Returning to the village, Geralt noticed how quiet it was. He couldn't hear the children playing and now wondered if he'd made the right choice. He placed the ear on the stone as Gran had said and waited. The wind seemed to pick up and whispers were heard on it. Geralt looked around him trying to find the source. His medallion started to hum and he turned back towards the stone to see three of the ugliest creatures he'd ever laid eyes on. He could honestly say this was not how he'd pictured the Crones.

"Sheath your weapon, young man," the first said. She was the smallest, if not the ugliest. She wore a red pointed hat and a bandage over one eye, while the other looked like it was a nest for insects. Flies buzzed around her head. She was hunched over and wore a drab brown dress with thin grey hair.

"He's even lovelier in real life," said the second, the biggest of the three. She wore a basket on her face that caused her voice to be muffled. Her shirt barely covered her ample bosom and she, too, wore a drab brown dress.

"In real life, you're... different... than you were in the tapestry," Geralt commented, an understatement if he'd ever spoken one.

Gran went around the third one, who was wearing a red veil over her face and had a large sack over her front, Geralt noting that legs were sticking out of it.

She shoved Gran. "Well? Bring it here!"

Gran went over and picked up the ear, looking it over. She suddenly screamed, a symbol glowing brightly on her right palm.

"You were to bring it, not ogle it."

Gran rushed over to her and handed her the ear. The Crone backhanded her and she went down. Geralt took a step forward as the Crone placed the ear on a necklace next to others.

"Never seek to cross us again," she scolded.

Gran crossed her arms and looked down.

"We shall forgive you this transgression, for you have done well," the second Crone said. "Your children are plump as piglets, sweet as caramel."

Gran did not look happy and wouldn't even look up.

"But now, we must talk to our white-haired friend," the first said.

Gran walked away.

"The woman who cares for the kids...," Geralt began.

"She's a debt to pay," the third answered. "She is here by choice."

"She's insane."

"She knew what our pact entailed when she made it," the first said.

"We helped her. She promised to serve."

"Now she bears our mark, belongs to us. Come, it is another woman who interests you. Speak, White Haired One."

"Our deal," Geralt said. "I did my part. Now do yours."

"A word once given, we will never break," the third said.

"The girl, mousy blond, that's what they call it," the first began.

"Thin as a rail, terrified, exhausted," The second took up the tale. "She could barely stand, the poor thing."

"We care for her the best we could," the third added.

"Like she was our own daughter," the first said.

"Wasted affection. She proved to be a very naughty girl."

"Mischievous, stubborn, and selfish."

That was the Ciri he knew.

"Don't believe you," Geralt said. "They say you always keep your word. So tell me everything, exactly as it happened."

"We shall tell you, brave boy," the second said.

~~~

Ciri landed hard with a splash and a cry. She held her side from where she'd been wounded. They had been hard-pressed in Skellige, so her friend and companion had opened a portal, shouting at Ciri to go through. But she'd felt something bite into her side as she jumped. Now she found herself alone in a swamp. She saw lights and stumbled towards them, collapsing on the stoop of a house in the village swamp.

She wasn't sure how long she lay on the bed she found herself on, but was aware of voices in the next room.

"Does she sleep?"

"Like a lamb."

"Come, sisters, no point in dawdling. The table's set, the cauldron bubbles."

"We cannot! You know she is meant for Him!"

"Imlerith will get her, he will. But not whole."

"Well said. We'll just have a sample."

"I'll take her feet. Lovely and plump. Perfect for a broth."

"Oh, hell no," Ciri muttered, wincing as she sat up and grabbed her sword.

"Ooooh, I can taste it already. Very well. Get on with it."

Ciri was glad the window was open already and she wasn't on a second story. She tossed her sword out of it, dropping to the ground next to it. She staggered to her feet, grabbing her sword and making a run for it. She realized that she had been nearly too late in fleeing when the air turned as cold as mid-winter.

"Shit..." She could hear hoofbeats approaching and looked for a place to hide, ending up climbing a tree. Below her, Imlerith stopped, looking around for any sign of her. Ciri dared not breathe. After what seemed like an eternity, Imlerith turned his horse and galloped away. Ciri gave a sigh of relief before dropping out of the tree and running in the opposite direction.

