The Witcher's Path: New Rays From an Ancient Sun

"A-are you sure you w-wish to disturb my Mistress at s-such an hour...? I-it has gotten quite late i-indeed..."

"Unfortunately my dear...I've not the luxury of waiting long as my window of opportunity is narrow and my need is rather great. And let us both be frank with one another...there is no chance in Hel that Rosemary has laid her head down to sleep as of yet. Not when there is a notable chance of a sign being made manifest in the stars on such a night as this. The Divine are sure to take some notice of the Vigil of a First Born after so long. Or so one would hope at least, heh."

"I-I am certain you are right, F-Frejdá..." She audibly gulped, glancing about with a look of timid fear. "B-but I m-must admit...I am...quite n-n-nervous to attempt this. Her concentration is n-not one to b-break lightly..."

I felt for the little Dwemess, I truly did...yet I had set an itinerary for myself and I had left my plea for the last possible moment like the indecisive, nervous wreck that I was attempting to keep in check. Once the more lightheaded side of the Vigil had begun to wind down and those in attendance began to make the long journey home, Habaara was amongst those who was pleased with the time she had spent here and wished to turn in for the night. The food, company and atmosphere had been so very pleasant...so much so that I had almost allowed myself to relax back into a state of calm and miss my chance at catching her before she fully departed. At my humble request however...she had listened to my simple (and highly annotated) query and (somehow) found it in herself to acquiesce me. Now that we had made the long journey to the central gate house of lifts descending down into the University, she was understandably losing her nerve at the thought of interrupting her Mistress for anything less than the end of the world itself. As my need was not quite so dire as that, I had to admit that it was rather frivolous of me to bother her at all when my own four legs and the High Road alike were still fully functional. Yet...I had psyched myself up in order to even attempt it in the first place, the least I could do was indulge myself in the outcome of my efforts. Whether or not she knew, or felt, that she had been bribed into helping me...I hoped that she would find it in her beautiful little heart to forgive me. There was no need for her to follow me into Rosemary's office and add words of pleading to my own as all I truly needed of her was her access to the University grounds after hours. I was not there to thieve, murder, nor even to cause a ruckus with Rosemary over personal differences. I had come to ask a relatively simple favor of a Sorceress of her caliber, a motion which would take but a moment of her time and with hardly an ounce of effort necessary on her part. And yet...Habaara outwardly expressed that which I truly felt within...

"I understand. However I still am burdened by my own need at this hour and I will accept any and all reprimand which may await. I appreciate you coming this far with me all the same, Habaara. You do not need to follow me into her office if you are feeling too uncomfortable with this."

"N-no, I will aid you, F-Frejdá." She squeaked softly with a resolute nod. "A f-friend in need is not s-something I wish to turn m-my back on. N-not after all y-you've done for m-me."

"All the more then is my gratitude for your generosity!" I beamed softly in reply, eliciting more blushes from the poor golden darling. "I know it is forward of me to make such a trivial request of the Sorceress Supreme, yet I trust her above the other Arcane users present to ensure a safe teleportation for me. The last, and only, time I requested something like this of Sorcerer Ería, he deposited me in the middle of a mountain range some twenty leagues removed from my destination and I cannot afford that same loss of time that a misaligned destination vector would cause. The Abyss has only grown more concentrated since that time and one can only guess as to how much further its ability to interfere with teleportation spells has become. As much as it hurts to say it...I trust Rosemary far more with getting it right the first time and to wholly compensate for the distortions."

"Well...I g-guess there's s-something to be said f-for your candor i-in this m-matter..." She stammered back, reluctantly embarking through the stone passage behind me as we made our way into the eastern inner chambers housing the lifts down.

The interior of the gatehouse was extremely reminiscent of the Barbican guarding the bridge leading into the School, made of the same flawless white granite which afforded the built-in defenses a decorative flair that other fortresses tended to lack. Even the murder holes from which boiling water, stones, Bombs and other such deadly items could be dumped upon attackers below were lightly gilded in gold leaf, catching the hearty glow of polished copper lanterns hung from the walls upon dainty spindles. Dutiful Guard likewise stood at attention at their posts within the lift hall, each casually guarding the three doorways leading to our destination some 150 meters below. They waved us inside without hesitation and several of them even gave Habaara a friendly personal greeting as we passed; hardly surprising given she was a daily sight in the University by way of her position. This late in the evening however, the University had technically closed its doors for the day and most staff had returned to their chambers to rest and relax after their rounds of lessons and advising their students. And rightfully so as theirs was a schedule which rarely showed any gaps under the continual weight of students both local and from lands as distant as the frozen northern tundra of the Crystalline. As such, the University was rather expansive in order to accommodate so many eager minds and so much boundless knowledge; the whole of the campus occupying multiple acres with a narrow, yet very lofty, collection of towers, halls, stairways, stained glass and decorative balconies, all serving the thousands of students who had come from near and far to pursue fairly-priced higher education. During the day, the air between the close-knit towers was alight with the happy hum of eager chatter and bustling activity as its occupants pursued their daily tasks, yet come nightfall, the space grew still and almost dreamlike. Indeed, it was but further testament to the unmitigated power over thought and emotion which majestic Thestral architecture possessed at its whim and command whenever the eyes were allowed to gaze upon its elegant form and flawless function. Ever was I reminded that the masonry of my own people was a fitting successor to their own mastery of the craft...yet in many respects there was a subtly to the art of shaping stone which we had yet to comprehend like they. We held our own, and indeed even received the nod of approval from Pygmy and Dwem alike for our efforts, but it could not disguise the fact that we were still foals playing with rusty hammers and dull chisels compared to the likes of all three great artistic species.

The gentle blue glow of the University's exterior lighting was allowed to fully shine against the abundant polished white stone around it, something which only reflected and amplified it so that fewer flames need be lit to fully illuminate the campus. A curtain wall beset along its full-length by graceful watchtowers encircled the University, further reflecting the light inwards upon the campus from off its perfectly-chiseled ashlar blocks. Being the brainchild of a veritably ancient Thestral initiative, much of the University possessed an undercurrent of Arcane energy which fueled a menagerie of devices and contraptions within the campus. Doors which opened on one's approach and closed themselves behind you of their own accord, scrying pools for instant communication between opposite ends of the campus, books which sailed softly through the air in order to sort themselves upon the shelves, and even the dozens of lifts necessary to service so many lofty towers all gained life from the metaphorical spirit of the University. As such, students who were accepted were graced with a physically comfortable existence with many tedious, minor tasks fulfilled by the school's design in order to offset the mental burden they had taken upon themselves. Indeed, they could expect to live as close to minor royalty as an educational institution could provide, at the cost of a high standard of dedication to their personally selected studies. One of Tir Ná Liá's fundamental aims was to provide advanced education for the bright minds of all species and nationalities, yet that goal did not go so far as to lower what were otherwise rather fair expectations set for those in attendance. Even the yearly costs of tuition, food and lodging, which were already within reach of much of those with middling means, could be renegotiated, sponsored, or entirely waived on a case-by-case basis by the Headmaster. If the prospective student showed stellar promise in the eyes of the University, even the lowliest of the earth could be granted the chance to show the truth of their inner talents to the world as the gift of knowledge and learning alike took many guises. Of course, this was all under the assumption that these individuals had the grit and gristle within them to withstand the demands and expectations set for them. Wavering stamina and crippling doubt can strike even the sturdiest of minds still in the midst of learning new materials and was something which was taken seriously by the staff. Those who went even beyond that and indulged themselves in the sin of slothfulness however...those are they who swiftly found their arses expelled in order to make room for the countless others patiently waiting for their turn at the University.

As a full professor, and the Dean of Arcane Studies to boot, Rosemary had carved for herself a very comfortable niche in the midst of our vast cadre of various masters of arts and sciences. Indeed, she was reportedly even a highly-prized magic tutor for those who proved worthy of her precious time, however she could be found interjecting herself into other fields as she might have knowledge in. There were several other professors of magic on the University's staff roster, all of whom were thoroughly capable of weaving elite spellcraft just as easily as they could instruct such skills unto others, yet none had gone to the lengths that our Sorceress Supreme had in order to rise to her position. Indeed, one would be more than justified in calling her rise to power within the University (and indeed the School of the Wolf) as a ferocious tour-de-force full of that same haughty confidence we all knew her too well by. Freshly exiled for reasons known only to her and the Lords and Ladies of House Amlodd, Rosemary had emerged it seemed from nowhere all at once some twenty years past. From the moment of her arrival to the Valley she was already in the midst of making moves on multiple fronts in order to establish herself in a place of authority and respect amongst us, something she surely found lacking amongst her own. No sooner had her veritable caravan of luggage carts arrived that a letter of còmhrag was issued against the School's then-current Sorcerer Supreme Tanaka; an ancient challenge of combat on equal terms used by Thestrals and Lowlands alike to settle disputes of intensely personal nature. There was nothing personal regarding Rosemary's challenge however, as she held no personal enmity for the stallion. Hers was entirely a campaign of conquest in her own name for her own ends. She truly believed that she was more deserving of the role by right of her knowledge and power, and made such a fact known to all immediately and without hesitation. I had to regretfully make do with an abundance of second-hoof accounts of their seemingly legendary battle as I had been occupied by the Path at the time it happened. As everyone stated, it was hosted atop the expanse of Mother's Mirror between two of the bridges as not even the Bastion felt large (or safe) enough for a battle such as theirs. Both combatants held themselves aloft above the waters surface by their own might with the first to dip fully beneath the waves forced to concede defeat, all per the stipulations set forth in the official document she had presented. The death of either challenger was never a prerequisite for these sort of formal affairs and, while such a stipulation could be put in writ, Rosemary merely wished to give Tanaka a thorough thrashing rather than killing him before a crowd as the ultimate humiliation of his career.

The details of their battle were frustratingly fragmented and confusing to fit into chronological order from so many varying witnesses who may or may not have even been there. Yet the results all spoke for themselves in the end as she won his position by right of winning their duel. Much the same occurred with the Dean of Arcane Studies of that day, a duel for power before a crowd of student witnesses which resulted in a second notable victory for our resident Thestral half-breed on the same day. And now, Rosemary ever so-proudly hoisted her titles aloft anywhere she pleased and with the requisite strength and proof to bolster her ego wherever she went. Her unfettered devotion to the expansion of her own strength and knowledge opened multiple doors amongst us that were undoubtedly sealed forever against her in the Dominion and...I had to admit it, I found it rather admirable. Compared to my mediocrity, hers was a successful life built upon centuries of hard work and unyielding strength of will and character. The formal letters of còmhrag was even said to hang in a place of honor upon her office wall as a trophy of her victory, a saying I was curious to find out for myself now that I found myself making the long approach to her office for the first time in my life.

