The descent to the parking lot felt like it took forever, mostly due to Vespera's quiet swearing directed at the state of Czechoslovak tourism. When we finally reached the cars, Rudolf looked at us in silence—likely just to avoid offending us. He quickly accepted the pouch of gold from Elizabeth, gave a stiff bow, and with a quiet word of thanks, Apparated away.
"Next time, you'll be Lord Rosier to him," Vespera laughed, looking amused.
I just shrugged. I wasn't particularly interested in Rudolf anymore; during the last few hours of walking, he had been far too quiet and skittish for my taste. My initial sympathy for him had evaporated quite quickly.
"Are we going to eat? I'm craving those bryndzové halušky," I suggested. I was starving, and although Vespera still looked like a magazine cover model thanks to her charms, the exhaustion was clearly visible on her.
"We can," my aunt agreed, glancing at Elizabeth. She nodded with a small smile and added after a moment, "Let's Apparate back to our room at The Drunken Gnome."
I immediately grabbed hold of Vespera, and in a second, we were caught in the swirl of Apparition. Elizabeth appeared in the room almost at the same time as us, even though she had Apparated after we did. Does the number of people affect the speed of Apparition? I wondered. Probably—maintaining target coordination for two likely requires a fraction of a second more focus and magic.
"Do you feel like eating downstairs, or would you rather stay here?" Elizabeth asked as soon as we caught our breath.
"I don't know about you two, but I'd prefer some privacy," I replied, and Vespera nodded in agreement.
Elizabeth walked over to the table and, with a quiet incantation of "Verto" and a wave of her wand, expanded it so we could sit comfortably. There were plenty of chairs, and once we sat down, they proved to be unexpectedly comfortable. They were definitely enhanced by magic, as they looked like nothing more than ordinary, roughly carved pieces of wood. Elizabeth then stuck her head out of the room for a moment before returning to the table.
"Did you call for service?" I asked, just to be sure.
"Yes, of course. I won't leave you hungry," she grinned at me mischievously.
"Aren't you just lovely," Vespera muttered with a heavy dose of irony.
"Pfft, feel free to hold that Milan thing over my head for another twenty years," Elizabeth retorted with a laugh.
"Milan?" I piped up curiously.
"This Elizabeth here once invited me on holiday to Milan... naturally, she promised she was buying me lunch, but..." Vespera trailed off, looking amusedly at her friend. "Well, go on, confess, dear,"
"I forgot my money," Elizabeth admitted, the same unmoving, amused smile on her face.
Before they could continue reminiscing, there was a firm knock. A hefty landlady with dark eyes and raven hair entered the room. She resembled a small, wide barrel—a pure-blooded dwarf if I ever saw one. She even had clear traces of a black mustache under her nose. She certainly wasn't attractive, but at that moment, I didn't care. I was certain that the food she brought would taste great.
She held four menus in her hands, and a typical peasant shrewdness glinted in her dark eyes. She handed one to each of us, keeping the fourth—intended for the absent Rudolf—behind her back. The menu was essentially useless to me; I hadn't mastered the written form of this language yet. However, I told myself I'd decide whether to learn to write it based on how the food tasted. The Babylonian charm would help, but I could already feel the language settling in my head after a few hours with Elizabeth and Rudolf. My brain was soaking it up like a sponge, and the magical resonance of the translation was gradually fading.
"Bryndzová soup and bryndzové halušky with kefir milk," Vespera ordered first. "Twice," she added quickly when she caught my look. From hunger and exhaustion, she had completely forgotten that I couldn't read a single letter of those squiggles on the paper.
"I'll have the cabbage soup with bread," Elizabeth added to our order.
The landlady bowed respectfully. "Of course, Mrs. Bathory, right away," she replied and headed for the exit.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Elizabeth fixed her gaze on us: "Will you be coming to our castle, or are you heading home?"
"Home!" Vespera commanded sharply. "No one is getting me on a hike ever again."
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Vespi," the pale beauty Elizabeth laughed at my aunt. "Wait until Patrik needs to hunt something more dangerous than a mountain troll."
Vespera gave a defeated sigh and resignedly rested her head on her arms on the table.
"I assume that as soon as you get home, you'll be performing the ritual?" Elizabeth asked me. When I nodded, she continued: "From that wrist, make sure to use only clean bone and clean skin. You can't use the whole wrist as a chunk of meat."
"Of course, I'm not stupid," I smirked at her. "The book clearly says bone and skin. I'd have to be a madman to mix troll blood and other things into the ritual."
At that moment, however, a shiver ran through me. The idea that blood contamination might suddenly make me as dull as that monster from the cave, or cause some other unwanted effect—if it didn't just kill me outright—was chilling.
Elizabeth was grinning at me with amusement. I was starting to feel like I might get permanently lost in her deep gaze, but luckily we were interrupted by a knock. Since Vespera was still lying defeated with her face in her palms, it was up to me to respond. No one entered, though. After the second knock, I called out, "Come in!"
Instead of the old landlady, a young server entered—a girl who might have been about fifteen. She carried the food like a true pro. In her left hand, she had the main course plates skillfully stacked, a soup balanced in the crook of her elbow, and in her right hand, she held a wide black tray with the remaining soups and containers of white kefir.
With a small, sweet smile, she began serving the food according to our nods. She did everything elegantly and from the right side, which was the kind of service I would expect in top London restaurants rather than a Czechoslovak "dive." The world managed to surprise me once again.
