me alive. If they know I let a witcher take those two away under my nose, the Skellige brutes will feed me to the sharks.”

“Yes, Yennefer. I’ll make sure they return this afternoon. In one piece.” Lytta covered her mouth and giggled. Ciri popped up behind Coral and huddled closer to the xenovox, her eyes glinting, and her lips curled into a smile.

“Don’t you run around again, duckling.” Yennefer stared at her charge and crossed her arms. Sternly, she said, “Take your grandmother and Roy when afternoon comes, and use your… Elder Blood’s power to return immediately. If I have to go all the way to Thanedd to take you back, you’ll be drawing the patterns two thousand times.”

“Aye, aye, ma’am.” The girl curled up, a little scared, but she giggled as well. She then darted to the bedroom’s fireplace and lay on the settee like a pony resting from galloping. She rested her chin in her left hand and scanned the room.

Casiga, the girl who was only a few years older than her, was seated with her grandmother on the same settee, staring at the witcher across from her, her cheeks red.

Roy had an interesting look on his face. He was stiff, and he sat up straight, but his butt was fidgeting around, and his smile was as stiff as a statue’s. Through the corner of her eye, Ciri looked at Coral, who was talking to Yennefer.

Roy and Casiga were about the same age, judging from their looks. The young witcher was handsome, and the young sorceress was adorable. They’d make a great couple. Or so Ciri thought. She nodded, looking like realization had struck her. As if nonchalant, she asked, “Hey, Roy, is she your girlfriend?”

Everything came to a grinding halt. Casiga froze, her jaw dropping a little. Coral turned off the xenovox and whirled around with so much ferocity, she might burn something.

Calanthe caressed her belly gently, a small smile twisting her lips. She watched on with interest. Given her experience in life, she knew the young witcher shared an interesting bond with these women. Still, it was surprising to see the witcher, once so confident in giving her and Eist advice, looking so awkward. She was more than happy to see Roy in a pickle. A joke or two would work wonders for her baby.

Roy put on a forced smile. A few moments later, he pinched Ciri’s cheeks and pulled on them, as though he was trying to make pizza. “You shut your mouth if you have no idea what’s going on, Ciri.” He then pushed her away in case the Elder Blood decided to trigger another chain reaction. “She’s not my girlfriend. Casiga’s a good friend of mine, got it? Just like you and Cerys and Hjalmar.”

Casiga patted her chest in relief, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Lytta had been helping her a lot with her education, and earlier, she was told that Roy was Lytta’s romantic partner.

That quashed Casiga’s dream of becoming Roy’s girlfriend.

After Coral turned the xenovox off and whirled around, she placed her hand on the back of the chair and rested her chin on the back of her hand. She stared at Roy and Casiga, her face deadpan, as if she were trying to see what would happen. n.-𝗼–𝑣)-ℯ–𝔩./𝓑–1–n

Roy pretended not to notice Coral’s death stare. He gently asked, “It must’ve been a couple of years, Casiga. How’s life in Aretuza?”

“Roy, I…” Casiga felt her heart swell, and she stammered, her voice cracking, as if a lump had formed in her throat. The rims of her eyes turned red, and tears glimmered within them.

She shot up from the couch and spun around, showing herself off to Roy. An expression of delight and sadness adorned her face. “I’m all better now. Normal as a human can be. The insults are no more. No one’s pushing me to do menial chores every day, and no more stones either. I have new clothes all to myself, and I can feast on food most people only dream of. And I made a lot of friends.” She sobbed. “And I know magic too.”

She weaved her fingers in the air like she was playing an invisible lute. Flickering flames, glistening droplets of water, arcs of electricity, and fluorescent lights of magic fluttered across her fingertips, illuminating the ceiling with strobing lights. Illuminating the tears that were streaking down her cheeks.

The young sorceress was putting on a performance for the witcher. “What do you think? I still remember the moment you showed me magic back at the pond, and I’ve kept the Gwent card you gave me close by my side. They’re the very first things that taught me hope.”

She produced a beautiful card in her other hand. The face of the card was a red-haired woman in a crimson dress. She was fiery, mysterious, and beautiful. She was Sabrina, Kaedwen’s consultant for magic.

“And it’s all thanks to you, Roy. You saved my life and took me to Aretuza. If it weren’t for you, those scum would’ve killed me, if the rampaging mana didn’t do it first.”

Casiga spoke a lot, and it took a big weight off her mind. Her chest heaved, and a long rush of air escaped her lips. She looked at the witcher, her eyes glimmering with tears. “I’ve always wanted to see you again, Roy. So I could say thank you.”

