Chapter 75: Vampires

It was a pleasant evening but it wasn't that long before the stresses of the day started to catch up to me.

Francesca stepped up into the position of host admirably and I was proud of her. She set up a way that we could either sit and eat or stand and eat but at the same time we could wander between each other to talk and discuss things. If I had a wish about that evening, well two wishes really, I wish I had had more time to spend with Ariadne and more time to spend with Francesca.

It's a complicated situation with Ariadne but I've since discussed it with other married coupled which said that when they were lucky enough to know or even meet the person that they were going to marry and were betrothed then something else happened instead. They found that they were almost separated from their future spouses. At a time when they should be getting to know each other and learning what each other likes and dislikes, on a practical level even, the two are kept apart. There are two reasons for this. The first is societal. It is important, especially the further up the chain of nobility you are that the lady remain a virgin.

Yes I am well aware of the unfairness of this fact as especially in the male case they are even encouraged to get it on with as many people as possible. The other horror being that this often means that the lady's first sexual encounter is the wedding night after you've just, really, met your husband and I have not met any women, ever, at all, who enjoyed their first sexual experience.

Ever.

So picture the scene. You've just met this man opposite you after the wedding. You're both tired, both a little drunk if not very drunk. You're both sweaty and uncomfortable in the ridiculous clothes that they make you wear and in some cases there are even witnesses standing in the corner of the room who are there to witness the fact that the consummation took place at all.

The man knows what's coming next.

The woman does not.

Does that not strike you as a perfect recipe for horror?

But still, rant over.

I would have liked to spend more time with Ariadne. I wanted to talk about Mark's illness with her as I was still at that stage of grief where I was refusing to believe that it was hopeless. I wanted to talk about the future I wanted to plan things as well as looking forward to exploring some of those “erogenous zones” that she had mentioned earlier. But she was being monopolised by Laurelen and my two sisters who were doing their best, and rightly so, to welcome the vampire into our family. From the looks that Ariadne sent me she felt the same way. We did talk about it later in a slightly more private moment and she explained that it was vital that she appear conservative and traditional in her actions to avoid any of the potential backlash at her position and rank.

My other wish was that I would have spent more time with Francesca. I had always been close with Emma but I had been incredibly fond of Frannie while she had been growing up. She was always so sweet and kind and gentle to everyone that she met. Now as I saw her playing host to so many people including at least two strangers to her, she had come into her own. Graceful, intelligent, witty and charming. As I watched I saw her deflect a barb from Sammy, retort a joke back at Emma herself and put a Witcher at ease when he started to become uncomfortable. She chatted with Princess Dorn as though they were old friends despite never having met before that day. All the while she was getting messages from elsewhere in the palace and directing servants with class and grace.

Emma caught me watching her at one point.

“Our little sister's all grown up.” She whispered to me.

“And surpassed us all.” I said.

Emma nodded. “She's already got the ear of the Empress and as the Empress' star rises then so to will Francesca. She's going to marry some important noble in the Imperial court and when he tries to move her out to some country estate with an excuse of.... the estate needs managing the Empress will tell him to fuck off and that Frannie is needed at court more than he is.”

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“Good for her.” I said.

“You helped her get there Freddie.” I thought about this for a moment.

“Nah,” I said. “If nothing had happened she still would have found a way in.”

It was Emma's turn to consider. “You are probably right.”

But as I say, the stresses of the day began to overwhelm me. Sam had retired earlier who is my normal drinking partner for family gatherings but he had pleaded the need to rest as he had a match at the tournament the following day and needed to get his head down. I had already noticed that he was drinking milk rather than wine.

I stayed up as long as I could but Emma took notice and decreed that it was time for us all to go to bed as we all had a busy day tomorrow.

I did wonder why as, what with the Empresses demands I was there earlier than I had first expected to be. The coronation wasn't for another day. I had been looking forward to seeing Sam joust and milling about in the court for a day. Not least of which was the possibility of spending a bit of time with Ariadne and Kerrass.

But it would seem that there were other plans afoot.

“The Empress required you.” Was all that Emma would say, over and over again until she finally admitted that she didn't know why I had been summoned.

The following morning, the day after what was surely one of the longest and most event packed days of my life, I woke up to a stiff back and neck along with a killer headache. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Fortunately living with a Sorceress means that my headache was quickly dismissed. The stiffness though, that would need some work.

