Chapter 15 Under a violet moon
Geralt walked out of the castle quite fast. His face equalled a thunderstorm and Eira decided it would be better to let him be for now. When the bard wanted to go talk to the witcher, the elemental had grabbed him by the elbow.
Eira shook her head.
"Let him be," she murmured, "I think it's for the best to join him tomorrow."
Jaskier had nodded with his hands leaning on his hips.
"You're probably right," he spoke and watched the full moon above them.
They were out of the castle and walked a bit in a comfortable silence side by side. Their hands touched sometimes, making Eira smile and looking up at the stars in the bright night sky.
"I'm sorry I didn't wrote you," the bard spoke up and held his pace.
They were on a small, dusty road in the middle of the night with nothing but the two of them. And an owl, Eira could hear its sound coming from one of the trees around them.
The elemental looked up at him.
"Why didn't you? I would have written back," she said.
"I didn't know what to write," Jaskier admitted. "It would always be the same letter. That I missed you. That I wished I didn't have to leave. That I wanted to be next to you instead of singing before some rich folks. It wouldn't be my most poetic work."
Eira stared up at him in silence while she hesitantly took his hands into her own. She wanted to have Jaskier close to her, to touch him and feel his skin against hers. A feeling foreign to her, but yet it felt good to have the bard back with her.
"I missed you too," she whispered and felt her cheeks heat up while staring at his feet. "I'm … new to this and when that troubadour lady came to you at the castle," she doubted to admit her jealousy and sighed. "I felt as if I wanted to have her gone. Out of your sight, I mean."
Jaskier laughed, a warm, rumbling sound that woke the butterflies in her stomach.
"She's an old friend," he said, one of his hands came to rest on her face. "You shouldn't be jealous on anyone."
He urged her to look up at him again and Eira saw his beautiful smile right before Jaskier kissed her gently. His arms circled around her waist and pulled Eira close against him.
The Elemental hummed out of pure happiness and her fingers played with his hair. Jaskier held her close, his lips exploring the corners of her lips, her neck and back again.
Eira felt warm all of a sudden. Too warm and pulled a bit back to catch her breath. Her lips tingled from the kiss and she still felt the bard's lips on hers. Eira her gaze travelled up from his chest, where her hands rested, to his face and met his eyes. The light blue had taken on a different, darker shade and Eira felt another longing settle between her thighs.
The bard coughed to clear his throat and looked up to the sky again. The full moon had a lovely violet shade now and casted its soft light upon both of them.
"I haven't seen you dance at the castle," Jaskier murmured with a smile. "I did see how the young men were all enchanted by your presence. Yet, you refused to dance with every single one of them."
Eira followed his gaze up, hands still resting on his chest and Jaskier's arms around her.
"I had no interest in them. They had nothing exciting to tell," she said and felt the bard chuckle. "Also, I can't dance. I think. I never danced before."
His face snapped into her direction again, a serious look crossed his features and Eira suddenly felt like she said something wrong.
"You never danced before?"
She hesitantly shook her head, her gaze still up to the moon and stars.
"No, never had the chance," she stated.
"Let's change that, shall we?!"
Eira frowned when he suddenly let her go and took a step back. The first thing she wanted to do was to pull him back against her. She missed his warmth already, but instead, Eira looked at him confused. The bard bowed before her with a large grin. She laughed softly.
"There's no music, Jaskier," she said when he took her hand, twirled her around and pulled her closer again.
"There's always music," he murmured in her ear, "you just need to listen carefully."
He moved his feet and Eira followed. Slowly at first and when the Elemental wanted to look at her feet, Jaskier lifted up her chin and told her to look at him instead.
He twirled her around and back against him under the night sky. Jaskier was right ; Eira could hear the music in her mind and loved how he led her through the dance. The smile on her face was bright and Jaskier sometimes kissed her in between twirls.
Her dress ruffled on the path and Eira was happy she got rid of the heels when they left the castle. Her feet darted on their own as soon as she got the hang of it and Jaskier grinned happily.
A sudden change in the air made Eira stop and look around her. The bard, still holding her hands, frowned and followed her gaze.
"What's wrong?"
Eira held up her hand to keep him silent for a few moments. Something tugged inside her. Something that made a sudden sense of fear took hold of her. Her magic buzzed, hands started to shake uncontrollably and Jaskier looked at her in worry.
"Eira?"
The Elemental snapped her head into his direction. The sound of the woods around them suddenly sharp and clear in her ears. Her gaze was determined yet there was fear in them.
"Geralt," she said and turned around towards the East. "He's in trouble."
The bard arched a brow.
"What?"
"Trust me," she said fast and started to move into the direction of the woods, "he needs help."
"Eira, he's probably sleeping," Jaskier told her, but she shook her head briskly.
"No," Eira said, "he isn't. Something's wrong. Stay here, please."
"I'm coming with you," Jaskier shrugged when Eira looked at him. "I don't know why or how, but if Geralt's in danger, I can help."
She wanted to tell him no. That it was better to stay back. That she was the one who could help the witcher on her own.
But there was no time. The feeling of dread that spread around them grew with every second. When Eira glanced over her shoulder, she noticed the heavy mist that took a hold of the forest. It grew thicker until she was hardly able to see Jaskier.
His hand searched for hers, grabbed it and didn't let go again. The golden thread that bound Geralt and her, moved slowly out of her stomach, created a path that would eventually lead them to the Witcher. Invisible to the Bard, but Eira could see it clearly.
"We need to hurry," she stated and started walking.