She gazed at the witcher, a hint of aggrieved sadness possessing her voice. “But you never came. You didn’t write back to me either. I thought you’d forgotten about me. About your friend.”

Calanthe heaved a sigh. The older queen could glean the gist of the young sorceress’ earlier life, and it did not paint a pretty picture. Ciri’s smile was wiped off. Inexplicably, she felt sorry for the young sorceress. Lytta looked sympathetic, as though she saw her younger self in Casiga.

She strode over to them and held Casiga in her embrace, caressing her hair like a mother would her daughter. Casiga’s tears were drenching Coral’s shirt, but the sorceress let her cry.

And she directed a scorching glare at the witcher.

Casiga forced a smile and sniffled. She held her hands to her chest. With anticipation, she asked, “Lytta told me there are a lot of kids at the House of Gawain. You have alchemists, blacksmiths, and even a griffin. Is that true? Can I come over? Can I stay there?”

“You’re always welcome, Casiga.” Roy took a deep breath and sifted through his memories, calculating how much time was left until the political upheaval in Thanedd. “But you should stay in school and keep learning magic. At least for a year or two. You can always take a few days off, though.”

Coral nodded at the young sorceress.

“Okay!” Casiga’s eyes flared with joy. I’d die happy if I could go to Novigrad and see Roy more.

***

“Alright, I told you everything. Now it’s your turn.” Lytta stared into Roy’s eyes, trying to pierce through him. “How come the Elder Blood flows in you? You’re just a farmer’s child in Lower Posada.”

“Ah, so he has the ancient bloodline as well?” Realization struck Calanthe. “That explains why Ciri said she felt a connection. And it also explains why we can traverse space when we’re together.”

“So you mean Roy’s my family too?” Ciri stared at the witcher. She puckered her lips, worry flickering in her eyes. “Don’t tell me he’s my uncle.”

“I don’t particularly like cheeky nieces either.” Roy flicked Ciri’s forehead. No more lies. “My Elder Blood is different from theirs.” He looked into Lytta’s eyes. “When Letho and I were exploring a mine in Mahakam, I ingested a Child of the Sun. Thanks to the herb, I awakened a sliver of the Elder Blood. Then I followed its guidance and traveled to the woods of Brokilon. There, I, along with Geralt and Ciri, drank the Waters of Brokilon, bolstering the blood’s strength. I was not born with it.”

Lytta’s eyes twinkled with a bit of envy. “Still, it’s remarkable that you managed to cross through space with your bloodline’s power. I doubt any witcher can reproduce that feat.”

“I didn’t expect that reaction, however. When Ciri, Calanthe, and I came in contact, it felt like the power of our bloodline merged into one.” Roy scanned Calanthe and Ciri. “I was transported here the moment I thought of you. And Casiga.”

“I saw Hjalmar and Cerys!” Ciri quipped.

“It’s not limited to just humans either,” Calanthe added. “You can travel to any place you’ve been. Just like how we traveled to Sodden’s castle moments ago.”

***

“You can travel anywhere in an instant just by conjuring up an image of a place or a person in your head.” Lytta’s eyes glimmered, and she praised, “Not even the legendary Geoffrey Monck, who captured a djinn, possessed that level of teleportation powers. Have you ever tried taking someone along with you on these teleportations?”

“We haven’t been experimenting a lot.” Roy shook his head.

“I do not have time to perform any dangerous experiments, Roy.” Calanthe was concerned. “Once we return to Skellige, I will not perform any teleportation before my child is born. Aren’t you awash with vertigo every time we teleport? Besides, how can you be sure that teleportation will not overexert my unborn child and leave any complications?”

“True. For safety purposes, this will be our last teleportation for the time being.” Roy conjured a bizarre mental image. Two months down the line, he would be holding a baby in his left hand and a girl in his right, traveling all around the world, arriving anywhere he wanted in an instant.

***

“Grandmother, Roy.” Ciri’s eyes were tinted with anxiety as well. “We should be going back now. Any later, and Yennefer’s going to have me draw those patterns two thousand times.”

“Take them home, now.” Lytta understood their predicament. She approached the witcher.

Roy felt something press against his lips. Lytta left him a kiss.

“See you, Roy.” Casiga stood with Lytta, waving at the witcher.

Roy held Calanthe’s hand with his left and Ciri’s with his right. They closed their eyes, and then a gust of wind blew across the room. A blinding light filled the air, and sunlight refracted like it was trapped in a room of shattered shards of glass.

Motes of dust fluttered like balls of light, and the silhouettes disappeared.

“I’m off to the library, Lytta.” Casiga swung her fist, looking determined.

“Hm?”

“I need to learn quickly so I can help you guys one day.”