There was a messenger waiting for me saying that I was expected at the palace training yards with my weapons. Expected by the Empress no less.

“Fucking wonderful.” I commented to my sister who has the temerity to be a morning person. “Is there any chance. Any chance at all that I might get a couple of hours in a dark and quiet room to process everything that happened yesterday?”

She tried and failed to look sympathetic, instead managing to achieve big sisterly amusement and pushed a bowl of porridge towards me.

“A quiet and dark place alone with Ariadne you mean?”

I shivered. “In that particular case I think I would rather work up to that. Gently and with a large lead in to it.”

“Wuss.”

“Maybe so. I love the woman but at the same time, the prospect of any kind of lust filled shenanigans in a darkened room is still quite, quite terrifying.”

“I still think you're a wuss.”

“Thank you for the support Sister dear.”

“Oh suck it up. You're not the one who has to organise the entire thing.”

“True, but even so, it's a little early to be discussing table settings.”

I was unceremoniously pushed out of the door. I took my leathers, my knife and my spear and walked up to the palace. One of the guards pointed me off in the right direction to where I found Kerrass and a number of other Witchers going through their exercises. I was introduced and had the privilege of finally meeting the White Wolf of legend. He seemed a little quieter than I had imagined from the works of the bard. I didn't have much of a chance to sit and talk with him as I was otherwise occupied. In all truth, he's a good looking man with the handsome good looks of someone who is obviously rather weather beaten and who is blessed with a strongly developed musculature. He, like the other Witchers that I have met other than Letho and the Bear Witcher who I will get to, were a lot leaner than I expected. It makes sense but I always imagine broad shoulders along with heavy muscles. The muscles are there but they're built for speed. In the same way that a fencer stands side on to an opponent in order to present as small a target profile as possible, Witchers think in the same way. Movement and dodging are important and so, massive shoulders and huge pectorals don't really help there.

I got the opportunity to work out some stiffness with Kerrass as well as get some solid training in with some of the others.

Including the Empress who was also there. She was dressed almost identically to how Francesca had been the previous day.

She kicked my ass up and down the training field. She was awfully fast. Frightfully fast. I could just about hold my own if all I worried about was defending myself but every time I tried to formulate some kind of attacking strategy, she taught me the error of my ways.

I also saw Francesca train. She was good. My male pride was a little damaged but I shouldn't have been surprised. She was a gifted dancer already and as a result could pick up the movements with remarkable speed.

But as I say, I didn't really get that much of a chance to watch.

The purpose of the morning's exercise was so that the Empress could properly practice with her new Crossbow. Over and over again I had to re-emphasise the point that I had only had two quick test firings of the damn thing before I had taken it away from the dwarven craftsman's hands. I knew how it all worked but I didn't know the “why” of how it worked. The Empress tried the firing of it several times until she was approaching being satisfied with it's use and it's strength. I demonstrated how it could be taken apart for cleaning and oiling. It was rather off-putting the level of concentration that the Empress showed as she learned how to do that. But then Lord Voorhis arrived and started asking questions.

Because then it was time for the Empress to practice drawing and firing the bow. She started to figure out where she wanted the holster for it to sit and also the small quivers for the bolts. An Imperial seamstress was brought out and seemed most offended to be asked whether she could work the bow and the bolts into a dress, whether a bandoleer or a harness around the Empress' leg could be made. All the while, the Witchers were making their own notes and comments.

I got a general idea that Lord Voorhis, whose position at court seems to be as advisor as well as master of Intelligence to the Empress had a plan of having the Empress' ladies and companions all trained in the use of the bow. He wanted to know whether or not the dwarven craftsman would be willing to build, say, another thirty of the bows, or to instruct an Imperial weaponsmith in how to use the bows. Emma had me well trained though. I told him that I had never known a craftsperson yet who would turn down large sums of money and that he should enquire through my sister who would make the necessary arrangements.

I will admit that the prospect of people walking around with hidden weapons was a bit nerve-wracking. One of the benefits of a sword is that everyone can see it. It's there and it's a sword. But I told myself that people have been coming up with ways to hide knives about their person for centuries. And got on with it.

Eventually though, the need to run the Empire intruded. A man called Talbot arrived and was introduced to me as the Empress' private secretary came to the Empress and simply said.

