The Heart of Alchemy - A Witcher Eskel FanFiction

Chapter 4 - Departure

"Damn it, why won't it fit ...?"

Thalia tried desperately to cram another book into the saddlebag.

Only after she had unpacked and rearranged its entire belongings, she managed to fasten the belt without the danger of it bursting open again.

She had intended to take only a few personal things with her, even her travelling wardrobe was limited. However, she found it hard to choose the right books she needed for her work. She had already packed some instruments and alchemical substances in the pockets that the packhorse was supposed to carry – ingredients that she probably would not find in Aedd Gynvael.

At the very bottom of her saddlebag rested the prototype of the "Fire-Crossbow", as one of her colleagues had called the metal construction on which Thalia had been working for some time on behalf of the Academy. If she was to finish her research faster than expected, she could use the remaining time she'd spend in the north to further develop the device.

It was already late, and Thalia knew that she was supposed to get some rest for tomorrow. But she was too excited to even think about sleep. Even the lavender broth she liked to drink before bed hadn't changed that.

In a few hours, she would set off on a week-long journey, two guards and a witcher as her only company. When the mutant had suddenly faced her in her laboratory, she had to control herself as to not let her fright show. The gruesome facial injuries of the huge man immediately caught everyone's eye. His strong stature also made him look scary and intimidating. The conversation with him, however, had revised her first impression. Again and again her thoughts drifted away to the moment in which she had touched the Witcher's hand. His skin seemed to radiate a kind of vibration that left a soft, pleasant tingle at her handshake. She had never heard of such a phenomenon. Maybe this was a peculiarity of the witchers? She had to ask Shani about it ...

"Knock, knock."

Thalia turned around. Shani stood in front of the open door to Thalia's chamber. "Well, that's a coincidence. I was just thinking about you."

"Are you packing? What are you up to?"

"I'm going on the expedition we talked about recently."

"You want to travel yourself?! I thought you were only looking for a witcher to get you the ingredience and prepare everything for the experiments here at the university ..."

"That's what I planned at first, but ... I have to make sure that the poison can be extracted in a high concentration and I can only do that if I process the glands right away. I have to extract the liver enzymes before the ingredients decompose. In Aedd Gynvael I can work in Miro's laboratory. He has already answered my message. And with a bit of luck, I'll return with useful results as soon as the mountain passes are passable after the winter."

Shani looked at her questioningly. "Miro? Do you mean Miroslav Kajczak? He lives in Aedd Gynvael now? I did not know that this funny little owl got so far to the north. Is he still devoting himself to ... what did he call it? 'Making substances that move consciousness to higher levels of perception'?"

Thalia sighed. "Probably. But I don't really want to know if I'm being honest. Perhaps I also want to prove with this trip that I have not become the 'unworldly laboratory witch', many people consider me here at the academy. Maybe I want to prove it to myself ... But now, knowing I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm afraid my courage'll fail me."

"Thalia, there's so much more to you than most people see. There's no need to prove yourself. To anyone."

"I know, but ever since Gregor died, I've been hiding in the lab, barely hearing anything about the world around me and just plunging into work. Do you know how long it has been since I last accompanied an expedition? Three years! And that one only lasted for four days.