Chapter 16: Appa's Continental Tour
POV: Geralt
The weekly summoning brought more than just the comfort of seeing my massive companion—it brought an urgency that made my teeth ache. Appa materialized in the grove of heart trees with his usual silent grace, but something in his ancient eyes suggested that the world was shifting faster than I'd anticipated.
"Multiple crises happening simultaneously," I realized, studying the system notifications that cascaded across my vision like a waterfall of impending doom. "The timeline's accelerating beyond my ability to track."
[Global Crisis Alert: Multiple timeline convergence detected]
[Essos Situation: Daenerys approaching critical breakthrough]
[Wall Status: Other threat escalation imminent]
[Stannis Position: Survival probability declining rapidly]
[Intervention Window: 48 hours maximum range]
[Priority Assessment: Continental-scale action required]
I climbed onto Appa's broad back, my hands finding the familiar grooves in his saddle that had been worn smooth by weeks of desperate flights across Westeros. But tonight's journey would be different—longer, more dangerous, and requiring the kind of precise timing that left no room for error.
"We've got work to do, buddy," I told him, scratching behind his massive ears. "Three stops, three continents, and not nearly enough time for any of it."
Appa rumbled his understanding and launched into the night sky with the kind of effortless power that still made my stomach drop. Below us, the Riverlands fell away into darkness, replaced by the vast expanse of the Narrow Sea stretching toward horizons I'd only seen on maps.
[Destination One: Slaver's Bay]
[Objective: Daenerys Targaryen tactical support]
[Method: Anonymous intelligence package]
[Risk Level: Extreme - Dragon proximity warning]
The flight to Essos took three hours of sustained travel over open ocean, with Appa's massive wings cutting through air currents that carried the scent of distant storms. By the time we reached the coastline of Slaver's Bay, dawn was breaking over a landscape transformed by war.
Astapor burned.
Even from miles away, I could see the smoke columns rising from the pyramid city, and the reason for the destruction was circling overhead like a living embodiment of ancient power. Three dragons—still young but already magnificent—danced through the smoke-filled air with their mother riding the largest.
Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, had just conquered her first city.
[Historical Moment: Astapor Liberation confirmed]
[Dragon Status: Three juveniles, rapidly maturing]
[Daenerys Position: Tactical victory, strategic vulnerability]
[Intervention Opportunity: Intelligence support feasible]
I guided Appa to a position downwind from the dragons, using the smoke and chaos to mask our approach. The last thing I needed was to attract the attention of creatures that could roast us both without effort.
But I could see the tactical situation clearly enough. Daenerys had freed the Unsullied and conquered Astapor, but she was surrounded by enemies who would exploit any weakness. The former masters were already planning their revenge, and the other slave cities were marshaling their forces for counterattack.
More importantly, I could see people moving through the city who shouldn't have been there. Figures in expensive clothing who'd escaped the initial liberation, heading for predetermined meeting points where they could organize resistance.
Time for the first intervention.
The package I dropped into the city contained carefully selected intelligence—maps showing the hidden escape routes that surviving masters were using, lists of their overseas allies and resources, and most importantly, a warning about a specific threat that Daenerys wouldn't see coming.
Beware the old knight who claims to serve Robert Baratheon's memory. His loyalty runs deeper than apparent betrayal. Test him with questions only a true protector would know. The path to Westeros leads through trust, but trust must be earned with truth.
[Intelligence Package: Barristan Selmy verification protocol]
[Content: Identity confirmation methodology]
[Strategic Value: Prevents loss of crucial ally]
[Delivery Method: Anonymous placement in command tent]
The second package was more practical—detailed tactical advice for conquering Yunkai and Meereen, including information about their specific defenses, political divisions, and the economic weaknesses that could be exploited. Knowledge that would save thousands of lives and accelerate Daenerys's campaign by months.
But as I prepared for the drop, one of the dragons noticed our presence.
Viserion—golden scales gleaming in the morning light—turned toward us with predatory interest. His eyes were ancient intelligence trapped in a serpentine skull, and for a moment I felt the weight of draconic attention like a physical pressure.
"Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh fucking shit."
[Dragon Awareness: Viserion direct observation confirmed]
[Threat Level: Potentially catastrophic]
[Evasion Protocol: Immediate withdrawal required]
[Note: Dragons possess supernatural detection capabilities]
Appa sensed the danger instantly, banking away from Astapor with desperate speed. Behind us, Viserion's roar echoed across the bay—not aggressive, but curious. Questioning.
