Francesca was the daughter of the elven sage Himself.
Unlike her father, who advocated peace, Francesca had taken part in Aelirenn's great uprising two centuries earlier.
Although the uprising had ended in failure, Francesca had never abandoned her desire to reclaim the elven territory of Dol Blathanna.
That was precisely why some people said Francesca had ties to the nonhuman rebellions that kept erupting across the Northern Kingdoms.
Of course, Francesca herself had never admitted it, but a little thought made it obvious that this was not something she could possibly admit.
Lynn, however, knew more than Istredd did.
The rumors were true.
Francesca did indeed have ties to the elven rebels who would later be known as the Scoia'tael.
It could not be said that Francesca had a hand in every nonhuman rebellion.
But one thing was certain: some Scoia'tael commandos were indeed influenced by her, either directly or indirectly.
Moreover, the agreement Francesca had reached with the emperor of Nilfgaard to reclaim Dol Blathanna would have chilled even her father.
Though Istredd knew none of this, his innate political instincts made him prefer to forgo Aedirn's bounty rather than draw the attention of someone who supported nonhuman rebellions.
Especially when that someone was a core member of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers' leadership.
Lynn thought for a moment, then added, "Sir, we promise we won't breathe a word of this. But we're not the ones you need to worry about. It's the others in the caravan."
In response to Lynn's advice, Istredd merely smiled and shook his head.
"Master Lynn, you're worrying too much. The caravan guards are all my trusted men. They can be relied on absolutely."
"As for Yarpen and the others... I'll give him a large bag of gold, enough to keep Yarpen and the other dwarves quiet."
"If there's one race in this world whose word can be trusted, dwarves are certainly among them. At least, I've never met a dwarf who broke a promise."
At this point, Istredd suddenly gave a self-mocking chuckle. "In that respect, we humans are the very embodiment of saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back."
The first stop for Istredd's caravan was Mahakam, the homeland of the dwarves.
The Mahakam Mountains lay between the Kingdom of Temeria and the Kingdom of Aedirn.
Legally, Mahakam was a vassal state of Temeria.
But it enjoyed a high degree of autonomy.
Although Mahakam was known as the homeland of the dwarves, the Mahakam Mountains had originally been inhabited by gnomes.
The dwarves had only arrived in the Mahakam Mountains some thirty or forty centuries earlier.
Their similar ways of life had led them to share the mountain range.
The Mahakam Mountains were exceptionally rich in mineral deposits, and the quality of the iron ore mined there was considered the best in the world.
Besides its iron ore, the region also housed the largest and finest armories in the North.
This was also why Istredd's caravan had made Mahakam its first stop.
They would bring daily necessities to the dwarves and gnomes in the mountains, while also purchasing Mahakam's high-quality dwarven weapons.
Since encountering the elven commandos in the forest a few days earlier, the caravan had met with no further danger.
When the caravan reached the village at the foot of the Mahakam Mountains, Yarpen and the other dwarves approached Istredd and said they wanted to stay in the village. They would rejoin the caravan once it came back down from the mountains.
The caravan would not encounter any danger in Mahakam anyway, so their presence would make little difference.
Although Yarpen did not explain why, Istredd still agreed to their request.
And so the caravan rested in the village for a night.
When they set off up the mountain the next day, Yarpen and the other dwarves did not go with them, but watched the caravan ascend.
As they walked along the mountain road, the two human guards beside Lynn and Geralt could not help talking in low voices.
"Isn't Mahakam the dwarves' homeland? Why don't Yarpen and the others want to go home for a visit?"
"Who knows? Maybe there's something they can't talk about."
Hearing their conversation, Geralt suddenly spoke.
"No, it's not that they don't want to go back. They can't."
At his words, the two guards immediately asked respectfully.
"Master, you know about this too? Tell us about it."
Istredd's men all came from the Principality of Talgar.
Talgar was culturally very close to Kovir.
After all, before the Poviss Secession, the two had been one country.
Istredd's men had nothing against witchers.
At most, they were curious about the rumors surrounding them.
And once Lynn and Geralt had demonstrated their skills, they had quickly earned the respect of everyone in the caravan.
Even when they stopped to rest and make camp in the wilderness each day, neither of them needed to lift a finger. Someone would volunteer to take care of everything for them.
Geralt continued.
"Mahakam is a conservative land that shuns outsiders."
"The dwarves living in Mahakam are bound by all sorts of traditions. Anyone who can't stand them and leaves the mountains is considered a traitor."
"That's why Yarpen and the others stayed in the village at the foot of the mountains. If they came up with us, they might actually cause us trouble."
By the time the mountain road narrowed until it could barely accommodate a single wagon, a sturdy fortress had appeared ahead.
And this was not the full extent of Mahakam's outer defenses.
Lynn raised his head and looked up.
Two watchtowers clung to the steep rock faces on either side, joined by a weathered gray stone arch bridge.
Silent faces watched them from arrow slits, battlements, and the stone bridge.
"Outsiders, this is Mahakam! State your business!" a rough voice called down from the wall.
On horseback, Istredd struggled through the gaps between the wagons until he reached the front of the caravan.
He took a badge from inside his clothes and held it high.
The badge gleamed in the sunlight.
"I have special permission from Great Elder Brovar Hogger."
The dwarven captain on the battlements narrowed his eyes, carefully examining the badge's authenticity.
"Hmm, that is indeed a Mahakam badge. Lads, stand down."
Before long, the gates opened.
More than twenty dwarves stood on either side.
The dwarf leading them nodded to Istredd.
"Outsiders, you may pass."
Istredd thanked him.
Then he called to the caravan behind him.
"Captain, go and unload a barrel of Mahakam spirits from the second-to-last wagon."
The dwarf in charge hurriedly waved his hands. "Stop. We don't accept bribes."
Istredd smiled as he spoke.
"This isn't a bribe, just a small token of appreciation. Thank you all for your hard work standing guard here. There's no harm in having a little drink when you have some free time."
"I'm sure even Great Elder Brovar would understand if he heard about it."