"Not sure this djinn thing's a good idea," Geralt said.

The two were sailing on a small boat, Yennefer at the helm and guiding them to where they needed to go.

"We managed to seize one before. Do you remember?"

"Course. Jaskier almost lost his voice that time."

Yennefer laughed. "How lucky your 'exorcism' saved it. It was poetic."

"How was I supposed to know that incantation meant Begone and plough yourself?"

Yennefer laughed again. "You should have studied foreign languages."

"Gonna keep bringing that up for the rest of my life?"

"Of course. Your last wish effectively assured it."

"My wish was about us being together always, not about you mocking my every mistake."

"'Careful what you wish for.' And when your wish is granted, you must accept it with all attendant circumstances."

Geralt grunted. "Yeah..."

"And as for your missteps, I don't rightly see why I shouldn't laugh if they're amusing."

The spell Yennefer had cast on the boat to find shipwrecks told her they were approaching one and she brought the boat to a halt. "There's something here... On the bottom. It's too deep here. You can't dive that long."

Geralt stood, looking over the side. "You underestimate me."

"On the contrary. After all, I asked you for help. I'll cast a spell. It will slow your heart for a time, you can stay submerged longer." She cast the spell. "Ready. Careful down there."

Geralt dove over the side.

~~~

Juray rubbed her forehead. "First a fucking bear. Now a fucking rock troll." She looked at the fight master. "I'm supposed to fistfight a well-developed rock troll?"

"Aye."

Juray gave a disgusted noise.

"We provide a dignified funeral, observing the challenger's creed. But I feel a mutant like you won't be needing one."

"A mutant like me?"

"I know who ye are. The White Demon. Ye eat monsters for breakfast and make men shat themselves."

I'm going to kill Jaskier. She thought as she sighed. "Let's get this over with."

~~~

After looking through several shipwrecks, they found a ship that looked like it'd been perfectly cut in half in what looked like a meteor crater. Yennefer cast a spell to see through Geralt's eyes and identified it as the aftermath of a portal. Yennefer withdrew and Geralt searched the wreckage before finding half a seal and returning to the boat.

"Only found half," he said handing the seal to Yennefer. "Can you do anything with this?"

"I can use it to locate the other half. To within a dozen yards."

"And once we find that, we should find the djinn."

"Exactly. Ready? I'll take us there on the count of three."

"Not another portal..."

"Stop whining. One, two..." She cast the spell and teleported them to a mountainside, Geralt ending up on his backside in the snow. "Three."

Geralt glared at Yennefer. "Said you were gonna go on three."

Yennefer smirked. "I did. Look." She motioned toward the half ship sitting nearby. "We must search the area."

"Yen, not so fast. Gotta tell me what this is about first. Why do you want this djinn?"

"But you already know. A djinn's power is priceless to a mage."

"That I know, but I also want to know how you plan to use it. Wouldn't go to these lengths if it wasn't something important."

"You're right. It's important... Even very important." She sighed. "How long has this been going on, Geralt? This thing between us? Fifteen, twenty years?" She turned away and took a few steps away, looking over the area. "We repeatedly split up, then return to one another... Something draws us to each other." She turned back to Geralt. "But I can never be certain if it's a true feeling, or merely a bit of mischief by a djinn."

"So that's it... This is about my last wish."

"You asked that djinn to bind us together forever. I want to ask this one to take that wish back."

Geralt was quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in and run through his mind. "I get it," he finally said. "You wanna know what'll happen if magic no longer binds us..."

"I want to know, if when the djinn's magic is gone, if we've any magic left of our own."

Geralt nodded, knowing he was risking everything by agreeing. "I'll be honest. Wondered that myself many times..."

"You see? We're just a step away from learning the truth." She walked back over to him. "Let's search the ship."

"Seems Amos was quite the eccentric, asking the djinn to lift half his ship to a mountaintop."

"He didn't necessarily. Djinns are inherently mischievous, this one might've granted his wish and perverted it in doing so."

"In that case, I'd appreciate it if you didn't wish I'd disappear from your life."

"I've yet to decide how to word it."

On the ship, they looked around. Geralt found a well-preserved body beneath an overturned bookcase.

"It's Amos," Yennefer confirmed. "Looks exactly like the etching in the book." She turned her head to the side. "Except his head was intact there."

"Think the djinn did this to him?"

"No, it wouldn't attack its master. This looks rather like an unfortunate accident. When the storm broke, Amos must've uttered a wish like, 'Take us away, anywhere, to a mountaintop, even.' And the djinn granted the wish literally. They had a hard landing. Amos was thrown off his feet and against the wall." She motioned to the bookcase Geralt had righted. "The bookcase did the rest."

"Always knew too much studying could kill you."

Yennefer smiled as he crouched next to the body.

"If he died while being teleported, seal might still be on him..." Geralt rummaged through his clothes and found the other half of the seal, holding it up to Yennefer. "Behold!"

"Come to the deck, I've an idea."

~~~

The troll fell with a bodily thump.

"Holy fuck!" Juray breathed. "I can't believe I just did that." She shook her right hand, glad she'd decided to keep on her gloves as extra protection against the troll's rocky exterior. She was positive she'd have broken both hands if she hadn't.

"Juray of Riverdell," the fight master said. "You've defeated the Champion of Champions in fair combat and earned the right to take the title for yourself. This very eve, I'll send word to the four corners of the world. The title is yours." He handed Juray a very large purse. "As is the Champion's prize."

"Thank you."

~~~

Geralt danced around, weakening the djinn with his silver blade, while Yennefer worked to trap it in a magical sphere. The djinn suddenly screeched as Yennefer raised her arm, the djinn rising as well.

"Got you!" she cried. "Your master died before uttering his last wish! I cannot capture you! We can struggle like this for eternity, or I can release you! If you do one thing for me!"

