E L E A N O R A
I wake up to Finley's insistent barking. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I sit up and take in my surroundings. This has been the best sleep I've gotten in a while. I must've been out for quite some time, considering the campfire that Gor had set up was now no longer burning.
Pulling the blankets waddled me tighter against me as the cold hits my skin, the first thing I see is Finley standing over me and staring at something in my direction, growling and snarling at whatever the hell it is. Goosebumps raise over my skin as I look around, only to find myself alone.
"Fin, what's wrong?" I ask and he immediately stops mid-growl, before running up to me and licking at my face as if he's greeting me after he hasn't seen me in a while.
"Gor?" I call out into the forest when I don't see him.
The silence of the night greets me in return. Worry starts to fill my chest. Roach is here, so is his cloak and armour, so where the hell is he?
I turn to Finley, scratching him behind his ear. "Do you know where he went?"
Finley lets out a small bark before he swivels around and speeds off through the forest. I quickly scurry to my feet, packing everything up into the saddlebags that hang off Roach's sides and pulling myself onto her back.
Snapping Roach's reins, we take off into the forest after Finley, following closely behind him as he makes he leads us through the woods with his head bent low as he sniffs the ground for a scent- assumably (and hopefully) Geralt's- and follows whatever trail he's picked up on.
Finley moves quickly through the woods, with his nose practically buried in the ground. The sun is starting to peek through the clouds, lighting the forest with a subtle glow.
The road ahead was none that I had recognised, but I kept at it, not stopping Finley as he leads me to god knows where.
I hadn't had the slightest clue as to where Gor could be. There wasn't a note that he'd left, no trail that I could follow. As far as I was concerned, this was my best bet.
Everything looked unfamiliar. That is until we passed through the same route that Geralt had taken on our way to Blaviken. Which in turn brought me to my next question- what in the ever-loving fuck was Gor doing back here?
The streets of Blaviken were empty, save for a few who were scurrying around town with their heads down, a stark comparison to the last time when it was bustling with people going about their days.
Goosebumps prickled at my skin as the cold morning wind caressed my face. The entire scene before me was eerie, to say the least. It felt almost like I was in a ghost town.
Tugging on Roach's reins, I bring us to a stop.
"Wait here, Roachy," I say as I hop off of Roach's back and the horse nickers in reply.
I jog to keep up with Finley, following him by foot this time as he continues with his nose in the concrete ground.
"Excuse me!" I yell for a man who barely spares me a glance as he hurries past me. "Well, thanks for the help," I mutter sarcastically as I let out a long breath.
A thick layer of fog surrounds us, making everything seem gloomier than it already is. Pulling my cloak tighter around me, I speed up to catch up with Finley even though everything inside of me was telling me to turn around and leave.
I didn't quite understand why I was feeling this way, that is until I reached the mouth of the next alleyway.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I desperately fought the sudden panic that was rising in my chest, fisting my trembling hands at my sides. I ignored the drop of cold sweat that trickled down the side of my face, swallowing back the bile in the back of my throat.
"Come on, El. You can do this. Just keep going." I mumble to myself.
I stood with the long narrow alleyway just to my right, fixing my eyes ahead of me and willing my legs to move. They didn't. More accurately, they flat out refused to. My feet stood frozen to the ground as if the looming feeling of doom that had pooled in my stomach would disappear if I had just stayed still enough.
Slowly, careful to not make any sudden movements, I turned my head. As soon as I did, my eyes locked onto a pair of bright glowing red ones that stared right back at me.
The same shadowy figure from the woods hovered over man's that laid lifeless on the ground before me, a shell what's left of the Ker's latest victim.
The fear was unshakable, just as it was the first time I've ever locked eyes with this creature. The only difference was that this time, I knew what it was and also what it wanted; my soul.
The Ker lets out a loud shriek that chills me to my core, but I will myself not to flinch. Instead, I turn towards it, steeling my nerves and raising my chin.
The creature tilts its head to a side, like a confused puppy, except a whole lot less cute and a lot more deadly. Then, it creeps forward. Its long tentacles of smoke resembling limbs crawling forward as it moves towards me.
