ARD SKELLIG -
The winds of Skellige howled across the jagged peaks of Ard Skellig, carrying the salt of the sea and the distant echo of crashing waves against the cliffs of the island. Kaer Trolde rose from the mountain itself a fortress and home to Clan an Craite, Geralt of Rivia stood at the entrance of the fortress, his white hair whipping in the wind, his eyes fixed on the figures who approached. His medallion lay still against his chest, but his mind was anything but calm. The weight of his mission pressed down on him, a burden he had carried since the moment Ciri had been taken, and it had grown heavier with each passing day.
Ermion emerged from the shadows of the great hall, his robes flapping in the wind like the, his face lined with the wisdom of years. Beside him walked Crach an Craite, his massive frame silhouetted against the grey sky, his red beard bristling with the salt of the sea. The two old friends approached.
"Wolf!" Crach's voice boomed across the courtyard. "By the gods, it is good to see ye, old friend! It has been too long since ye last set foot on Skellige soil! I was beginnin' to think ye had forgotten us entirely!"
Geralt's lips curved into a smile. "I could never forget Skellige, Crach. Or its feasts. Or its people. Your hospitality is unmatched."
Crach laughed. "Aye, the feasts are fine, but it's the company that keeps ye comin' back, eh? Come, come, let us get ye inside before the wind turns ye into a frozen statue. I would not want to explain to Yennefer why I let her witcher freeze to death on my doorstep."
They clasped forearms, the gesture that meant years of friendship. Ermion stepped forward.
"Welcome back, Geralt. I received your letter, and I knew it would not be a social visit. You are not the type to travel so far for idle conversation, and I have learned to read between the lines of your correspondence."
Geralt's expression grew serious. "You are right, Ermion. I need your help. I would not have come otherwise."
Crach clapped him on the shoulder, he knew when to give his friends space. "I will leave ye two to it, then. But Geralt, when ye are done, we will share a drink and speak of old times. I insist. It is not every day that the White Wolf graces us with his presence in Kaer Trolde."
Geralt nodded, and he said in gratitude. "I would like that, Crach. It has been too long since we shared a proper drink."
Crach departed, his heavy footsteps echoing against the stone, leaving Geralt and Ermion alone in the shadow of the fortress. The wind howled around them.
Ermion's voice was low, there was a question that had been on his mind since he had received Geralt's letter. "I know this is not a random visit, you old friend. Is it true what you mentioned in that letter? About Ciri? I have been turning the words over in my mind ever since I read them."
Geralt's jaw tightened, for this was him trying to confront his greatest failure. "Yes. And I need your help. I have nowhere else to turn."
Ermion nodded slowly, his voice carrying a note of understanding. "Of course. Have you contacted Yennefer? I am surprised you came all this way for me instead. So I assume you did not."
Geralt shook his head, "Your assumption is correct. I did not. I could not face her with this burden. Not yet."
Ermion's eyes glinted with amusement. "Good call. She can be very... passionate when she is concerned about something. Her temper is something of legend, and I would not want to be on the receiving end of it."
Geralt's voice carried a note of heavy regret, his eyes distant. "And this time, I would not blame her. Because Ciri was taken, and I was there watching it happen. I was powerless to stop it."
Ermion placed a hand on Geralt's shoulder. "Horrible and unfortunate things happen, my friend. But she is strong, I know that because she carries her grandmother's blood. She is most definitely safe, trying to get back to you as we speak."
Geralt said with his words heavy with guilt. "We should have done more with her training. With her powers, she could escape at any time. I should have pushed her harder."
Ermion corrected him gently. "And with her powers, she could destroy everything around her as well. I think you and everyone in Kaer Morhen did a great job at training her. You gave her the tools; now she must learn to use them. You cannot force that growth."
Geralt's voice carried a note of doubt, his eyes searching Ermion's face for reassurance. "How can you tell?"
Ermion smiled. "Well, for starters, you are alive, and I did not hear news of Kaer Morhen disappearing from existence. That alone is a testament to her control. If she had lost control, we would know, everyone would know."
Geralt was silent for a moment, his yellow eyes fixed on the distant sea. Then he spoke. "Can I count on you to try to locate her? I need to find her before it is too late."
