Chapter Summaries

Lynn and Fringilla freed Anarietta and Syanna from the dream world inside the Edge of Nightmares, and Anarietta asked Lynn to protect her sister. After arranging his departure from Toussaint, Lynn left Beauclair with Syanna and arrived in Rivendell Valley.

• Fringilla escaped the book's dream world with Lynn, Anarietta, and Syanna, then explained that Anarietta had misunderstood Artorius's instructions for using the Edge of Nightmares.
• Anarietta asked Fringilla to prevent Syanna from being sent away, and Fringilla revealed that the Duchess had entrusted Syanna to Lynn.
• Lynn showed Anarietta and Syanna the Holy Grail, and Anarietta accepted him as her sister's protector.
• Lynn told his companions and steward Sebastian that he was leaving Toussaint, then secretly met Fringilla in Beauclair.
• Fringilla gave Lynn a communication box and opened a portal, sending him and Syanna to Rivendell Valley.
• Lynn and Syanna stepped out of the portal and headed north.

Syanna escaped from Lynn while he pretended to sleep, believing she could return to Toussaint and ask Fringilla to hide her. She headed toward a distant campfire, unaware whether it belonged to travelers or bandits.

• Lynn shared food with Syanna, gave her a blanket, and pretended to fall asleep by the fire.
• Syanna quietly slipped away into the night, and Lynn opened his eyes after she had gone.
• Syanna ran across the grassland, reasoning that the Curse of the Black Sun was only superstition and planning to find Fringilla.
• Syanna spotted a distant fire and approached it despite suspecting it might belong to bandits.

Syanna met a group of Nilfgaardian merchants in the wilderness and persuaded them to take her back to Toussaint by revealing her noble identity. After accepting their hospitality and drinking sweetened goat’s milk, she prepared to travel with them.

• Syanna emerged from the darkness and asked the merchants whether they were from Nilfgaard.
• Syanna revealed that she was Sylvia Anna, granddaughter of Duchess Caroberta, and the merchants knelt to greet her.
• Syanna claimed she had become separated from her guards and asked the merchants to take her back to Toussaint.
• The merchant leader agreed to help Syanna, and Zawan brought her sweetened goat’s milk.
• Syanna drank the milk and promised to ask her grandmother to reward Zawan.

The Nilfgaard Merchants' Guild drugged Syanna after recognizing her as a genuine member of Toussaint's ducal family. The merchant leader planned to use her rumored Curse of the Black Sun to extort privileges from Duchess Caroberta and expand the Guild's control over Toussaint.

• Zawan gave Syanna drugged medicine, and she collapsed after the merchant leader took the antidote.
• Zawan asked how the merchant leader knew Syanna was an impostor, but the leader said she was genuine and matched Lord Doug's portrait.
• The merchant leader reminded the merchants of the rumors that Syanna was a child of calamity and would be taken away by the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.
• The merchant leader ordered the merchants to take Syanna and use her as leverage to demand commercial privileges from Duchess Caroberta.
• The merchant leader explained that the Nilfgaard Merchants' Guild intended to control Toussaint's economy and served the Empire through trade, slavery, and espionage.

Lynn rescued Syanna by killing the Nilfgaardian merchants who had discovered her identity, then rode through the night to Kagen Town. He arrived before Geralt and the others, who were expected to meet him there.

• The merchant leader tried to have his companions ambush Lynn with crossbows, but Lynn’s enhanced speed and swordsmanship let him kill the attackers.
• Lynn killed the merchant leader after the man surrendered, then took the merchants’ belongings, goods, and horses.
• Lynn used Axii to make the horses follow him and rode away from the camp with Syanna.
• Lynn traveled through the night and reached Kagen Town at dawn, where he found an inn while waiting for Geralt and the others.

Lynn explained to Syanna why returning secretly to Toussaint would endanger her grandmother, sister, and the duchy. The chapter left Syanna facing the political consequences of her plan to seek refuge with Lady Fringilla.

• Lynn watched over Syanna at an inn until she woke, then told her he had chased away the Nilfgaardians who had pursued her.
• Syanna realized Lynn had known she was pretending to sleep and had heard her conversation with the Nilfgaardians.
• Syanna asked Lynn to take her to Lady Fringilla, offering the sorceress’s reward in exchange for keeping the plan secret from her grandmother.
• Lynn explained that Syanna’s return could let the Annexation Faction incite riots against her grandmother, provoke Nilfgaardian intervention, and lead to the duchess’s death and Toussaint’s annexation.

Lynn explained the Black Sun curse to Syanna, then met with Drake and the Syndicate to assign them a mission in Novigrad. He proposed recruiting beggars as the first members of a spy network, and the agents began to understand why they could be useful.

• Lynn told Syanna how the Black Sun curse could strip away her royal privileges and urged her to accept her changed circumstances.
• Lynn left Syanna to absorb what he had told her and went to meet the Syndicate in Kagen.
• Drake asked Lynn what work he expected the Syndicate to do, and Lynn assigned them to build a spy network in Novigrad.
• Lynn instructed the agents to recruit beggars as peripheral members, prompting Nash to question their usefulness.
• Lynn asked whether people paid attention to beggars, leading the agents to recognize that their invisibility could help the network.