The interior of the University was delectably posh and intellectual as the senses could scarcely tell one was actively walking through the innards of a stone fortress. The masonry was exquisite and seamless, yet any would be pardoned for failing to notice it when the walls were made host to lengthy tapestries and endless rows of finely-carved bookshelves. If the countless well-bound tomes failed to catch the eye, one would have to be entirely blind in order to ignore the immaculate tapestries woven of glowing threads of silk and crystal depicting various acts of discovery and innovation from across our combined histories. Enchantments beyond my comprehension further brought these quaint scenes to life by projecting glowing phantom images across themselves giving animation and 'life' to these otherwise still images from the past. The floor beneath us was similarly furnished by means of an exquisitely soft, and exceedingly long, rug dyed a deep indigo trimmed in gold and silver thread; a furnishing which extended unbroken throughout each and every hall and corridor located on the same floor. Just as abundant as the shelves and tapestries were the comfortably furnished reading nooks tucked away within shallow alcoves in the wall complete with chairs, desks and a selection of blank parchment and spare writing implements including custom oak gall ink dyed a vibrant red or violet. The ceilings...I had to fight my own instincts when it came to the spellwork on display which projected the night sky in all its majesty overhead with its glittering stars in the countless billions. More than once my poor, tired guide through the winding passages of the University was forced to halt our passage to rouse me from my own rapture with the calming comfort of the night which spoke to the very blood within my veins. Though the era of frequent visits from members of the Dominion had long since come to a close, their inexplicable mark had been left upon the very identity of the University as seen in such simple marvels of it's inspired design. The interior was gently cool, softly lit and full of fine furnishings and decorations imported from the heart of Prifddinas. All things befitting the residency of Thestral nobility and their entourage of attendants and so forth as was now ancient history. Their builders and first occupants had long since returned to the shaded boughs which they do loved and in their place were the likes of us and those of their number who had fled to us for shelter.

Of course, there was also nothing quite like their peculiar candles, hearths and lanterns all brightly lit by Arcane flames of gentle blue; a spell which was most beloved by Thestrals and Lowlands across the Continent. Seeing as they burned without need for physical fuel, fed life by grace of the magic of the University itself, they produced no smoke being more the apparition of fire rather than an actual act of combustion itself taking place. As such, every log in the hearth or candle in the stand or lantern were fashioned from pure gleaming silver which sparkled and reflected the light that they were crowned by with majesty and beauty. Coupled with highly polished hearthstones and faceted lenses in each of the lanterns, and there was illumination enough for all but the most day-sighted individuals within the University. All these things combined made these charming flames excellent for indoor lighting for locations full to the brim with flammable items of multiple sorts; particularly those with an abundance of books as there was no chance of losing precious tomes to a roaring blaze, nor was there any eye strain when compared to reading by traditional candlelight late into the night. The glowing white crystals used by Kaer Solaris were equally as applicable for the same utility, yet the architects must have seemingly found their glow to be too harsh upon their nocturnal eyes within the confines of their masterpiece of stone. By virtue of these same flames, the University was able to regulate its own internal temperature as necessary given the amount of heat they produced (or lack thereof) could be finely-tuned to produce both a freezing chill or a sweltering heat. Given the numerous species pursuing their education within these walls, the ambient temperature within most spaces was kept rather temperate so as to accommodate as many at once as possible. In their private dorms and offices however, students and faculty alike were allowed far greater control over their personal flames and could adjust them to whatever level they felt made them most productive.

And even as the thought of productivity came to mind did I begin to spot the ragged survivors of the late-night study gallop; either in small, exhausted groups of bleary-eyed academics discussing a class assignment, or isolated loners curled up in the corners with piles of scribbled notes and open books. To think that, at least for a time, these student's only earthly worries were meeting the bar of expectations set by the Headmaster and all other worries were seen to, more or less. The goal of the institution was, after all, to extend a fair chance at a degree for all students as the entrance exams ensured the weak-willed never set hoof, paw or talon within. Tír Ná Liá was challenging, almost brutal in some eyes...yet it was always fair and equal in its distribution of stress and expectations. And the ultimate reward for all of this and all else as might beset a young, bright mind? Why it was a prestigious degree in whatever field(s) of study they slaved so diligently for, a credential which, even in spite of the Cleansing, retained much of its clout and appeal outside the Valley. Intelligent individuals with the strength-of-will to endure a Thestral University and emerge victorious were always to be in high demand in the outside world as Kingdoms grew stronger and their needs grew larger and more complicated to manage in turn. All things which required learned professionals with training and education actually worth a damn.

Starting as we had in the center by way of the lift from the Grand Viaduct above, our path to Rosemary's personal office was somewhat lengthy as it occupied an entire domed hall to itself on the southern tip of the campus. Arranged as it was in the form of a six-pointed star (a sacred and recurring design in Thestral architecture), the straightest path to any of the six points lay at ground level as one could avoid the convoluted series of bridges and lifts connecting the various towers together. Instead, our journey was mostly one of passing through endless doorways as we cut a path through the various buildings in our way, amidst the small, open courtyards between towers sporting an abundance of flora to calm the mind from study. So infrequent were my visits to the campus that I had even forgotten these little gardens possessed an equal abundance of rare moths and butterflies which fluttered about on graceful, dazzlingly colorful wings as they supped and pollinated on the bounty of flowers provided to them. Honeybees were likewise in abundance in these delightful little bits of nature amidst the maze of white stone, gathering in dainty little hives of pure white wax courtesy of the Biological Sciences Department and their eager entomology and horticulturist students. And, as it was only fitting that she too found something to distract her attention, Habaara could not help but stop for several hives as we passed by in order to happily greet the bees and inspect their hive for proper maintenance.

"Hello my little friends!" She crooned brightly like a mother would her child, holding out her talons for the small insects to land and greet her in kind. "A blessed evening to you all!"

Her simple friendly offer was readily accepted and before long her claws were crawling with the gold-and-black striped honey makers. She showed no sign of fear nor hesitation towards them unlike some other mares I had known whose only reaction to insects was deep fear and revulsion. Indeed, her touch was one the bees were intimately familiar with through her obvious diligence towards assisting in their care even though they were not her own personal hives. I had the pleasure of witnessing her at work in her own apiary on more than one occasion, even assisting her with honey extraction the last several years when time permitted me once her hives grew too fat with bounty. She knew her way around the little creatures with all the grace and love of a mother, or in fact, perhaps was even seen as a queen bee in her own right amongst them. Regardless of her social standing amongst her bees, the smaller creatures of Terra Firma were seemingly quite astute judges of character and would congregate and gravitate towards those of a gentle, kind spirit such as hers. The influence they could exert over these creatures behavior varied from a simple oneness with nature that brought peace to otherwise territorial beings, to a subliminal ability to communicate with them and even command them in a limited capacity. Those capable of the latter were rare, yet rather obvious from the way they had field mice, ravens, snakes and other such small creatures at their beck and call willing and able to perform simple tasks for them in exchange for treats and kind words. Habaara was not so gifted as that, however her affinity and instinct for small creatures including insects certainly went above the average hobbyist. She never dawdled long at any one hive, yet it was obvious that her love for them ran deeply and I was pleased to see her smile of approval as each hive was swiftly reassembled thanks to their ingenious multi-part design. A nod of approval from any learned, passionate hobbyist was something to cherish in my eyes as it only validated the hard work of one's own hooves with experienced eyes.

"Good evening my little friends, may your cells flow with honey and royal jelly in equal abundance!" She beamed with a pleased expression as she held her talons against the side of the hive for her little friends to crawl onto. "Note to self to congratulate Miss Anne on her student's quality of care for this semester, much cleaner honeycomb than last and I see they fixed their haphazard rows finally..."

Once the last of the buzzing little bees left her talons, she quickly neatened out her black silken dress and returned us to the path ahead making embarrassed apologies for each of her quick visits as we passed them by. I was hardly one to complain seeing someone passionate and in their element actively working their magic, and it came with the benefit of hearing her speak more normally and with far less of her usual nervousness. I had more than an inkling that she had some feelings for me that went beyond just our pleasant friendship which was in large part responsible for her stuttering and frequent blushes whenever I addressed her personally. If anything, it became all the more endearing as I was flattered to cause someone like her such minor squirming distress whenever I drew near. However, as the topic had never been broached openly, and the fact that she was quite happily married already, I had never dwelt too long upon how long her eyes dwelt upon me in turn. Such a thing had been the status-quo between us for so many years that I was afraid to be the one to break it in the name of exploring her feelings more openly between us. It was a deeply personal thing to do and I was never one to make such bold assumptions, or actions, as that. Not to say that she was either...and thus we stayed endlessly circling around the very fringes of the topic without ever getting to the bottom of it. I was more than willing to explore the unknown with her in all truth, even if I myself felt no small measure of the same timidness which she outwardly expressed so readily. If anything, I envied her for her ability to so freely express such feelings of nervous anxiety around me as it felt difficult to show the same level of emotion myself in turn. Artificially hardened nerves of steel from several lifetimes of Hunting the darkest dangers of Old Night had rendered such things difficult by design. Joy, pleasure, mirth and happiness were far easier to experience as they rewarded our steely dispositions with suitable enjoyment which compensated our otherwise dour existences wandering the Path. Our profession could not broker any quarter with the likes of fear and cowardice as we were the ultimate guardians of those who could not defeat the Darkness. The feelings, the instinct of fear still remained deep within each of us...yet it was designed to stay buried. All but the hardest of Witchers knew how to laugh and did so as frequently as they could as an outlet against what otherwise never left the deepest confines of our private thoughts and doubts. There was no need for Habaara to listen to such wretched thoughts as those... There was always a need for such bright spots of life as her in my life and I had no reason to spoil the evening for either of us.

