The Witcher 0.7
Andrzej Sapkowski
THE BOUNDS OF REASON
1. Some of the townspeople that hired Geralt to kill a basilisk for them are eying his horse and other belongings. Borch, known as Three Jackdaws, asks what they are doing. When one pulls out a knife, his two girls, Téa and Véa, come out of hiding. Geralt comes back with the dead basilisk and is upset that those that hired them are going after his things. They swear they didn’t touch them. Borch points out that one of them drew a knife on them. He pulls out his sword and throws it at the man decapitating him. The rest run. Borch introduces himself and his girls to Geralt and invites him to a nearby inn to dine together. Geralt warns him that he is a Witcher before accepting. Borch doesn’t mind and Geralt accepts the offer.
2. When they get to the inn, Borch orders food and gives a bonus to the server. He asks Geralt about his job and if he has ever killed a dragon (green, red, black, white (rare)). Geralt says he doesn’t ever hunt real dragons. Borch mentions a golden dragon, but Geralt doesn’t think they really exist. Véa starts flirting with him. Borch says she likes him and is surprised because the girls usually don’t like anyone. When the inn keeper comes by, Borch asks if he has a tub big enough to fit four.
3. While heading down the road, Geralt and the others come to a blockade at the bridge. Dandelion is there and fills them in on what is going on. A green (grey) dragon has been terrorizing the local town and fell down poisoned. Several have come to try to slay it because whoever does wins the hand of the princess. Eyck of Denesle, the Winfred Reavers, six dwarves under Yarpen Zigrin, and a sorceress have all show up to defeat the dragon. Geralt doesn’t have any interest in killing the dragon. A sorcerer shows up and introduces himself as Dorregaray. They tell her a sorceress with black hair and a black horse has already gone after the dragon. The sorcerer says it is Yennefer. The guard will not let any of them through because they don’t have a “safe conduct.” Geralt tries to bribe him. When that doesn’t work, Borch offers him more. The centurion is tempted but doesn’t know what to tell the king. The sorcerer sets a tree on fire and while he is distracted, they mount their horses and take off.
4. The warriors around Geralt are all upset that the sorcerers were given better accommodations than them. They complain about Yennefer until she appears. She plans to use spells on the dragon, but the object saying that half of the spoils would go to her and they would starve. They come up with a compromise that the king agrees to letting the warriors kill it. Yennefer says they will be begging for her help soon enough. Geralt has wandered off during the conversation. As Yennefer walks off, Dandelion prepares to sing.
5. Geralt stops Yennefer on her way back to her own camp. He tells her he joined the party because of her and isn’t interested in the dragon. When he reaches for her, she stops him. She tells him she can never forgive him. She splashes water and disappears. He goes back to the campfire where Dandelion is finishing up his song. He doesn’t know why, but he feels like laughing.
6. As the party travels towards the dragon, Chancellor Eyck Gyllenstiern rides along side Geralt to ask why he is with their party since he isn’t interested in the dragon. He mentions it odd that he and Dorregaray both have different ideals than the rest of them and it is odd. Dorregaray rides up to Geralt and starts talking to him about the world being in equilibrium when each creature attacks its natural prey. Yennefer comes up beside them to warn Dorregaray from interfering in the dragon slaying. He suggests she take up her natural job of making babies before riding off. She is infuriated because sorceresses cannot bear children and that is what she wants most. They come to a shabby looking bridge and there is an argument of which way is most efficient. It is decided they will take the bridge because it is quicker. They decide to go one wagon at a time, but the rock wall still starts to shudder. King Niedamir is rushed across as the road around them starts to collapse. A stone cuts the Witcher’s mare and she throws him. Dorregaray tells him to jump on the back of his horse as they try to make their way to safety. Yennefer cries out and Geralt goes after her before she plunges into the chasm. He runs to her while Dorregaray destroys the boulders that roll their way. They make it to the bridge and start to cross, but half of it is destroyed and they start to fall. Geralt holds onto the bridge and Yennefer holds on to him. While they are hanging there, They can hear many of the people arguing about not helping them up because they would be better off without their kind. Geralt asks Yennefer to forgive him, but she refuses. Dandelion throw down a rope and the others pull them up.
7. Once they are all safe, they continue on the trail. They find the dragon laying in the grass and it tells them they can go east or west, but if they want to use the north roads, they will have to fight him in fair combat (no spells or fire). Eych accepts the challenge. He puts on his armor and mounts his horse. He charges the dragon with his lance, but the dragon’s attack is so quick he doesn’t see it coming. His horse is killed and his legs are broken.