Lynn recruited Drake and the Syndicate to build an intelligence network in Novigrad, funding them and outlining how beggars could serve as peripheral informants. A few days later, Geralt and his companions reached Kagen Town and rested before continuing north.

• Lynn explained how the Syndicate could recruit beggars as isolated peripheral informants, and Drake questioned how their loyalty would be maintained.
• Lynn gave Drake five thousand crowns as an operating budget and urged the Syndicate to work with him for their shared cause.
• Drake accepted Lynn's offer, and she and the others pledged allegiance to him and the Syndicate's new mission.
• Lynn relied on funding and secretly won over several of Drake's officers as safeguards against the Syndicate breaking away.
• Geralt and his companions arrived in Kagen Town, rested for two days, then crossed the Yaruga River and headed north.

Lynn asked Regis to help guide Syanna, a child he believed would grow up to destabilize a country. After hearing her history, Regis agreed that care and attention could steer her away from hatred and accepted Lynn’s request to look after her.

• Lynn explained to Auckes that he had brought the non-witchers along because his plans required people from many walks of life.
• Lynn asked Regis what he would do about a child destined to turn a country upside down, then confirmed that he meant Syanna.
• Lynn told Regis about Syanna’s noble ancestry, the Curse of the Black Sun, and her future reconciliation after years of hatred.
• Regis suggested that Syanna could change if she knew her sister Anarietta cared about her and received love and attention.
• Lynn asked Regis to look after Syanna, and Regis agreed to try while Lynn joked that he should discipline her if she misbehaved.

Lynn returned the Holy Grail to the Lady of the Lake, who entrusted him with a future mission to slay Dagon after he grew stronger and gathered allies. When Lynn returned to the village, Geralt asked where he had been and mistook his nighttime absence for a visit to the city.

• Lynn and his companions traveled north to a village outside Vizima and stayed there overnight.
• Lynn met the Lady of the Lake at Lake Vizima and returned the Holy Grail to her.
• The Lady of the Lake asked Lynn to prepare to slay Dagon, explaining that he should first gain strength and gather allies.
• The Lady of the Lake praised Lynn's chivalric virtues and gave him a reward.
• Geralt asked Lynn where he had gone, then suggested they visit places in Vizima for men to unwind.

Lynn and Geralt reached Novigrad with their companions and split up to enter the city without attracting attention. At the Glory Gate, guards recognized Geralt from a wanted poster and surrounded him as Lynn tried to calm them.

• Lynn told Letho, Serrit, Auckes, and George to complete the city's monster contracts and said other work would follow.
• Lynn arranged for the party to enter Novigrad separately and meet at his villa in the upper city.
• Regis offered to take Syanna to meet the others that night, and the party split up at the gates.
• Lynn and Geralt joined the queue at the Glory Gate and passed the guards without incident at first.
• A guard recognized Geralt from a wanted poster, and Lynn stepped between Geralt and the guards to question them.

Lynn and Geralt were arrested in Novigrad after an impostor resembling Geralt was accused of assaulting a man named Alfred. Geralt cooperated and was taken to jail, while Lynn entered the city and decided to investigate Old John's Bakery.

• Guards accused Geralt of beating Alfred and claimed witnesses had seen him buying bread at Old John's Bakery before the assault.
• Lynn realized that someone had impersonated Geralt and reasoned that the scheme was likely connected to Novigrad.
• Geralt surrendered his swords and agreed to go with the guards rather than fight his arrest.
• A female guard captain stopped the guards' taunts and told Lynn that Geralt would be jailed until the fine was paid.
• Lynn paid the entrance fee, entered Novigrad, and set out to investigate Old John's Bakery.

Lynn visited Old John's Bakery in Novigrad's slums to learn about Geralt and discovered that Old John's brother Alfred was tied to the matter keeping Geralt from being released. Old John began explaining how Alfred's gambling debts had burdened his family and prevented his daughter Gresa from getting surgery.

• Lynn questioned Old John and Gresa about Geralt, learning that Geralt bought bread for a dozen or more people each day but did not reveal where he lived or went.
• Old John and Gresa recognized Geralt as a regular customer, and Lynn told them that he was Geralt's brother and would risk his life for him.
• Old John explained that his younger brother Alfred gambled away money and brought debt collectors to the bakery.
• Old John told Lynn that Gresa needed an operation costing two hundred crowns to treat her leg.

Lynn listened as Old John explained how his brother Alfred had drained the family’s money and later threatened them in Novigrad, leading Geralt to beat Alfred and receive a wanted notice. After questioning Old John and Gresa about a perfume scent, Lynn went to find Alfred and reached his shack in the slums.