The djinn responded in its language.

"Do you see the spell that binds us?"

It responded again in its guttural tongue.

"Only a djinn can remove another djinn's spell! Remove this one, and you'll be free!"

The djinn spoke a longer sentence this time and they both felt as if something had been lifted from them.

"You are free!"

The sphere exploded and the djinn fled, disappearing into the sky, the storm that had appeared with him stopping as suddenly as it had appeared.

Geralt rejoined Yennefer at the helm, where she'd performed her spell to repair the seal and summon the djinn. "Storm's over," he said as sheathed his sword.

"Yes. It's all over." She crossed her arms, looking down at the seal, once again broken.

"Maybe we should sit? You look a bit dazed..."

She looked at Geralt. "I'm not. But we can sit."

They went and sat on the edge of the ship, looking over the scenery in silence. Geralt had almost expected his feelings for Yennefer to disappear, that he would feel nothing. But he still felt the same as he had when he first laid eyes on her all those years ago when he brought her apple juice when he was looking for her to help Jaskier.

"Feel any better?" Geralt asked, to break the silence.

"I told you, I'm fine."

"Don't need to play tough for me. That was a hard fight. Maybe not as hard as the last time we tamed a djinn, but..."

Yennefer scoffed, looking at Geralt. "No comparison, I'm afraid. Half of Rinde suffered then. Now I'm merely a bit tired..." She smiled at him. "Thank you for coming, Geralt. I'd have had a much harder time of it on my own."

"Well, never could say no to you."

"Mhm... perhaps," she looked over the snowy mountain before them. "That will change now."

"Feel anything? That anything's..." he hesitated. "Different?"

"I expected... I don't know what I expected, actually. A bit of vertigo, perhaps. I thought...you'd become a stranger to me... That I'd look at you and not feel a thing..." She looked at him. "But it's not like that at all. Nothing's changed."

Geralt couldn't help but feel relieved. "Djinn mighta cheated us after all..."

"Why?"

"Cause I don't feel that anything's changed, either."

Yennefer's face brightened.

"I love you, Yen."

"And I love you."

Geralt placed his hand on her cheek and the two shared a passionate kiss. Until Yennefer bit his lip.

"Ow." He pulled back. "What was that?"

Yennefer gave a playful smirk. "It can't all be sweetness and light."

"Strange... Done that so many times, but... it felt like our first kiss to me."

"It was, in a way. Besides... once you say 'I love you,' a kiss has to taste differently."

"Maybe we oughta test out a few other things? Amos' cabin looked cozy..."

Yennefer gave a giggle. "Not so fast, Geralt. We'll have plenty of time for cozy cabins later." She then smiled. "But... I doubt the world will end if we sit here a while." She leaned against Geralt's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. She gave a contented sigh. "My, it's lovely."

"Mhm. Think the spirits of Skellige favor us."

~~~

Juray returned to Ard Skellig just in time. The merchant ship sailed to Novigrad. She knew she'd told Fiona she'd visit her next time she was in town, but she needed to reach Crow's Perch and talk to Ardal about Uma. It took her several days to reach the keep and while several of the baron's men barely batted an eye at her appearance, much more took notice of her, but backed down once they realized who she was. She found Ardal overlooking the men working on the stables.

"Repairs are going well," Juray said.

Ardal looked over at her. "Oi! Witcher! Greetin's."

Juray gave a nod to acknowledge his greeting.

"Baron's not here. Rode off to find a healer. For the wife, naturally."

"I'm well aware. Was there when he left with Anna." She jerked a thumb behind her. "Your boys don't seem to be behaving though."

"What do you mean? Baron left me in command. Told the boys to set things right, put 'em in order. The new order."

"Which apparently involves them acting like Skellige pirates."

"What do you want, Witcher?"

"Uma. I'm taking him."

"Gotta ask the baron's permission. Thing is, he ain't 'ere."

"I don't recall asking." Juray crossed her arms. "You can try to stop me." She then shrugged. "But considering I beat you soundly in a fistfight, cutting you down will be no problem."

Ardal scoffed. "Think you got me shakin' in my boots?"

"You sure as hell should be."

A surprised looked came across Ardal's face, obviously used to being cowered to. "Fine. Cripple's not worth no blood. See the groom. He oughta be glad to give 'im up, bugger's been eatin' from the feedbags. And a pleasant journey to you both."

Juray gave a smile. "Thank you kindly."

"I'm taking Uma," Juray said to the stablemaster.

"There ain't a—"

"Sergeant Ardal said I could."

"Bring 'im back, though, won't you? Be awful dull without 'im."

"Find something else to laugh at. I dunno, catch some frogs and shove straws up their asses...? Whatever you sons of bitches do to helpless creatures."

"Huh. That one of your Witcher games?"

"Witcher version's different." Juray looked him in the eye. "Don't make me show you."

The stablemaster took a step back, unnerved by Juray's feline gaze. "He's inside."

"Thank you." Juray stepped inside and found Uma headfirst in a sack of feed, feet kicking the air. "Looks like you got yourself stuck there, little guy." Juray crouched down and pulled him out of the feedbag, dusting the oats off him.

Uma looked up at her, his eyes seeming to brighten once he recognized her.

She motioned to her mare. "This is Shadowmount. She'll take us to Kaer Morhen. I'm sure you'd like to get out of here." Juray stood. "Come on."

Uma followed Juray over to Shadowmount, then spotted a rat. He started to go after the rat, but Juray picked him up and set him on her horse before mounting behind him.

"Trust me. You don't want to play with that."

Uma seemed to complain in grunts.

"We'll find you something else to play with in Kaer Morhen." She turned her horse and rode out of Crow's Perch.