The Curse of Love || The Witcher

Chapter Seven

Blearily opening his eyes, Geralt grimaced when the light was too much for them. Whatever drug Kallis had dosed Geralt with must have lingered in his system. As his eyes adjusted, he identified the source as merely torchlight. A splitting headache joined the photosensitivity, though that may have been from Geralt smashing his head on the ground.

Then Kallis appeared to Geralt's left.

Geralt made to jump up, to attack. But his arms and legs met with leather straps. Even his neck was tied down. It was only then that Geralt appreciated his surroundings. He was down in the dungeon, strapped to one of the tables, his chest stripped bare. Again he strained against his bindings, but they were well oiled and held firm. A snarl formed on Geralt's lip as Kallis neared.

Kallis had his hands clasped behind his back. The amiable façade he had presented to Geralt at their first meeting was nowhere to be found. This was the true Kallis. A cold and calculating front, utterly devoid of compassion. "You honestly thought you could outsmart me, witcher?" An amused huff. "I knew from the beginning that you hadn't killed her. But I was curious as to your intent, so I decided to play along for a little while. Maybe you had simply been outmatched and were afraid to tell me, to admit your defeat. Maybe you just needed some more encouragement. Then I left to see what you would do in my absence. When you found my little secret, I knew she had sent you."

Geralt's face betrayed his shock. How could Kallis have known that Geralt found the laboratory? He had been so careful to cover his tracks.

"Don't look so surprised. I knew the moment you crossed that illusion. You set off every ward I had."

Cursing himself for his inattention, Geralt scowled as much at himself as his captor. He had gotten careless. He had been so thrilled at finding the secret door that he had forgotten about any kind of magical trap that might have been in place. Stupid, so stupid.

And now he was trapped. For Geralt couldn't see any way out of his current predicament. Past Kallis, propped up against one of the many pillars, were Geralt's chest armor and swords. Or, at least, his steel sword and the sheath of the silver sword. The silver sword itself was still probably upstairs where it had fallen. It made little difference anyway because there was no way Geralt could break free. Not without something sharp to cut through the bindings. Geralt considered using Igni, but he couldn't position his hand to aim at the leather itself.

This was bad. He needed more time to come up with a plan. Come up with anything really because Geralt's options at the moment were virtually nonexistent. He had to keep Kallis talking.

"How did you know I hadn't killed her? She lives days away from here, how could you have possibly known?"

"Ah." Kallis held up a finger before pulling at a fine gold chain around his neck. Dangling at the end of the chain was an exquisite amulet. Geralt didn't need his humming medallion to alert him to the magical energy within the token, he could feel it pulsing with power. Delicate filigree wrapped the border of the golden oval shape, a large sapphire implanted in the very center. "I was wearing this the day I cursed Aela. At the time, I didn't realize what would happen once the curse was laid. When I saw her transform into that hideous beast, this amulet began to glow. I knew at once that it was tied to her power, like a piece of her sought to latch onto me somehow. It has been irrevocably tied to her ever since. You can feel its power, I can see it in your eyes. If she were dead, I would know it. This would become just another necklace."

Geralt ground his teeth, jaw twitching with anger. Everything had gone so wrong.

"What's wrong, Geralt?" Kallis asked with mock concern. "What did that witch tell you? That you'd be saving the world?" Kallis slammed his hands down flat on the table, roaring with rage, the amulet swinging tantalizingly just above Geralt. "I am the one saving the world!"