8. Yennefer asks Geralt to kill the dragon for her because she believes there is a way to get what she wants, but it is very expensive. He declines. She says she will forgive him if she does, but he says he doesn’t care about that anymore. She stalks off. The king announces that he is done with the dragon and heading home. Eych is surprised that the king is going to give up on their dream, but the king says it was never his dream. He is going home so he has the chance to pursue his own dream of ruling. Geralt, Dandelion, and Dorregaray try to fight off the others to keep them from attacking the dragon, but they fail and are tied up. Yennefer tries to get the others to leave the dragon to her because if it weren’t for her, Geralt would have killed them all. When the dragon moves, they can see it is protecting a baby dragon. They bind up Yennefer to keep her from attacking with spells. The others attack the dragons and are able to get nets on it. The Zerrikanians ride in to save the dragon and fight off the dragon attackers. Yennefer helps them by using her foot to cast spells. Borch holds the dragooning and says they cannot kill Yennefer because she helped them. They realize the golden dragons are rumored to be able to transform into anything, including humans. Yennefer tells Geralt it is alright and they kiss. Borch says he was called for help by the dragon that was poisoned. He says the dragons are few and need a protector so he will be like their Witcher. Borch tells Yennefer that she and Geralt were made for each other, but nothing will come of it. She already knows. Geralt asks why he would make himself a human. He says it is disgusting to most dragons, but he finds humans likable. He takes his dragon from before taking off.
A SHARD OF ICE
1. Geralt fights a Add Gynvael in a sewer and kills it.
2. Geralt goes back to the inn and Yennefer demands he bathe. While in that bath, he asks why they don’t move on to antother town. Yennefer tells him a story about a white witch that travels between towns. Anyone that sees her cannot see any beauty but that of the white witch. He tells her it is just The Hunt. Once the witcher is sufficiently cleaned up, the sorceress magically dumps the water from the bath out the window, outraging a passerby. The two get to talking about the fact that Istredd has moved to town and that Yennefer has been not only working with him, but also sleeping with him. Geralt is quite obviously jealous of this.
3. the witcher still has business to conclude and leaves to find Herbolth, the alderman who hired him to kill the zeugl, and claim his reward. However, before he can approach the alderman, he is stopped by Ivo Mirce aka "Cicada", a mercenary who happens to be working as a bodyguard for the alderman. Mirce eyes the witcher's sword enviously as he "confiscates" the weapon for reasons of security. The usual formalities ensue with Herbolth cheating the witcher out of the previously agreed sum.
4. After that business is concluded, Geralt heads over to Istredd's home. The mage explains to the witcher that he loves Yennefer and wants to marry her. Geralt tries to convince him that this is unwise because he and Yennefer are meant for each other. The mage accuses him of being delusional and points out that witchers are unable of human emotions, calling the witcher merely a toy for the sorceress. Geralt is incensed and suggests that it is Istredd who is being used. It's clear that the two cannot settle things by talking it through so they decide that they should settle things with a duel although both men agree that the idea of them dueling for Yennefer is absurd.
5. Back at the inn, Yennefer and Geralt argue some more about their relationship and about Yennefer and Istredd's relationship, but they resolve nothing.
6. Geralt goes to the wall and Istredd finds him. He wants to settle their argument over Yennefer. They agree they both Yennefer will not chose between them and they will have to settle it between them. They agree to meet at the well two hours after sun up the next day.
7. Herbolth gets wind of this plan and tracks Geralt to the inn where the witcher is now sulking and drinking. The alderman throws down a purse with the originally agreed sum for the zeugl, and tells the witcher to take the money and get out of town, now. He explains that the city cannot afford to find another mage and that Istredd is far more useful to them than a witcher. He also explains that he can't simply throw the witcher in a dungeon as Istredd would never agree to such a breach of honour. Geralt suggests that the alderman pray for Istredd then and refuses to change his plans and leave. The alderman is exasperated and tells the witcher that they can go ahead and kill each other then, for all he cares.
8. After leaving the inn, Geralt is set upon by bandits, one of whom he recognizes from a dark corner of the inn earlier. The would-be thieves soon discover that they have chosen the wrong victim when one of them grabs the witcher's medallion. They assume they he was trying to commit suicide since he didn’t have his sword and tell him not ti drag others into it. Geralt decides to spend the night in the stables rather than go back to the inn and Yennefer.
9. The next morning, Geralt sets off for his appointment with Istredd but is once again accosted by Cicada and his men. Mirce is intent on fighting the witcher, but Geralt punches Mirce in the mouth, knocking him into a mud puddle. He then decides to punch him again and finally finishes him off with a good swift kick. Ivo is left humiliated and bleeding in the mud.
