"It didn't work?" Juray asked as soon as she and Eskel joined Lambert, who had a very noticeable black eye, and Vesemir and she saw Uma was still Uma. She did not like that he was sitting on Sad Albert, the only surviving table that the Grasses would be performed on.

"Not entirely," Vesemir answered. "But I did learn something interesting. Which I'll say once Geralt shows his ass up."

Geralt finally showed up about half an hour later. "See everyone's up and at 'em."

"Mhm." Vesemir looked at each of his Witchers. "And reeking of booze." He turned to Lambert. "That hat was a memento, Lambert."

"Relax, old man. It'll come out in the wash."

He then turned to Juray. "Take you and Lambert got into another fight."

"If you're asking if I'm the reason he has a black eye, yeah."

"Not like I didn't give her a reason not to deck me this time."

"And the other times I didn't?"

"You can give them a rap on the knuckles later," Yennefer interrupted. "Let's get to work."

"What did you learn, now that Geralt's graced us with his presence," Juray said.

"While you were out hunting forktails and playing with the megascope, I examined Uma. Noticed one thing – at moments of, what's the term... relaxed consciousness, he behaves differently. While falling asleep, he'd pause awake for an instant. Something different about his movements, his gaze, then. But only for a moment. So I induced a trance, hypnotized him, essentially. No effect at first, but as he dropped into deep lethargy, I heard something... a sigh or a moan. And it wasn't Uma's voice."

"All right," Lambert said. "I just don't get how that helps us."

"It means we were right about this being a complex curse, idiot," Juray said.

"Thank you, Vesemir..." Yennefer said. "And... I apologize for what I said earlier. Have the boys and Juray told you what we plan to do?"

"Lambert did. Don't like it one bit. But I suppose I have to trust you."

"Are you sure this is the only way?" Juray asked.

"Unfortunately."

"Thought we got rid of that table ages ago," Geralt commented.

"Must be fifty years since I last saw Sad Albert," Eskel said.

"Couldn't bear to part with it," Vesemir explained. "Thought we might find a use for it one day. You know how old people are."

"Sure," Lambert mouthed. "Every grandpa out there's got an attic full of torture devices."

"Right, so what now?" Juray asked, reluctantly.

"We can begin. We need only brew the potions."

"Wait," Lambert turned to Yennefer. "Why couldn't we—"

"Do it earlier? Because the preparatory potions for the Trial are strongly reactive. They must be administered immediately after they're brewed. Satisfied? Juray, make the potions. Here are the formulae." She handed Juray the parchment and she headed toward the nearby brewing table. "Eskel, take a bottle of spirit..."

"Oh, no. After last night, I—"

"...and disinfect the tools," she finished with a sigh.

"Oh."

"Well? Chop-chop!"

Eskel went to do as she asked.

"You don't know who's trapped in Uma's body," Vesemir said. "How did you figure the proportions?"

"Performed a series of complex calculations... Extrapolated some data... Ran simulations..."

"She guessed," Juray said as she worked on the potions.

"I guessed."

After Juray finished brewing the potions and Eskel disinfected the tools, they returned to Yennefer. Uma was now laying on Sad Albert. Lambert was standing nearby with his arms crossed and sulking.

"Potions ready," Juray said.

"Tools, too."

"Good. Vesemir..."

"Hookweed extract to deaden the pain. I know. Done this before."

"Eskel, make the incisions in his veins, insert the tubes."

Eskel hesitantly went to do it, Juray pushing down the memory of her own Trial. James had died while she was going through it, so she had even more reason for this to be an unpleasant memory to her.

"Juray, place the potion vials in the feeders."

"Umauma!" Uma cried. They'd already restrained him to keep him from thrashing about and hurting himself or yanking out the tubes.

"Ready," she said once she finished.

Yennefer hesitated for a moment. "Open the valves. It doesn't matter in which order."

Juray opened the first valve, feeling sick at being on the other end of the Trial. Uma screamed.

"The hookweed work?" Geralt asked.

"If it hadn't," Vesemir said. "The pain would've sent him into shock, killed him."

"So, everything's going smoothly," Lambert snarked.

"No... But it's within known norms."

"Administer the next potion."

Juray opened the second valve and Uma screamed again.

"I had hoped..." Vesemir said. "I'd hoped I would never have to watch this again."

"Why'd you keep the table, then?" Lambert snapped before storming off.

"Juray. Next potion."

Juray didn't want to continue the Trial but knew they couldn't stop. Stopping would kill Uma, so she opened the final valve. Uma screeched and she clenched her jaw.

