“You toss accusations around too eagerly!” With a gesture, Kevenard van Vliet held back Fysh, who was spoiling to give a furious rejoinder. “You also too hastily predict a failure. While we, merchants, always think positively…”

“You deserve credit for such thinking. But in this case it won’t help.”

“Why?”

“It’s impossible to recover a child kidnapped by an aguara,” explained Geralt calmly. “Absolutely impossible. And it’s not even that the child won’t be found owing to the fact that she-foxes lead extremely secretive lives. It’s not even that the aguara won’t let you take the child away; and it’s not an opponent to be trifled with in a fight, either in vulpine or human form. The point is that a kidnapped child ceases to be a child. Changes occur in little girls abducted by she-foxes. They metamorphosise and became she-foxes themselves. Aguaras don’t reproduce. They maintain the species by abducting and transforming elven children.”

“That vulpine species ought to perish.” Fysh finally had the floor. “All those shape-changing abominations ought to perish. It’s true that she-foxes seldom get in people’s way. They only kidnap elven pups and only harm elves, which is good in itself, for the more harm is done to non-humans, the greater the benefits for real folk. But she-foxes are monsters, and monsters should be exterminated, destroyed, should be wiped out as a race. You live from that, after all, Witcher, you contribute to it. And I hope you won’t bear us a grudge either that we’re contributing to the extermination of monsters. But, it seems to me, these digressions are in vain. You wanted explanations; you’ve got them. You know now what you’re being hired to do and against what… against what you have to defend us.”

“No offence, but your explanations are as foggy as urine from an infected bladder,” Geralt commented calmly. “And the loftiness of your expedition’s goal is as dubious as a maiden’s virginity after a village fête. But that’s your business. It’s my job to advise you that the only way to defend yourself against an aguara is to stay well away from it. Mr. van Vliet?”

“Yes?”

“Return home. The expedition is senseless, so it’s time to accept that and abandon it. That’s as much as I can advise you as a witcher. The advice is free.”

“But you won’t disembark, will you?” mumbled van Vliet, paling somewhat. “Lord Witcher? Will you stay with us? And were… And were something to happen, will you protect us? Please agree… by the Gods, please say yes…”

“He’ll agree, don’t worry,” snorted Fysh. “He’ll sail with us. For who else will get him out of this wilderness? Don’t panic, Mr. van Vliet. There’s nothing to fear.”