Chapter 76: Vampires (2)

“So the members of the Lodge, and I'm not going to ask how many of you there are, but the members of the Lodge are going to sort out the problem regarding the Conjunction of Spheres, as well as identifying all the monsters that came through after the most recent instance before destroying them all en masse? That's a lot of work especially as at least one of your number has her hands full advising King Tankred of Kovir and another member is busy running the rest of the world. That's a lot to take on. I imagine that you can do this because magic is unquantifiably powerful. So how long is this going to take?”

Lady Eilhart opened her mouth to speak but I thought I heard something and my eyes quickly darted to Lady Yennefer who was just lowering her hand from her mouth. The sound I had heard was the lady coughing.

Lady Eilhart subsided.

“It is my view that the vast majority of the surviving magic users will not come forth to help.” Sir Kristoff said tentatively into the uncomfortable silence. “The Northerners are not alone in their.... prejudices.” He smiled apologetically to the two women. “The Empire is just as guilty of looking down on magic users and seeking to throw constraints on them, their power and their behaviour both by law and by other means. If I were a magic user I would want to stay in hiding for a bit longer at least to make sure that the persecutions are not going to take up again from where they left off under the Empress.”

There was some more general mumbling of agreement about this, including from me. “I don't know about magic milady but I do know about strategy. The one thing that the rest of us can't do is to deal with the problem of the Conjunction itself. That uses forces that we don't understand. Solving or lessening that problem should be the best use of the magic users time and energy.”

“I agree,” said Lord Helrich of Redania. “There would then be the matter of, with the relatively small number of magic users, where would they go? To deal with what? When? How much is that going to cost? How long will that take? Who has priority? A Dragon that is attacking a tiny, mostly deserted town or the nekker underneath a larger urban area? We need a larger more numerous solution to the problem than a handful of magic users, no matter how talented and beautiful they might be.”

The attempt of charm from the knight marshal was misplaced and only resulted in a look of scorn from madame Yennefer and a sneer from Madame Philippa.

“What I don't understand is this,” the Knight marshal went on. “People keep telling me that there is an abundance of monsters and brigands and that this is brought on by the end of the three wars and the depopulation and demobilisation of the military. We also know that the large standing armies of Nilfgaard are costly and that the empire can't afford to have them standing around, drawing pay and not doing anything. Why not use that one problem to solve another? Use the army to end these threats. It wouldn't take more than a good squad of soldiers to deal with a set of Nekkers would it? With all due respect to the Witchers around the table it would strike me that the simple solution here is the best.

“With all due respect Marshall but that simply won't work?” Eskel said leaning forward.

“With all due respect Master Witcher, but why not?”

“In this case, lets admit that I have hunted more monsters than you. On a regular basis I came across cases where there is a known monster, a Griffin say, that is attacking nearby villagers. The local Lord sends a bunch of soldiers. The Griffin kills the soldiers but becomes injured. Nothing serious but now it's pissed off and sees humans as a threat and goes berzerk. Soldiers and knights simply lack the training to know what they're talking about and will get themselves killed at best, or get other people killed at worst. Believe me Marshall, even the smallest and most timid Nekker or similar Goblinoid has claws that will make mockery of all but the toughest plate.”

“I'm glad to see that you value soldiers lives below local villagers lives Master Witcher,” The Knight Marshall commented.

“That's not what I'm saying.”

“Is it not?”

“Gentlemen,” snapped the Arch-Chancellor quelling the raised voices instantly.

“There is another problem with using knights or men at arms that belong to armies or noble lords.” Said Sir Terrence of Redania. “Best will in the world but what if the knights or soldiers answer to one lord. There is a monster problem just over the border on his neighbours land. Unfortunately the neighbour recently insulted the Lords wife. Would he send soldiers to help? Or would he purposefully with hold aid in an effort to make his point meaning, that more die or the monster has room to breed.”