10. Geralt continues on his original path to meet the mage for their duel. Istredd received a message from Yennefer, by bird-messenger that she was a declining his offer of marriage. The mage readies his sword, his chosen weapon rather than using magic. Geralt sees that Istredd plans to intentionally lose the duel, and his life, due to Yennefer's rejection. In light of this Geralt refuses to fight, bids the mage good-bye and leaves. He knows he has his own letter and bird messenger waiting for him at the Inn
ETERNAL FLAME
1. Geralt hears an angry loud scream and something slamming down to the street. He quickly makes his way to the source of the noises and witnesses a plump woman standing on a balcony, screaming and throwing flowerpots on a man on the street. They are arguing with each other and the man is jumping like a scalded cat in order to dodge a flower pot crashing down the ground. Geralt finds out that the woman's name is Vespula and the man is none other than Dandelion. He sees Geralt and makes his way over to him, leaving the angry woman. They had a short conversation, and it turns out that Vespula was Dandelion's fiancé and he suggests that they should go to a tavern to calm his nerves after the fight. On the way to the tavern, Geralt mentions that he and Yennefer are not a thing anymore and that he is in Novigrad to just do some simple tasks, at the same time is Dandelion working on his new ballad called "Winter". At the mostly empty tavern they met the merchant Dainty Biberveldt who is a halfling and apparently a friend of Dandelion. Geralt and the poet sit down with the merchant who is eating soup and seems a bit nervous of their presence. After a few minutes of conversation, the chamber door is smashed open and in comes a second Dainty! From top to toe identical to the merchant. The second Dainty leaps and at Dainty starting a fight. Geralt acts quickly and instinctively joins the fight. The second Dainty goes down on all four and moves like a spider, runs away, colliding with a wench lass which causes her to make an ear-splitting scream. By the collision, Geralt manages to keep up with the second Dainty and knocks it to the ground. The creature deforms more and more and is begging for mercy. The innkeeper orders the screaming wench girl to get the guard but Dandelion is quick to stop her. The real Dainty explains that this is a private matter and he will pay for all the damage.
2. After some arguing with the innkeeper about calling the guard, they finally start communicating with the creature which is a doppler named Tellico Lunngrevink Letorte or Dudu as his friends call him. Dainty describs his look as a fermenting dough. Fast into the conversation, Dainty asks where his horses are and claims that Dudu has robbed him and abandoned him in the forest as a copy of himself. This comes out to be true and Dainty wants to kill the thing but Geralt finds mercy for the doppler stating that he does not kill intelligent races. Instead, they make the doppler talk to see what he has done in the past days in Dainty Biberveldt's duplicated body. Interrupting the conversation, the innkeeper says that he should change form as a disguise since humans tend to kill dopplers. So the doppler changes into Dainty again, creating an exact copy of him, Dandelion and Geralt is astonished. Geralt then mentions that dopplers do not only copy the body, but the mind, the thoughts and the soul. It then turns out that the doppler had sold the horses for an incredibly high price and reinvested all the money in a ton of stuff including cod liver oil, rose oil, mimosa bark, cochineal, earthenware bowls and beeswax. Dainty is devastated knowing that all this stuff are completely useless. Suddenly, the chamber door opened again and in came a man in a purple toga and a weird shaped hat asking for a merchant named Biberveldt. This triggered the doppler Dainty to fiercely run out of the tavern, Geralt follows. The purple man calls for help as the doppler forces his way through. The guard grabs Geralt, thinking that he is the bad guy and the doppler gets away. Dainty then explains to the purple dressed man, whose name apparently was Schwann, that the doppler was his cousin Nutcase-Biberverldt and had an injury from his childhood that caused him to get infuriated by the color purple. Schwann believes the lie and then explains that Dainty has a tax debt of fifteen hundred gold, something that he'd never be able to pay. Dainty is yet again devastated.
3. Later that day, Dainty, Dandelion and Geralt gathered around a fountain. Dainty wanted to find that doppler but it didn't take long until they noticed they were surrounded. Men armed with lamias walk towards them. A man approach them, he had a white kaftan and a golden chain. Dandelion noticed that it was Chappelle. Chappelle starts talking about the doppler or the vexling as he calls it, in the tavern. He claims that anyone who says that they saw a vexling is blasphemous and a heretic who should be sent into the dungeon because the eternal fire is protecting Novigrad from monsters. The innkeeper was imprisoned because he claimed that. A bit later he wants to talk a few private words with Geralt. Chappelle asks Geralt what the cost would be if there would be a vexling in the city. Geralt answered, "That question is impossible to answer". After a while of conversation, Chappelle finally decides to leave. He and his armed men walks away in an organized column. Dandelion is relived but Dainty got his sight on Muskrat, a merchant he knew. Muskrat approached him. He is astonished but also angry, he tells him about the profit he made on the cochineal since there was a huge demand on it in the coup in Poviss. Dainty is shocked, he hastily makes his way to the bank in order to understand what is happening, Dandelion and Geralt followed too. Dainty met his bank companion Vimme Vivaldi and they got invited to his office. At the bank, the halfling finds out that the doppler had been here several times and that he had a wealthy amount of money on the bank by the cochineal profit. The tax was paid as well. They then discuss some business and the Chappelle thing. Vimme Vivaldi said that Chappelle is following them because of his success in business lately since Chappelle usually is the one who is on top of business. Vimme tells him Chappelle has become a decent and polite sort of fellow. One of the doppler’s men comes in to report the fake Dainty’s current business. Dainty asks the man for his location and finds the doppler is at the west market. He asks for a stout robust stick and makes his way to the market hastily, leaving Vimme Vivalde without a doubt.