• Old John told Lynn that Alfred had gambled away money meant for Gresa’s surgery and later threatened the family, forcing them to leave their village for Novigrad.
• Old John explained that Geralt had beaten Alfred after Alfred threatened them, and that the guards had issued a wanted notice for Geralt.
• Old John knelt and begged Lynn to spare Gresa, but Lynn reassured them he was not there to blame them.
• Lynn noticed a lingering perfume scent in the bakery and asked whether Alfred’s gang had bothered Old John after Geralt beat him.
• Lynn left ten crowns for Old John and Gresa, then followed their directions to Alfred’s shack and sensed one man inside.

Lynn used Axii to make Alfred reveal how his report had led to a warrant for Geralt, then killed him and hid his body. After learning that the witcher carried a spice scent from a market near Tretogor Gate, Lynn changed his appearance and went there to search for him.

• Lynn subdued Alfred with Aard and used Axii to learn that Alfred had reported Geralt after Geralt beat him for harassing Old John.
• Alfred told Lynn that the witcher had carried a distinctive spice scent he had first noticed at a market near Tretogor Gate.
• Lynn killed Alfred and concealed his body in his runic leather pouch to keep it from being discovered.
• Lynn went to Tretogor Gate and changed his appearance before heading to the nearby market to find the witcher.

Lynn tracked the spice seller through the marketplace and discovered that he was a Doppler who had impersonated Alfred, landing Geralt in prison. After the Doppler transformed into Lynn, the two drew their swords, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Lynn followed a trail of spice scent to a gnome selling falsely labeled elven spices and identified him as a fellow witcher named Geralt.
• The gnome scattered spices to escape, but Lynn pursued him and overturned his cart with a throwing knife, sending him into a pig pen.
• The gnome transformed into a copy of Lynn and revealed that he was a Doppler who could imitate another person's memories, skills, and mannerisms.
• The Doppler explained that he had planned to impersonate Alfred and withdraw the wanted notice, but Lynn blamed him for Geralt's imprisonment.
• The Doppler warned that the Eternal Fire would punish him if Lynn handed him over, and both men drew their swords.

Lynn rescued the Doppler from the city guards and learned his name was Tellico Lunngrevink Letorte, whom his friends called Dudu. At The Spear Cave tavern, Lynn offered to hire Dudu as the professional manager of his assets, and Dudu considered the offer.

• Lynn disarmed the Doppler, then disguised himself as a city guard and led the pursuing guards away from him.
• Lynn escaped with the Doppler to Novigrad’s Harborside District, where they changed their appearances and got out of sight.
• Lynn asked the Doppler’s name and recognized him as Tellico Lunngrevink Letorte, known as Dudu.
• At The Spear Cave tavern, Lynn offered Dudu a job managing his assets, explaining that he had other ways to help his companion.
• Dudu asked whether Lynn feared he would run away with the money, and Lynn argued that their friendship would be worth more than the gold.

Lynn hired Dudu and learned how he worked with elves to sell their spices, then asked him to help free a friend from jail. Dudu brought Lynn to meet his Doppler friend Sasha, who was startled to see a witcher in the house.

• Lynn promised Dudu a salary, bonuses, equity incentives, and seniority pay, and Dudu agreed to work for him.
• Dudu explained that he partnered with elves who made spices, splitting the profits so he received thirty percent and they received seventy percent.
• Lynn asked Dudu to help free his jailed friend by taking the thug's appearance and withdrawing the case, and Dudu agreed while asking to involve a friend.
• Dudu took Lynn to his home outside Novigrad, where Sasha turned around and asked why Dudu had brought a witcher inside.

Lynn met Dudu’s friend Sasha, a Doppler whose analysis of human conflict led him to argue that witchers could no longer remain neutral and should unite. After Sasha offered to protect Lynn’s businesses, Lynn hinted at a bold plan for Sasha and Dudu.

• Dudu introduced Lynn to Sasha and explained how Lynn had given him a job, after which Sasha agreed to trust Lynn.
• Sasha argued that nobles would hire witchers for their skills and that neutrality would become dangerous as human conflicts escalated.
• Sasha concluded that witchers needed to unite, though he admitted he could not see how they might overcome rulers’ opposition.
• Lynn asked what Sasha could do, and Sasha offered to protect Lynn’s businesses and deal with threats.
• Lynn decided Sasha’s talents belonged on a more suitable stage and said he had a bold idea for him and Dudu.

Lynn and Dudu set out to get Lynn’s friend released while discussing a plan to replace Novigrad’s Eternal Fire security officer. After city hall turned them away, Lynn returned to his villa, where his companions had gathered.

• Lynn proposed replacing the Eternal Fire’s security officer, and Dudu and Sasha considered how it might change the city’s treatment of nonhumans.
• Lynn told Dudu he had arranged a job for his friend and asked him to come along to get the friend released.
• On the way to city hall, Dudu thanked Lynn for accepting him as a Doppler, and Lynn predicted he would find good friends and become wealthy.
• A city hall guard told Lynn and Dudu that the staff had finished work, so they agreed to return the next day.
• Lynn returned to his villa and found his companions playing Gwent, Tyensail mentoring Berengar, Syanna studying potions, and Kasja preparing dinner.