~~~

Geralt glared at the Crones. "You tried to kill her. Tried to butcher her like an animal and eat her!"

"Her blood," the second Crone whined. "The taste brought back memories of our youth."

"Elder blood," the first said. "Extraordinary girl. But you knew that. Such a shame she fled."

Geralt wanted to kill them right then and there, but he was unprepared for any fight with them. And he had made it a rule not to face monsters unprepared. "She escaped you," he growled. "But I'll find her. We'll come back here together and kill you."

"You'll return, you shall. Our fates are bound."

"And one will die," the third predicted. "But it shan't be one of us."

"Now you shall chase shadows," the second said. "And wander midst fog."

"Each time you see her," the first said. "She will be a mirage."

They started to back away. "And if you find her," the third said. "If... the girl will die." They laughed as they conjured up a mist.

"Be seeing you, handsome knight. See you very soon." Their laughter continued to echo after they'd disappeared.

"Looks like I'm paying a visit to the Baron."

~~~

Juray crouched next to a corpse. "Looks like I'm not the first one to attempt this."

When she'd approached the fog, she could tell it wasn't a normal fog. It had been hard to breathe and there was almost a metallic taste to it. She found an abandoned and dilapidated shack just on the edge of the fog and made camp there, finding the corpse just outside. She noted that he hadn't even been able to draw his sword before the beast killed him.

"I'm really thinking a foglet. But I've never known of one to make a fog like this." Juray frowned. "Could this be an ancient foglet? Nobody really knows how long these guys actually live."

Night was falling and Juray knew better than to track in the dark, especially in a foggy swamp she wasn't familiar with. So she settled down for the night, keeping one eye open.

~~~

The peat farmer did a double-take when he saw Geralt approach. "Another one? Since when do you Witchers travel in pairs?"

Geralt gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

"Girl with yellow eyes and white hair came here yesterday asking about the notice I posted. At least, she claimed to be a Witcher. Never known a lady Witcher."

"Oh, she's a Witcher. Damn good one, too."

"Maybe between the two of you, you can kill this thing. Already settled on a price with her, so the two of you can discuss that." He motioned towards the nearby fog. "She headed south. Into that mist. I'll tell you like I told her, bad poxy air hangs o'er the area. Stings your eyes and claws at your throat, claws so hard ya might choke."

Geralt nodded and headed towards the mist. As he passed through, he found it hard to breathe and there was something metallic about it. Not the kind of fog he'd experienced before. Past the fog, Geralt found an abandoned shack and he wondered how it was still standing. He crouched next to a corpse.

"Didn't even have time to pull out his sword. Monster must have surprised him." He went inside the shack and saw signs of someone having been there. "Must be Juray's camp." There were signs that a fire had been recently lit in the remains of the fireplace. "Must have brewed her potions here." He knew he wasn't going to be able to track Juray, so he looked for signs of the monster, realizing they were dealing with a foglet. A pretty old one. And since he smelled necrophage oil, Geralt knew she'd not gone into this fight unprepared. He followed the beast's trail to a cave, hearing the screeching of a foglet and Juray loudly shouting curses at it.

"Where'd you go, you son of a bitch!" Juray shouted, pulling off a Dragon's Breath bomb from her belt.

The foglet had indeed been an ancient one and used mist and illusions to its advantage, although the illusions immediately dissipated the moment they came near Juray, something even the other Witchers didn't know she could do. This infuriated the foglet and he used the fog more to move around. She watched the fog, trying to determine where it would appear. Juray felt it behind her and spun around to counter its attack. The foglet ducked and raked its claw against her side, the momentum spinning her around and causing her to drop the bomb. She was glad the bottle didn't break. It leapt at her and she hit it with Aard. It screeched and landed several feet away, tumbling head over heels. Behind it, Juray saw a figure jump down from the ledge. Juray grabbed the Dragon's Breath and threw it. The bottle shattered at the foglet's feet, a thick cloud enveloping it. It batted at the cloud, seconds before a glow behind it alighted the gas. The foglet screeched, running around in circles. Geralt knelt next to her as she sat up.