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“Further than that,” Gottfried of Nilfgaard added. “Lets say I hear about a monster threat in, say, the client state of Rivia. Lets say an outbreak of Ghouls. I decide to send a Regiment of men at arms along with twenty or so knights as command. I hear about this threat from the villagers and the traders that come to me from Rivia. I send my forces. In the meantime the Rivian authorities have also heard about this threat. They have set out to deal with it. But then they hear that I, a Nilfgaardian noble have sent out a force of men. I reacted quickly to sort the problem out as fast as possible and the messenger that I have sent is lost or is disbelieved. So suddenly, what the Rivians see is an invading or a raiding force of men. Wars have begun in such a manner.”

“So what would need to happen would be that there would need to be a portion of monster hunting knights or soldiers assigned to territories and then the cases get assigned according to territory,” mused Marshall Chabert.

“Yes in theory,” Gottfried countered. “But what if the force is in one part of their province but there's a monster outbreak elsewhere. In the meantime there are other provinces where the monster hunting regiment is employed to sit around and polish their armour. I doubt very much that the monsters would behave according to our border controls.”

Witcher Uhtred sniggered at the thought

“Monsters do migrate.” Eskel pointed out. “They change and mutate and go where the feeding is easiest but that only covers the less intelligent species.”

“So what we would be looking at would be small units of centrally governed knights who take their orders, only from their own hierarchy that nobles are expected to allow through their lands without challenge.”

Knight Marshall Helrich shifted in his chair uncomfortably. “This isn't as easy as I thought.”

“What about the church knights?” Sir Terrence asked. “We had a group of them in Temeria. The Flaming Rose? Admittedly they were lead by a religious fanatic who tried to usurp the throne but at the same time, they did their best to hunt out the monsters.”

“Yes, but didn't they also decide that magic-users and non-humans were also monsters.” Said Madame Yennefer. The first words she had said aloud were startling. “Also the royal family of Temeria as was as well as anyone who disagreed with them as I recall.”

“Yes, I realised how ridiculous it sounded as I began to say it out loud. But in theory the principle is sound.” Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

“In theory?” Marhsall Chabert piped up. He was pulling on his moustaches. “In theory yes. But there's a reason that the knight's errant of Toussaint are constrained by so many rules. If you follow them up accordingly it means that they can't really do anything without breaking one of them as they trap themselves in a web of chivalric nonsense.”

“A chivalric nonsense that you follow Sir knight?”

“Well of course.” Chabert explained. “Otherwise, what's the point. But just because I follow it doesn't mean I don't also know how stupid it all is.”

“There's another problem with church knights or any kind of knightly order on that line.” Gottfried again.

“The knights themselves have a tendency to decide what a monster is and what they aren't.”

“And Witchers don't?” Asked Franz Helrich.

“Of course they do. But their codes are solely to do with monsters. Religious orders are founded on religions. What if a village is suffering under the boot of a hag of some kind whether it's a Grave, swamp or sewage Hag. Passing holy knight hears about this but discovers that there's a shrine to Veyopatis in the village. Obviously then this village is heretical and the hag is the village's just punishment. Knight moves on. Village continues to languish.”

“But if the person answers to a higher authority... If the knight gets ordered to do the killing by their local priest say...”

“Ok. Let's suppose. Just suppose that the local priest is good and kind and just. What about the next local priest, or the next one. Running it from the top. Is the master of the knights true, just and incorruptible. If he, or she begging the ladies pardon, is? Is his Secretary? How about his second in command? How about the third? How about the local administrators? Suddenly it gets around that one administrator is taking bribes to send the knights over to one province over the next making it look as though one lord has more armed forces than the other and these knights are just one more political tool over another.”

“Speaking as a Witcher,” Uhtred spoke for the first time. “The number of times people try to use us as political tools is rather....annoying.” His voice was curiously higher pitched than I had expected.

Silence reigned for a bit longer.

“We're nowhere,” said the Arch-Chancellor. “Time for a break. I suggest we return to the table with a mind set of, “Why Witchers?” now rather than anything else.”

“That's a short time between breaks.” Lady Philippa commented acidly.

“This thinking and debating is thirsty and hungry work,” The Arch-Chancellor commented slapping his belly. “You didn't think I got my heroic frame from spending days in the exercise yard did you?”

He ignored her quick retort and went back to the table for another plate of food.