Door after door opened and closed themselves at our approach and departure through the myriad of buildings dedicated to the various disciplines taught within. Sparkling sapphires embedded above each doorway glowing in response to a beautiful charm hung about Habaara's neck. Taking the shape of a delicate lotus blossom cut from a sparkling white diamond, this was her pass throughout the whole of the University after hours. While I might have been able to make it to the most public areas of the campus (such as the library) on my own as such doors remained open at all hours, access to faculty offices and lodging were much more tightly regulated for rather obvious reasons. As the exclusive assistant to the Dean of an entire department, her private credentials cleared the way for our passage unto the very doors of the large hall held in reserve specifically for her. Carved long before her own birth, the mighty stone slabs acting as doors were carved with the reliefs of dozens of veritable primordial legends of ancient Thestral history in the midst of various heroic and otherwise stoic or pensive poses as they wove a story of the earliest of magical studies from the earliest days of the Age of the Moon. Undoubtedly our Sorceress Supreme was of the notion that she too had what it took to have her own likeness carved into immortal stone one day like unto these personal heroes... But for now, she could make do with her bust occupying a plinth amongst the others who had held her position before her in the Hall of Records. Weighing countless tones on their own, the enormous doors swung inwards effortlessly upon utterly silent hinges as smoothly as a droplet of water across a waxed surface allowing us access to the massive rectangular lecture hall which occupied the first two floors of Rosemary's space. Tiered seating much like unto that found in the Council Chambers occupied a near-full ring about the large wooden desk in the center of the room which commanded an armada of chalk boards all set upon wooden frames on wheels. A mezzanine occupied the second floor of the hall offering additional seating for what were assuredly very populous lessons on the intricacies and subtleties of magic. I was unable to count them all, yet my gut indicated there were definitely over a hundred seats present and I could only wonder how many students filled these chairs during lesson hours.

At such an hour as this however, all was silent, tucked away, and cleaned for the night with none of the grand chandeliers aglow with Arcane flames. Only a scattered collection of small lanterns remained lit near the walkways for safety purposes; blessed Moonlight pouring in through high stained glass windows along each wall embracing everything within reach. Though it had been hours since her lessons had concluded for the day and all was put away where it should be, my Medallion tingled and hummed at all the residual magical energy still lingering in the air from her students practicing their craft. The air even had a taste and smell which was unique to the study of geomancy, though perhaps it's scent was too subtle for the average person to detect; a certain musty, earthiness which freshly lingered in a way similar to prime potting soil on the nostrils. I could only hope that the day's lesson went swimmingly so as to ease her highness into an agreeable mood which could be more easily tempted into assistance.

"Will the path to her chambers be open from here?" I asked my guide who was in the midst of a rather large yawn which caused her to stumble ever-so-lightly in place as we stood and stared. "You are more than welcome to depart at this point for home, my dear...you have been most kind in bringing me this far. Good or ill, I am absolutely certain that Rosemary will see me out in one fashion or another of her own accord so your services are no longer required this evening."

"A-are you s-sure...?" She squeaked in a hushed, tired whisper as she glanced past me towards a rather exquisitely decorated doorway leading to a stairway curling up and out of sight. "I-it should be open, y-yes."

"I am sure Habaara, please. Go and get some rest. I'm sure Kahrobâ is already beginning to worry something fierce as to where you are at this hour, best not to keep his poor self waiting overlong."

With mention of her equally timid-but-friendly husband, a certain level of focus and energy seemed to return to her weary eyes and she nodded in tired agreement at my words.

"Y-yes...he will most c-certainly be a nervous w-wreck by this t-time..." She hummed softly in pity as she checked her person for all her belongings. "V-very well, I-I am glad to have b-been of help F-Frejdá! I-I hope to s-see you again s-soon!"

"Have no fears nor doubts on that, my dear." I beamed back at her with all honesty of heart. "We have that mead of yours to taste together after all upon my return! Not to mention that I still have yet to come and collect that star amethyst I had Kahrobâ set aside for me last winter... Needless to say, I have more than one reason to come and visit your cozy little burrow come the winter chill."

She squeaked again, more than likely feeling something along the lines of how I felt when Rosalia had given her own offer of enticement to look forward to come winter. Irregardless of how our next interaction turned out, as I was decidedly on board with the idea of including her husband in our little fling were it to form, I knew that our time together would be memorable and precious. Theirs was a simple, wholesome romance founded upon mutual awkward friendliness marked by a near-obsession in their own particular interests of note. While hers lay in all things bees and honey related, with passing interests in teas, baking and charming imitations of the calls of smaller bird species, his lay in all things insects, reptiles, gemstones and mushrooms. Together, they each brought in their own independent incomes by way of multiple jobs and business which they ran. Namely his gemstone and exotic fungi emporium and her employment under Rosemary coupled with a rather successful home brewery and bakery of her own honied products under her self-made label of 'Little Honeybee Delights'. What they had...I wished I had for myself in all truth. It was simple, it was quaint and it was so utterly wholesome for the Soul with no hint of malice or ire. They knew the world outside was dark and fraught with horror, and so they kept their heads down and their focuses on what things brought them joy. And along the way, they happened to have found happiness in one another while doing it. It was all a lonely Witcher like myself could hope for, but never attain without declaring an official retirement. Something that was...rather taboo and unheard of amongst our number for a whole host of reasons both practical as well as unending judgement from most other Witchers.

"G-goodnight Frejdá." She smiled bashfully as she turned to glance back one last time before shutting the large doors hind her. "I-I hope s-she listens to y-you!"

"As do I..." I hummed to myself as I waved her goodbye before turning to enter the stairway leading up as soon as the doors softly boomed shut with an echo which bounced from off every possible wall imaginable.

There was little chance that the sound failed to catch Rosemary's attention and I prepared myself with every step up the decorative passage to explain everything swiftly and to the point so as to not waste her precious time. That being said, I allowed myself to take my time ascending whilst my eyes were naturally drawn to the abundance of silver-trimmed frames hung along both walls. As to be expected, there was an abundance of still-life portraits on exhibition presenting scenes of dark, beautiful forests, a palace fortress made of crystal in the heart of Prifddinas, and the likeliness of many Thestral nobles with presumable familial ties to Rosemary personally. Undoubtedly...they only occupied the walls over that of select Thestral masters of the Arcane (or the images of past Deans) so as to make it abundantly clear that the mare at the top of these stairs was a daughter of the eternal woodland. Many of the other images presented however were...complex to say the least; obscure and fanciful shapes the likes of which I wholly lacked the words to describe as they seemed to shift and shimmer anew even as I blinked and moved. Never was the same image reaching my eyes twice and none dwelt long enough for any memory of their form to be retained save for a blurry after-image which lingered behind the eyes. Before long, nothing seemed to feel quite...real, and my Medallion began buzzing softly against my breastplate in protest. Such artwork as this perturbed me as much as it entranced me, as there was nothing else in my experience quite like it. Although, admittedly, my skill set was left wanting in the ridiculous field of fine art, let alone objects like this which were made from some form of advanced magic. And it was not just a single one of these bizarre portraits which dazzled my fancy, holding me almost prisoner in place upon the stairs, but all of them. If anything, those solitary paintings of a regular sort became like unto isles of reality amidst a swirling sea of hapless visual illusions. Was this...high art of Thestral nobility beyond my ability to comprehend? Or...was this some form of elaborate trap designed for after-hours trespassers...?

"My, my...I never took you for one to appreciate the rather...niche wood carvings of the most talented, and now sadly deceased, Luchtaine of the Tuath Dé Danann. Aren't you full of interesting surprises as of late, Frejdá?"

At her crooning words of sarcasm their uncanny spell over me was broken and I found myself feeling at last in what passed for reality. My relief was palpable and I thanked the Gods for my return to normalcy, even if it was disappointingly full of...her presence. She stood atop the head of the stairs still dressed in her beautiful dress of plum and burgundy from the Vigil earlier with an expression of mild irritation veiled by sarcastic humor, and a rather healthy helping of mild interest. I knew that she had every reason to think anything I had to say would be a waste of her precious time better spent staring at the stars... Yet,bthere was something to her eyes that spoke of a genuine interest which went beyond even the usual annoyance my presence sparked in her mood. She knew fully that something was up and that all she needed to do was wait for me to spill it all out in her very presence of all places. My appearance was certainly a surprise, that much was obvious, and yet...there was something else there that made me shiver a little on the inside. Nothing nefarious or dangerous to life and limb, but certainly in the same vein as being caught with my trousers down on the side of the High Road.

"This...this is woodwork??" Was all I was able to get past my lips, a question which was best left for later but had inadvertently found itself ushered to the front of the que. The illusion had broken and my Medallion was still, but there remained a certain indescribable nature to...whatever objects were floating of their own accord within the confines of their silver frames.

"Indeed, as achieved by an assortment of special carpenter's tools comprised entirely of sung crystal if it was not already obvious." She smirked before nodding towards the stretch of hallway behind her. "Come along, darling...we are wasting Moonlight here."

"Y-you're...not...mad that I'm here...?" I asked after what felt like an eternity of remaining frozen where I stood as I attempted to keep my eyes from off the disorienting decorations.

"Oh fear not, dear Frejdá...I am absolutely furious to see you at this hour on the eve of a potential sign in the infinite Cosmos...but seeing as you went to such an effort as to heavily personalize your bribes to my assistant, and out of your own purse as well, well...I felt I can indulge you in whatever it is you want of me. But only for a short time, you understand of course. I am feeling...unusually generous this night, but do not overstay your welcome if you are at all able..."

"N-naturally..." I muttered back in mulled anxiety as I mounted the stairs behind her while keeping a healthy distance between us if not for the sake of not treading upon the dragging trains of her dress.