4. At the western market, the three companions split up in order to find the doppler. Geralt is desperately searching for the doppler but his attention got caught by Dandelion's voice, singing. Geralt finally finds him singing like a beggar on the street, a big crowd had gathered around him. Geralt walks up to him and asks what he is doing, but it did not take long until Vespula showed up, angry as usual. Dandelion jumped but it did not take long until Dainty came rushing in, bumping into Vespula and screaming. The halfling says he'd seen him. After a bit of guiding from Dainty, he finally gets his eye on the doppler and they both ran after him. The Doppler at last ran into a butcher tent but Geralt, with the help of the Aard sign was able to trap him inside the tent. The Witcher did not want to kill him or turn him to the authority, instead he offered him to leave the town but the doppler did not approve of that. Instead, he started forming into the Witcher himself. They started fighting and both did exactly the same moves. The doppler said constantly that he can not defeat him, because they are exact copies. But Geralt knew better. He knew that the doppler did not have the courage to defeat him. That he did not have the courage to understand the bad in people, only the good, and that Geralt knew because he could have easily just killed and buried the merchant he decided to rob, and all his problems would have gone away, but he did not have the courage to do so. The doppler knew this, since he had the Witcher's thoughts and he understood. He now started to form into Dandelion instead and then explained that all he wanted was to be able to live in Novigrad, just like dwarves, halflings, gnomes and elves. Geralt put his sword back in the scabbard and watched him make his way on the street. The Doppler looked back and thanked him, played to chords on his lute and sang the last bit of Dandelion's ballad "Winter", but suddenly Vespula showed up. She knocked him with a pan and he started deforming. A crowd was forming and Geralt tried to oust the attention. Suddenly, Chappelle shows up without any bodyguards at all. He approached the doppler and at the same time, Dainty showed up from another butcher tent, sweaty. Chappelle then tries to communicate with the deforming doppler assuming its name is Dudu. Geralt is watching Chappelle with narrow eyes, looking very suspicious. Finally, the doppler had changed to Dainty again, or Dainty's cousin as they say. The real Dainty is no longer angry on the doppler since his way of doing business is incredible and has granted him a lot of fame in his name. Chappelle pretty much revealed himself as a doppler himself and explains that the real Chapelle had died of apoplexy two months ago. Dudu then explains why he bought all those random stuff. It was revealed that you need all of those ingredients in order to make the eternal fire altars which they are going to start building soon in Novigrad. After that, they all went together to the Passiflora.
A LITTLE SACRIFICE
1. Agloval is the proud and arrogant prince of the seaside region of Bremervoord who is hopelessly in love with the mermaid, Sh'eenaz. Geralt has been hired by Agloval to act as a translator since he can speak the Elder Language. Agloval wants Geralt to convince Sh'eenaz to trade her fin for a pair of human legs, abandon her life in the sea, and live with him on land. However Sh'eenaz refuses, and instead insists that it's Agloval who should instead come live with her, despite the fact that he can't breathe underwater. Ultimately, Geralt is unable to negotiate; Agloval argues that his contract is unfulfilled and refuses to pay.
2. Dandelion decides to write a song about the mermaid where she chose to trade her fins in for the duke who will betray her. In the end, she will die of heartache. They are currently broke from having to pay fines from an encounter with rangers that resulted in them having to pay fees. A paunchy man name Teleri Drouhard, a spice merchant, comes up to them and asks Dandelion to sign at his daughter’s, Dalia, betrothal banquet. Dandelion is upset to hear they had already hired another singer and he is to be second. Geralt begs him to take the job because they are starving. Dandelion points out that Geralt turns down jobs all the time. Geralt promises he won’t turn down whatever job he is offered next. They negotiate price and he agrees to attend. Dandelion asks who the other bard is and learns it is Miss Essi Daven.
