'I do.' He turned his head away, clenched his lips.

'Don't resist. Don't defend yourself. I can guess why you turned to me rather than her. Overcome your pride, crush your rancour and obstinacy. There is no point to it, you'll torture yourself to death. And you are risking Ciri's health and life in the process. Another trance is liable to be more dangerous to her than the Trial of Grasses. Ask Yennefer for help, Geralt.'

'And you, Triss?'

'What about me?' She swallowed with difficulty. 'I'm not important. I let you down. I let you down… in everything. I was… I was your mistake. Nothing more.'

'Mistakes,' he said with effort, 'are also important to me. I don't cross them out of my life, or memory. And I never blame others for them. You are important to me, Triss, and always will be. You never let me down. Never. Believe me.'

She remained silent a long while.

'I will stay until spring,' she said finally, struggling against her shaking voice. 'I will stay with Ciri… I will watch over her. Day and night. I will be with her day and night. And when spring is here… when spring is here we will take her to Melitele's Temple in Ellander. The thing that wants to possess her might not be able to reach her in the temple. And then you will ask Yennefer for help.'

'All right, Triss. Thank you.'

'Geralt?'

'Yes.'

'Ciri said something else, didn't she? Something only you heard. Tell me what it was.'

'No,' he protested and his voice quivered. 'No, Triss.'

'Please.'

'She wasn't speaking to me.'

'I know. She was speaking to me. Tell me, please.'

'After coming to… When I picked her up… She whispered: "Forget about him. Don't torture him.'"

'I won't,' she said quietly. 'But I can't forget. Forgive me.'

'I am the one who ought to be asking for forgiveness. And not only asking you.'

'You love her that much,' she stated, not asking.

'That much,' he admitted in a whisper after a long moment of silence.

'Geralt.'

'Yes, Triss?'

'Stay with me tonight.'

'Triss…'

'Only stay.'

'All right.'

Not long after Midinvaerne the snow stopped falling. The frost came.

Triss stayed with Ciri day and night. She watched over her. She surrounded her with care, visible and invisible.

The girl woke up shouting almost every night. She was delirious, holding her cheek and crying with pain. The magician calmed her

with spells and elixirs, put her to sleep, cuddling and rocking her in her arms. And then she herself would be unable to sleep for a long time, thinking about what Ciri had said in her sleep and after she came to. And she felt a mounting fear. Va'esse deireadh aep eigean… Something is ending…

That is how it was for ten days and nights. And finally it passed. It ended, disappeared without a trace. Ciri calmed, she slept peacefully with no nightmares, and no dreams.

But Triss kept a constant watch. She did not leave the girl for a moment. She surrounded her with care. Visible and invisible.

'Faster, Ciri! Lunge, attack, dodge! Half-pirouette, thrust, dodge! Balance! Balance with your left arm or you'll fall from the comb! And you'll hurt your… womanly attributes!'

'What?'

'Nothing. Aren't you tired? We'll take a break, if you like.'

'No, Lambert! I can go on. I'm not that weak, you know. Shall I try jumping over every other post?'

'Don't you dare! You might fall and then Merigold will tear my- my head off.'

'I won't fall!'

'I've told you once and I'm not going to say it again. Don't show off! Steady on your legs! And breathe, Ciri, breathe! You're panting like a dying mammoth!'

'That's not true!'

'Don't squeal. Practise! Attack, dodge! Parry! Half-piroutte! Parry, full pirouette! Steadier on the posts, damn it! Don't wobble! Lunge, thrust! Faster! Half-pirouette! Jump and cut! That's it! Very good!'

'Really? Was that really very good, Lambert?'

'Who said so?'

'You did! A moment ago!'

'Slip of the tongue. Attack! Half-pirouette! Dodge! And again! Ciri, where was the parry? How many times do I have to tell you? After you dodge you always parry, deliver a blow with the blade to protect your head and shoulders! Always!'

'Even when I'm only fighting one opponent?'

'You never know what you're fighting. You never know what's happening behind you. You always have to cover yourself. Foot and sword work! It's got to be a reflex. Reflex, understand? You mustn't forget that. You forget it in a real fight and you're finished. Again! At last! That's it! See how such a parry lands? You can take any strike from it. You can cut backwards from it, if you have to. Right, show me a pirouette and a thrust backwards.'

'Haaa!'

'Very good. You see the point now? Has it got through to you?'

'I'm not stupid!'

'You're a girl. Girls don't have brains.'

'Lambert! If Triss heard that!'

'If ifs and ands were pots and pans. All right, that's enough. Come down. We'll take a break.'

'I'm not tired!'

'But I am. I said, a break. Come down from the comb.'

'Turning a somersault?'

'What do you think? Like a hen off its roost? Go on, jump. Don't be afraid, I'm here for you.'

'Haaaa!'

'Nice. Very good – for a girl. You can take off the blindfold now.'

'Triss, maybe that's enough for today? What do you think? Maybe we could take the sleigh and ride down the hill? The sun's shining, the snow's sparkling so much it hurts the eyes! The weather's beautiful!'

'Don't lean out or you'll fall from the window.'

'Let's go sleighing, Triss!'

'Suggest that again in Elder Speech and we'll end the lesson there. Move away from the window, come back to the table… Ciri, how many times do I have to ask you? Stop waving that sword about and put it away.'

'It's my new sword! It's real, a witcher's sword! Made of steel

which fell from heaven! Really! Geralt said so and he never lies, you know that!'

'Oh, yes. I know that.'

'I've got to get used to this sword. Uncle Vesemir had it adjusted just right for my weight, height and arm-length. I've got to get my hand and wrist accustomed to it!'

'Accustom yourself to your heart's content, but outside. Not here! Well, I'm listening. You wanted to suggest we get the sleigh out. In Elder Speech. So – suggest it.'

'Hmmm… What's "sleigh"?'

'Sledd as a noun. Aesledde as a verb.'

'Aha… Vaien aesledde, ell'ea?'

'Don't end a question that way, it's impolite. You form questions using intonation.'

'But the children from the Islands-'

'You're not learning the local Skellige jargon but classical Elder Speech.'

'And why am I learning the Speech, tell me?'

'So that you know it. It's fitting to learn things you don't know. Anyone who doesn't know other languages is handicapped.'

'But people only speak the common tongue anyway!'

'True. But some speak more than just it. I warrant, Ciri, that it is better to count yourself amongst those few than amongst everyone. So, I'm listening. A full sentence: "The weather today is beautiful, so let's get the sleigh.'"

'Elaine… Hmmm… Elaine tedd a'taeghane, a va'en aesledde?'

'Very good.'

'Ha! So let's get the sleigh.'

'We will. But let me finish applying my make-up.'

'And who are you putting make-up on for, exactly?'

'Myself. A woman accentuates her beauty for her own self-esteem.'

'Hmmm… Do you know what? I feel pretty poorly too. Don't laugh, Triss!'

'Come here. Sit on my knee. Put the sword away, I've already asked you! Thank you. Now take that large brush and powder

your face. Not so much, girl, not so much! Look in the mirror. See how pretty you are?'

'I can't see any difference. I'll do my eyes, all right? What are you laughing at? You always paint your eyes. I want to too.'