Kaer Morhen The Witcher 3

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"Are you sure she's one of us?" a woman's voice woke me out of my slumber. I lay still on the bed, sinking into its comforting heap, doing nothing to indicate that I was awake. It felt wondrously clean, and the blankets pulled up to my shoulders were warm and downy.

"I am very sure, Elise," the woman's companion replied. A man. He sounded familiar. His tone was curt, sharp, weary. Then I recognised the voice.

Lord Himmel.

"A Magus..." I could feel Elise's eyes pinned onto me, although I had no idea how she looked like. "Amazing. It has been—what? Ten years since the last one?"

My eyelids flew open. I couldn't contain my curiosity at those words: A Magus. Who were they referring to? My vision was blurry at first, but it soon focused. I was staring up at the ceiling of a canopied bed, the velvets shimmering with luxury. Then came Lord Himmel's golden head, followed by his impassive, detached expression. Next was the woman—Elise. Her glossy dark hair was plaited and twisted into a ruthless chignon at the nape of her neck. She had a youthful face—high cheekbones, wide lips—yet it seemed ancient. I couldn't say what gave me that impression, but she just felt old.

In fact, the two of them seemed older than their appearances indicated.

Don't be foolish, I chided myself. You're just disorientated, that's all.

"Where am I?" I croaked, trying to sit up. Elise quickly moved to help me, propping up the pillows and adjusting my blankets. Then she forced a mug to my lips. I choked, wanting to spew out the brandy running down my throat. However, Elise didn't relent.

My head instantly cleared.

"Where am I?" I repeated, looking back and forth between Lord Himmel and Elise. Despite the brandy, I still felt dazed, like I were in a dream. I tried to shift under the blankets, but my body felt like lead. I winced when I accidentally twisted my left leg.

"You were unconscious for two days," Lord Himmel said bluntly.

I stared at him. "Pardon me, milord?"

"I said, you were unconscious for two days." His lips drew upwards in a sneer. "Don't tell me that you are deaf as well as lame."

"My lord," Elise said sharply.

Lord Himmel's expression immediately softened in regret. "My—apologies, Lady Klaudia," he said. "I—I was just concerned. You had been out for two days, after all."

I studied him carefully. The proud expression was still there, but sincerity was rippling subtly beneath it. "No worries, milord," I answered cautiously.

He nodded, seemingly relieved. "Anyway, what do you last remember?"

I scrunched my brows together, thinking. I remembered arriving in Heidelburg, the taste of the barrier's power on my tongue; I remembered the city itself, brimming with crowds and activity; I remembered the castle, where Lord Himmel had greeted me, and then he took me to the music room.

The music room. Oh, the flute! "I was playing the flute, then I saw you crying..." I hesitated for a bit—did he really cry? Or was it an imagination of my overwrought mind? "And after that, nothing."

Lord Himmel's eyes snapped towards Elise. "Should I tell her?" he asked.

"Do as you deem fit, my lord." I tried to work out Elise's position. She was garbed in a plain, sensible day gown, and she had no pieces of wealth to indicate her status, yet she spoke with an air of authority.

Could she be a mistress? Bitterness crept up my throat. I should have expected this. Of course Lord Himmel would still keep a few lovers, even if he was going to be wed to me. That was what most lords did, or so the Mayor had told me. He himself practically had a harem despite the fact that he was no longer of any position of influence. I would have no choice but to tolerate it, in the end.

Lord Himmel fixed a solemn gaze upon me. "You are a Magus, Klaudia," he said.

I stared at him, searching for any signs of jesting in his face. However, his lips were fixed into a prim, grave line. I looked at Elise; her expression mirrored Lord Himmel's. In response, I shook my head violently, my curls slapping my cheeks in stinging lines. "Surely you are mistaken, milord."

"I never make mistakes," he retorted, dangerously quiet. I bit my lower lip. How could I have been so stupid, to defy his words? "I felt your power, Klaudia. It's raw, unpolished and untrained, but it's there all right."