"He saw us," I realized. "Worse—he'll remember us."
But the packages had been delivered, and that would have to be enough. Daenerys would find the intelligence, investigate Barristan's true identity, and gain the tactical advantages she needed for the campaigns ahead.
[Mission One: Completed with complications]
[Intelligence Delivered: Strategic advantage provided]
[Dragon Contact: Unplanned but non-hostile]
[Next Destination: The Wall - Critical timeline intervention required]
[Flight Time: Four hours over hostile territory]
The flight north to the Wall was a blur of ocean, ice, and gradually darkening skies. Appa pushed himself to his limits, his massive wings working tirelessly as we raced against time toward a crisis that could doom all of Westeros.
The Others were stirring beyond the Wall, and the Night's Watch was catastrophically unprepared for what was coming. But I had the tools to change that—if I could get them to the right people before it was too late.
[Destination Two: Castle Black]
[Objective: Night's Watch combat effectiveness enhancement]
[Method: Dragonglass cache and strategic intelligence]
[Target Recipient: Samwell Tarly]
[Risk Assessment: Moderate - Watch security protocols]
Castle Black appeared through the arctic gloom like a black scar against white stone, its ancient walls holding back darkness that most of the realm refused to acknowledge. The Wall itself rose beyond it, a barrier of ice and old magic that had protected the Seven Kingdoms for thousands of years.
But protection was failing.
I could see the signs even from this distance—areas where the Wall seemed thinner, passages where shadows moved in patterns that defied natural explanation, and most troubling of all, an aurora that shouldn't have been visible this far south.
The Others were coming, and the Night's Watch needed every advantage I could give them.
[Supernatural Assessment: Other activity significantly increased]
[Wall Integrity: Compromised but holding]
[Night's Watch Readiness: Inadequate for projected threat level]
[Intervention Impact: Critical force multiplier potential]
The cache I'd prepared was hidden in a supply wagon heading for Castle Black's main gate—positioned where Sam Tarly would find it during his regular inventory duties. The young steward was clever, well-read, and most importantly, he understood that knowledge could be as powerful as any sword.
Inside the package: forty pounds of dragonglass weapons, carefully crafted to look like ancient relics discovered in some forgotten cache. Arrowheads, spear points, and small blades that could kill Others with a single touch.
But the real prize was the books.
[Strategic Cache: Dragonglass weapons (40 lbs)]
[Text Collection: Seven rare manuscripts from Citadel vault]
[Content: Other warfare, ancient defenses, tactical analysis]
[Discovery Method: Routine supply inventory "accident"]
I'd copied the most crucial texts from the Citadel's restricted collection—treatises on Other behavior, accounts of the Long Night, and most importantly, detailed tactical analysis of how to fight an enemy that turned your own dead against you.
Knowledge that would save hundreds of lives when the real war began.
The package was positioned to look like it had been misplaced during transport, something that happened regularly enough not to arouse suspicion. Sam would find it, recognize its importance, and begin the process of preparing the Night's Watch for what was coming.
[Knowledge Transfer: Critical intelligence provided]
[Recipient Confirmation: Samwell Tarly optimal choice]
[Impact Timeline: Immediate tactical improvement]
[Strategic Value: Long-term survival probability enhancement]
But as I prepared to leave, I caught sight of something that made my blood freeze.
Beyond the Wall, in the distance too far for normal human vision, shapes were moving through the endless winter. Tall figures in armor that gleamed like ice, mounted on horses that left no tracks in the snow.
White Walkers. Others. The enemy that the Night's Watch had been created to fight, and the threat that most of Westeros had forgotten.
They were closer than anyone realized.
[Critical Intelligence: Other scouts confirmed south of traditional range]
[Timeline Acceleration: Threat approaching faster than projected]
[Urgent Priority: Enhanced Night's Watch preparation required]
[Additional Package: Warning system upgrade necessary]
I added a final item to the cache—a horn carved with ancient runes, designed to produce a sound that would carry for miles when blown. Not a magical artifact, just good craftsmanship and acoustic engineering, but it would give the Watch an early warning system for attacks from the north.
"Three blasts for Others," I thought, remembering the Watch's ancient signals. "But only if they live long enough to blow it."