“Ok.” He said as we all sat back down. I noticed that only he had a full plate of food. The Sorceresses had a bunch of grapes to share between them but everyone else was pacing themselves with the jugs of watered wine. There was a better than evens chance that one or two of the knights marshal would be pissed before the meeting was over. Then the thought occurred that maybe this was the Arch-Chancellor's strategy.

“So, We've talked about knights and we've shot down each others points for a little while now. According to my notes here, knights or soldiers are under-trained and under equipped for the threats that they would be expected to face on a daily basis.”

“Under trained? Not that I'm arguing the point but why do we think that?” Gottfried asked.

“What's the difference between a Royal Griffin and a normal one?” asked Eskel. “Of those which is the more dangerous, a female or a male? When? Why is it more dangerous? how do you counter that? Lets say that it's a male Royal Griffin. Does it hunt at night or during the day? What does it hunt? Where does it prefer to nest? Is it better to try and drug it like a cobbler would drug a dragon or is it better to set a trap? Or wait for it to be asleep? If it's asleep, what time of day or night is it more likely to be faster asleep?”

“Right then, I get the picture.”

“That's just royal Griffin's you understand. What about Cockatrices?”

“Ok enough enough.” The knight Marshall laughed a little and waved his hands in surrender.

“Not to belabour the point,” Eskel went on, “But Witchers are trained to think creatively and as individuals, whereas soldiers, whether on foot or on horseback, are trained to think as part of units and to always, always follow the orders of your superiors. Imagination is death to a soldier as when you are given an order you must follow that order instantly and without question, and an imagination defeats that. Whereas a Witcher needs to examine the possibilities.”

“A student of tactics master Witcher?”

“Everyone has to have a hobby.”

“I for one am sold on the idea of Witchers.” Said Marshall Gottfried. “I have had the opportunity to hire one myself and the man seemed eminently sensible to me. Rude and a little bit of an inflated sense of self worth but on the whole they made sense to me.”

“I'm not as convinced,” Franz-Hubert spoke up. “I don't like the idea of an elite fighting unit in the hands of anyone, without some kind of oversight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, lets say we create a new bath of Witchers. Lets also say that they go out into the world with the best of intentions. Then lets say that they get caught up in one cause or another despite their own best intentions. These people are men after all. And men, no matter how hard they try, can be manipulated. The most famous Witcher in the world, the White Wolf, was easily manipulated many times by, begging the ladies pardon, Sorceresses, Kings and creatures all the time.”

“I'm not saying that I disagree with you Lord Hubert,” Said Chabert, “But the Witcher's code of neutrality is famous enough that even I have heard about it. The White Wolf in question tends to get quite poetic on the subject.

“Yes, but according to that same ballad, the White Wolf also forgot his own neutrality on many separate occasions. And he is just one amongst many.”

“That is why the declaration that Witchers fall under the rules set aside by the craftsman guild charter is so important,” Said Gottfried. “Not only would Witchers be trained to believe in Neutrality but they would be required, by law, to follow that rule. The code of the Witchers which, even to me, seems to shift and change according to which Witcher you talk to, would now be enforcible.”

“That is a valid point.”

“As Master Eskel points out. Witchers are individual fighters. One Witcher can deflect a bolt in flight. I've even seen this technique demonstrated but the manouver needs room to move. In a military situation, the Witcher would have difficulty against two, or three trained bowmen negating his advantage in military situations.”

“True,”

“A guild of monster exterminators is an attractive one,” said Chabert. “Even the Rat-catchers have their own guild. It's just that this would be a different guild. Like a craft guild even.”

“Mmm,” Grunted Franz-Hubert and I had the impression that he was beginning to allow himself to be persuaded. “So, an independent guild of monster-slayers. Independent of crown and church. But why Witchers. Why not normal man? I'm sure that there is a reason that this is the case but what is it?”

“Master Witchers?” The Arch-Chancellor raised his eyebrow in their direction. “I can understand your desire to stay quiet on many of these matters but surely this is a point at which your input could make a difference.”

“Undoubtedly.” Said Eskel. “Unfortunately I am not really in a position to properly define the answer here.”

The two of them looked at each other before they sighed. In the end it was Uhtred that spoke.

“Do you know what a Kikkimore is gentlemen? I know that the honoured ladies will be aware.”