Entering into her office occupying the whole of the third floor, and encased by the lofty heights of the stone dome overhead, I was rather pleasantly surprised at what was presented before me. The first thing which truly caught my attention was the mess on display all around the roomy space as stacks of books, scrolls and tablets of stone loomed over me at every turn. Indeed, the clutter filled most available space to be found as a narrow passage had to be formed between them leading further into the center of the room. It was only after a few moments that my attention was pulled away sufficiently enough for me to notice a round platform of sorts directly under the dome itself supported by a ring of chiseled columns and sporting a colossal telescope of silver. Set by immaculately-shaped Glainne Dearcán faceted to focus in on the farthest reaches of the known Cosmos, such a monstrously large device was truly a breathtaking bit of nostalgia for me. After all, I was already vaguely familiar with the mechanisms as my mother had likewise had one commissioned for her own work, leaving me with an impression as to what a professional arrangement looked like. The great scope was held aloft atop a sturdy pillar of metal and controlled via a complicated series of slender levers and cranks which controlled everything from the focal point of the internal lenses to the exact angle of sight of the entire apparatus. In between the shorter towers of tomes, scrolls and tablets I could also spy luscious wooden bookshelves forming the outer face of each inner wall of the room, each its own intimidating monolith of stored knowledge beyond my ability to reckon. The want to forgo the rest of my night for even a few hours' worth of mindless browsing of her seemingly endless collection...it hurt the reader within me to sacrifice such an opportunity as one could only wonder what information present was not already known to Kaer Solaris' own collection. My curiosity regarding the status of the two letters of còmhrag were swiftly confirmed as the long sheets of velum dyed a gorgeously dark indigo and written in gold ink had been enshrined in platinum frames upon the pair of support pillars closest to her desk. Each even sported a built-in silver lantern dangling from off the top of the frame which cast its proud blue Arcane light upon the letters so as to draw even more attention to themselves. Something else which struck me as the most unexpected however, was the aroma present amidst the overwhelming scent of parchments, inks, leather bindings and other assorted materials forming the dominant occupants of the room. While I had been expecting the moonwine, and even the scent of Hurricane Gin as I knew of her soft affection for it, the scent of honey mulled by the likes of buttery dough and powdered sugar was certainly not what I had in mind. A scent of honey and buttery dough which I knew and salivated over myself on a regular basis...

"Honeycake?" She asked as we emerged from her forest of knowledge into a clearing in the center of the hall beneath the telescope housing her broad desk of white marble; a silver platter of Habaara's finest being levitated my way rather unexpectedly as a tempting offering.

"O-oh, absolutely!" I blurted out in reply, hungrily taking two without further hesitation and promptly stuffing my mouth with one of them, much to her continued bemusement.

"I see her witchcraft over honey has ensnared your tongue as well." She smirked, taking one for herself and indulging in a hearty nibble. "Understandable, the little Dwemess seems to be entirely unaware of the Power she wields in her baking."

"E-escusss meh?" I mumbled around a tongue held bound by a sea of sticky, warm honey which sparked all manner of pleasant endorphins in my brain.

"Manners, dear Frejdá..." She sighed flatly at my attempt to speak with a mouth full of food like an ill-mannered foal. "As for Habaara, yes. Your ears are not playing you for the fool, she indeed unconsciously wields some minor instinctual spellcraft in each lump of dough and each ounce of honey put under her care. Her...quaint and simple adoration for the fine work of her talons imbues her works with a phantom of her affections which bestows a positive emotional stimulus into the consumer as a...sliver of insight if you will, into the rather happy little existence she lives. Such a thing is far too subtle for any to take notice of, yet the effect is always the same: repeat business and exceedingly content clientele. Her fortunes could be far greater than they are under my employ were she to apply this skill to a larger degree than her simple bakery...but alas, I'm afraid she seems most content with where she is now. At least her friends and neighbors indulge her efforts with an abundance of support and repeat patronage."

I...was...frankly bewildered. The information being bestowed to me regarding someone I liked to consider a rather close friend was already cause for surprise on its own, but it was the...frankness of its delivery that left me dumbstruck and unable to respond. She had always held herself in public as almost fundamentally better than Habaara purely off the basis of their personal wealth and stores of knowledge and experience. The up-front offering of the honeycake was equally as unexpected as it was a show of hospitality I had honestly believed her to be utterly incapable of outside the realm of entertaining persons of repute in her eyes. It hardly took anyone to tell me, as I knew all-too-well for myself, that I most certainly failed to meet such standards as hers. Or...so I had thought? I was so perplexed...

"Oh dear, what is with that expression?" She pouted mockingly with the edges of her sharp lips still curled into a smirk and just barely exposing the tips of her longest fangs. "I am a most capable hostess to guests of all societal standings, even those as brusque and unrefined as yourself. This is your first visitation to my office in the two decades I have spent at this post and, while perhaps I had hoped such a streak would remain unbroken into perpetuity...we find ourselves here together all the same. Very curious indeed..."

"Then...why see me at all? If us not crossing paths is so comfortable for the both of us, then why even let me in? You could have teleported me into Mother's Mirror at any point before this, but you haven't."

"Oh Gods above and below, must the obvious ever be revealed to you by others?" She huffed before settling comfortably into a high-backed wooden chair crowned by a pair of wise silver owls with eyes of amber. "I am being both polite as per the confines of social etiquette, as well as being magnanimous because you actually made yourself of some actual use to me the other evening. Seeing all that, and your choice of items with which to entice Habaara to let you wander in her after hours...whatever it is you wish to ask of me must be of some serious worth unto you. I think it may pass without mention...but such an intriguing set of circumstances rather has my interest in the matter. And besides...I have a selection of hypotheses as to what it may be, and I simply must find the appropriate solution from the source itself."

"So I equate no more to an elaborate experiment to you then?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not...is not all experience but one massive experiment in existence? Anything can be made to fit such a procedural process, even the most repetitive of tasks if need be. The outcome from those is almost always the same...yet the process can be of assistance with toleration of the monotony of the actions undertaken no matter how repetitive."

"I see...and would it be safe then to assume that such an approach has been employed on my behalf?"

"Darling, such an approach is my preferred method of experiencing every moment of my waking hours and as many of my unconscious ones as I am able to control and influence. Unfortunately the subconscious remains a rather stubborn subject, but I will best the theories and tactics of Ibormeith and his blasted studies on sleep one day. I can tell already that such a thing will bore you so I shall refrain from continuing any further... Please, do speak up already as to why you intrude upon my midnight hours utterly unannounced?"

"I...well..." I stammered, unable to bring the right selection of words to mind which would both throw her off the scent while still getting my need across. "Um..."

"Very well, I shall go out on a rather sturdy limb here and make the assumption that you have need of my talents for precise teleportation to...oh, I don't know...perhaps someplace towards the west? Perhaps to a very certain walled city named Misty Meadows on the banks of the Maydock River? And most certainly not for the purpose of delivering a certain...substance to inflict bodily harm any particular foreign nobility of which your little she-devil of a friend has absolutely no ties to on a national and distantly familial standing, yes?"

....I had to either start expecting even more from her, or far less from myself as her thinly-veiled accusations were laid out bare before me with no recourse for recovery or repositioning in order to place my hooves upon more solid metaphorical ground. She had said more than enough... Everything had come together to present to her a rather clear picture as to our private little scheme of paid assassination and I held no hope of escaping from the charges presented.

"Fine... I give up in full, Rosemary. You win." I grumbled in utter defeat, sagging shoulders, spirit and all.

"Oooooh how long have I waited to hear those very words escape your lips..." She crooned with visible pleasure at my uncomfortable squirming beneath her piercing gaze. "Oh come now, do not look at me like I shat upon your porridge. There are pieces enough of your feckless planning left in your wake for my mind to piece them all together rather swiftly, Frejdá. And it is to little surprise as, for all your flaws, you have never marked 'assassin' as part of your resumé... You are a Witcher's Witcher by all accounts, far too orthodox to guild Code to consider such an infraction of the rules for yourself. You are uncouth and ill-mannered for a Lowland of such birth as yours, but you lack any of the makings of a proper troublemaker. Unlike that insufferable pair of Yonderlandians you so insist on making your acquaintances with, you are the spitting image of a proper guild-compliant Witcher and a beacon standard for such frivolous fillies to follow in the hoofsteps of. And yet, you are not quite such an example to them, are you? Allowing yourself to be talking into the casual killing of a Yonderlandian noble? I would not have expected such a thing to even be possible! And yet, once more, we find ourselves here together all the same, facing such a situation as that. Does that not strike you as interesting as well?"

"What do you want of me, Rosemary...?" I groaned in uncomfortable awkwardness as she toyed with the prey so tangled up in her web of intrigue. "You make it obvious that there is a...point to all this pedantic banter."

"Want? Of you? What a curious choice of words, my dear. You see, there is no 'want' here. Not when I have you by the tail and trapped by the confines of my own study." She purred with utter relish for the moment clearly evident in her tone, posture and gaze as she casually levitated another bite of cake to her lips. "Mmm...no, no, that will simply not do. No, consider this a...measured favor-for-a-favor if you will. What is the phrase you heathens use? Scratch my back and I shall scratch yours in kind?"

"Close enough..."

"Wonderful, you understand the prelude to my point then. And my point is this: you require my elite talents to save your precious hooves a lengthy trot towards a set deadline...and I require the death of one other individual who just so happens to be in the retinue of the same person of noble blood to which Miss Keidis has set your sights and brutish instincts upon. Oh yes, and his private collection of Glainne Dearcán which his ancestors looted from the tombs of my people's most precious ancestors and made into familial heirlooms of their own. It is an utter show of contempt and disrespect towards the Dominion and their recovery could prove...useful towards shoring up my own standing. A standing that, I am sure you already are aware, is eternally precariously perched above the cusp of ignominy as, unlike my peers...I must continually prove unto them my loyalty to the Holy Moon of Yore and provide supplication to the House of Lords. This is a burden I would not wish upon even you, if your mind is at all capable of believing such words."

"You were right to doubt me, I do not believe hardly any of this at face value." I admitted with more candor than expected. "When has there ever been a time or situation like this between us prior to now? When have we ever needed to rely upon one another for mutual assistance, let alone for an assassination?"

"Well, never of course. And we have both seen to such a fact existing as our status quo for over twenty years now, so there was no indication that this conversation would have occurred at all without such...bizarre circumstances inspiring all of this nonsense. But again... Here. We. Are."

"That we are...and what are we to do about that?"

"We? Darling I have all but done my part for you in this scheme! You came here for a guarantee of transport to your destination, and I have already given unto you my terms for my cooperation with your rather flagrant disregard for the Code. Not that I have any personal qualms with breaking some of its tenants mind you, even as the illustrious Sorceress Supreme of your organization I recognize the shortcomings of some of your more...self-righteous tenants. There are lowly creatures of all sorts in this wretched world we live in, and many remain under the protections of the Code by right of being the Sentient, small-minded bastards that they are. Now...while I would find much peace of mind in the utter decimation of such living rubbish, I lack such powers as that, else I would have enacted such a sweeping cleansing of my own."

"Your words circle about dangerous paths of thought, Rosemary..." I warned, wishing to avoid a trail of dialogue which would devolve her mood into one of bitter bigotry towards Equestrians.