Ermion nodded slowly, he understood the gravity of the task. "I assume you sought Triss's help as well? Yes, you can count on me. This is not my field of expertise, I must warn you. Temporal magic is... quite the mystery, really. Only the child of the Elder Blood could truly bend it to her will."
He paused, "Do you have something that could anchor her here? Something I can use to detect her? I assume this elven sage you mentioned took her somewhere else, beyond this world."
Geralt's eyes hardened."That is what bothers me. I do not know where she is, and that uncertainty is eating me alive."
Ermion turned, "Follow me. We have much to do. Time is of the essence."
They descended into the depths of the fortress, through winding corridors and ancient passageways that had been carved into the mountain by hands long since turned to dust. The air grew cooler, the sounds of the fortress fading into a distant murmur. Ermion led Geralt to his secret laboratory, a hidden chamber tucked away from the eyes of the world, its walls lined with shelves of strange artifacts and arcane texts.
Geralt looked around, his voice carrying a note of impressed surprise. "Crach does not say anything about this place? It seems rather hidden."
Ermion was amused. "He does not even step foot here because I do not allow it. He knows better than to meddle with things he does not understand. He has a healthy respect for the unknown."
Geralt's eyes swept the room. "Quite the collection of artifacts you have here. Anything that will help us find Ciri? I need something tangible."
Ermion gestured toward a small, round object that rested on a pedestal in the center of the room. Its surface was etched with runes, their patterns intricate and ancient. "Indeed, I have one. Elvish, too. I never truly cared to get it working, but I assume it has something to do with the Elder Blood as well. It is an object of space and time, that much I am certain of. Another thing I am sure of is that it is not of this world."
"What do you mean? How can you be sure?" Geralt asked.
Ermion's voice dropped. "I am saying that the elves who made this are not the Aen Seidhe. This little round object is made by the Aen Elle, my friend."
Geralt's eyes narrowed. "I had assumed the elven sage to be of the Aen Elle. It was the only explanation that made sense."
Ermion nodded slowly. "Of course he is. There are not that many elven sages in the world. Most are suspected to be of the Aen Elle, since they appear and disappear, barely anyone sees them. I myself have not had the privilege of meeting one, and I am not sure I would want to."
Geralt's voice was concerned. "So how dangerous is this situation? On a scale of one to ten."
Ermion said with grim certainty. "Very. But Ciri should not be our worry right now. The elven sage clearly wants her for her power. She is alive, I can confirm this because they need her alive. But we need to bring her back. Elves are not to be trusted, especially ones not from this world."
He gestured toward the artifact. "Read the words on it, Geralt. Tell me what you see."
Geralt stepped closer, his eyes tracing the elder speech symbols. His voice carried the weight of recognition as he read them aloud, his voice low and reverent. "Time is a river to men. Space is a wall to all. To the Elder Blood, they are neither."
He looked at Ermion. "This is talking about Ciri. What did you mean by you assumed it had to do with her? This is about her. It speaks of her power."
Ermion nodded. "I only said that because words do not mean a thing sometimes. I never cared about it. It was just here, rusting with time. Now we have a use for it, perhaps. I never gave it much thought."
Geralt's voice grew hopeful. "You are saying we can locate her with this? I have something that belongs to Ciri with me. A knife. Would that work? It is one of the few things she left behind."
Ermion nodded slowly. "It will have to do. And this thing could very well prove to be our ticket to even open a space crack. Elvish artifacts are full of surprises, and this one may be the key to finding her."
Geralt smiled, "Good. This means I made the right choice to come to you. I was not sure, but now I am."
"You did. This will require a great deal of magic, so I will call a few friends of mine to activate this thing. It will take time, but we will find her." Ermion said.
Geralt's voice was soft, "Thank you, Ermion. I did not know where else to turn."
Ermion's voice carried a note of humility. "Please, she is important to me as well. Thank me when we get the girl back." He paused, his voice dropping to a more serious register. "And by the way... did you tell anyone else beside Triss? I know you did not tell Yennefer, but what about the others? What about the boy Sebastian that she used to..."
Geralt shook his head slowly. "No. I have not told anyone else, I have been carrying this alone."
Ermion's voice carried a note of disapproval. "Unwise. You should have told him. He cares about her as much as you do, and with his powers he could prove to be.."
Geralt cut him off, he knew he had made mistakes."I know. Which is why we need to do this before I get the punch I really deserve from him."
/-\
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