The three of them held their positions, nobody willing to be the first to act. The elf raised one hand, palm out. "I mean no harm. I am only here to help Zireael."
Finn's grip on his lightsaber didn't loosen. He ran through what he knew of Aen Saevherne, sages, seers. Then, he remembered one name.
"You're… Avallach," Finn said.
The elf frowned. "You know my name, crwydren. Did Zireael tell you of me?"
"Never mind that," Ciri said. "How did you find us?"
"I am an Aen Saevherne." Avallach put his hands behind his back. "Knowing is my curse, Zireael. You know this."
"And why are you here?" Ciri said. "Do you not remember the last time we met? You tried to sell me out to your king!"
"I remember it very clearly," said Avallach. "Which is why I am here. To help you. To atone the sins that I have done. Eredin knows you're here. He has been watching you for quite some time now. He has figured out that you're not using your abilities to travel anymore, instead following this crwydren, and have set up an ambush in this cold world."
Finn's mind went to the window. The blizzard outside was the same as when they'd arrived. Nothing moved through it that he could make out. But what's to say that all this isn't natural?
Then he caught the frost on the floor, creeping in through the base of the walls, spreading slowly across the stone toward the center of the room.
"You're not lying on the ambush part," Finn said. "It looks like they noticed you here, sage."
Avallach's expression tightened. He extended his hand toward Ciri. "Come with me, Zireael. We have no time. Eredin will be here soon."
Ciri's sword arm hadn't dropped. She was already turning the exit over in her mind, Finn could tell. Then she pointed at him.
"He comes with us."
"I do not think—"
"Then we have no deal." Ciri extended her arm to Finn. "Finn, let's just teleport away from here."
A beat of silence from Avallach, his fist tightening at his side. "...Wait. Very well. But the crwydren will leave once we are in a safe location."
"We'll see about that," Ciri muttered.
Avallach held her gaze a moment longer, then turned away. He raised a hand and passed it through the air, and a portal opened out of nothing, its edges crackling with energy. "Come."
He stepped through first. Ciri turned to Finn. "You go first."
Finn raised a brow. "Why?"
"He might be playing tricks and close the portal once I enter."
Finn let out a short laugh. "Why do you insist on keeping me?"
"You know why," Ciri said. "You've told me the whole story of it."
She put both hands flat against his back and pushed him through, then stepped through herself.
—
The other side was warm, or at least warmer than the blizzard they'd left behind. The desert stretched out around them, and above them, a full moon sat enormously in the sky. It wasn't a dead desert though. He could see some cactus, some low scrub plants. Somewhere at the edge of Finn's sense of things, this world felt familiar. Near the rock face sat an oil barrel, clearly very modern and industrial, very out of place in Finn's mind, as he just passed through a medieval world.
Off to one side, Avallach was already building a fire. Ciri dropped down in front of it and paid the sage no attention.
"Now crwydren," Avallach said, settling on the other side of the fire, "you can resume your travels here. This is a good world to stay in for a while. I am sure you make due here. You can leave Zireael's matters to me."
Ciri scoffed. "No. He stays. I do not trust you, Avallach. Not one bit."
"He will be of no use to us, only a burden from now on," said Avallach. "He has no knowledge of what is to be your fate, Ciri. Of what you're capable of."
"I know that you hate Ciri, deep down." Finn said it without raising his voice. Avallach's head came around, snapping. "I know that you hate that Lara Dorren's blood has been mixed with a human's blood. I know that you hate Ciri's existence due to what she represents. I know that you are supposed to marry Lara Dorren. I know that you're only in this because you need the elder blood. Nothing more. Nothing less. This is all just a political game to you. To get revenge for the death of your king, to dethrone Eredin, to stop the white frost so you'd be regarded as a savio—"
"Enough!" The word cracked out of Avallach with a force that hit Finn physically, a pressure that moved through the air and landed against his chest. Avallach was on his feet and across the fire in three steps. "...How much do you know… crwydren? What kind of abilities do you possess that made you know all this?"
"I know enough things," Finn said. "To make due."
Avallach held his position for a moment, then Ciri rose to her feet.
"I will not come with you unless he comes with me. I trust him more than I trust you. He's saved my life, more than once. He gave me respite, breathing room, in this… exile, even if he doesn't have to. So yes. He will stay. Whether you like it or not."