There was some shifting of weight. Even the bravest soldiers still don't want to be the first to hold their hands up in class.

“It's an insectoid species.” I said. “Ranging from the size of large hounds or ponies but can grow up to the size of a decent war-horse and in the case of the hive Queen then they can stand at ten to twelve feet high from foot to shoulder. Organisation of the hive can roughly be acquainted to that of ants or bees but that would be an oversimplification and it would be a mistake to assume that these creatures are stupid.”

“In broad terms that is correct.”

“In broad terms,” I agreed. “I flatter the assembly that they can do without the full lecture and diagrams.”

I saw a couple of smirks quickly subdued including from Eskel.

“I have here a sample of Kikkimore venom.” said Uhtred pulling out a glass vial, half filled with some viscous, unpleasant looking liquid. “There are a couple of hives in Toussaint if you know where to look. They are tolerated here because they churn the soil and their secretions help the ground be of suitable acidic and alkali levels which helps in the growth of fruit bearing plants. It also means that the knights errant have something to train against.”

Marshall Chabert grinned at some kind of private memory. Uhtred continued.

“I went there in an effort to harvest some things for some potions as they can be useful in their purest form as I'm sure the ladies will attest. Kikkimore warriors, the horse sized ones, spit this stuff. It is both a paralytic as well as being acidic.” He removed the lid from the vial and an acrid,, eye-watering scent filled the room. He rose and went over to where the food rested and came back with a large hunk of ham and a small plate.

“Starting with the ham.” He poured out a couple of drops of the liquid onto the ham. I had seen this kind of demonstration before as Kerrass had performed a similar stunt while delivering a lecture at the university. The point of the ham where the liquid touched started to smoke and hiss violently. Then it started to burn before our eyes. As the stain spread the process slowed but it was no less virulent.

“Anyone care for a slice?” The Arch-chancellor quipped. I had forgotten that he had been at the demonstration as well. The smell was putrid in the air. Uhtred tipped the ham into the fireplace.

“Imagine that stuff in contact with a human skin.” he said, “Now the same demonstration but with this metal plate.”

Again, a little drop. Again, similar discolouration, hissing and smoking. After a minute or so the hissing and the billowing stopped. Uhtred showed the plate around, a large circle of darkened metal showed itself. “Not much to look at,” the Witcher said before poking his finger through the circle which crumbled.

“Any questions?”

“Why would you want to harvest such stuff?” asked someone, I think it was Sir Terrence of Temeria,

“Interesting question,” said Uhtred with an unpleasant smile. “Bottoms up.” He drank off the vial of liquid before pulling a face.

“Tastes like ass though. Now a further demonstration. Anyone care to volunteer? more dramatic for a military type than any of our erstwhile scholars though.”

Franz-Hubert rose. “I will as I asked the question.”

“Stand facing me sir Knight.” They did so. “Now then Sir knight. The purpose of the exercise is this. Kikkimore venom is one of the ingredients that we use in our potions to increase our reflexes speed.”

His words began to slur at the end.

“There are some side-effects though as you can see.” He was blinking furiously for a second and his breathing deepened. “Very well Sir Knight. I am going to remove a single hair from your head. Your task is to stop me. If my hand comes away with more than one hair, I fail. Arms down by our sides to begin. Ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then I shall begin.”

There was a pause before Uhtred's hand snapped forward. Franz-Hubert had enough time to flinch away before his hand slapped the side of his head. Uhtred held his hand open for the knight's inspection who then paled.

Eskel passed a cup of milk to the bear Witcher who downed it quickly.

“We brew the stuff to minimise the side-effects and to increase the benefits,” Eskel said. “However to a human it is lethal. Witchers are immune to poisons and diseases that monsters carry around with them. Or the poisons and diseases that come with the habitats that the monsters live in. Monster hunting could be deadly to humans, long before they even get to the monster. Why Witchers over normal men? Let me ask another question Sir Knights. Would you prefer a cheap sword that your castle blacksmith turns out at at a rate of three an hour. Or would you prefer one of the finest works of dwarven steel made with all the artistry and mechanical innovation that the dwarves and the gnomes before them have mustered.”