Yennefer held her hand out. "Oesi, caefyn!"

The spell seemed to calm Uma down and put him in a trance.

"What now?" Geralt asked.

"Now we wait for the potions to do their work," Vesemir said. "Might take a day. Might take more."

"You need only wait, true," Yennefer confirmed. "But I must maintain the stabilizing spell. Uma's body is not nearly as resilient as a young candidate Witcher's. Without this he'd—"

Uma suddenly vomited, Yennefer unable to move out of the way in time and now had vomit all over the front of her dress.

"Eskel, I'm sorry... Would you mind...?"

"Getting some rags? On it." He left to find the rags.

"Will any of my Signs help?" Juray asked.

"No, but thank you for offering."

Eskel returned and he and Geralt started to clean the vomit up, discussing how they couldn't believe they were doing this.

Juray grabbed the chain of her pendant and pulled it out from her shirt. "A pellar gave me this. He knew about what we discussed. It's fully charged, so if you need to use it..."

"Moonstone?"

Juray nodded. "He told me it would help me when I needed it the most."

"Moonstone is the most powerful thing someone like you can have. He told you how to charge it?"

"With moonlight."

"Keep it charged. I'll use it as a last resort." She looked at the men. "Gentlemen, the floor's as clean as it'll ever be, and I need to be wiped down as well."

Eskel stood and approached her as Geralt put the dirty brushes and rags in the bucket they were using.

"No offense, but I'd rather Geralt did it."

"Understood." He glanced at Juray. "I'd prefer that, too."

Geralt took the rag and started to clean off Yennefer.

"Juray, I can see it on your face. If you need to walk away from this..."

"As much as I want to, I gave my word I would see this through."

Hours went by, Yennefer asking about Juray's experience and insisting that she step away if it was too much for her after Juray told her about how James had been killed on a Contract while she went through the Trial.

Juray kept her mind off of the Trial itself by keeping an eye on Uma, using her heightened hearing to monitor his heartbeat. It was irregular and she did not like that, but it continued to beat. Lambert never returned and that was fine by her. Eskel was napping in a nearby chair. Vesemir continued to overlook the Trial as Geralt paced nearby. Uma suddenly mumbled, his voice pained.

"That normal?" Geralt asked.

"Yes," Yennefer confirmed. "Uma's body is disintegrating from the inside. Once that's complete, we'll need to reform it... or he'll die. You Witchers were given mutagens. We will use spells."

