Juray left the keep and used her Witcher senses to follow Scorpion's trail, knowing she wouldn't be able to track her fellow Witcher. She soon found the bay stallion, who nickered upon seeing her and Shadowmount.

"Nice to see you too, Scorpion." She looked around the area and saw small hoofprints leading away from the little camp. "Must have brought Lil Bleater with him to use as bait." She followed the goat's hoofprints until she lost him in the rocks. She caught Lil Bleater's scent so she was able to follow his scent until she found his tracks again. She found the goat tied to a stake. "Got the short end of this stick, didn't you?"

"Supposed to be forktail bait! Guess it works for Witchers as well!"

"'As for forktails, bait them thusly: pound a stake in the soil, bind a goat to it, then hide ye in nearto shrubbery posthaste.'"

"Brother Adelbert's bestiary, page eighty-two. Memory is sharp as ever, in spite of your years." He gave a smirk.

"I'm younger than you, idiot," Juray teased back. "The white hair doesn't mean anything."

"Good to see you, Juray."

"You too. How are things?"

"Same ol', same ol'. Another day, another drowner."

"That it?"

"I don't get exclusive Contracts like you. Also don't fight dragons, don't fraternize with kings, and don't sleep with sorceresses... Unlike some people around here."

Juray gave a laugh.

"Between me and you, at the moment, kinda glad this," he motioned to the ugly scar on his face. "Keeps the ladies at bay."

He'd received the scar from his only Child Surprise, a princess with the Curse of the Black Sun. Deidre had been defending herself from her brother and had accidentally hit Eskel in the face during the fight. The wound healed but he now had a deep and ugly scar running from close to his right eye to his lip, causing part of his lip to be raised slightly. Her friend was extremely self-conscious about it, but it never stopped him from smiling when he was around his fellow Witchers or Aiden. It probably didn't help Eskel's self-consciousness that her son was fascinated with both their scars.

"You know that's not true, Eskel. You're just the only one of the boys that doesn't fuck everything that moves."

Eskel laughed. "You might be right about that."

They heard a shriek.

"Shh! Hear that? Incoming!"

The two Witchers attacked the forktail and it quickly realized it was no match for two and took flight.

"Dammit! It's taking off! Hit the wings!"

Juray used Aard but it only staggered it in midair.

"Foul, overgrown reptiles," Eskel complained. "Hate it when they do that... Mighta saved us some trouble, let us kill it now."

"Then maybe gut itself, run a spit down its throat and out its ass?"

"Damn straight. Doubt the beast's that well-mannered, though... We gotta climb."

They gave chase and soon lost sight of it. Juray almost immediately picked up on a blood trail.

"Bleeding heavily," she said.

Eskel crouched next to her. "From an artery. Blood's light-colored. Can't fly much farther."

"We hope."

They began a climb up the mountain.

"Too steep for the horses."

"Not worried about Scorpion, He's a warhorse, a purebred Kaedweni. He'll be fine. Have I told you how I got him?"

"Law of Surprise right?"

"Yep. Saved this lost knight once... You know, woods, dark, wolves. The standard. Told him 'Give me what you find at home' and all that..."

"At least it wasn't a kid this time."

Eskel laughed. "Not a human one, at least. His mare had just foaled."