“I once heard it described as the “boot theory” of economics.” I said. “A poor man buys a shitty pair of boots that wears out in six months. A rick man buys a pair of boots that are three times as expensive but last him for three years. Over that three months the poor man spends twice the amount of money on boots as the rich man and his feet are still wet.”

“Not that we Witchers like being compared to swords or boots,” Uhtred had recovered a little from the diluted potion effects. “But that is what we're talking about. Any number of Monsters, werewolves, Striga's, shapechangers, the many different varieties of Necromorphs... All of them would think nothing of even the finest armour and the best made swords would bounce off their hides. A Witcher is a highly trained, highly crafted monster killing machine. Do the job properly or don't do it at all is one of the things that my school teaches us.”

“So Witchers then,” said the Arch-chancellor after several moments. Any further thoughts?”

There were none. The point had been made.

“So we move on to the question of, can we make more Witchers. This question, I think, goes over to the ladies and again back to the Witchers. Can it be done?”

“The creation of more Witchers?” Lady Eilhart perked up a little bit after, to all intents and purposes, been consumed with an inspection of what was under her fingernails. “Can it be done? I am unsure. The creation of things that are similar to Witchers? Almost certainly. I would recommend some changes in my case. I think that Witchers in general can be rather too wilfull in my opinion.”

Eskel surprised me by laughing aloud. “Really? I am against this situation from the off. But really Philippa, do you hate us that much?”

“Witchers are an anachronism?” Lady Eilhart went on hotly. “They are out of date. There are other, more efficient ways.”

“Which are? Do enlighten us? You say that we can be too wilfull? Is your intention to breed a slave race of super mutants that can...”

“Magic is....”

“Really madam, this has already been discussed and we have moved past the part where this was brought up. But if you wish,” The Arch-Chancellor made his voice stern, “If the Magic users can rid the continent of monsters then why has it not done so? If the magic users cared enough to be pillars of the community then why were they feared so much? If the magic users were so useful then why have they not been of use? Forgive me madam but your protests strike me as nothing more than the fear of a woman who is scared that she is about to become redundant. A fear, I suggest that might become very real indeed.”

“How dare you sir?”

“I dare because I dare madam. You forget that the study of magic is in your purview but the study of history is mine. As is the study of people. The reason why people fear magic users is because of their otherness. They see mages and Sorcerers and Wizards and Witches hold themselves above the rest of us and expect to be bowed down to at every stage. But then when they are asked why that should be the case, the response is always the same. Why are you better than us? Because you control magic. Why can't you change the world? Because magic doesn't work like that. Why couldn't you stop all the people from dying of dysentery? Because magic has limits. So tell me this Madam. Give me some definitive answers right here and now, with time scales as to when these goals can be fulfilled, if you please, and I will march up to the Empress right now and say that the matter should be handed over to you. You ready? When will the Conjunction of spheres happen again?”

Lady Eilhart said nothing.

“How many monsters came through during the conjunction that the Empress just described to us?”

Lady Eilhart said nothing.

“Leaving aside what defines a monster for a moment, how many non human, elf, dwarf, gnome or halflings are there?” Lets make it easy for you shall we? How many Kikkimores in their many various and wondrous varieties are there on the continent?”

“Such things would take time?”

“How much time? When will you have a solution? When can we expect these monsters to be wiped out. A year? A month? A decade? What if you miss one, or two or a dozen?”

Lady Eilhart finally lowered her gaze.

The room was appalled. I had seen the Arch-chancellor lose his temper before but this seemed a little excessive.

“The fact remains that there are monsters. As Master Uhtred and Sir Chabert will tell us, the soil of Toussaint is uniquely capable of producing the best wines. That is due to the volcanic nature of the soil but it is also due to the Kikkimores and the other giant insects that raise the chemical content of the soil. I don't think that the Wine merchants themselves would thank us if we destroyed every monster indiscriminately. By now some “monsters” have become part of the local ecology or have even integrated into society. We need a thinking, self governing solution. Simply waving our hands and saying. “Magic will sort things out,” will not be seen as satisfactory. For perfectly valid reasons too, because it is not satisfactory. None of the rest of us can do anything about the next conjunction of the spheres, that is a magical phenomenon and as such, the Lodge and any other council is welcome, if not required to take a hand in that. But as for the monsters? We need something else.”