3. Geralt and Dandelion's go to Bremervoord and arrive at the banquet. Dandelion and Essi Daven, quip back and forth before settling on how the night will go. Duke Agloval arrives and calls Geralt over to him but first Dandelion reminds him he promised to accept any task. Agloval has Zelest, the pearl diving steward, tell him about the issue. One of their boats went into a dangerous area. The entire crew vanished and the deck was covered in blood. Geralt agrees to check it out in the morning. During the betrothal feast, Essi quickly develops feelings for Geralt, who handles this awkwardly by kissing her despite feeling nothing for her. After realizing he has made a mistake, she tells him they should go back to the banquet so she can sing for him.
4. Back in their room, Geralt is surprised when Dandelion arrives thinking he would be out with a woman all night. Dandelion admits he flirted shamelessly with one woman to make another jealous and he plans to pursue the second woman the next night. Dandelion tells Geralt he noticed his and Essi’s behavior and that they had made an impression on one another. Geralt makes a comment about bards being dark hearted and hints that Dandelion has probably already had her. He says he thinks of Essi as a little sister and Geralt doesn’t know her if he thinks she is dark. He calls Geralt out on his love for Yennefer and how it has made him cynical.
5. In the morning, Essi comes to ask Geralt about what he thinks killed the men on the boat. They go through a few possibilities before she suggests it could be an attack from the sky. Duke Agoval comes up to them angry that he had been waiting for his mermaid for three hours and she never showed up. The town thinks he angered the mermaid and that is why the crew on the ship was murdered. He blames Geralt. Essi threatens to write him in a song. Geralt stops her from saying too much to him. He says he will accomplish the job he accepted despite not having a boat to get to where he needs to. Essi says she knows the sea and asks to go with Geralt. He tells her he is not her valiant knight and she cannot go with him and risk her life. He has to be emotionless and follow the code. He notices the rock where Agloval met his mermaid isn’t there any longer. Essi explains the tide to him. Sh’eenaz swims up and says they make a lovely couple. Geralt says they aren’t a couple and barely know each other. She asks about Agoval and is upset he only waited three hours for her. When asked about the dead divers, Sh’eenaz tells them to stay away because it is not for them. Both Sh’eenaz and Geralt are suprised when Essi speaks to the mermaid in the Elder language.
6. Geralt and Dandelion walk along the beach. Dandelion looks around for something he can give to Essi as a birthday present the next day, but finds a human skull. He then finds a clam and tries to open it against the rocks. Geralt calls him over to show him the shelf that has steps leading to an underwater sea. There is a sign that Dandelion tries to read and slips into the water. Geralt grabs him. They hear a bell coming from the water. Dandelion tells him it is a warning and sings the song he remembers. A creature pops out of the water. Geralt pulls out his sword and tells Dandelion to fly. Another creature shows up and they start fighting. A war is narrowly averted between the people of the sea and their land-based counterparts when Sh'eenaz mysteriously intervenes and stops the conflict.
7. Later, Essi finds the pretty blue shell Dandelion picked up for her, although it's filled with muck. Surprisingly, it contains a valuable blue pearl. Essi confesses her love for Geralt, but he's unable to reciprocate. She is upset that it isn’t a spell that makes her feel that way. He feels uncomfortable, and wonders if Yennefer feels this uncomfortable with him. Geralt cannot muster any love or otherwise romantic feelings for Essi because she is not Yennefer, although he is unable to bring himself to explain this to her. She asks if there could ever be a future for them like how the pearl was hidden in the shell. He tells her he sees her making the pearl into a talisman she wears around her neck. Dandelion arrives and Essi takes off.
8. Geralt warns Agloval about the sea monsters, but he is upset that Geralt is telling him to stay away from the place where he makes his money. He tries to hire Geralt to be a guard for his ships until the new race learns to stay away from them. Agloval insults him and Essi stands up for Geralt. The Witcher sees that Essi is wearing the pearl as a talisman as he suggested. She warns the duke to stay away from the unexplored sea and the steps into them. He says nothing will stop him from getting what he can from the sea. Sh'eenaz comes out of the water and shows off her legs. She speaks in their language and says she has decided to make "a little sacrifice.”
9. Geralt, Dandelion, and Essi leave Bremervoord together. But before going their separate ways, Geralt explains his feelings to Essi - that he does not reciprocate her love, and Essi comes to terms with this.
10. Dandelion composes a new ballad, one of a witcher and a bard who meet on a beach and fall in love at first sight; although Dandelion never performs this song for anyone. Sadly, Geralt and Essi never meet again. Four years later, Essi dies from smallpox in Vizima and Dandelion buries her with her lute and the blue pearl.
