"Baptism of Fire" by Andrzej Sapkowski, summary

This fantasy novel by the Polish author was written in 1996. It is a direct continuation of the dramatic events on the island of Thanedd, after which the war-torn continent plunged into chaos and a crippled witcher set out in search of his missing ward with a group of chance companions. In 1996, the novel won the prestigious Janusz Seidel Polish Literary Prize. It is part of the "Witcher Saga" cycle, occupying fifth place in the overall chronology, following the collections "The Last Wish" and "The Sword of Destiny," as well as the novels "Blood of Elves" and "Hour of Contempt," and preceding "The Tower of the Swallow," "The Lady of the Lake," and "Season of Storms."

Exodus from Brokilon

Healers in the sacred dryad forest spent a long time mending the broken bones of the witcher Geralt. The huntress Maria Barring, nicknamed Milva, brought the wounded man news of the crushing Nilfgaardian offensive against the northern kingdoms. Spies claimed the young princess Cirilla was in the capital of the southern empire, awaiting her wedding to Emperor Emhyr var Emreis. Overcoming the persistent pain in his knee, the White Wolf left the sheltering thicket with the bard Dandelion. Milva caught up with the travelers on the road during a surprise attack by horsemen on arms dealers. She dispatched the attackers with arrows from her composite bow and said, "Then shout, shout into the night! And I will come." A bound Nilfgaardian youth, Cahir aep Keallach, was freed from an abandoned wagon and the witcher spared him and drove him away.

Road through the fires

Soon, the fugitives encountered a detachment of dwarves. Zoltan Chivay commanded the six refugees. The short men were leading women and children from the devastated village of Kernov and constantly arguing with a parrot named Field Marshal Oak perched on their commander’s shoulder. Geralt agreed to join forces for the sake of safe passage east. Rains had eroded the basalt slabs of the road. The dwarves were pulling a cart, playing dwarven gwent at rest stops, and cleaning out loot found on the battlefield. "To the death of the sons of bitches!" read the inscription engraved in ancient runes on Zoltan’s Mahakam sigil. Following closely behind the small detachment was the stubborn Cahir, unwilling to be left behind.

Fen Carn Churchyard

Another overnight stop brought the group to an ancient elven cemetery with dolmens and burial mounds. Hidden among the mossy stones was the local healer, Emiel Regis. The herbalist invited the travelers into his adobe hut and treated them to a strong distillate of his own making.

"For one pound of starch mass, I only give five ounces of squeak," the owner explained the composition of the mandrake moonshine. The conversation quickly devolved into heated, drunken debate. In the morning, the travelers reached the refugee camp by the Khotlya River.

Trial by fire and captivity

A mob of peasants, led by a fanatical priest, massacred a deranged girl, accusing the poor woman of consorting with ghouls. Geralt volunteered to defend the unfortunate woman in a trial by combat. The cunning priest demanded a trial by fire. Regis approached the fire, pulled a red-hot horseshoe from the embers with his bare hand, and returned it to the accuser without a single burn.

A sudden cavalry attack scattered the assembled group. The Witcher and Dandelion were knocked unconscious, bound, and taken to the camp of the retreating Cintran volunteers under the command of Marshal Vissegerd. The elderly commander accused the White Wolf of treason and selling the young heir to the Cintran throne to the enemy.

“Ciri, daughter of Pavetta, is your destiny,” the enraged commander said and ordered both prisoners to be hanged at dawn.

The Conspiracy of the Sorceresses

At Montecalvo Castle, Philippa Eilhart held a secret meeting of powerful sorceresses from the North and Nilfgaard. Francesca Findabair broke Yennefer’s spell, who had hidden for six weeks in the form of a compressed jade figurine. The ladies established a secret Lodge to establish control over the future of the world through Ciri’s dynastic marriage to the Prince of Kovir. A report from the Nilfgaardian Assire var Anahid revealed that a false princess was at the emperor’s court. The real witcher’s protégé was hiding in a band of young bandits under the name Falka. Yennefer, aided by the Nilfgaardian sorceress Fringilla Vigo, breached the chamber’s defenses, and escaped through an elemental teleporter to search for the girl.

Battle for the crossing

Regis infiltrated the woodshed of Vissegerd’s camp, cut the prisoners’ bonds, and enchanted the guards. Reaching the riverbank, the friends reunited with Milva and Cahir. It was then that the barber’s true identity was revealed. The healer turned out to be a higher vampire, over four hundred years old and long since renounced the blood of others.

The detachment commandeered a ferry, trying to escape the army patrols prowling the banks. A broken cable sent the uncontrollable vessel careening toward a wooden bridge over the Yaruga River. During the landing on the islet, Milva suffered a miscarriage from the strain. Geralt and Cahir climbed onto the ferry deck to stop the fleeing Lyrian soldiers and give the healer a chance to save the archer.

Together, they rallied the wavering infantry, repelled the advancing vanguard of the southern army, and held the line until reinforcements arrived. Queen Meve, who commanded the Lyrians, her face battered in hand-to-hand combat, personally knighted the wounded witcher, officially bestowing upon him the nickname "Geralt of Rivia."