Lady Philippa rose to her feet and left the room.

The Arch-Chancellor rubbed his temples a little. “Was it something I said?” he wondered.

“Not invalid points Arch-Chancellor.” Lady Yennefer pulled her chair closer to the table as she spoke. “They could just have been made a little better to someone with Phil's temperament. She lost a lot. We, lost a lot,”

The Arch-Chancellor bridled a little. “We all did under Radovid madam. We all did.”

Madame Yennefer held her hand up placatingly. “I know that sir, I really do. Oxenfurt and the university took some hard blows in those years. Let me answer for my colleague. Can it be done? Yes. Almost certainly but it would need some testing to make it precise. The help of the Witchers that survive would be invaluable but there is one Witcher whose help I would need the most. I notice that he isn't here however.”

“And why is that?”

“Because Sir Terrence of Temeria here would kill him on sight.”

“You refer to the Kingslayer?” Sir Terrence grimaced. “I would at that although I understand he aided in saving the Empress' life. But he killed my King. That is a hard thing to get past.”

“Nevertheless.” Yennefer went on. “He is, as far as I know, the only surviving Witcher from the Viper school and the Vipers knew more about Alchemy than the entirety of the Lodge of Sorceresses put together. If the formulae exist anywhere then they exist in Letho's head. And from what I've read recently,” I was astonished as she nodded to me, “The Kingslayer would not agree to the production of more Witchers and with good reasons too.”

“He is not the only one.” Said Eskel. “I read the same account from our learned friend. Letho is right, what was done to us was monstrous and what we went on to do to each other was equally as monstrous. We have, all of us, independently of each other and together decided that we would never be party to performing any of those things to people again. Not to children. Not to anyone. I dare say that I would not be alone in ensuring my death in such a way that my body would be destroyed before I helped create more Witchers and I would fight to rescue any who were taken against there will to help make this happen.”

It was the way he said it so...matter of factly that struck home with me.

Yennefer grimaced although I suspected that she had known what the response would be for a while.

“So there it is.” said Gottfried of Nilfgaard. “Back to the beginning again.”

“There is one person whose voice we haven't heard from yet,” said Madame Yennefer. “Proffessor Frederick. You have been very quiet through this entire discussion.”

“Yes I have,” I answered.

“May we ask why?”

I smiled. “Partly it's because I was only made Proffessor of Anthropology yesterday and now I'm discussing things with some of the greatest minds on the continent. You might give me a bit of warning before I get to be so utterly overwhelmed.”

The comment had the effect that I wanted in that several people started to chuckle and so the tension broke.

“I understand you also got engaged as well.” said Marshal Chabert. “Forgive me Professor I should have offered proper congratulations, or is it commiserations?” He winked at me.

“I've met the lady.” said Eskel. “It could go either way.” There was a bit more laughter which I accepted.

“Here's my thinking, for what it's worth.” I continued, “I am an outsider who's spent a good amount of the last two years following a Witcher around. I have seen most of what happens to Witchers, the prejudice and the adulation. I have also seen the enormous pressure that they are put under both physically and mentally and I have also seen the anguish of a man who doesn't know if he is less than human or more so. I admire Witchers but on more than one occasion I have been forced to pity them. Which I may say made my friend rather angry when he caught me doing it.”

There was a bit more laughter as I felt the room beginning to relax.

“When the Empress said that she wanted there to be more Witchers I found that I was glad. As a historian and a friend of, I hope, more than one Witcher, I think it would be a colossal shame if the Witchers died out. I think that the continent owes the Witchers a colossal debt which we have repaid....poorly. However I have also been shown a little bit of what the Witchers had to go through and I can understand their reluctance to help produce new Witchers. Especially as most of the students died and more recently, they were killed as scape-goats and excuses. I notice, for instance that although much has been said of the deaths of the magic users and the non-humans, nothing has been said of those Witchers that were fed to the flames or were killed while defending themselves.