"Oh I am oh so very aware of that, my dear..." She crooned in mock shame. "I know, now is not the time for a lengthy discussion of the relative morality of aggressively pruning a dying orchard. And so we must shift focus away from the macro and back upon the micro. Specifically, that which concerns the two of us in particular. I seek the death of this so-called magician as a matter of personal pride and solidarity if you must know. My most recent treatise published some three moons past concerning my research into the nature of anomalous events of Wild Magic was used as the basis for his 'research' into the 'unholy abomination which so pollutes our precious world', as he so crudely puts it. Not only that, but said 'research' found its way into the bloodied hooves of the Church of the Eternal Pyre and has become further corrupted until it became the latest subject of their violent public sermons. Do you not hear the sheer insanity on display in those words?? To think that these savages can be so-easily convinced that the natural state of a planet that is not their own is in fact unnatural by the mere words of unlearned cowards cowering in the shadow of their own ignorance. These sermons have since spread to their smaller communities where the light of knowledge is somehow even dimmer than in the cities, and these idiots have begun to take up actual arms against naturally occurring magical anomalies. The deaths are still only in the dozens, but they have occurred across most of Western Equestria and what is left of my once good name on the original study is now spreading as the culprit for their ridiculous deaths rather than on the bastard responsible for bastardizing my work to begin with! Justice by traditional means is impossible and he is too clever to allow himself to be taken easily from afar by Arcane means meaning I either devote a significant portion of my power into overpowering all his wards and defenses at once...or I contract out the work to someone else not so readily seen in the public eye. And then tonight, in the midst of looking to the stars for possible answers to this barbed arrow in my side amongst the myriad of other things plaguing my mind, you appear as if on cue from the Divine themselves. How bizarre..."

"Oh come now, Rosemary..." I grunted sheepishly while waving both hooves dismissively. "A simple ignorant bitch like myself is no fulfillment of personal prophecy and discovery, let alone yours. You would be better served consulting Grandmaster Tulka for something so full of subtlety like that I would think."

"Humph, Tulka is a middling Adept at the craft on the best and clearest of nights..." She grumbled under her breath before continuing, "There is no need for a second opinion when I am already certain of my interpretation of our combined present circumstances. You need to reach Misty Meadows sooner rather than later, I can deliver you right to its doorstep, and I need but one other Soul to fall by your hooves since you will already be in the exact area and performing the same deed upon his own liege anyway. You are already cutting off the head of this wretched Yonderlandian serpent...what is lopping off a bit of the neck along with it going to hurt? Violet is having you kill as part of some daft scheme to clear the name of De La Croix, all I am requiring is the exact same service but for my own name I would never have considered you to hold the keys to this most recent debacle...but even I can admit that I could be in far less experienced hooves."

To think that in the span of less than a week I was being presented with offers for two contract killings, both specifically against Yonderlandians and both I found myself agreeing to. Out of fear, intimidation...or simply my want to maintain the peace, I knew already that she was going to have her way by my hoof and I was to be made the potential scapegoat for two murders. It was wrong on every level to accept either of them, but I was in too deep to pull myself out of the mire I found myself trapped by. The least I could take as consolation for it all was the fact that my motivation for accepting was not founded in a want for material wealth but out of solidarity towards a friend. At least...as far as Violet was concerned. As for Rosemary...it was as she had said, she had me cornered and by the tail with her knowledge of my plans, knowledge which was already rank with the stink of blackmail simmering in the background. That said, however...there was something absolutely tantalizing about finally hearing some compliments regarding myself coming from her. Much like she relished in seeing me squirm before her...I could not help but take some pride that she seemingly thought of me as an experienced Witcher. A Witcher's Witcher she had even said...

"I can already see in your eyes a certain resignation towards the situation, good. Now, you may as well inform me as to whatever amateur-level planning you lot have already put into motion for this little escapade of yours. What assets does the little disinherited Duchess-never-to-be have in play that may be of use to us?"

"I am set to meet with one or both of her contacts within the Scouts Elite acting as her eyes and ears in the area before anything else as they were to have the latest reconnaissance of Misty Meadows and its state of readiness. One is a Nightkin by the name of Androma who is said to be overseeing the city outskirts and the immediate countryside, while the other is a Unicorn by the name of Autumn who has been in the city working in the port district undercover gathering intelligence on the ground."

"Oh? She was only able to bribe two of the Scouts Elite into this endeavor? With all the wealth she likes to lip on about at her disposal, I would have assumed she would have garnered more agents for her tangled little web of fratricide." She sighed with a look of genuine disappointment which surprised me as she indulged herself in another bite of cake. "No matter...I suppose the majority of her lackeys dwell more towards the east in and around Yonderland itself. At the very least, she has left for us something tangible to make use of which is more credit than she otherwise is due."

With that seemingly off her chest, she paused to wipe her lips with a silken kerchief before rising back to her hooves and moving towards a tidy little table of shaped crystal bearing fanciful decanters of spirits. "Care for something quality to whet your throat with? This is hardly the finest swill in my cellars, but it will most certainly be of a higher quality than I am sure typically washes over your tongue. Oh, and I am not going to ask twice my dear. I try not to make such things a habit..."

"Oh...um, yes. I will take something then if you are offering. What do you have...?"

"Hm...I think I would rather make a guess based upon gut instinct if it is all the same to you. That is...if you feel like you can trust in my judgement and not in some pointless plot to poison you. I know such a thing is possible, just...highly difficult and questionably cost-efficient for the compounds necessary to utterly ensure success, let alone in a Viper with your enhanced tolerances to such things."

The idea of her attempting to poison me by means of poisoned vodka, or otherwise, had not crossed my mind until she herself had brought it up. As much as I loathed the mare for her pride, her ego, and her boundless selfishness...I held not even the shadow of a desire as to bringing her to any actual harm. Outside of some cutting words when the right comeback struck me in the heat of the moment, she was wholly free of the true face of my inner wrath. As for trusting in her judgement...? I was at least willing to see what sort of drink she felt best fit me in her eyes... I trusted her enough to not serve me a glass full of piss and wormwood at the very least, she was too high class to have such ingredients readily available in her own personal bar.

"Wonderful! While my first instinct would be to simply roll you out a barrel of some indescribably horrid beer and allow you to break it open and consume it like a savage...I will refrain. Instead...let us say that you in fact did live up to your proper birthright and could stand in a league of the Arcane like unto myself...well that certainly would change things, would it not?"

"That's twice now you've brought up my heritage tonight, Rosemary. What about that is so damned important to you?" I asked rather pointedly as it was hardly like she was making an effort to veil her words. "Unlike someone else present in this room, my lineage lacks much in the way of interspecies diversity."

"...I will let that go. This time..." Came her cool response behind half-lidded eyes burning with disdain. "Come now, Frejdá...do not take me for an unlearned fool, I know precisely whom you descend from. And I must say...seeing as we find ourselves in a private conversation for once...you are living well below your potential if I am to be graciously frank."

"E-excuse me...?"

"You are the one and only child of the Seer Astrid Vilulf, are you not? I may hail from your elder kin, but any Sorceress worth any amount of respect will keep herself appraised of most Arcane masters that are also worthy of note, Thestral or no. Your mother's treatise on the symbology of geological formations in the dreamscape is rather inspired might I say. I disagree with her analysis regarding the nature of sedimentary deposits and how they correlate to feelings of self-loathing forgiveness...but the majority of her work has been very insightful and enjoyable to read."

"I...well...yes. Yes, I am her daughter...but I didn't inherit any of her talent. I am going to assume you know nothing of my father Cú as he had little to contribute to her research? I obviously had one to even be sitting here before you now, so did it ever occur to you that perhaps I only inherited his dominant traits instead of hers?"

"I...will admit that the thought has never crossed my mind before now..."

"Well you best let that idea burrow in deep and excavate your previous notions to the foundations because I was also born the daughter of a warrior father and inherited his legacy over my mother's. It pained her spirit while I matured to see my magic remain small and underdeveloped, and I am certain the sting still remains even in spite of what I have accomplished with the legacy I was born with. I am glad that she is at least proud of what I have done with myself, but undoubtedly the sting remains behind.

"Oh please tell me that you merely jest at this juncture..." She gasped with shock and...utter disappointment?

"Go ahead then, reach out and touch my Aura for yourself and see with your own senses how little of my mother's abilities passed on to me." I challenged firmly, opening my arms wide to show that I was entirely serious about her finding the truth for herself.

Seemingly taking the cue immediately, a deep sparkling blue glow came to life behind her eyes as an invisible coolness encircled my body from her direction. Much like unto taking a dip in a lukewarm pool, the sensation enveloped me ear-to-tail before swiftly rushing through me from all directions at once as imperceptible waves of investigative energy. And like waves, they sent ripples back upon themselves after bumping into the other side of my spirit with little impeding their paths. There was so much tangible empty space within me that my Aura filled me like a fragile morning fog which evaporated in the bright light of her overwhelming power. Even as a simple spell lacking in any meaningful connective qualities, her perusal of my inner Aura gave but a tiny glimpse of the Aura within her as well. A roiling cyclone of energy and boundless opportunities all moving about as if some great, unknowable clockwork mechanism finely tuned towards all things Arcane. All was hammered from the purest of fiery wills producing a sharply tempered blade quenched in the oil of discipline and ground into a honed edge of unyielding self-motivation. Hers was an edifice of pure, unmediated thought which, compared to whatever pitiful magical talent I possessed, towered like the Spire over me. I lived knowing full-well that even a fraction of its mighty weight would crush me beneath it like a squirming little worm wholly helpless before true Power. I could only guess as to what the scope of strength and personality she glimpsed within me, but her expression upon her magic leaving my body was one of complete and utter devastation and disappointment. An expression that I expected...yet it still hurt to witness for myself.

"A-all these years...I was convinced that you were merely being lazy with the birthright you were born with and favoring physical exertion over the practical application of your magic powers. But...I see now that I had wholly expected your maternal side to present itself in you without...any real regard to the possibility of paternal dominance..."