"I had it covered, but thanks."

"How deep is that?"

"I'm fine."

"And you said that after almost getting drained by a vampire."

"At least I wasn't gutted by a peasant with a pitchfork."

"Way to hit below the belt, Juray. That how you greet Eskel?"

"If he makes comments like that, then yes."

Geralt helped her to her feet as the foglet finally collapsed, its screeching cutting off.

"Good to see you, Geralt."

"And you. Didn't expect to see you in Velen."

"Money's good in Velen right now. Monsters are pretty riled from the war."

"Speaking of monsters, let's collect this toasty trophy and get paid."

"You should do the honor since you're the one that actually killed it."

"Ancient foglet?"

"Very ancient. Pretty good with illusions. Would have thought there were three."

"And I missed a good fight, then." He went over to the foglet to claim the trophy.

"I need to stitch myself up. I'm going to assume you found the shack."

"Yeah." He held up the foglet head. "That is one ugly son of a bitch."

"Are you going to admire it or turn it in?" she asked with a laugh. "I'll meet you at the shack."

Geralt collected the reward for killing the foglet and returned to the shack. Juray's chest armor and shirt were laying nearby and she was sitting in her breastband suturing her own wound.

"Let me do that," Geralt offered.

"How do you think I usually do it?"

"Always thought you did like the rest of us and went to a healer."

"And listen to the lecture about how women shouldn't be out there acting like menfolk. That I need to settle down with a man and push out some welps."

"Somebody actually said that to you?" He sat next to her and took the needle out of her hand. The wound had gone deep enough to need stitches, but not deep enough to be a problem.

"Old woman, bout 30 years ago."

"When you were with Gavin?"

"Yeah..."

Geralt immediately changed the subject, remembering how she didn't like to talk about the fling she had with the Temerian nobleman. "Heard you were in White Orchard."

"Heard you were, too. Also heard you're on the hunt for someone. Which is why you're in Velen."

"I am."

"Yennefer?"

"No, found her. She's a bit pissed at me."

"Wonder why."

"I lost my memory, Juray."

"I know. And I know Jaskier told you she was dead. We all thought the two of you were dead and gone until you show up outside Kaer Morhen with the memory of a newborn babe."

"Ciri."

"What?"

"I'm looking for Ciri."

"The Ciri. As in Elder Blood, Witcher trained, your daughter Ciri."

"She's back."

"How did you find this out?"

"Yennefer and Emhyr."

"Are we talking about His Royal Arseness Emperor Emhyr?"

Geralt smiled. "The same."

"You talked face to face with him and he didn't kill you?"

"Because he wants me to find Ciri and bring her to him."

"Again? Little late to be a father now."

"He wouldn't tell me why, but I feel like he's wanting to use her power for something."

"You might not be wrong. But that should be her choice."

"I know."

"What have you learned?"

"She'd been seen in Velen. Went to contact one of Emhyr's agents but the Wild Hunt got to him first."

"Well, that's just fucking great. That's all Ciri needs is for the Wild Hunt to be on her ass."

"They are on her ass."

"Shit..."

"She's been a few steps ahead of them so far. Found this agent's notes. Followed a lead about her getting into it with a witch. Ran into Kiera Metz who pointed me to the Crones of Crookback Bog. They tried to kill her so my next lead is the Bloody Baron."

"What makes you think he knows anything?"

"Ciri was seen at his castle."

"So I guess we're heading to Crow's Perch."

"We?"

"I want to help you find her."

Geralt finished stitching Juray up.

"Hey, she's my niece. And I'd like to see her again. I haven't seen her since she was a teenager."

"Fine. We'll go talk to this Baron together."

Juray smiled as she dug through her pack for a replacement shirt.

"But only because you'd probably follow me anyway."

Juray grinned. "You know me too well, big brother."

"I also know you're a brat, so get dressed and let's go."