“No, no you’re not, you’re deluding yourself. There’s still a lot ahead of you. And sarcasm won’t protect you from it. Especially as it’s forced, and a pale imitation. But enough of that, it’s not my job to give you lessons in life. I asked where Coral was.”

“Here. Greetings.”

The sorceress emerged from behind a curtain like a ghost. Like Mozaïk, she was wearing a white doctor’s coat, and her red hair was pinned up and hidden by a linen cap which in ordinary circumstances he would have thought ridiculous. But the circumstances weren’t ordinary and laughter would have been out of place. He needed a few seconds to understand that.

She walked over and kissed him on the cheek without a word. Her lips were cold. And she had dark circles under her eyes.

She smelled of medicine. And the fluid she used as disinfectant. It was a nasty, repulsive, morbid scent. A scent full of fear.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she forestalled him. “Tomorrow I’ll tell you everything.”

“Tomorrow.”

She looked at him and it was a faraway look, from beyond the chasm of time and events between them. He needed a few seconds to understand how deep that chasm was and how remote were the events separating them.

“Maybe the day after tomorrow would be better. Go to town. Meet that poet, he’s been worried about you. But now go, please. I have to see a patient.”

After she had gone, he glanced at Mozaïk. Probably meaningfully enough for her not to delay with an explanation.

“We had a birth this morning,” she said, and her voice was a little different. “A difficult one. She decided to use forceps. And everything that could have gone badly did.”

“I understand.”

“I doubt it.”

“Goodbye, Mozaïk.”

“You were away for a long time.” She raised her head. “Much longer than she had expected. At Rissberg they didn’t know anything, or at least pretended not to. Something happened, didn’t it?”

“Yes, it did.”

“I understand.”

“I doubt it.”

* * *

Dandelion impressed with his intelligence. By stating something so obvious that Geralt was still unable to completely adjust himself to it. Or completely accept it.