"Clearly..." I grumbled with a bit of ire given he too was a stallion just as worthy of note as my mother. "I severely doubt you care at all regarding the specifics, but a Lieutenant Commander of the Night Marshals is no simple warrior of middling renown. His fire lives on in me and I have borne that honor for my entire life. You are not the only one disappointed by this fact, Rosemary... I am sure Astrid still receives inquiries about me and my progress with growing into her talents, only to have to disappointingly inform them that her one and only child doesn't even stop by to visit anymore let alone possess even an inkling of the Cosmic insights she eternally is plagued by. Gods...how long has it been since I have even seen her last...?"

"Wait, you mean to tell me you fail to even be a good child and make regular visitations to your own kin??" She exclaimed with shock and horror, something she had truly every right to take my hide over the coals for as I had indeed become a neglectful child.

"No, and you can chalk that up alongside all my other flaws which you seem to be keeping tally of. I used to visit for up to a month during the winter months back at Kaer Nathair. And then...before I know it the Cleansing happens and I end up here in the Valley as a refugee like so many other Witchers and...all since then has been a blur of activity. So much is still the same as it ever was...and so much has changed around my very being and all of a sudden, I no longer recognize the world I inhabit."

"Mm...no need to remind me... We all have experienced the Cleansing and its many consequences in our personal lives to be sure. But that is no excuse for neglecting your very own parents! Please tell me that you have at least made the effort to ensure everyone knows that you and they both survived?"

"I am not that horrid of a daughter... I have visited twice since the Cleansing I will have you know, but only my mother yet lives. My father...went on to wander the stars before my fifteenth year had fully elapsed. But I have paid more than a proper homage at his grave on both occasions as well if you must know..."

She opened her mouth to reply but surprised me when instead she paused rather graciously in her prodding, and instead busied herself with preparing a set of drinks for us to enjoy. With her back turned to me, likely to hide her selection on my behalf prior to the reveal, I indulged myself in a quiet sigh of relief. My parents were...a complicated situation which she had no need nor right to pry into. I had humored her enough and, rather tactfully, she had chosen to leave her line of questions where it lie. As the sound of crystal and thin, ringing metal tinkled and chimed away before her, I paused to wonder what else of the unexpected the night held in store for me. While she was still the same mare I had known for the past two decades, there were many things it seemed that I remained ignorant of. It was my own fault of course that such ignorance was allowed to endure for so long, yet I felt I was entitled to a clear pass if at least in part for thinking as much. She made no apologies for who she was, nor for the fiery spirit which had ensured her rise to the place of power she had, and such things just naturally abraded against me. Like most other Witchers, those of noble birth with coin to flaunt were a continual pain to endure the company of and though their Contracts paid handsomely...their stipulations could be equally as costly to the psyche to bear. To think that she had so wrongly assumed that I had any measure of my mother's talents and had based her behavior towards me upon the same shaky foundations...

"So...that was not a jest, right?" I asked after a few moments of rather awkward silence. "You truly thought I was the inheritor of such a legacy as hers, but hid that all beneath a bushel in favor of physical prowess with a sword?"

She paused for a moment in her preparations and looked straight ahead with a deep, frustrated sigh before turning to face me with a set of glasses floating beside her of their own accord in her invisible magic.

"If you are seeking some sort of sick perversion in hearing me admit that my assumptions of you are wrong, I question if I wish to indulge you more than I already have." She replied with a small frown before beckoning one of the two drinks my direction. "Here, give this a taste and let me know as to your thoughts. And please, do me the favor of being honest in your response..."

She obviously was not the most comfortable with having to admit that she was wrong, and so I allowed her this short diversion. Her usual defenses which rung about her personality like an iron fortress were mostly nowhere to be seen as, while she retained some of her haughty, greater-than-thou attitude, the sharpness had dulled rather noticeably from their usual razors edge. Indulging her, I took the fancifully carved brandy glass from where it floated in the air before me and gave the fiery red contents a swirl whilst bringing it to my nose for a sniff. Immediately the sharp pinpricks of gin tempered by cranberry juice, Mother's Lacquer, and a spring of mint tingled my senses rather pleasantly. Hurricane Gin, brewed atop the holy mountains of the last Valkyrie Kingdom on the Continent, was impossible to confuse with another label for the taste and quality of their juniper berries alone. I admittedly knew little of their distillery and their brewing habits but I had enjoyed several of their dishes which had featured them as part of the garnish. Their taste was bold, even for juniper, and accentuated the normal pine tree and citrus notes with something akin to nutmeg or long pepper in its aftertaste; a sort of sweet, pepperiness cut with floral notes and hints of earthiness. Cut as it was with the other ingredients however, it transformed into a full-bodied aroma that was fruity, tangy, minty and capped off beautifully by a spicy undertone which flooded the nostrils with a supple grace befitting a Thestral dancer. For a mare for whom I saw as simply but a guilty indulger of Highlander gin, such a blended drink was surprisingly sophisticated and professionally mixed to boot. To be rather honest with myself...somehow I had always imagined that she took her gin straight. On ice at the very most with no other mixers or additives to cut the sharpness. It somehow fit her hard-as-stone personality in my eyes, just as fittingly as the moonwine suited her wealthy and sophisticated side. The taste, once I had drawn myself away from huffing the vapors from over the rim, was precisely as my nose had predicted. Fresh, sharp, fruity, minty and ever so soft upon the palette in a manner reminiscent of my own Kaer Solaris Sunrise tea. It was rather refreshing and altogether unexpected which made it all the more savory for her it seemed as she appraised my expression with a smile of satisfaction.

"No need for words, I can see that my gut instinct steered me true to the heart of your tastes." She giggled softly, seemingly more to herself than towards me. "I never took you as one for the delectable tastes of fruit, however I find myself at least pleasantly surprised in this matter."

"Well...I suppose I am glad to hear that then. The taste of fruit to me is one of the great consistent pleasures of this world, at least so far as it ripe and juicy of course. I can tolerate a few bruises and blemishes, but I would like to consider my taste in fruit to be on the more exacting side."

"Indeed? Interesting... Well, I myself am pleasantly surprised as I allowed my reading of you to dictate the beverage based upon instinct alone. Now, do enjoy that glass and give me a few moments peruse something relevant to our needs please. You said the names of those Scouts were Androma and Autumn?"

"Yes? Why?"

"You will see before long, one moment please."

With a clap of her hooves, a swirling orange vortex opened immediately in front of her and she strode through the event horizon boldly, vanishing from sight alongside her portal which collapsed in on itself the second after she disappeared. Once a few moments had passed and she did not yet immediately return, I took my leave of my chair and, accompanied by my rather delicious drink, decided to indulge myself a little in some light exploration. I knew better than to set my investigative hooves upon her desk or other similarly personal (and likely confidential) belongings, and so rather navigated my way through the narrow passages through the room towards one of the two curling staircases leading up to the grand telescope mounted above. It was an immaculate masterpiece of silversmithing, there was no hiding that fact, with beautifully smooth edges showing not a single sign of having ever been shaped by living beings. Thestral silversmiths were only matched (and occasionally beaten) by Pygmy and Dwemish masters, and for grand works such as this...it was debatable without a maker's mark as to which of these species produced such fine work. In my heart I knew the answer lay in the hooves of her people, yet I enjoyed toying about somewhat with the shadow of doubt within my mind. My memory for the fundamentals of astronomy taught in my fillyhood was fuzzy and far from clear, much like other distant memories from so very long ago. All that truly remained from those early lessons were but the memories of her face and voice rather than anything that had actually been said. Having spoken of her openly for the first time in what could have been years...it all came rushing back as a tsunami of memories and complicated feelings. The most predominant amongst them was an overwhelming sense of crippling guilt for my inconsiderate actions...

Rosemary had every right to call to attention my lax behavior in my duties as a child. To cut oneself off from individuals, even family, which caused genuine harm and distress was healthy and a sign of growth and recovery...but I had no such grounds to stand on. My relationship with my mother was as strong and loving as it should be, or so far as I was aware... I had just...grown lazy and overly distracted. The first time it had happened, I had been genuinely delayed in returning to Kaer Solaris on the third year of my tenure at my new home. I had spent my year on the Path meandering about the likes of the east-southeastern side of Equestrian territory, which constituted of those splinter Kingdoms which Celestia had coerced into vassalhood in service of her Empire including Yonderland. The region had yet to lose its reputation for a warm, comfortable climate with regular rainfall (save the large desert immediately to the east of the White Fang's rain shadow), yet it also had yet to lose its reputation for countless petty squabbles between the various Kingdoms. As Xanthus had mentioned back in the Crosswinds Inn, yet another minor war had only just recently reignited in the area from the embers left in the wake of the most recent one to occur. Whatever peace brokered from any of these many disputes over the years was typically rather short-lived as Dukes, Counts, Princes and other members of minor male royalty and nobility continually sent their personal armies of mercenaries against one another to settle their differences by-proxy. Indeed, the mercenary business in the east at large was an enormous, and exceedingly profitable business scheme as there was always a need for strong legs and stout equipment ready to answer the call to arms every few years. As per-the-usual, one of these same petty spats just so happened to spark anew in the region and I had found myself caught in the middle during an inexcusable lull in my general awareness of my surroundings. Surroundings which quickly became host to boisterously violent denizens of masculinity who blocked all easy routes in and out of the area.

War was typically rather good for Witcher's work as fresh corpses drew in all manner of creatures in search of an easy feast, yet my time to return home had already come and indeed, the window for a smooth, snow-free journey swiftly closed itself on me. The trees cast aside their autumn garb in favor of winter's nakedness, and yet I had remained trapped to an expansive isolated cave well hidden from the likes of the three sizable armies gathered near to do battle with one another. My prey, a decidedly thick infestation of venomous Cave Slimes which had lured-in and decimated the local wildlife with its sickly-sweet excretions, had been the cave's previous tenant making for a monstrously sickening miasma which lingered behind. For well over a month was I trapped there while they camped all about and made their casual war upon each other, making do with the last dregs of my autumn supplies, small creatures which sought shelter in my cave and whatever condensation built up upon the cave walls. And all the while, I feared my discovery from any number of factors out of my control meaning I knew only the heat of the most miniscule of flames so as to limit the amount of smoke my fires produced. For the first two or three weeks, their battles with one another were a near-daily experience to endure as the cacophony of metal, bellowed curses and the screams of the wounded and dying echoed against the walls of my subterranean camp. Further making my escape untenable was the presence of simply too many eyes on watch for any and all sign of movement in case of a surprise enemy attack. Indeed, as stealthy as I thought myself to be, my dark colors and scale-ridden armor were still rather noticeable against the colorful deciduous terrain of the region, something which only grew worse once the snow began to fall. It was only when a blizzard blown in from off the Eastern Sea caused attrition losses to mount faster than deaths in combat that the war was put on hold for the season, and each assembled army moved back to their various places of retreat to wait out the winter. Little had been left in their wake upon their departure, but I was able to scrounge up whatever was usable and replaced some of my missing supplies before I began my arduously long journey back towards the School of the Wolf.