THE SWORD OF DESTINY
1. While on his way to Brokilon to deliver a message to the queen of the dryads, Eithné, from King Venzlav of Brugge, Geralt stumbles upon the body of a boy, probably no more than fifteen. The boy has been killed by an obviously expertly delivered arrow which can still be seen protruding from his skull. The boy had obviously strayed into territory claimed by the dryads. Geralt hurries his pace, hoping to catch up with the people he has been following and convince them to turn back. Too late. He finds a second body, an adult male, and then a third. Then he hears a rustling noise. Locating its source, he discovers, much to his surprise, Freixenet. Freixenet is in bad shape, but his only concern seems to be that Geralt find "the princess". As he tries to extract the large man from his hiding place, another arrow whizzes by narrowly missing the witcher's own head, then more. They are surrounded by dryads. Geralt realizes he has no choice but to surrender if there is any hope of surviving the encounter. He explains the original purpose of his unannounced arrival in Brokilon and manages to convince them that he must still speak with Eithné. They agree to escort him the rest of the way, and assign one of their ranks, Braenn to be his guide. He is immediately sent on his way and not permitted to speak with Freixenet again nor told what will happen to the man.
2. Geralt and Braenn then set off through the forest, on their way to Duén Canell they hear a scream. Braenn draws arrows, but Geralt tells her not to shoot. They come upon a giant centipede which seems to be threatening a halfling. Springing into action, the witcher tackles the beast. With the help of Braenn, they eventually dispatch the monster, only to realize that its intended victim was no halfling, but a little human girl, no more than 10 years old, the princess Cirilla of Cintra herself. Geralt asks who she is and why she is there. She says her name is Ciri and he realizes she is the one Freixenet was looking for. She runs off and he goes after her. Braenn shoots an arrow at her and Ciri drops to the ground. He goes to her and she is insulted that they would treat a princess in this manner. He says they will leave her and she begs him to take her with him, but not back to Prince Kistrin, son of king Ervyll of Verden, who she was sent to by her grandmother, Calanthe.. She was told she was going there to meet him, but she was married to him and she doesn’t like him and he doesn’t like her. Braenn says they are to Duén Canell with her. He says he will take her back where she belongs after. She complains about being hungry and he gives her some food. She thanks him. He tells her to thank Braenn when they stop because it was her shot that saved her. She says she isn’t going to be a princess. What she will be is a secret. Braenn says they have to stop for the night.
3. They stop for the night and have a fire. Geralt asks Ciri about her parents and she tells him they died when she was very young. When he calls her an orphan, she says her grandmother the queen will have him beheaded. He tells her she will be the one beheaded for disobeying her. He says they will tell her grandmother he whipped her so she doesn’t get punished. She says she has to go home rather than be married to Prince Kistrin. She swears Geralt to secrecy that her … was a witch and she has another destiny. He tells her to go to sleep and she asks for a story. He starts out with a tale about a cat who wonders off and a fox who warns him of the dangers of the forest. The horns sound and the hounds are after them. The cat runs up a tree and the fox is caught. Braenn tells her the moral is to survive.
4. In the morning, the reach the trees. They are massive. Geralt worries about Ciri’s cold. Braenn stops them to blindfold Geralt. Cici tells him all about what is around them.
5. Finally the trio arrive at the heart of Brokilon, Duén Canell. This is not Gerald’s first time there, but he doesn’t tell anyone about it because he knows no one would believe him. They meet Freixenet who lthough still a prisoner, his wounds are being treated by the dryads and he already seems a good deal better. The two men finally get a chance to speak and Freixenet fills Geralt in on the rest of the details of Ciri's adventure so far. He recalls the first time Geralt had saved him from a curse. He had trusted the metal shirt his sister, Eliza, had made to protect him. Geralt had turned him back from being turned into a cormorant. Braenn comes to get Ciri, but she wants to stay with Geralt. Ciri realizes that she won’t be leaving because they didn’t blindfold her when they came there. They say nothing can change her destiny.
6. During the journey it has become increasingly clear that, this being Brokilon, Ciri will likely never be permitted to leave. So now, in addition to his original message, Geralt must now speak with Eithné about Ciri's fate as well. The queen of the dryads is proud and determined, not to mention particularly unsympathetic towards the humans who have relegated her people to one tiny patch of forest. Her own daughter was trampled beyond recognition. Geralt gives her the apology due for that incident. He tells Braenn that she may blame the arrow for killing the boy, but it will not be the arrow that has dreams about it. She says her name is Mona. Geralt points out that the women she takes and transforms still remember their original names. She tells him the sword of destiny has two blades and he is one. Ultimately, Eithné allows Ciri to choose her own fate and Ciri chooses the witcher. The queen also decides to spare Freixenet on the basis that he is an acquaintance of Geralt and that he did not have the intention of hunting dryads when he trespassed into the forest. After all, dryads still need males to make new dryads, so it seems that the large man will become a stud.They are the other. She tells him he can still save Calanthe from the darkness he has grown to love. Geralt feels himself being plunged into darkness.