“It's time,” at which time the Empress abruptly left the crossbow in the hands of Lord Voorhis and told us all that we “have permission to play with her new toy.” I would have left the comment there but Lord Voorhis and the other Witchers gathered round it with exactly that kind of enthusiasm.

I got a bit of training in with Kerrass before another courtier came in and came to me. “The Empress' compliments Lord Frederick. Would you follow me please?”

“Certainly. Should I bring my weapons?”

The courtier looked astonished at the question. “Umm, no?”

I handed them off to a bemused looking Kerrass and quickly threw off my leather jerkin before following the man.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sir?”

“When you say that. Whenever you bring a message to someone you say that the person who sent the message is sending their compliments. Did they actually send their compliments?”

“In most cases milord. Certainly in this one. But if I am to be completely honest. Wars have been averted by a messenger interpreting. “Get that stupid fucker here now or I'm going to rip off his testicles.” or words to that effect to “The Emperor's compliments Milord. He wondered if you could join him at your earliest possible convenience,”

“I see.”

“Yes sir,”

“Important job then, being an Imperial messenger.”

“You could say that Milord.”

I was shown into a private room and invited to freshen up. I did so to find that a clean shirt and doublet had been provided. Then I was led into a large room. White marble stone was on the floor and ion the many pillared walls. There were also plants dotted around the place and a large table on one side of the room that was laden down with food.

I was not alone either. There were two Witchers who were stood together at the food table. I recognised one as being Eskel with his heavily scarred face and red studded leather jacket. He was without swords this time but the man he was standing with was a giant. Easily over seven foot tall and as heavily muscled to go with it. A large beard that was plaited with iron rings and various things that I recognised as being charms of various kinds. He wasn't armoured, instead wearing a shirt and some plain woolen trousers that were marked with a crossed pattern of green and blue squares. He and Eskel seemed to know each other so I wandered over to begin to introduce myself.

As I did so Two Sorceresses were shown into the room. I recognised them both, the first from having seen her in person when she was entering with the Empress the previous day. The other I recognised from the numerous wanted posters that had liberally papered both Novigrad and Oxenfurt during Radovid's purging of magic users. Yennefer of Vengerberg and Philippa Eilhart. If only half of what I knew about these two was true, especially with how they felt about each other then neither one of them wanted to be in the same place for any kind of extended period of time.

I've already talked about what Yennefer of Vengerberg looks like. For those who didn't catch the last issue, lets just say that the descriptions of her beauty have not been understated. Hers is a beauty that promises darkness and passion, storms and flurries. I still can't pretend to know the woman and I'm told that she has mellowed considerably from when she was at her most active but even so...

What can I say about Philippa Eilhart that has not already been said by so many people. The pictures that are drawn of her generally included a lot of cleavage with a strap of cloth over her eyes from the time when, supposedly, Kind Radovid himself had those eyes taken out. I can't answer for that as she certainly had eyes when she came into the room. Whereas the Lady Yennefer's beauty puts you in mind of a storm of lightening, wind and rain, Lady Phillipa is about cold and ice. They reminded me of two stern teachers. The one who, if you made her angry would be furious with you and rage, scream and shout before realising that she had gone too far and then given you a boiled sweet. Lady Phillipa was the kind of person who was cool to everyone. If you angered her or, rather, dissappointed her. Then you would never regain her favour. Beautiful? Yes, but in the same way that a statue is beautiful, or a sword can be beautiful. Cold and hard.

I was famished and after introducing myself to the strange Witcher who introduced himself as Uhtred from the Ursine school of Witchers, I grabbed a plate and piled it high with pastries while at the same time trying to avoid the looks of the two women. The fact that the Witchers were also as uncomfortable as I was was not a reassuring factor.

I was right to load myself up with food though as then, in through the doors strode the Empress. I don't know how she had managed it but she had gone from the rough and ready outfit and manner, dirty and sweaty along with the best of us. To being the cold and assured Empress in the same amount of time as it had taken me to have a quick wash and a bite to eat. Not a hair was out of place and her outfit was a similar kind of coat to the one she had been wearing the previous night. I fancied it might be a bit plainer and darker in shade.