"Hopefully that'll be enough," Juray said.

~~~

Juray had lost track of time. She only knew it was late. Vesemir was now napping himself. Eskel had come over to see if they needed anything. Both women declined. He now had fallen asleep again. Uma seemed to have passed out. Juray remembered all too well the drifting in and out of consciousness during her Trial.

"Hey... Yen..." Geralt pinched Yennefer. "You're dozing off."

"No. Just... resting my eyes."

"Yeah, it's called sleeping."

"Then do something to keep me awake."

"Pinching's apparently effective."

Yennefer chuckled. "Mmm. Later perhaps. For now, talk to me. Tell me a story."

"Heard about the time Ciri and I went ice skating?"

"No... Not that I recall."

"The winter she trained here. Couple months in, she started complaining I was too harsh a teacher. Brushed it off at first. Then she asked me to go skating with her. Didn't really want to, I'd never been before... But she insisted."

Juray smiled, remembering how she dragged Geralt out onto the ice of the lake. She and Eskel had watched, making bets on if Geralt would fall and how many times he would fall.

"Soon as we hit the ice, she started skating circles around me, hollering 'No, not like that! Footwork! One, then the other! Crossover! No! Wrong! Brake with the heel of your skate, not the toes!'" Geralt smiled at the memory. "Needless to say, from then on—"

Uma started babbling, his eyes unfocused.

"He's awake. It's time... time to lift the curse. Prepare the phylactery."

Juray immediately picked up the phylactery, feeling the Power within. And the sudden throbbing in her temples.

"Juray."

"I'm fine."

Uma started screaming as Yennefer spoke her spell.

"Nevid, cyvir! Caniatad... Nevid..."

The others, including Lambert, joined them.

"Cyvir... Coalle... Ariva... Aendir..."

The spell blew back, causing Yennefer to stumble back a few steps. Uma fell silent and didn't move.

"No...no," Yennefer said, hitting Uma's chest with both fists. "I won't let you go! Geralt! Yellow flask! In my satchel!"

Geralt turned to comply as Vesemir stopped Yennefer.

"Quiet," Vesemir said softly. "Listen."

"Coalle..." A man's voice came from Uma's body. "Coalle... Caniatad..."

"Finish it!" Juray said, ignoring the pain in her head.

"Nevid, cyvir! Coalle, coalle caniatad!"

A black smoke seemed to be drawn from Uma and everyone but Juray looked at each other. Eskel suddenly looked concerned, noticing the pained look on Juray's face.

"Juray?"

"I'm fine!"

"Nevid! Ariva! Aendir! Juray! The phylactery! Open it!"

Juray opened it, the throbbing in her head intensifying from the concentrated Power in the phylactery. Yennefer threw the curse into it and Juray struggled to close the lid.

"Caniatad! Taron Anede! Dis!"

Juray slammed the lid shut. Eskel immediately took it from her, passing it to Lambert.

"She okay?" Lambert asked, as Juray's hands went to her head.

"I'm okay. I promise." She approached Sad Albert. But instead of Ciri, it was an elven man covered in tattoos.

"Avallac'h?" Geralt asked, surprise clear in his voice.

"You know him?" Vesemir asked.

"Yes. An elf, Aen Elle. A Sage..."

Juray realized this must have been the elven sage Kiera had met, the one Ciri had been traveling with.

"Where is Ciri?" Yennefer asked.

"Hidden..." Avallac'h whispered weakly. "The Isle of Mists... But... it's not... she's not safe... The Hunt..."

"Isle of Mists – where is it?" Geralt asked.

"Everywhere... and nowhere..."

"Listen, Sage," Lambert said. "We didn't lift that curse to play riddles with you."

Avallac'h weakly lifted his hand. "Praevein, arwein, cyrraen..."

A small ball of light came from his hand. Geralt caught it in his own hands.

"In Skellige... Follow it... Into the mists... Hurry... Hurry! I tried to protect her... But the curse... The Hunt has not found the Isle... As yet... 'Tis a matter of time." His eyes fluttered shut and his voice was barely above a whisper. "But if she leaves... They will detect her... At once..."

"Enough, Geralt," Yennefer said. "He's not yet free of death's grip."

"Is he gonna make it?" Juray asked.

"I can't... know. You saw. Not all went as planned. I lifted the curse, but..."

"The Trial has wrought havoc in his body," Vesemir finished. "Violently twitching fingers, pupils that don't react to the light... Seen it many times before. Too many."

"So we may have killed him anyway?"

"Toxins have permanently damaged his nervous system. Even if he does pull through..."

"I'm going to get Ciri," Geralt said.

"Hold up," Eskel said. "Don't you think you owe us some answers? How do you know this Avallac'h? What's Ciri been doing with him?"

"Yennefer can tell you, just keep an eye on him. He's not a friend."

"Perhaps not," Vesemir said. "But Ciri apparently trusted him. We should at least take his words seriously. You heard what he said – take Ciri from that Isle of Mists and the Hunt'll pick up her trail immediately. What then?"

"What's your suggestion?"

"Ciri can't flee forever. One day she'll stumble. And she won't get a second chance."

"So we bring the fight to us," Juray said.

Vesemir nodded. "Time the hunted became the hunters. Geralt will find Ciri and bring her here... and the Hunt will follow. They'll expect to catch us by surprise – and they'll be sorely disappointed."

"We plan to fight them?" Yennefer said. "We six? In a crumbling castle?"

"Do we have a choice? Besides delaying the inevitable?"

"Pretty boy could try to round up a few others who know how to swing a sword..." Lambert said.

"...or wield magic."

"I know a few people that can help us," Juray said. "Couple owe me a favor."

"And you?" Geralt asked. "What do you plan to do?"

"I've Avallac'h to care for," Yennefer said. "He's certain to die without gentle, gradual magic treatment. There's hope if I help him. Not much, but better than naught."

"While Juray finds her allies, the boys and I'll consider how we should greet our uninvited guests."

"All right. Time I was on my way."

"Good luck, Wolf. And give Cirilla our love."

"Come back quickly, Geralt."

"Juray, on your way back, stop and see if that blacksmith that we contracted has anything we could use. The more weapons the better."

"I'll visit him when I return."

Geralt nodded and he and Juray headed toward the stables.

"I'll head to Velan. It's where a few of my contacts should be. Maybe see if Cerys or Erimon can give us aid since you'll be in Skellige."

"I'll do that. Good luck."

"We'll both need it."