Me, a Magus. The idea was almost as ridiculous as getting my bad leg set straight. They were the most powerful brand of sorcerers, said to have the might of ten armies combined and the appearance of divine angels. They were both heroes and villains: they could raze the earth to ashes, and could make it flower and bloom once more. They were near-invincible, and could only die by the sword or by a rival's hand. They had power no one could ever hope to replicate, even for the most talented of sorcerers. Only one Magus was born within a thousand magically gifted.

Hysterical laughter burst forth from my mouth: the idea really was ridiculous. Then I quickly quelled it, bowing my head and trying to look as meek as possible.

To my surprise, the corners of Lord Himmel's lips quirked up into a faint smile. "Of course, the idea is hard to believe." Then the smile dropped, giving way to a disapproving frown. "But you are a Magus, whether you like it or not."

I held his crystalline eyes. "I see," I replied briefly.

"You still don't believe me," he observed. "Well then, I believe that a demonstration is in order."

Before I could react, he got up from his seat and snatched my wrists, jerking me to sit completely upright. I gave a cry—his grip was like a steel trap clamping itself around me. Apparently oblivious to my discomfort, he started to sing.

The lyrics were alien to me, but it didn't matter. The melody was soothing, all seamless chords and structured phrases. Listening to it was what I imagined to be a similar experience to riding a cloud. I could hear the winds in his song, beckoning to me, sweeping me off my feet and drawing me to him. Why shouldn't I believe him anyway? He looked so trustworthy...

Something inside me rose in response: a warmth grew in the pit in my belly. Then it expanded outwards, filling my limbs with an unknown energy. It was strange, like a thin coat wrapped around my body to keep the cold at bay. The spell of his song broke. All of the sudden, I felt drained of life.

Just as abruptly as he seized my hands, Lord Himmel released them. The heat of his fingers still burned where he held me. I flopped back down onto my pillows, exhausted.

"You're tired, aren't you?" His voice sounded funny, jagged splinters ringing in my ears. "Your body had reacted in reflex to defend you. That spell was supposed to make your mind easier to manipulate."

"What did you do to me?" I whispered, the coldness of fear surging through my veins. Lord Himmel had just cast a spell on me, and I hadn't realised it until he pointed it out. Now, I could hardly draw breath to speak.

"I didn't do anything. You did something. You also unconsciously worked your magic on me two days ago, with the flute. You told me to feel sad, and so I did. Do you now believe me that you're a Magus?"

"I didn't tell you to feel sad." My voice was still barely audible, hoarse with shock.

"And yet, you did—through your song. What's that—my dear girl, why on earth are you shedding tears?"

And so I was. I only just realised that wet streaks were coating my cheeks. Why was I crying? I didn't know. Perhaps it was because I was far too highly-strung. Here I was, ready to play the role of a faithful wife to Lord Himmel, only to have collapsed within the first day of my arrival, be proclaimed as a Magus, and now I lay in bed, helpless and deprived of energy.

Right on cue, Elise pressed a napkin to my face. I took it gratefully, wiping the tears away. "So that was why you asked for me," I said, realisation descending upon me in a mad flurry. "I'm a Magus. It makes sense now. No wonder..."

No wonder you still wanted a cripple. The sentence rang viciously in my head; I didn't say it out loud.

"Indeed. One of my Seekers who was visiting Hamelin a few months back reported a powerful magic presence in your town. Soon enough, she traced it to you." Lord Himmel seemed somewhat disbelieving himself, as though he couldn't understand why of all people, he had to put up with me. "I was surprised to learn that no one had learned of your heritage before, and the only way I could have a plausible excuse to meet a person of your status was to propose marriage, unfortunately. Besides, I needed to confirm the reports weren't a flux. At any rate, you'll have a true home here, and you shall receive proper training as a Magus."

"I see," I said dully. I wondered what would have happened if I wasn't a Magus.

I heard the scraping of a chair as Lord Himmel got up. "You will start training with Elise once you've recovered sufficiently. For now, rest well." Then, as if he were calling a dog to heel: "Elise, come."

Elise obeyed him without a word of protest. The door clicked and swung open, before it closed with a solid thud. Slowly but surely, I felt my exhaustion slipping into my mind, dragging me into a deep slumber.

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