Nenneke awakens Geralt and sends away the woman who had sex with him, Iola. Geralt tries to speak with her, but Nenneke tells him Iola has taken a vow of silence.

Geralt is resting and healing at Melitele’s temple in Ellander. Nenneke examines and redresses his wounds, chastising him for allowing a striga to hurt him so badly.

The cult of Melitele is a contemporary instance of various pre-human religions that worshipped goddesses of harvest and fertility. Though many other religions have waned, the cult of Melitele remains strong.

Nenneke finds Geralt walking. The two argue about whether a trance will help Geralt, who insists that he is immune. Nenneke believes it can’t hurt.

Geralt sees birds circling around the mutilated corpses of two travelers. He concludes that a few days prior, the pair had been traveling home from the direction of a nearby forest when something attacked them. However, other features of the scene puzzle him, and he decides to investigate.

In the forest, Geralt finds a tower. While descending a slope to the tower wall, he senses someone watching him. He spots a girl with enormous, black eyes following their movements, but when he greets her, she disappears into the forest at an enormous speed.