She was accompanied by a few other men. One of which I recognised as the Arch-Chancellor of the University of Oxenfurt. The old man is a seasoned campaigner of such things though. A large man, far too used to the oversized dinners that he's expected to attend but that same excess is adjusted by the same fact that he spends the rest of his time on his feet. He's also, the most intelligent man I've ever known. He'd stomped over to the table with the food and piled his own plate high.

“Coulthard,” He said by way of greeting, jamming a pastry into his mouth.

“Sir,” I said.

He waved his hand dismissively. “You're on the faculty now Coulthard. In fact, I should call you Proffessor really.”

“I'm not sure that I could take that from you sir.”

He laughed, spraying crumbs everywhere.

“Might we expect a follow up text Coulthard? To your “On Witchers,””

“On what subject Sir?”

“On Vampires? With a special mention regarding mating habits.”

He laughed at his own jest.

I considered my response carefully.

“With all due respect Arch-Chancellor. Fuck off.”

“Is the right answer Coulthard. Congratulations by the way. I trust there'll be an invite?”

“Of course sir.”

“Excellent.”

The Empress cleared her throat from where she had been speaking with the two Sorceresses.

“Thank you all for coming. Please take your seats.”

The Arch-chancellor picked up a jug of watered wine and brought it over to the table while giving me a huge wink.

To this day, I still can't decide if I like the man. Sometimes he's genial and friendly but sometimes he just makes my fists itch.

I will also just take this opportunity to say 'Hello sir, thank you for reading.'

So we all sat down around the table, drinks were collected and settled before the servants departed.

“Right then.” The Empress stood up. “I don't have a lot of time so I'll keep this brief. Sitting round the table we have, Lord knight, Franz Helrich, Knight Marshall of Redania, next to him we have Sir Terrence de Carnier of Temeria. Next to him, Arch-chancellor Phillip of oxenfurt university, Proffessor Frederick de Coulthard, Master Witcher Eskel of the Wolf school and Master Witcher Uhtred of the Bear school of Witchers.

“Continuing round the table, Madame Philippa Eilhart, Madame Yennefer of Vengerberg and Knight Marshalls Kristoff and Chabert of Nilfgaard.”

We all nodded awkwardly. I can't speak for anyone else but I considered myself lucky that I knew two of the other people round the table. I noticed that all the military people seemed to know each other though but I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

“As we sit here the last of my pre-coronation declarations is being made. There are two points to this. The first point is that the remaining Witchers have been working for the betterment of civilisation on the continent for many years. So it has been decided that, from the moment of my crowning. Witchers are to be given the same protections and rights as official Guildsmasters on the continent. This would put them on a par with the Stone-masons guild, the Wood-crafters guild and so on. This is so that what few remaining Witchers there are no longer have to live in fear that they will simply be used as a scapegoat in the matter of....whatever is going on locally. They must be tried properly and according to the law. Breaking of this will be treated just as harshly as if someone attacked or murdered any other guildsman.”

She looked us each in the eye.

The force of her personality was telling. I discussed it later with the Arch-Chancellor and he agreed with me.

Whatever we might all feel personally about the Witchers, and certainly I thought that Madame Eilhart did NOT look happy, the Empress said and it thus it was so.

“The second point is this.” The Empress went on.

“My father asked me to become his heir and to take up this position for him in an effort to quieten down his critics.”

I noticed that the Nilfgaardian knights smiled and squirmed a little.

“I know this but that is not the reason that I accepted the position. That reason is this. Towards the end of the third war with the North, just before the armistice was signed, there was another Conjunction of the spheres.”

The room shifted. The Witchers themselves barely reacted but I thought I could see a glimmer in the depths of their eyes. The two women shifted in their seats. I get the feeling that they knew, Lady Philippa was unhappy, even angry while Lady Yennefer was watching the rest of us. The Arch-Chancellor gasped in shock and surprise while the knights shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

“This proves the theory,” The Empress went on, I don't think she raised her voice but it felt like her voice was overwhelming the rest of us. “That the conjunction is an astrological effect that happened before the Conjunction that brought magic through with it, and that it will happen again. The Lodge of Sorceresses is working to address this phenomenon in an effort to quantify and measure it in an effort to try to find out when it will happen again so that we can properly plan for it.”

“But it will definitely happen again?” The Arch-Chancellor asked.

“Oh yes,” Madame Yennefer said.