By the time I had reached Kaer Solaris in the middling days of February, trudging through neck-high snow for most of the journey, I was only keeping myself alive and walking through the power of raw fury and powerful (and dangerous) Witcher's Potions. Such a combination of fuel was potent, fiery and able to enact a will of Isildine in the right individual capable of channeling it all towards a singular goal...yet it also had a tendency of slowly destroying the mind, body and Soul in the process. Come my frozen, enraged entrance back into the comparable warmth of the Solar Valley...my body finally came to its final rest and my last memory of that moment was of my knees buckling beneath me and the feeling of everything giving out all at once. The next thing I knew, I was interred in the Infirmary while being attended to by a small team of Healers with Vivian at their head. Their efforts to stabilize and rehabilitate my forsaken, broken body took the better part of a fortnight to come to fruition and I came out the other side some twenty kilos below my optimal weight and suffering a near 10% loss in overall muscle mass. By the time the spring thaw came in March, I had only partially recovered from my scrape with starvation and was not cleared for duty by Vivian until April had nearly halfway elapsed. By such time, my spirit felt unduly restrained by the confines of Kaer Solaris and I wished to get back to Hunting and making an income for myself. All thought of my then-yearly visits to my mother had entirely fled my mind and I threw myself onto the Path for my fill of proper Witcher's work after months of confinement of one sort or another.

My blind passion to make up for lost time resulted in finding myself wandering through the Kingdom of the Crescent Coast in the far northwest of Equestria come winter's icy overtures. That winter was spent renting out a dingy cellar room to a shifty innkeep I was able to bribe into letting me stay out of sight and (somewhat) out of the cold. And then, seemingly the very next thing I know, I am decades removed from that winter and yet remained still just as blind and oblivious to the very important thing I had neglected for too long. I would likely need a suitable place to lay low for some time after killing one, let alone both of the individuals I was slatted to eliminate...so perhaps it was time I returned home to say hello for a short while. A visit in the middle of the year rather than during its final weeks would certainly be an unusual change of behavior for me, but then again...so had my unconscious decision to stop making such visitations. I knew that her powers would keep her appraised as to my general status at any given time, and that she would surely know that I was alive and well even in the midst of my gross negligence as her daughter. If anything, such a notion had always been in the back of my mind as a sort of reassurance for my continued laziness even if I was not wholly conscious of it. She was kind enough to respect me as a matured adult and while she would be gently honest in her opinions of my choices, she had always allowed me to be my own mare and to stand by the choices I made, good or ill. So...while she had seemingly let my lapse in good behavior go unscolded due to undoubtedly keeping tabs on me through the signs she read in the sky, she had still let me live my life unimpeded by her hovering presence and a long set of personal expectations. She had unfairly earned and deserved every ounce of annoyance, or even outright anger, my continued absence inspired in her. I had been a horrifically poor daughter for the past half a century after all... I was only spared from further intrusive thoughts by the reappearance of Rosemary's portal and her emergence with a rather aged brick of a tome as thick as my thigh accompanying her. Likewise in her possession was a large rolled up map of the Continent, and what appeared to be the Signacula of one of the Scouts Elite in her possession, although this one seemed particularly big, important-looking, and above all, absolutely ancient in its construction.

"Taking in the majesty of my crowning centerpiece finally?" She crooned again with amusement as we locked eyes. "I would have been entirely devastated if you had failed to stop and appreciate it. After all, you would have grown up living near unto one of these in your own home I would assume?"

"Aye...but never with any modicum of talent for its form and function." I admitted with remorse for my poor mother having to see all her talents and knowledge reside with her and her alone in our household. "I recognize the apparatus and many details about it ring distant bells of memory, but the subtleties are entirely lost to me. It is a magnificent masterpiece, however...commissioned out of Prifddinas I take it?"

"But of course, the one and only!" She beamed proudly, putting a gentle hoof to the hulking silver giant. "This was my own mother's for many a century, Gods give rest to her weary old Soul... I first received the litanies of the Cosmos at the very learned hooves of my mother, just like you it seems. It is most unfortunate that I cannot connect with you over such a subject...but that is neither here nor there at this time. Perhaps one day we may teach you yet how to tease out the secrets of the stars, but on this night we have other more important matters to concern ourselves with. Come, let us get a proper plan of action formulated for you while we still have the time. The morning hours begin to draw ever nearer as we stand here and chat..."

"What do you mean? Everything's already enough in place I would think, except for maybe my disguise but I was planning on solving that once I arrived."

She paused in place upon the slender curling stairs leading back to the closed-in confines of the area surrounding her desk and seemed wholly perturbed by my statement. Given my inexperience in the craft of assassination, I had likely struck her as pathetically amateur with my wholly simplistic plan. A plan which ultimately revolved almost entirely around on-the-spot decisions to be made as useful information presented itself while I was out there. Admittedly...such an attitude and plan alike were as lazy as they were overly reliant upon blind luck and favorable conditions beyond my ability to control. Things like fair weather, a blind and docile civilian population, and a fat, lazy garrison with sleepy eyes giving only cursory glances about the city were all potential boons, yet I had zero advance knowledge as to the reliability of any of these factors for my specific needs. And of course, all of those same factors were but amongst countless other small-but-weighty events which could hold my very life upon their own individual razor edges. If she were offering more than just a mere teleport...I would be a fool to turn it down. After all, she now had a vested interest in my success...and I could only hope there was some interest left in reserve for my subsequent survival of the whole debacle. If not to keep me around as some sort of ace up her selfish sleeve at the very least...

"I will again deign to forgive you for such blatant stupidity as, again, you are no assassin of Sentients." She said flatly, a statement of brutally honest fact that I knew she had every right to. "I know this is all a rather new concept to you, which is something to be commented at the very least, however you will need to open yourself to some rather unorthodox ways of thought in order to perform your best at this. Seeing as you are now in my employment, in a roundabout sense, it is only fitting that I look out for your well-being as I seek the best outcome from all of this. That includes your survival as well as, after this, you will become ever closer to being a fitting tool in my arsenal of resources and such aid is due its own reward, the least of which being continued existence."

"Is that all I am to be to you? A tool for enacting your own ends held in perpetuity by means of blackmail?"

"Darling, everything and everyone, including myself, are but tools at play in the hooves of another being whether we are aware of it or not. And besides, is not the most professional of masters one to take the utmost care of the tools under their command? After all, they are the means by which the master's vision is brought to life and are due their own praise for their resilience and usefulness as, without them, there is no stone, no wood and no metal to be chipped and carved finely away into a beautiful realization of inspired vision. And yes, I will keep your little secret safe in my possession if it ever becomes...necessary, however I have a feeling that you will find yourself feeling as agreeable as I am this night. Such an under-hoofed tactic like that would scarcely even be necessary to consider at that point after all."

"Agreeable? Is that what you're referring to this whole situation as for me? ...Fine, that will have to suffice then..." I grumbled in resigned reply, taking a seat once more beside her broad marble office desk upon which she unfurled the continental map in her possession. "What are we looking for on here anyway? You already know my final destination so I am not sure what good this will do for us at this point."

"Hush, Frejdá..." She mumbled as her hefty tome was plopped down atop the map with a very weighty thud. "In case you have forgotten, a great method of learning new information is to keep one's mouth shut and to leave their ears open. Save all questions for an appropriate lull in the conversation where you will not unduly interrupt your teacher while she opens the pages of some forgotten history for our combined purposes. Now, give me a moment to peruse this registry if you would... Androma and Autumn, yes?"

"U-uh...yeah, that is correct. What are you d-"

"Listen and you shall learn, did I not just spell this shite out for you word-for-word not just a moment ago? Gods above, mare... Alright, it is time that I introduce you to a rather old concept which was conceived in this very room three centuries ago. Have you perchance ever heard of an old initiative known as R&R?"

"R&R...? Truly cannot say that that is in any way familiar..."

"Understandable, it failed to garner enough traction before the grander scope of the plan was entirely shelved for good not too long after its inception. Unfortunately, the guild at large was already beginning to start truly feeling the effects of the end of your Golden Age and, with a lack of recruits and resources, the project never truly left the early stages of development. It stands for 'Rescue & Recovery', a plan to ensure that Witchers, Witchlings and Acolytes alike could be guaranteed some form of rescue from all but the most precarious of situations when out wandering the Path. I assume that you have seen one of these little artifacts before now, yes?"

Accompanying her question was a gentle lifting of the Signacula I had spied earlier for me to more clearly see. I was indeed familiar with the curious little wooden tags reinforced by a band of metal around the edge bearing the image of a Zamak Raven with a message scroll clenched in one talon, and a spyglass in the other. The concept existed well outside the bounds of merely the Scouts Elite as it acted as a useful method for identifying soldiers and which company of fellows they belonged to, as well as the name and rank of their commanding officer should the need for commendation or punishment arise. Amongst the Scouts, their purpose was precisely the same while also acting as their badge of office which, while not nearly as recognized as it once was, still held some political immunity as their duty was exclusively for the purpose of supporting the Hunts against the Abyss. While it wouldn't deter the stupid and the vindictive, theirs was a job occupied by even common Equestrian citizens in some regions, so it was not seen in the same negative light like that the Witcher Schools they almost exclusively assisted. Free Merchants occupied a similarly protective niche with their charters bearing the Royal Seals of all nations which recognized the bearer of the document as authorized to conduct business across all borders regardless of the presence of war or peace in the region. The likes of the Free Merchants Guild had decreased significantly since the Cleansing however, leaving what resilient roots of the Scouts Elite which survived to be the only major group with such ancient freedoms still in active service.