"Sounds like how I got Shadowmount and Samson."

~~~

Geralt found the source of the disturbance, a crate of dimeritium bombs that Lambert had made, and Vesemir had moved them. Geralt then headed back to Yennefer to report that her megascope should work properly now.

"Thank you," she said, the crystals glowing as they were supposed to. "Seems to be working now. What was it?"

"Dimeritium bombs. Lambert left them by the beds."

"Mhm. I suppose he had no idea they could interfere with my megascope?"

"You know... Lambert's not exactly an expert on megascopes, so—"

"Please. Lambert is mean, not stupid." She turned back to her megascope. "But no matter... More importantly, I shall finally be able to contact Ida."

"The Ida? Elven Sage? What do you want from her?"

"Stay and you'll learn for yourself."

"Members of the Lodge don't let just anyone in on their secrets... or so I've heard."

"Consider it a token of our trust. Now, let's begin. And, Geralt, behave, please?"

"Didn't you just say you trust me?"

"Stop twisting my words."

A part of Yennefer wished it had been Juray that had helped her. Her sudden curiosity about Children of the Winter Moon could have been sated by Ida. Although, Yennefer was suspecting there was a reason for Juray asking. There had been speculation among the mages for years that a Moon Child had been born, one even mentioning he'd seen one in a small village in Riverdell before he was run out of town by the superstitious lot. She knew Juray hailed from Riverdell and knew she believed herself cursed because of the rubbish her parents had planted in her head, coupled with how she was treated by them and their neighbors. She knew how unique Juray was in general, but she knew that the Witcher kept her abilities close to her chest, only allowing a handful of people to be aware of them.

Ida appeared in the megascope's projection. "Cáed'mil, Yennefer aep Vengerberg. Gwynbleidd," she greeted.

"Cáedmil, Aen Saevherne," Geralt returned the greeting.

"Why have you summoned me?"

"We've come up against a curse, one we must lift. It was uttered in a dialect of Elder Speech unfamiliar to me."

"I see... The words of the curse?"

"Va fail, elaine – ceád'mil folie! Gleaddyv dorne aep t'enaid, bunn'droh ithne i'yachus."

Ida stepped back, a horrified look on her face.

"Recognize the dialect?" Geralt asked, noting her reaction.

"Laith aen Undod," Ida said.

"Meaning?"

"The so-called One Speech..." Yennefer explained. "A forgotten language dating from before the Migration."

"The Migration?"

"Later, Geralt."

"Take it you've heard the words before."

"Yes...," Ida said. "In legends. Of the kind that do not end happily."

"Can you help us... with the curse? There's a Witcher here that specializes in lifting curses, but she could use every bit of help you can offer."

"To a degree. Agnes de Glanville's incantation combined with Eldar's Triangle – inverted, of course – they are your only possible recourse. But I cannot guarantee that even they will suffice. But if the Witcher you speak of is the Moon Child, then her magic might be enough."

A confused look came across Geralt's face, but before he could ask anything Yennefer spoke again.

"Thank you, Aen Saevherne. Va fail." She reached over to cut the connection.

"That does not conclude our conversation."

"What is it?" Geralt asked.

"The Time of the White Frost and White Light is nigh..."

"...and the world will perish amidst ice. I know Ithlinne's prophecy."

"I don't doubt you know it. But do you understand it? The Elder Blood can initiate the Final Age, the Time of the End... or stop it. Remember this, Gwynbleidd. For you will be the one to determine if the seed bursts into flames."

Yennefer looked at Geralt, who had crossed his arms, his face becoming unreadable. Ida gave a bow and cut the connection.

"What was that about... the Migration?"

"Good gods! Did they teach you no history here?"

"No. Vesemir figured sword work'd be more useful on the Path. Juray seems to be the only one who has studied any kind of history. And that's because of her nobility connections. Gonna answer me?"

"Naturally. One's never too old to learn. The Aen Seidhe and the Aen Elle elves were once one folk, the Aen Undod. Then came a cataclysm, no one knows its nature. The Aen Undod were forced to leave their world. They split along the way."

"So if Uma's curse was uttered in this Laith aen Undod..."

"Then it's old. Very, very old."

"Any idea what she was talking about?"

"Ciri, of course."

"Wish everyone'd just leave her the hell alone."

"Wouldn't count on it."

"And what was that Moon Child bit? Juray manage to get herself a title with the elves because of her being born during a winter full moon?"

Yennefer looked at Geralt, her suspicions about Juray's sudden interest confirmed. "Maybe you should ask Juray that."

"All in all, interesting conversation. What now?"

"Finish whatever it was you and the boys were planning to do... Then we'll begin."

~~~

Geralt found Lambert messing with some sort of contraption. He had dark hair with a pronounced widow's peak. He had a short, styled beard and a claw mark scar on the right side of his face from his hairline, one claw going over his eye and down his cheek, stopping just before his beard.

"What's this? Brewing potions?"

Lambert stood. "No. Booze. From potato peels."

"Mm. For my welcome back feast?"

"Actually, more like my farewell feast... Haven't heard? Madame sorceress has requested I fortify the phylactery with Power from the Circle of Elements. Says it's essential to lifting the curse from that monstrosity of yours."

"Realize that monstrosity, as you put it, might be Ciri?"

"Yeah. I heard," Lambert said, nonchalantly.

"Mind showing a bit of sympathy?"

"I call 'em like I see 'em. That's how I am."

"Irritating, you mean?"

"Thought you like people with bitchy streaks."

"So long as they're women."