“Of course it will, don't be a fool,” Lady Eilhart's voice was a whip-crack. “It is a magical phenomenon and as such this is beyond doubt. Although I would rather that we had discussed it a little more privately before...”

“That's enough,” The Empress said quietly. But her eyes were venomous.

My glance darted from one woman to the other and back. I had the sense that this was an old argument and an old anger.

“This conjunction could not have come at a worse time,” The Empress went on. Ignoring the glares that were being sent her way. “The war has weakened both the North and the South, depopulating vast swathes of the countryside and leaving behind far too many corpses to be properly cared for. Both the Witchers and my knights tell me that the number of monsters out there has increased on an exponential level. This coupled with the mutation of many different kinds of monsters...”

“Forgive me Your Majesty. I am just a simple knight.... Mutation?” I think it was the Temerian knight.

“Monsters are appearing where they shouldn't be. They are adapting to their environments.” The Arch-Chancellor put in.

“In any case.” The Empress went on. She seemed calm but also impatient as though she was longingto get this done so that she could get on to something else. “This means that monster population is back on the rise. We need a counter to this problem. There are other solutions that are being considered but one of those solutions both to deal with the existing monster problems as well as any future monster problems from future Conjunctions, is whether or not the Continent needs more Witchers.”

There was more shifting of weight and uncomfortable looks between us all.

“What is represented here, is the foremost magical expert on Witchers in Lady Yennefer as she has made an extensive study of them. Also the foremost mundane expert in Proffessor Coulthard. We also have two Witchers, military experts and a civilian expert. What I require from you all is a recommendation on several levels, although I don't need it today, I would like your preliminary thoughts and plans by sundown”

She let a small amount of humour creep into her voice.

“First of all, should it be Witchers?

“Secondly, can we make more Witchers?

“Thirdly, presuming we can, should we make more Witchers?

“Fourthly, How do we set about this task?”

“I want your early thoughts as soon as you can ladies and gentlemen. I'll leave you a scribe to record things. thank you very much.”

She just got up and left.

We rose to watch her leave.

Then there was a long period of us standing around looking at each other.

“Well shit,” said one of the knights. “What happens now?”

“I think that the Empress has just asked us to form a committee to discuss and formulate an idea of how to fight an unexpected upswing in monster activity.” It was lady Yennefer that had spoken. She sat down and crossed her legs before folding her hands in her lap, exactly like a school mistress.

“A committee,” Sir Kristtoff's eyebrow's rose sharply.

“Yes,” Yennefer's own immaculate eyebrow rose to meet it. “In which case the first thing we should do is to choose a chair-person.”

“Which will be whom?” Lady Philippa's voice was dripping with scorn. She was sat with her arms folded across her chest and wore a scowl that threatened to tear the testicles off, or ovaries out of anyone that disagreed with her.

“I nominate the Arch-Chancellor.” I said leaning forward. In the corner of the room was a young man in white robe who was busy scratching at a piece of parchment. I recognised shorthand when I saw it. I wandered over and stole a piece of paper and a bit of charcoal for my own notes.

“Seconded,” I thought it was Marshall Helrich of Redania that said it.

“Why him?” Lady Eilhart asked, seemingly outraged at the suggestion that it was anyone at all. But if it was going to be someone, then why not her?

“Because he has experience with this kind of thing.” I said, passing over a piece of paper and another pencil to the Arch-Chancellor. “Forgive me Madam but, The Lodge of Sorceresses is a democratic system if I understand correctly, each member gets an equal vote on every issue that is debated am I right?”

I didn't get an answer although I saw that Lady Yennefers eyes were gleaming.

“The Witchers are lone huntsman and as such have no experience in running an advisory committee. The same with the military men amongst us as they are men who are used to giving their opinions but then the man at the top makes the decision and that person's word is law. The only person I can see who has any experience at all in running committees is the Arch-Chancellor, who, to my mind at least, seems to do nothing else with his time other than sit on committees.”

“Thank you Proffessor,” The Arch-chancellor rumbled in a doom laden voice. “Perhaps one day I should retire and name you to the post as a form of vengeance.”

“Maybe you will sir, but admit it. You love it really.”

The old man harumphed.

“Then there is the first motion.” Said the Arch Chancellor. “I am the nominee for chair all those in favour to raise their hands.”