“Remember that only thirty to forty percent of students were expected to survive their change. In some cases even that was overly optimistic. And those deaths would not have been pleasant as they literally shat their brains out or spasmed so hard that their limbs shattered. Who do we consign to those odds? Orphans? Foundlings? disabled children? Volunteers? children who would not survive otherwise? those rural communities that sometimes kill one child to save the rest of their families? Even that is an awful prospect so I can absolutely understand the Witcher's reluctance. It is a reluctance that I share.”

“I am not reluctant,” said Eskel “I simply refuse outright.”

“I'm sorry, I mis-spoke so let me be clear. I would destroy what few notes I have on the creation of Witchers before I let them be used in that manner. I don't have a lot though as I went out of my way to avoid the topic in the first place. However there is a mistake here that is not taken into account. That is that the processes themselves have not been refined or adjusted or even worked on at all since they were first implemented what, over two hundred and fifty years ago?”

“About that?” said Eskel. I saw Madame Yennefer nod.

“Then I suggest this.” I went on. “We need Witchers. But we think of Witchers as the people who were produced using the old methods. Surely the science and magic and....knowledge about it all has improved since then. The conditions that the first Witchers worked under were barbaric. Can we not refine them? Let's say this. The Witchers sit down with the Alchemists and the Sorcerers and say. This is what I can do. This is the level that future Witchers need to be able to operate at or better. They need to be so fast and so strong. They need to be able to resist these kinds of poisons and have a reaction speed of this much as well as being able to see in darkness. The Alchemists and the Sorcerers get together and figure out a way to make that work. Then they work on it and figure out ways that they can make the process of becoming a Witcher more survivable.

“I know that the Feline Witchers had a test to see if a child had the necessary, presumably, racial gene to accept their mutagens. Can there be a test that could be administered that says whether or not a person could accept the mutagens before hand?

“I don't know how of course but could that be done?”

“I think it's worth exploring?” said Yennefer.

“Then that's a good place to start.” I said. “Let's work it out. How can we make the process of becoming a Witcher less painful and more survivable. How much of the trials were tradition and how much can be boiled down to hard science?”

“There is always the fear though.” Eskel said. “That the formula would be used by world leaders to make super soldiers which could lead to the bias of racial purety.”

“That's easy,” I said. “Witcher oversight. I understand that Madame Yennefer is linked to a Witcher on a romantic level. The labs and work stations will be kept in his estates. The instant that he is unhappy then he sets fire to all of them. It's not perfect but it starts with choosing the right people for the job.”

“Mmm,” Eskel grunted. He still wasn't happy but I could see that he was more open to the idea.

“Ok then, Madame Yennefer will you undertake to begin this process?” asked the Arch-Chancellor.

“I will. I can think of a couple of names to begin to work with.”

“Including Letho?” I asked.

“Maybe,” she grinned slyly. “He and I don't get on that well.”

“Imagine that,” I said pretending to be shocked. “When the two of you are so known for your gentleness and the charming friendliness in your characters.”

“Just keep him away from the Temerians.” said Sir Terrence rising and stretching. “I'm a relaxed kind of fellow but some of us are a bit more....”

“Direct,” suggested Gottfried.

“I was going to say, “Opinionated,”” Sir Terrence saluted the room and left followed by Franz Hubert and I saw the two of them walking down the corridor outside the room with their heads together.

“Hmm,” said the Arch-Chancellor commented. “If those two don't conspire to have you followed to get at the Kingslayer then I will be surprised.”

“I had a similar thought Arch-Chancellor.” Yennefer commented. “Best not to worry though.” She nodded to the two Witchers. I was surprised to see Eskel look uncomfortable. But I was more surprised as she came round the table to me. “Well done,” she said taking my hand and shaking it firmly. “Very well done,” before turning on her heel and leaving.

“Be careful,” was what Eskel said as he walked past me. Uhtred nodded companionably.

“What was all that about?” I asked the Arch-Chancellor.

“Who knows? Sorceresses and Witchers.” he shrugged and gathered up the considerable amount of notes that he had made. “I'd have nothing to do with them if I were you.” He sniffed hugely. “Bit late really considering your circumstances. Oh and Proffessor,”

“Sir?”

“Get used to calling me Phillip would you?”

“Yes sir. I'll try sir.”