Chapter Five

Somewhere in the distance, Geralt could hear a voice. It was a woman's. But it was muddled, hazy, as though heard through water. Then it hit him. He was drowning. Drowning in a never-ending sea of darkness.

But the voice kept sounding and a dim light appeared in front of him, beckoning. Frantically, he swam towards the light.

Slowly, too slowly, the light grew before him. The voice became clearer. It was calling his name, spurring him onward. With every ounce of strength he had, he kicked toward the light, but it was just too far. His lungs were on fire. He wasn't going to make it.

He stretched out his hand, desperately reaching for the light.

The voice was deafening in his ears. "GERALT!"

With a great, rasping breath, Geralt jolted awake, sending Yennefer stumbling back into her chair. Geralt gasped for air, his eyes unfocused but searching.

"Ciri!" Geralt said with a panic, his eyes darting.

"What?" Yennefer replied, still stunned by his sudden resurrection.

"Where's Ciri?"

"Geralt, Ciri's not here." Yennefer leaned in closer until Geralt's eyes at last settled on her face.

"Ye- Yen?" He had finally caught his breath.

"Yes, Geralt. I'm here."

Geralt glanced around the room, his memory returning. The murderer, the dagger, the cabin, and then…

"What happened?"

"You were poisoned, Geralt. That man must have tipped his dagger with it. Bah! I should have seen this sooner. That was why he couldn't believe it when you recovered and struck him down. He must have known the poison would act quickly. But I can't figure out why it didn't."

"Golden oriole," Geralt muttered, looking down.

"What?"

He looked back into her eyes. "I downed a golden oriole potion not long before I met you in that village. Ran into some endregas. The potion must have been lingering in my system long enough to delay the effects, but not counter them entirely." Geralt groaned as he pushed himself up against the headboard. "How did you manage to counteract it?"

"A spell. A very complicated one. I nearly didn't finish in time." A darkness crept over her eyes at these words. A change that didn't escape Geralt's notice.

Quietly, he asked, "Yen, what happened?"

"At first I thought there must have been an infection, though I couldn't figure how. You were covered in sweat, running a very high fever. Then you started… convulsing. The poison spread and it must have caused you great pain because you were screaming like a witch burned at the stake. When it reached your neck, you couldn't breathe. I was losing you. I barely completed the spell before the poison took you. Even then…"

It all made sense to him now. His vision of Eredin. All nothing but febrile delirium turning his fears into reality. His mind was trying to assign a reason for the pain and suffering. That, unfortunately, had been all too real.

Her eyes misted over. "I already lost you once, I can't do it again."

"You didn't." He flashed her a smile, willing her to meet his eyes. "You saved my life."

He winced again when he shifted slightly in the bed.

"Enough talk for now. The poison may be gone, but you are still wounded. And who knows what lasting effects the poison may have left behind. You need to rest." The mist in her eyes was gone, replaced by a smile that had not been there for a long time.

Geralt obeyed and lay back down, getting as comfortable as he could under the circumstances.

Yennefer leaned over and kissed him gently on the forehead. The smell of lilac and gooseberries invaded Geralt's senses. She pulled back and looked him in his cat eyes. "Just promise me you will wake up this time." She gave him a sarcastic grin.

"I promise."

THE END

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