The White Werewolf || Season One: Ties That Bind

Chapter Five

Mahakam Mountain Pass, 1239

Geralt remained true to his word, riding for the whole day and on into the night with very few breaks. He wanted to put as much distance between them and Vizima as possible, considering the circumstances. Eventually, any bad memories would fade and he could return, or he'd have to return, regardless of whether anything had changed. But, for now, this was the best option.

He was actually impressed with the woman. She never complained once. She wasn't dressed well at all for the road, but he made sure she remained warm enough pressed up against him, and hopefully made it more comfortable when he took his breastplate off at their first stop. She shared some of the food she had in her pack as well, making it a much more bearable journey than it might have been otherwise, even for him.

He could go without food, water, and sleep longer than the average person, but it still wasn't the way he preferred to live.

When her head started to loll against his shoulder, he dropped his mouth to her ear. "Sleep," he urged her. "You need it."

"What about you?" she murmured.

"I'm fine," he promised her. "Sleep."

She obeyed. He could tell she was reluctant, but at a certain point, she didn't have a choice. He shifted her in his arms to make sure she'd stay in the saddle and continued to push Roach as hard as he dared.

Now the mountains rose over them on either side and he slowed Roach to a canter, looking for a suitable spot to camp in the pass. He thought they were far enough away now to be safe. Either way, they had to stop soon. Roach needed rest, most significantly. And if he was hungry, the woman had to be too.

There weren't many good places to camp here, but he knew where all of the best ones were. And they were hidden, which was ideal at the moment. It was also close enough to the entrance of the pass that he might be able to hunt a deer for their dinner.

He tugged on the reins, letting Roach walk as he found one of the concealed paths and urged her up it. Before long, they emerged into a little clearing on an outcropping of rock not far up into the mountains. It was impossible to see from the road because of the bushes growing around the edges of the large stone. Roach stopped and Geralt sighed heavily, trying to let the adrenaline coursing through his veins settle.

The woman stirred against him and sat up slightly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and slipped off of Roach, gently setting her on her feet. "We're here, little mage."

"Where's here?" she wondered, turning her head to look up at him. "And my name is Robin. You should start using it if we're going to keep traveling together."

He laughed heartily, surprising her. Truthfully, he liked the fact that she talked back to him. Most people were too afraid to talk to him in the first place.

"We're in a pass that cuts through the Makaham, Robin," he answered, emphasizing her name pointedly. "I thought we'd start a fire and I'll see if I can find a deer for dinner."

She nodded. "I can start the fire if you'd like to begin hunting right away. And if you do find a deer, I can break it down and make dinner. We should be able to dry some of the meat for later as well."

"You can break down a deer?" he asked curiously.

It wasn't an unusual skill for a woman to have, but it was a strange one for a mage to possess, perhaps.

"I wasn't just my teacher's student," she explained. "I did all the cleaning and cooking in his tower too."

"I see. Well, hopefully I can find one. I'll return soon." He glanced at Roach and then looked at her. "Unpack if you like, but be careful of the elixirs in the satchel. Only witchers can stomach them. If you drink one, you'll die."