Avallach's disdain didn't move from his face. "You've become too attached to him."
"And?" Ciri crossed her arms. "Is that a problem in your eyes?"
"Ciri," Finn said. "May we talk? Alone? For a moment?"
Ciri frowned, then nodded.
—
They walked far enough from the fire so that Avallach didn't hear them. Ciri already had the look of someone whose patience was nearly gone.
"Look," Finn said. "Ciri, like it or not, Avallach is key to your future."
"Oh by the gods." Ciri pressed a hand to her face. "Surely, right? Surely you are not going to tell me that I am to follow him just like I did in the story that you read and trust him with my life? Even though I already know the ending to it?"
"Of course not. But I must say to you that Avallach is, in the end, harmless to your current goal. His goal is the survival of your blood. And to stop the White Frost. The latter you are going to do anyway, or at least, that's your goal, right? To stop the White Frost as well?"
"Well of course!" The words came out sharper than she meant. "And?"
"So I'm saying just follow along for now. In the end we still need his expertise in dealing with the Wild Hunt."
"He is going to push you off," Ciri said. "I will just say it: like you said, he only wants my blood. He doesn't care about me, he never did. He will not like anyone, including yourself, disturbing his obsession. I am not letting him push you off."
Finn exhaled. "Ciri… you never asked me once if I wanted to stay or not."
Her face went through Finn's words quickly, and her certainty drained out of it. "I… Well… Do you… want to stay and help me?"
She turned away before he could answer. "I… I suppose you already helped me a lot. You've told me of my future, you gave me some breathing room to all these… running away… If I asked you to stay once more… it'll be too much, won't it?" Her hand moved to her forehead. "Gods, I feel like I came back to the spoiled and whiny princess that I was. Forgive me. I won't demand anything."
Finn put a hand on her shoulder. "Look… It is not as if I have something to do. So of course I'll help you."
She turned back to face him and smiled. "Thank you."
—
Back at the fire, the three of them settled around it. Avallach kept his attention on Finn, his disdain undimmed.
"You're to stay, then?" he asked.
"He stays or we leave," Ciri said. "Your choice."
Avallach shook his head and said nothing.
"Our goal is eventually to stop Eredin and his Wild Hunt," he said, after a moment. "Currently we are in no position to come back to our world. Eredin would be ready to receive us there the second we arrive. We need to wait. At least until he is relaxed enough that we have the time to find someone that can be our allies."
"He's not going to be relaxed enough," Finn said. "He'll be alert, probably even find other ways to get to Ciri."
Avallach's expression soured. "And what, crwydren, would Eredin and his Wild Hunt find?"
"There is Yennefer of Vengerberg, or Geralt of Rivia. They could attempt to kidnap them again as a hostage for Ciri."
Avallach's tone shifted into something more careful. "That could happen. However, currently, they are in no position to do so, as those two are entangled in other plots right now, plots that made Eredin couldn't reach them. Wraiths as they are, they are not going to charge down towards a city wall to find just one or two people. But we should have that possibility in mind. Although, there is an easy way out of this problem. Zireael doesn't have to simply answer the demands if it does happen."
"No," Ciri said. "I will not leave Geralt and Yennef—"
"I thought as much," Avallach cut her off. "Then the only course as of now is for Ciri to stay in this world. How long? I do not know. Eredin should not be able to find you here. It is a remote world."
"Remote? Is there a concept of remote worlds?" Finn asked. "You mean there are core worlds?"
Avallach looked at Finn as if he was but a lesser being. "You still have much to learn about world travel, crwydren. For now, you all should rest. We should venture to the city first thing in the morning tomorrow."
"City?" Ciri asked.
"You can see it in the distance. Just climb the hill and you'll see it."
Avallach moved away from the fire to find somewhere to sleep, and Finn and Ciri climbed the hill together.
From the top, the city spread out below them in the distance. Skyscrapers, lit in neon that cut through the desert's darkness in reds, blues, yellows. Smoke rose from a dozen points across it. Even from here, the sound reached them, barely audible, but it's there, a constant low hum that could have been anything.
"That's…" Finn murmured. "Night City."
Ciri rolled her eyes. "Of course you know it. Let me guess? You don't want to explain it now?"
Finn laughed. "You wouldn't believe it unless you see it yourself."
---
A/N: Leave a powerstone, comment, and review if you like the story!