It stops before me, it's face inches from mine making it fucking hard to breathe. The two red orbs it has for eyes glare right into mine, right into my soul as if it sees all my deepest and darkest secrets.
"What do you want?" My voice shocks me when it comes out unwavering, "My soul? Is that it?"
It's official. I've lost my fucking mind. I'm speaking to the thing that just might ultimately take my life. Staring at it right in the eyes as if challenging it. I'm not trying to. I wanted answers and something told me this was the way to get them.
"Why didn't you take it the first time?" I continue, "You could've. You already had me."
I take a step forward and the Ker surprises me when it backs away from me.
"I hate to break it to you, but I'm not afraid of dying." I state, and that's the truth. Was I fucking terrified of this great unknown demon-like creature standing in front of me that might potentially rip me to shreds? Also, yes.
See, the thing is, the fear of dying faded a long time ago. I think it's just what happens when you've roamed this Earth for so long. My fear lies not in losing my life, but in the process of it. The thought of leaving everything that I've ever loved behind scares me more than dying itself.
The thought of never seeing Geralt again paralyses me. I'm sure he'll do fine without me. It was me who wasn't ready to let go. Our relationship was intense and complicated. One might even say it's potentially dangerous. That fact alone should scare me. It doesn't any more than dying does.
Besides, getting my soul sucked out of my body, with my most sacred thoughts wasn't something I was necessarily looking forward to.
"So, if you were looking forward to a chase, I'd hate to disappoint you." I shrug, "I'm not going to run. I just want to know why."
The monster moves it's mouth like it's saying something, but nothing leaves it's mouth.
"What?" I press, "I can't hear you."
It moves its mouth again. This time, a sound that resembles a gurgle leaves it's mouth.
"You-" It starts before it swiftly gets cut off.
"El!" Gor's voice slices through the moment like a rude awakening and I jump back, whirling around to face him.
Geralt's in front of me in a matter of seconds, his hands immediately fly up to cup my cheeks and his eyes roam my body checking to see if I'm okay.
"What are you doing here? Are you hurt?" He asks, his eyes frantic.
"I'm fine. I just-" I whip my head to see an empty alleyway where the body of the man laid.
"El." Gor calls, shaking me by the shoulders to get my attention.
My eyes snap back to his, finally taking in his appearance. His hair and clothes were disheveled and his face, caked in blood. "What happened?"
Geralt exhales sharply, tucking pieces of hair that had fallen onto my face behind my ear. "I was going to ask you the same thing."
I peer over my shoulder again, half expecting the Ker to reappear.
"He's dead, isn't he?" I ask softly.
"Damn it, El. Don't look." He says, his fingers gently directly my eyes back to him. "Did you see what happened?"
Yes, and I think I'm next. I swallow my words and shook my head in reply instead. A lie that Gor clearly saw right through judging from the look on his face.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?"
Gor raises a brow at me, "Are you?"
"Not yet."
"Well, same here." He mumbles before taking my hand, "We can't stay here. We have to leave right now."
"Why?" I question but Gor doesn't answer as he continues leading me back to Roach.
I spot my bear of a dog laying down beside Roach as we approach. Finley jumps to his feet as soon as he sees us and wags his tail at full force.
"Did he find you?" I ask as I drop to my knees to scratch Fin behind his ears.
"He did." Gor confirms.
"Now, that's a good boy." I praise.
Gor places a hand on my shoulder before helping me to my feet, "We've got to go." He states, leaving no room for argument as he lifts me onto Roach's back.
I look up at him just in time to see him staring out into the market in a distance and when I follow his gaze, I spot a figure lying limply in a pool of her own blood. There was no denying who she was and what had led to her demise.
Returning my gaze back to Gor, he stares back at me with an impassive face. But I knew.
They say eyes are the windows to our souls and I wholeheartedly agree, because the darkness lurking behind his eyes told me everything I needed to know and confirmed my suspicions. Gor had killed Renfri.