The Signacula currently in her possession was noticeably larger than the typical examples I had seen on members of the Scouts in the past, and sported a beautifully faceted garnet that was similarly larger in size to what was otherwise typically issued. Likewise, the decorative band of metal encircling the edges of the placard were made of what appeared to be finely-hammered gold; most certainly a visible token of rank. As I marveled over the little object in her possession, Rosemary busied herself by pouring through the worn pages of whatever tome that she had brought from the depths of...wherever it was that she had vanished off to. Though she brushed me away when I attempted to peer over her shoulder to glance over what it was that she was so intent on, I managed to see what looked like a ledger of sorts. A leftward column seemed to possess a list of numerals which likely correlated to those I knew to be carved into each Signacula, while the right contained lists of what appeared to be names written beside each identification number. The ink of the current owner's name, if there was one, was softly glowing at their respective places upon the page. Some numbers only possessed a short list of owners, while others, undoubtedly predominantly owned by multiple generations of family, laid claim to dozens of names apiece. Several were also clearly crossed out by a thin red line and a noticeable lack of glow to any of the letters accompanying them indicating that the badge was lost, destroyed, or otherwise beyond recovery. The creation of new Signaculum was reportedly a tedious process fraught with many standards of quality and overall creation which made the continual reuse of existing examples far more tenable for such a wide spread organization. As to how this master list of hers operated, or what it was all capable of...I simply had to wait and listen as she had already needed to remind me to do twice now. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to scold me and school me in the same breath which was...good for her I suppose...

"Here we are!" She declared proudly once she had seemingly found her target amongst the endless dusty pages she had passed through. "This would have been far simpler had we their personal identification numbers...but alas, I yet prevail over such terrible circumstances."

"For once, I agree. Violet failed to mention such a thing and I realize now that I was foolish to continue on without it. Knowing their names is hardly enough information to find them, let alone convince them that I mean them no harm and am there on her behalf... Everything was set up to suit Violet's needs and all this last-moment planning has done little to cater to the fact that I'm the one now slated to go through with it all. Gods, it was never going to work in the timeframe I have set for me, was it?"

"Ah look! She is only now realizing just how pitifully thin the planning laid out before her was. Better late than never I suppose..." Came yet another sigh of disdain from her lips before she rolled her silvery eyes and turned to levitate her larger-than-usual Signacula over the first of the names she had managed to find on her own. "Now, watch this handy little trick that is left over from the only success of those few dhort weeks of fruitful experimentation and development."

Giving the garnet set into the token a visible zap of magic, the jewel began to glow brightly with a beautiful inner amber light of the darkest honey hues before casting forth two beams of light. One shot directly down onto the glowing name of Androma Ishdára upon the page, whilst the other projected a solitary glowing point upon the map on the table. Located roughly where Violet had indicated that she would be, the little dot was some half-league removed from the city's outskirts keeping to the confines of a shaded woodland located some ways from the High Road nearby. Even in my ignorance of the nuances of the general situation I found myself in, I knew that she had felt what must have been overwhelming relief at the sight of a suitably lush forest to take shelter in. Though their nocturnal nature was heavily influenced by the more bat-like qualities of their Thestral ancestors, plenty enough of their affinity for trees and forests shone through the lives of Nightkin in a similar manner to how it presented itself in my own kind. If she had managed to find a cozy little cave in which to pitch her camp...a the height of summer, she was likely living her best life as a Scout in the field. The local Equestrians would undoubtedly cause her untold grief for her mixed Equestrian-Thestral heritage and accuse her of betraying her ancestors, even though the origin of her kind lay in the same mix of romantic and arranged marriages which had led Highland Valkyrie and Thestrals to first produce Lowland Valkyries like myself. Finding her was going to be on an almost instinctual level as I too felt the call of the forests, as well as some modicum of a sense for nearby caves which was a seeming residual evolutionary trait of truly ancient Thestrals. Of course, my job would scarcely have been made so simplistic without the aid of Rosemary and her unexpected book of new tricks, the likes of which I found myself to be rather impressed by.

"Wow...alright, I must admit, that is one Hel of a neat trick you have there. Is this Arcane signal recent and up-to-date?"

"Give-or-take a few minutes, the garnets imbedded into each of their Signaculum take some time to recharge the muted homing spell which was imbued into them at the time of their creation. Given the failure of the R&R project, knowledge of this spell being connected with each one in circulation is extremely limited, let alone the knowledge as to how to activate the Commander's Sigil, as I am right now, in order to locate an active Scout in the field. But, as you can clearly see, this will prove most useful to you I would think as it will save you much gallivanting about looking like a lost fool. It is graciously simple as it was designed for use by any number of species. Even those without an ounce of the Power within them can make use of these with some charged gemstones in their possession."

I rolled my eyes lightly in reply before changing the topic back for a moment, if but to satisfy my burning curiosity as to something said earlier.

"You mentioned that this project was supposed to ensure a safe recovery of sorts to Witchers and the like who are in mortal danger or distress out on the open road? How was that proposed to have worked in the original drafts of this initiative?"

"Oh, well the Witcher or other in question would each have been issued a similar artifice to the Signacula which came with an Arcane beacon that would be monitored in a similar manner as to the Scouts'. It could be activated either at will, or at the discretion of their Guardian were they in the possession of one, and would trigger an alarm of sorts in the headquarters of the project. Those on duty would assess the location and identity of the call for aid and dispatch one or two of the Scouts on duty directly to their side to further asses the situation on the ground. If the circumstances were decidedly deadly and beyond the skill of the Scout and Witcher to immediately handle alone, the Scout could activate a secondary beacon of their own which would summon both a team of Healers as well as a crack response team of hardy bastards. The idea was for a near-immediate heavy response their preciseblocation for on-the-spot close support. Once the dust settled and the act of emergency triage performed so that the subject is no longer in any immediate danger of death, all participants would then signal for extraction back to the waiting arms of Kaer Solaris and the broader range of services provided by the Infirmary. Impressively ambitious if I might say so myself...it is a true pity it was too grand a plan to put into action so late in our history. I wonder what good could have been performed by such a bold concept during the height of this Valley's heyday with myself spearheading the initiative..."

"Holy Istiél, that would have been incredible to have as insurance against a shitty death...!" I gasped as the full scope of the concept was unveiled to me, as well as the devastating loss its lack of existence now caused in me now that I was in the know as to what could have been.

"Mind your tongue with your Deities, Frejdá" She warned coolly. "You may never know when the next time their name touches your lips that a will beyond your own enacts some unknowable Fate upon you... Regardless, yes it is an utter shame that such a thing lies in obscurity amongst the other secrets of the past. However...we are still able to benefit from what remains of the project at the very least. Something which I feel I should mention is fat more luck than we are worthy to receive."

"Ah, yes. Blessings of most favorable winds for our maiden voyage of assassination..." I muttered to myself with a dark laugh.

"Yes, yes...snarky comebacks abound in thee and all of that nonsense... Now! To locate this Autumn... Does he happen to have a last name? These Equestrians have such a bizarre sense of logical naming conventions which results in repetitive themes despite their wide variety of names. I can think of nearly forty Autumns from off the top of my head, half of them dead, a quarter with some modicum of Arcane talent and the rest some form of their pointless, bloated nobility... Narrowing such a list down would significantly aid me here. Androma is unabashedly Nightkin and made for swift recognition, but an Equestrian...is going to take longer using the same basic methods."

"Harvest. Autumn Harvest."

"Hm...not the most unpleasant of their pedantic names I suppose... Thank you, one more moment please."

As the beams of light dimmed and the pages of the tome began turning once more, I made a mental note of the little forest which my first informant had made her home for later reference. With my extra spot of help, her search for the second name was rather swift and before I knew it, she was already setting the Signacula atop the page in question. This beam lay directly within the city itself, an area which Rosemary was forced to zoom-in on using some extra spellwork similar to those which controlled the sophisticated folding maps contained within our Codices. Here I was able to get a second proper gander at the inner layout of the city arranged around its lengthy stretch of port access on the River Maydock. And again, as Violet's intelligence had reported, Autumn was located smack in the heart of the port district in the midst of a sprawling maze of docks, ships, and wooden piers. The city seemed so much more...dense than what I had spied for myself by way of my own map, the accuracy of the depiction being of questionable recency. The amount of civilian crowds that I could use to disappear in and out of for cover was going to be rife with potential opportunities...yet the thought of so many unwashed, filthy townsfolk so tightly crowded together within a set of city walls was hardly palatable. I had felt rather uncomfortable with the crowd in attendance at the Vigil earlier in the night, and all those gathered for it were people whom I knew and/or trusted outright to do me no harm. To be in the heart of an Equestrian city under even more unfavorable conditions with decidedly more unfriendly denizens was likely enough to drive me mad on multiple fronts.

"Hm...well, at least both their signals are detectable and still registering strong as active. That is good enough for me then, I will go ahead and gift you this Commander's token so that you can do this yourself with your Codex map. Don't you fret, I will likewise produce a small slip of parchment with their names listed in the same manner as produced in this tome for the same reason. It is as simple as placing it atop the specified name, giving the jewel a jolt of energy to power its spell and letting its guiding light lead you true. So easy, even you would be hard pressed to find a simple method to muck it all up."

"Thank you for the candid vote of personal confidence in me..."

"Oh hush, I have seen you through this far without sending your arse unceremoniously to meet with the surface of Mother's Mirror have I not?"

"Well...technically yes..."

"See? You have nothing to worry about! The Sorceress Supreme herself has you in the best of care and is interested in your best interests at this particular juncture."

"Funny...then why am I hardly feeling any sense of comfort or relief for what lies in store for me?"

"I would hope that you learn how to do both then. And now! With that out of the way, I think it is high time that we make some...adjustments to your appearance for the sake of the secrecy of our mission."

"Just what sort of 'adjustments' are we talking about here...?"

Her eyes glowed a bright blue hue as her inner Aura noticeably flared up within her like the sudden ignition of a celestial star before my very eyes. I knew that she was always holding back her vast reserves of Arcane power...but even glimpsing this minor drop in her façade of calm and control...it terrified me. She embodied everything that my mother could have ever hoped for in an inheritor of the Cosmic insights that she was most privy to herself. I felt, if anything, utterly inferior and unworthy. Astrid was a veritable saint in her own right for bearing with my...boundless inadequacies as a daughter. Not the least of which being my continued lapse in my journeys out to visit her.

"We can fix you to look however you wish in order to fully blend in amongst these degenerate savages." She said ominously, her voice echoing with the Power lacing her very being even though the expression upon her face was one of utter enjoyment for the moment. "So tell me, Frejdá...how would you like to be reshaped and remade anew this night?"

* * * * * * * * * *