[Emergency Addition: Long-range warning horn]
[Capability: 10-mile audio range, distinctive tone]
[Purpose: Early warning system for Other attacks]
[Installation: Included assembly instructions for Wall placement]
[Destination Three: Dragonstone - Davos Seaworth survival priority]
[Distance: 2000 miles south over hostile territory]
[Time Pressure: Critical window closing rapidly]
[Mission Significance: Key ally preservation]
The flight south to Dragonstone was the most dangerous yet—across territories held by multiple armies, over waters patrolled by hostile fleets, through weather that changed from arctic wind to summer storm in the span of hours.
But Davos Seaworth was drowning on a rock in Blackwater Bay, and without him, Stannis Baratheon would lose the only advisor capable of keeping him human.
[Target Location: Blackwater Bay shipping hazard]
[Subject Status: Shipwrecked, minimal supplies]
[Survival Window: 24-48 hours without intervention]
[Strategic Importance: Crucial to Stannis political rehabilitation]
I found him exactly where I'd expected—on a rocky outcropping barely large enough for one man, surrounded by the wreckage of ships destroyed in the wildfire explosion. The Onion Knight sat with his back against a boulder, his weathered face turned toward the dawn sky with the resignation of a man who'd accepted his fate.
But fate, I'd learned, was more flexible than most people realized.
The supply drop was carefully calculated to look like debris from the battle—a wooden chest that had washed up on the rocks, containing exactly what a stranded sailor would need to survive.
Fresh water in sealed containers. Food that wouldn't spoil in salt air. Navigation tools including a compass and charts showing safe routes to shore. Medical supplies for treating injuries and exposure.
And tucked among the practical items, a message that would mean everything to a man who'd dedicated his life to serving honor in a world that mocked such dedication.
The Onion Knight serves best alive. The realm has need of honest men, especially in the darkness ahead. A friend of justice.
[Survival Package: Complete castaway supply kit]
[Contents: Water, food, navigation tools, medical supplies]
[Message: Morale support and purpose reinforcement]
[Delivery Method: Simulated battle debris]
[Detection Risk: Zero - appears entirely natural]
Davos noticed the chest almost immediately, his sailor's instincts recognizing the difference between random flotsam and genuine supplies. I watched from a safe distance as he opened it, his weathered face cycling through surprise, hope, and finally a kind of grim determination.
He read the message twice, then carefully folded it and tucked it inside his shirt. The Onion Knight understood that someone was watching, someone who valued his survival, and that knowledge would be enough to keep him fighting until rescue arrived.
[Mission Three: Successfully completed]
[Davos Survival: Probability increased by 90%]
[Strategic Impact: Stannis counsel preservation]
[Timeline Effect: Major political stability enhancement]
The flight back to Harrenhal was accomplished in a haze of exhaustion and grim satisfaction. Three continents, three crucial interventions, and twelve hours of flying that had pushed both Appa and me to our limits.
But as we approached the familiar shadows of the cursed castle, I could see that the world was changing faster than ever. The pieces were moving across the board with increasing speed, and the endgame was approaching whether I was ready or not.
[Continental Mission: All objectives achieved]
[Global Position: Significantly improved across multiple theaters]
[Personal Status: Exhausted but functional]
[Next Priority: Red Wedding preparation - Final phase]
[Timeline Status: Critical events approaching rapidly]
Appa landed among the heart trees with a groan of relief, his massive form settling onto the ground like a mountain finding its rest. We'd flown thousands of miles, influenced the fate of dragons and kings, and potentially saved the world from several different apocalypses.
But tomorrow, I would have to return to being Tom the servant, hauling water and emptying chamber pots while the greatest betrayal in Westerosi history approached with inexorable certainty.
"The Red Wedding," I thought, staring up at the stars that had guided our flights across half the known world. "Two weeks, maybe three. And then everything changes."
I scratched behind Appa's ears one final time before he faded back into whatever dimension he called home. The next time I summoned him, it would be for the most dangerous mission of my new life—trying to save as many people as possible from a tragedy I couldn't prevent.
[Weekly Summoning: Complete]
[Global Interventions: Three major crisis points addressed]
[Strategic Position: Optimized across all theaters]
[Personal Readiness: Prepared for final phase]
[Red Wedding Countdown: 14-21 days estimated]
The War of Five Kings was entering its bloodiest phase, and I was running out of time to prepare for the slaughter that would reshape the Seven Kingdoms.
But tonight, at least, I'd given the right people the tools they needed to survive what was coming.
It would have to be enough.
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