7. Back on his original route to Brugge, the witcher and his newest companion are surrounded by what seem to be a group of Verden soldiers. One of the group explains that what they have come upon is the scene of a dryad ambush of a merchant caravan. But Geralt quickly notices that the evidence around him does not support the claims being made by the "soldiers" and a fight ensues. Ciri manages to hide in a tree but the witcher is hopelessly outnumbered. Luckily, and at the last minute, he is saved by the arrival of Mousesack and some dryads.
8. The new party of three then continue on the road together as Geralt and Mousesack catch up with each other's news. Mousesack tells Geralt that Siri is tied to him because this is the third time they have crossed paths. Mousack tries to convince him to take her with him as her guardian. Geralt refuses to take her with him. Mousesack warns him that she will come back to him in another form of destiny. The witcher then leaves Ciri in the care of her "uncle" Mousesack and continues on his way, much to the chagrin of the young girl. She wakes up and cries out to him that she is his destiny.
SOMETHING MORE
1. A merchant, Yurga, is alone on a crumbling bridge trying to fix the wheel of his cart which has become stuck in the rotting planks of the bridge. Below the bridge is a dry river bed covered in nettles and strewn with human remains, and worse still, he can hear the sounds of a horse approaching. He quickly hides under the tarp, hoping to escape detection. The horseman stops and seems to be aware that someone is hiding in the cart and calls out that he means no harm. After some reflection, Yurga decides to chance it and surfaces. The horseman turns out to be a witcher; not just any witcher, but Geralt of Rivia himself. The two men discuss the merchant's predicament. Geralt remarks that the wagon is too big for the two of them to pull it free and asks if Yurga was traveling alone. The merchant admits that he did have two traveling companions, his servants Profit and Vell, who took flight leaving him to his own devices. Geralt then suggests simply abandoning the cart and getting to safety before whatever was responsible for the other bodies decides to make a feast of them, but Yurga won't hear of it. That cart is worth a year's income (at least) to him and he's not about to leave it. Geralt shrugs this off and makes to leave when Yurga begs him to help, saying that he'll give him whatever he desires. Those are the magic words, the invoking of the Law of Surprise. Things settled, Geralt then suggests that Yurga get back in his cart and stay there quietly. He then prepares for the battle to come, and come it does. While Geralt does prevail, he is left gravely wounded and collapses after the fight. Yurga's servants return and help the merchant load the witcher onto the cart. Yurga, it turns out, is a good man and he undertakes to get the witcher to a healer. The rest of the story takes place as Geralt drifts in and out of consciousness on the road back to Yurga's house in Sodden.
2. Yurga and Potvik get him on the cart. He says the name Yennefer.
3. When Geralt wakes up, he is offered a beer. He turns it down in favor for one of his own vials. He dreams of Yennefer and their last meeting during the Belleteyn holiday. They know they can’t be together and even if they could, they would not be able to have children. He comforts her while she mourns that she cannot have children. She offers him the night saying they will go their separate ways in the morning. They have sex. After, she is crying though she promised herself she wouldn’t. She mentions that Borch told them they were meant for each other, but nothing would come from it. She told him to ride to Cintra as fast as possible.
4. They cross the River Trava and Geralt regains consciousness long enough for Yurga to explain that they are now out of Temeria and into Sodden. The witcher asks the merchant to hand him one of his potions, which he takes and slips back into unconsciousness. He dreams of the first time he returned to Cintra to claim Ciri, his surprise child from Duny and Pavetta. At first, Geralt does not know the gender of the child and assumes it is a boy. He asks Mousesack which of the gang of playing children is the one, but the druid tells him that Calanthe has forbidden him from telling the witcher. She doesn't want to give Ciri to the witchers and is making things as difficult as possible. The druid also reveals that Calanthe had hired him after the child was born to kill the witcher. At the last moment, she cancelled the plan without any explanation, but Mousesack admits that he would have done her bidding, or at least tried. The child’s parents died in a boat accident and nothing of the incident was found. Geralt and Calanthe meet and have a protracted discussion about the Law of Surprise and whether or not she will give up the child. She says she will let him have one guess and take whichever child he guesses with him to try to become a witcher. In the end, the witcher explains that he doesn't believe in destiny. He tells the queen that he has no intention of taking Pavetta and Duny's son (as he still doesn't know that they had a daughter) who is not among the children playing nearby. She asks why he made her say the vow and returned if he doesn’t intend to take the child. They also discuss witchers and the trials as well as how Geralt himself was a foundling bastard who became a witcher. No witcher is able to have children. Here we are told that Mousesack's assertions that Geralt was a surprise child are just stories, that Geralt was abandoned to the witchers by his mother, a sorceress, which they though wasn’t possible. She asks what will happen if he scorns destiny. He says she held up her end of the bargain and he will bare the consequences. He doesn’t want to look into the eyes of destiny because he doesn’t believe in it. She tells him to come back if he changes his mind.