"Then you found the best of 'em."

"I'm really starting to see why you and Juray fight so much."

"Well, too bad Juray isn't here. She could take the magic box and fortify it."

"You know she's extremely sensitive to Places of Power. She's really the last person that needs to be in the Circle of Elements."

Every Witcher in the Wolf School, along with Triss, knew her sensitivity to magic and monsters gave her trouble when it came to Places of Power, giving her massive headaches. It had been Triss that had determined that it was the concentration of magic in Places of Power that gave Juray the migraines and the unique Witcher avoided them when she could.

"I know."

Geralt gave him a look.

"Enough about that. The Circle of Elements awaits."

"Don't sound too thrilled about all this."

"I'm not. You know the trek to the Circle's no walk in the park. In more ways than one."

"Lemme go with you."

"Well... Might have more spring in my step with the famous White Wolf at my side." He handed Geralt the phylactery. "So... you ready?"

"No reason to wait. Let's go."

Lambert headed toward the door. "Oh, meant to tell you... Can't get to the Circle through the mountains. Rockslide blocked the pass last spring."

"So we approach from the pond side... Like when we did the Trial of the Medallion?"

"Exactly. Remember the way?"

"Not easily forgotten, that."

Lambert then mimicked Vesemir. "'He who returns with his medallion will prove himself worthy and may set off on the Path.'"

Geralt thought it was a pretty impressive impersonation. "Vesemir ever hear you impersonate him?"

"Yeah. Old man can't stand it."

They cut through the courtyard and to the hole still in one of the walls from when the keep was attacked right after Geralt's return after losing his memory.

"Savolla's breach," Geralt commented. "Still haven't patched it up?"

"Vesemir'd like to. Doesn't bother me, though. Not expecting anyone to lay siege and... this way I got a shortcut to the pond."

"Shame those Salamandra assassins didn't punch a few more holes in our walls."

"Or finish the job and reduce these ruins to rubble."

"Been thinking... We gotta swim across the pond?"

"No, I got a boat there. You know, for fishing."

"Wow... Never took you for the fishing type."

"I use bombs. Drop 'em in, then scoop up whatever floats to the surface."

"That makes sense."

~~~

After dealing with some harpies, Geralt and Lambert continued on their way.

"Tell me about Vesemir – things any better between you?"

"Seems so... Old man's dropped the moralizing, and I try not to piss him off too often."

"Mhm. Working out well?"

"Moderately. Castle's pretty big. Easy to stay out of each other's way."

"Yet you go out of your way to antagonize Juray."

"Why are you always defending her? What makes her think she doesn't start it?"

"You both are always on each other's nerves, but you're the one that usually starts shit with her."

"So? James is the only reason Rennes even allowed her to start training."

"Never heard you complain about Ciri training here."

"Ciri wasn't training to be a Witcher." Lambert looked over his shoulder at Geralt. "You haven't been around in a while, so you don't know most of the time, she doesn't even Winter here. Makes things kinda boring here."

Geralt sighed as they arrived at an old abandoned hut.

"Dammit..." Lambert cursed. "Moored it right here, I swear."

"Line must've come loose."

"Really? Here I thought the boat untied itself to go for a jaunt on its own. Dammit, in this fog we'll never—"

"There a storm before I arrived?" Geralt interrupted.

"Lemme think... Yeah. Five days past."

"Mhm... Wind must've grabbed the sail, tugged the boat off its mooring, boat drifted into the bushes..."

They went and searched for the boat and found it in the reeds not too far away.

"All right. Cave entrance is just opposite. See it? Gotta sail across the pond, go through the cave, climb Troll's Head... and we're there."

"Doesn't seem like such an ordeal now, does it?"

"No... Still gives me shivers, though. You know only two boys returned from my group?"

"You were the ones who ran into Old Speartip in the caverns, right?"

"Mhm."

"That still gnawing at you?"

"Gnawing? No. Straight up pisses me off. What the fuck was that Trial for? Most who returned from the Circle of Elements died within a year in some swamp, hunting drowners for a crown thirty a head. So exactly what was the point?"

"Oughta ask Vesemir."

"Oh, I have, many times. Believe you me."

Geralt sighed again. Everything was a fight with Lambert. "Come on."

"All right. I'm taking the tiller, though."

"Because...?" Geralt prompted as they climbed into the boat.

"Cause it's my boat. Not up for discussion."