Kyana Of Cintra

55

Geralt grunted, all but falling onto the seat. "Don't trouble yourself on my account, I just want food." Geralt's stomach was practically screaming; after all, he hadn't eaten all day, par from a couple of pieces of dried fruit. Borch looked expectantly at Kyana, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Just some chicken for me, please." Borch nodded, a small grin making it's way onto his features. Borch looked like a kind father, observing the world as though everyone and anyone was a part of his family. 

"I knew I'd like you both, that was the first reason." His hand pointed towards the innkeeper. "One of everything you have, and keep the ale coming!" The innkeeper recognized his order and attended to it immediately. "The second one is this. A short while ago, a green dragon landed across the border in King Niedamir's mountains." In the small pause of silence, a woman came over, handing ale to everyone. Kyana took what she was given and thanked the lady, who gave her a perplexed look. Kindness to servants was rare those days. Nevertheless, she smiled back at Kyana.

Kyana turned her attention back to Borch, sipping on the drink. Realizing the woman had mixed up the orders and given her very strong spirits instead of weak ale, she swapped hers and Geralt's cups, knowing he'd be grateful for something stronger.

"I know what you're thinking. 'Impossible, dragons are so rare.' But it's true. Locals spotted it and went after it in search of treasure, and of course, they only succeeded in wounding the creature and angering it so righteously that it swooped down from it's lair and set half a hillside ablaze." Geralt huffed in amusement, taking a swig of the spirits and groaning appreciatively to Kyana. "Dead sheep everywhere" Borch continued. Jaskier, with his hand touching his own neck, decided it would be best to compliment the ladies in the strangest way possible.

"You have the most incredible neck." He said to Véa, who stopped drinking her ale. "Like a sexy goose, guzzling." Kyana's eyebrow rose as she bit her lip to refrain from laughing. Kyana tried to stay out of Jaskier's mind as much as possible; it was a very strange place in there. Over the years, whatever Kyana had done in Yennefer's home, where she read her thoughts, she couldn't turn it off. Now, whispers consistently filled her head, although she had learned to ignore them, and therefore shut them out.

"Now the king is in a bind. He's set to marry the princess of his rival kingdom, Malleore, which means it's bad timing to have a murderous pest lurking around in the mountains. He's commissioned a hunt to kill it. 4 teams have signed on. The winner gets the dragon treasure horde, plus the title of lord over one of his new vassal states. That is, if he survives." Borch informed them.

"What does this have to do with us?" Geralt asked, his eyes searching for the answers his mouth asked for. Borch placed his hands near his heart. Kyana felt something wasn't right, and reached out to Borch's thoughts. Yet, she smacked into his mental wall, which was extremely unusual. Kyana's head tilted to the side as her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. 

"I want you to join my team." Kyana looked at Geralt, who looked straight back at her. They wondered what to do. Every instinct in Kyana's body was telling her not to go, that it was a harmless creature that got injured and defended itself, not a pig for slaughter. Geralt had finally found something he agreed with her on.

"I can hear it now, a tale of two Zerikanians and their valiant poet lover. Oh, we are so doing this, we're in." Jaskier explained, completely disregarding the fact that they would be fighting a legitimate dragon. Kyana chuckled at Jaskier's excitement.

"You wasted your breath, Borch." Geralt stated grumpily. "I don't kill dragons." Borch huffed gently in disappointment, although he accepted the challenge. "Take my advice, no treasure is worth dying for."

Borch's eyes fluttered downwards. "Depends on the treasure." Kyana looked at him curiously, her head remaining slightly tilted. "What I need is a new adventure. One final first before I'm too old to do anything but die."  

"Killing a dragon will not bring you that." Kyana said gently, trying to get him to see clearly. Dragons were perfectly docile when left alone; they meant no harm. Their size and value obviously made them easy targets for hunting parties, just like Borch's, to kill them. 

"All I know is there's one path up the mountain and it's overrun with monsters." Borch declared, enticing and tempting the Witchers to do as he wanted. "If you were on my team dear Witchers, we would be unstoppable." Some dwarves caused an argument, cursing and shouting at the barman to keep the drinks coming. Kyana retracted her hand and placed it under the table on her knee, which was bouncing up and down with anxiety. "Those dwarves will be a part of the hunt." Borch told them. 

Jaskier scoffed. "Oh please, Geralt and Kyana could handle them in their sleep." At the exact moment he had said that, a dwarf went barreling up the bar, holding the barman by his collar and screaming in his face. "Or, maybe a little bit awake."

Kyana's leg quickened in it's nervous bouncing, until Geralt had had enough of the vibrations under his feet, placing a hand on her knee to still her leg. She did so immediately, partly because his grip forced her to, and otherwise because of the warm tingles she felt with his hand on her. "They are the Reavers, have you heard of them Witcher?" Véa asked Geralt, who gave her a small reply.

"Yes." He said simply, his hand drawing small circles on Kyana's knee under the table to soothe her. "And the answer is no." He repeated to Borch, who frowned, leaning across the table.

"You feel it just the same as me, that hole inside you. That itch that can't be scratched, that burns your brain, keeps you awake at night. Come with me. I'll show you what you're missing." Borch persuaded, realizing that he had the entirety of Geralt's attention. If he thought he didn't have enough of her attention, Borch targeted Kyana. "And I can help you with your... thoughts."

"What am I missing?" Geralt demanded, his curiosity peaking. He looked towards Kyana, who saw that look in his eyes. The look of hunger for knowledge that she knew better than to let him simmer in. Her hand met his on her knee, taking it into her own, giving a reassuring nod. If Geralt's need to go on this quest wasn't enough for Kyana, the offer to control her newfound powers were more than enough to persuade her. 

"Sorry to interrupt this lovely moment, that's only three. Where's the forth team?" Jaskier inquired. Just as Borch turned around, a familiar face walked through the door.

"Them." Borch pointed to Yennefer. Jaskier began to repeat the word 'no' several thousands of times. The words he spoke blurred to Geralt and Kyana. Geralt focused on Kyana's hand on top of his own, which now rested more comfortably on her thigh, his thumb going back and forth over her leathers in thought. Kyana's fingers were rough against his own, distracting him of all logic that told him to run, that this was Yennefer on this journey in which he craved answers.

Reluctantly, he sighed. "We're in."