5. The next scene opens at night as Geralt wakes up to find himself being treated by a sorceress and healer, Visenna. Up until this point, he had always wondered if he would ever cross paths with the woman who gave him up to the witchers. He had thought about her from time to time over the years contemplating what he would tell to her, what question he would ask should they ever meet. He assumed it would cause some twisted pleasure to him. Now that the meeting has happened, he's too tired and weak and plans to look her in the eyes and ask his question the next day in the daylight. However Visenna steers Geralt to rest stating he won't want that anymore when he's awake again. By asking rhetorical questions she further dismisses the idea of doing what he plans as it won't change anything. As she finally says a goodbye, Geralt tries to resist her soothing activity and prevent her from disappearing again, but fails.
6. In the following scene Geralt and Yurga hold a conversation about the aftermath of the second battle of Sodden, Visenna's self-sacrifice while Geralt was unconscious and the locals' feelings towards mages, which stem from the experienced battle and its outcome. When Yurga mentions the number of the fallen mages, Geralt shows signs of instability. Enumerating the mages name by name makes Geralt stop his companion.
7. Some time after we have Geralt climbing up the Sodden hill towards an obelisk erected there, to read himself the names carved on it. Reading from top down reminiscing about the individuals, three names remain to be read and a rustle interrupts him. A blond haired lady passes by, radiating cold. She kneels down in front of the obelisk covering so the last name of a mage. They talk, he realizes who she is following him all the time. He is tired and peacefully asks about how it happens. She describes her duty. Geralt states he's been afraid of her, but he is not anymore. His appearance tells otherwise though. She challenges him to hear the last name, he says it himself and asks her to do her duty. She declines for today. He states she's taken all from him, but she interrupts him saying she doesn't take anything but hands to hold and accompany those alone, in a mist, which is what everything around fades to. Yurga wakes Geralt up wondering why the witcher went up there, when he could have been told everything by Yurga. Geralt tests Yurga's memory by asking for the last name of the mage, it turnes out not to be who Geralt has thought. The scene ends by Geralt glancing at all the names on the menhir answering Yurga's question whether Geralt knew the last mage.
8. The journey continues, and while a good deal better, the witcher is still not out of the woods health-wise. Geralt continues to spend much of the trip resting. When they finally arrive in Sodden. Yurga proceeds to explain that it is more than just unlikely that the witcher will find what he asked for as a reward when they ultimately get there. He and his wife are well past their child-bearing years, so a new family addition is far from likely. They do, however, have two strong, bright sons and having one of them train to be a witcher would not be so bad. Geralt insists that for all the medical care and transportation that the merchant has provided, they are now even and that no further reward is required, but again Yurga proves obstinate and insists. Just as the river Yaruga comes into view, Geralt slips into one final dream about the same crossing. In the dream, the witcher sees what looks like pandemonium on the banks. The crossing is the scene of quite a commotion as soldiers retreating from the Nilfgaardian assault are preventing peasants who are also trying to flee from crossing the river. The soldiers are intent on getting themselves across and then preventing the Nilfgaardians from following. They tell the peasants to get out their axes and build a raft if they want to cross, the ferry is the army's. Amidst the furor, Geralt spies Dandelion who has apparently been abandoned along with a cartful of chickens and geese in cages. Geralt calls the bard over and helps him onto his horse and the two catch up on news, but the news is particularly bad. It seems that Cintra, the witcher's original destination on this trip, has been completely overrun by the enemy army and sacked. Worse still, it appears that the entire royal family was either massacred or chose to kill themselves rather than surrender. Calanthe is dead, and most likely Ciri. Since it appears that there is no longer any point to trying to reach Cintra, Geralt decides to join Dandelion and try to find a new crossing.
9. As they finally near the merchant's home, his wife, Złotolitka, comes running out to meet him, clearly thrilled that he has returned safe and sound. She does have a concern though. While he was away, she took in an extra child, a girl who had been orphaned. Now she's worried that Yurga will be angry at having another mouth to feed. It does not take long for the children to come back and among them is a certain ash-blonde girl with green eyes, Ciri. Geralt and Ciri run to each other and embrace like father and daughter. Ciri says, "It's just like they predicted, Geralt! Like they predicted... I'm your destiny? Say it! I'm your destiny?" In reply Geralt says, "You're more than that, Ciri. Much more."