"The Lady of the Lake" by Andrzej Sapkowski, summary

"The Lady of the Lake" is a fantasy novel by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, written in 1999. The novel concludes the long-running story of the witcher Geralt and Princess Cirilla, connecting events through Arthurian myth and oneiromancy across eras. It is the seventh book in the "Witcher Saga" series. It follows "The Last Wish," "The Sword of Destiny," "Blood of Elves," "Hour of Contempt," "Baptism of Fire," and "The Tower of the Swallow." The entire series served as the basis for a world-renowned trilogy of video games and film adaptations.

Meeting at the Enchanted Lake

The young knight Galahad encounters a girl bathing at a mountain lake, her face scarred. Taking the stranger for a fairy, the traveler kneels. Ciri ironically rejects the homage and asks for food. A leisurely conversation ensues around the campfire. "I come from the land of Rivia, from a city of the same name. From Lake Loc Escalotte," the fugitive says.

She agrees to tell the knight her story.

Mysteries on the island of Inis Vitre

Centuries later, the sorceress Nimue welcomes the young dreamer Condwiramurs Tilly into her island tower. The tower’s mistress has spent years collecting paintings, antique engravings, and manuscripts about the witcher. "I dream without any powders," declares the newly arrived adept.

Dreams help the girl see the gaps in bygone eras. In her visions, a false Cirilla appears at the court of Emperor Emhyr var Emreis in Darn Rowan Castle. The Emperor leaves the orphan with Countess Stella Congreve. Then the dreamer sees Yennefer imprisoned in the stone dungeon of Stygga Citadel. The bounty hunter Leo Bonhart attempts to break the sorceress by throwing trophy witcher medallions on the table. In response, the woman stabs him in the cheek with a table fork.

Wintering of the squad in Toussaint

The witcher Geralt spends the winter months in the fertile principality of Toussaint. Dandelion basks in the favor of Princess Anna-Henrietta. The witcher takes on orders for monsters in wine cellars and enters into an affair with the sorceress Fringilla Vigo. His friends urge him to leave. Geralt hesitates.

In the cellars of the Pomerol winery, a mercenary descends into the abandoned mines. The medallion trembles with nearby magic. Through the dungeon’s speaking tubes, the voices of Stefan Skellen and the conspirators plotting a coup against Emhyr are heard. The owl calls out the name of the sorcerer Vilgefortz’s refuge: Castle Stygga.

On his way back, the witcher is ambushed by underground monsters. A fight is inevitable. "Not a hair will fall from a succubus’s blond head," Geralt recalls his Toussaint treaties and breaks his blade in a crevice, creating the illusion of defenselessness. The monsters rush forward, and the witcher cuts them down with a real sword. Hastily gathering his retinue, the traveler leaves the principality. He deliberately names the mage’s false refuge — the citadel of Rhys-Rune — to Fringilla Vigo.

Captive in the World of Alders

Ciri finds herself in the alien world of the Aen Elle people. The sorcerer Avallac’h is holding her captive in the enchanted city of Tir na Lia. The elves demand that she bear a child with the aged King Auberon Muircetach in order to regain control of the Gates of the Worlds.

The Lord of the Alders is unable to perform intercourse with a mortal girl. The commander of the Red Riders, Eredin, offers the prisoner poison in a vial disguised as a stimulant. The king drinks the potion and dies. Ciri saddles her black mare, Kelpie, and flees along the River Sigh. "You will never leave here. You will never see the sun you loved so much," the monster threatens in the subterranean labyrinth of worlds.

With the help of the unicorn Ihuarraquax, the rider travels through space and time. She sees plague, giant lizards, unfamiliar cities, and cold seas. Finally, Nimue and Condwiramursa’s lighthouse opens a portal to the lake near Stygga’s castle.

Battle of Brenna

In the north, a massive battle rages between the combined armies of the Nordlings and the advancing Imperial Group Center under Field Marshal Menno Coehoorn. On the left flank, Count de Ruyter’s Redanians hold firm. In the center, the Temerian infantry advances.

In the halfling infirmary, Milo Vanderbeck, nicknamed Rusti, tirelessly operates on the wounded. He is assisted by student Shani, healer Marti Sodergren, and priestess Iola. "Sew red with red, yellow with yellow, white with white," the field surgeon commands over the torn bodies of the soldiers.

On the right flank, Barclay Els’s Mahakam dwarves and Adam Pangratt’s Free Company mercenaries stand to the death against the empire’s elite cavalry. At the decisive moment, General Blenkert’s Redanian reserves arrive and break the Nilfgaardian line. Menno Coehoorn dies in a swamp on the Chotla River, struck by dwarven crossbow bolts. The invading army is routed. In Cintra, the kings conclude a peace treaty.

Assault on Stygg’s Castle

Geralt, Cahir, Angoulême, and the vampire Regis storm Vilgefortz’s citadel. In the courtyard, the archer Milva covers her comrades and is mortally wounded by an enemy arrow in the stomach. Cahir dies in a duel with Leo Bonhart, giving Ciri precious seconds. Angoulême bleeds to death from a deep wound in Ciri’s arms.

The bounty hunter catches up with the girl on the dilapidated wooden beams of the gallery. Taking advantage of her fencing lessons, Ciri slits his opponent’s carotid artery and takes the witcher medallions.

In the main hall, Geralt and the freed Yennefer engage in battle with Vilgefortz. The mage burns the vampire Regis to a molten monolith. The sorceress collapses, exhausted. The witcher uses the amulet given to him by Fringilla, creates a false silhouette, and decapitates the sorcerer with a Mahakam sigil.

The three survivors slowly descend the wide grand staircase. "I want to see the sky," Yennefer repeats, exhausted. Below, the castle is surrounded by the imperial guard, led by Emhyr var Emreis. In a private conversation, the emperor confesses to the witcher that he is Ciri’s father. Seeing his daughter’s sincere tears, the emperor abandons his long-held plans and withdraws his troops, leaving the fugitives free.

Pogrom in Rivia

Geralt travels to Rivia to meet the dwarves Zoltan Chivay and Yarpen Zigrin. In the town tavern, the friends are peacefully devouring snails and chatting. Suddenly, a bloody riot against the non-humans erupts in the streets.

The witcher draws his blade to protect his friends and stands against the enraged crowd. In the chaos, a random youth stabs him with a peasant’s pitchfork. The sorceresses arrive and unleash a devastating hailstorm on the square, scattering the rebels. Yennefer attempts to save her lover with spells and falls dead from exhaustion.

A white unicorn appears and helps carry Geralt and Yennefer’s bodies to the boat. Ciri sails with them into the fog to an unknown island of apple trees, where the lovers find peace. In the world of King Arthur, the young witcher finishes her story to Galahad. "They are married," the girl smiles through tears, places her hand in the knight’s, and steers her horse straight toward Camelot.