It was unanimous. The first to raise their hand was me. The last was Madame Philippa who raised her hand in an effort not to be the lone hold out.”

“Well that was easy,” The Arch-Chancellor made a note and poured himself a drink. So, we've got four questions before us which boils down to, in my mind, Who? Can? Should? And How? First though I suggest that we all take a moment to get some food and something to drink from the table and take a moment to order our thoughts. These things can be thirsty work.”

He was right. I've only ever been in committees that decided things like “What colour should the protest placards be,” and things of that nature and those meetings could take all day.”

“So where do we start?” The Chancellor began as we all sat down. “It strikes me that this is a chain of questioning. It's not just about Witchers as a whole, forgive me gentlemen,”

Eskel waved a hand, Uhtred seemed amused by the entire thing.

“But what it's about is the question of how to deal with the Monsters. The Empress has suggested that the creation of more Witchers is a solution to the problem. The idea certainly has merit in that it has been done before, that is the solution that everyone will understand and therefore people will listen if we simply say, there are more monsters out there, therefore we need more Witchers.

“On the other hand, the Empress' history with Witchers might be colouring her opinion on the matter. Since the publications of the bards work on the White Wolf of Rivia and, to a lesser extent, the published travel journals of Proffessor Frederick here, there is a certain.... glamourisation of Witchers that has taken place. A factor that Proffessor Frederick has pointed out on a couple of occasions to his own credit. Are we just saying, “We have a Witcher shaped hole, therefore we need to fill it with a Witcher shaped peg?

“Coupling this with the fact that I, for one, do not want to go to the Empress after my first official job at her request and say, “We disagree with the solution you gave us Your Majesty and we don't have an alternative,” So lets start there. Are Witchers the right solution to this problem or would we, and the Empires subjects, be better served by something else?

“So that is the first question? Opening up to thoughts. Let's keep our first meeting civil if possible and try to put off the hair pulling and name calling until future meetings. Gives us something to look forward to after all.”

“Do you think this will take more than one meeting?” Asked Marshall Chabert of Nilfgaard. He was clearly from Toussaint as the golden paint on his armour gave him away as a knight errant. He also seemed faintly horrified at the prospect of further meetings.

“Undoubtedly.” said the Arch-Chancellor. “Even, in the highly unlikely event of us coming up with a definitive plan and solution to the problems caused by this and future Conjunctions. That plan would still need to be implemented. Then it will go wrong, because it always does, and we will absolutely be called on to fix it afterwards.”

“I see,” Chabert slouched in his chair and poured himself some more Wine.

“So, any thoughts jumping out.”

“Yes, I have a thought.” Lady Eilhart leant forward. “This entire process is a pantomime and we should stop wasting each others time. The matter should be turned over to the Magic users of the continent completely and utterly.”

I thought that the Arch-chancellor was very diplomatic really. He made a small note on his paper and said nothing.

“But how's that madam? The number of magic users in the world has been decimated.” Knight Marshall Kristoff of Nilfgaard.

Sorry for keeping on writing the names and titles down. There were a lot of people talking, often at the same time so I don't want any confusion about who said what.

“Yes, Thrown on pyres of righteousness by knights and people like you.”

“But not me Madam.” Kristoff went on. “Nor by anyone under my command certainly. Also, Magic users were not the only victims of those flames. There were also many non-humans, innocent humans, political victims and even one or two Witchers themselves I understand. Prosecuted for the crime of defending themselves from angry mobs who were marching them to the lynching tree. The fact remains that if the monster population has gone up then there will need to be a solution that comes in many parts.

“I, for one am happy to accept that the Lodge and....Is there a new council of mages yet? No? Then I am happy to accept that the Lodge can, and will devote itself to the matter of the conjunction itself to either prevent or mitigate it's effects. But what about everything that has come through in the mean time. Those things need hunting and destroying. Are there enough Sorceresses and mages to deal with each and every colony of Nekkers on my fathers lands? There are quite a few of them.”

Lady Eilhart bristled and had opened her mouth to speak but the Arch-Chancellor jumped in. “So there we have the first alternative suggested. That the magic users of the continent deal with the problem so Lady Eilhart is that possible?”

“Yes.”

“It is?”

“Yes,”

“Really?”

“Yes.”