The girl wasn't ugly—she had a slightly large nose, but exceptionally bright blue eyes and full lips. She was quite tall for her age, and her deep neckline made it clear that puberty had been generous to her. I was sure that down there, these weapons worked perfectly on the regulars. She seemed more like a part-timer; she was far too attractive to be the daughter of that mustachioed landlady, but you never know with family lines.
The waitress departed with a small bow and a pleasant smile. I, however, was already fully focused on the food, as was Vespera. The bryndzová soup was white, with a few green leaves and bits of chopped fried bacon floating on the surface. It didn't look particularly appetizing. I cautiously dipped my spoon into it. It was quite thick, but seeing Vespera eating contentedly, I took the plunge.
It tasted slightly cheesy—a strange creamy-salty flavor emphasized by the meaty bacon. I had to admit, it was excellent. I finished it so fast it was as if I'd been starving for a week. Because of that, I didn't hesitate for a second with the second course and immediately attacked the bryndzové halušky.
They looked like tiny, slimy white pieces of dough coated in cheese. There was no lack of spring onions and another portion of bacon. Visually, it was again no masterpiece, but the taste? That was divine. I literally bolted the halušky down, washing them down with sour kefir. Elizabeth smirked at me while elegantly enjoying her orange cabbage soup with a thick slice of homemade bread.
The portion was generous, so by the time I finished the last bite, I felt completely full. Vespera had overestimated her strength and finished halfway through; she just set her spoon down and puffed contentedly. Although I'd had enough, I greedily eyed her leftovers. When she caught my look, she just gave an understanding nod. Ravenously, I pulled her plate toward me, set her spoon aside, and attacked again. I gave those halušky no chance. When the plate was empty, I leaned back against the chair with my stomach about to burst.
"A moment of rest and then home?" Vespera asked with a smile.
I just nodded, "food-drunk." The meal had exhausted me more than the entire hike.
"National cuisine," Elizabeth announced proudly, adding with a smirk after a moment: "There might be something to what they say, after all."
I looked at her curiously, so she continued: "They say the British became the best sailors in the world for one simple reason: so they could find something better to eat in every corner of the planet than their own food." As soon as she finished, she burst into genuine laughter.
"We happen to have excellent steaks," I smirked at her.
"That you do," she conceded, but only after she finished laughing.
We continued resting and making occasional pleasant conversation for a few more minutes. I felt like today had been exceptionally successful. I had gained key ingredients for a new ritual, improved my proficiency in a new language thanks to magical resonance, and discovered amazing cuisine at the same time. Those unappetizing-looking bryndzové halušky truly had something magical about them... though I realized that nutritionally, they weren't much to write home about. Judging by the growing fatigue, it was pure carbohydrates and fat with minimal protein—ideal fuel for post-battle regeneration, but a killer for the physique.
In the end, Elizabeth left a small pouch of Galleons on the table. With my sincere and grateful thanks, we said our goodbyes. While she simply Apparated straight home, we faced a journey through the Floo Network and the Prague Ministry of Magic.
We arrived at our castle in the early evening. We didn't bother with dinner, still full from the heavy Czechoslovak cuisine. At our manor, we immediately went our separate ways. Vespera disappeared to attend to her duties, while I headed for my chambers. I decided to go over the ritual in the Codex Ritualis one more time. I didn't want to underestimate anything. I had the ingredients; now came the easier part—skinning and extracting the bone from the troll's wrist.
Styrax was already waiting for me in my room, sprawled out. He opened one eye the second I crossed the threshold. He greeted me with a short meow and immediately went back to sleep. Shaking my head, I shed my clothes and threw myself onto the bed next to him. I had the Codex Ritualis ready on my nightstand. I went through the entire ritual in detail twice; I had everything I needed. Tomorrow, I would prepare the wrist and perform it. I was firmly determined.
When exhaustion began to take over, I snapped the book shut. Before sleep, however, it was time for my routine—completely draining my magical core.
"Aguamenti," I whispered, hand outstretched toward the ceiling. Water immediately began to flow from my palm. With my mind, I forced it to change shape according to my imagination. I started with simple geometric shapes, but gradually moved on to detailed figures: Arthas, Illidan, an Adeptus Astartes in full armor, and finally the dragon Caraxes. My imagination was a powerful weapon, and this was my way of sharpening it.
It annoyed me slightly that I still couldn't control water non-verbally, even though I had no problem with fire. But I felt I was close. I had the urge to turn the water into ice, but I knew it would wake me up too much. My hydrokinesis wasn't strong enough to hold ice in the air effortlessly; it was hard to control and often shattered immediately after being created.
When I'd had enough of the water, I switched to Incendio. I didn't feel like playing around, so instead of a small flame, I conjured a substantially larger fire that immediately began to warm the room. Styrax meowed in disapproval, but I needed to drain my core as quickly as possible.
When I felt my magic was at its minimum, I switched to Occlumency. I checked my turbulent sea—the main defense of my mind. Everything was in order. I dove to the bottom and moved into my inner library. I quickly sorted through the day's memories: Rudolf's fear, the troll's cave, the taste of the halušky, and Elizabeth's gaze. Once everything was in its place, I closed my eyes with relief and let sleep claim me.
***
In the morning, I was woken by a weight on my chest and persistent cat meowing. Styrax was obviously hungry and took personal offense to the fact that I was still sleeping. I rolled onto my stomach, shaking him off with a hiss, but he stubbornly continued his concert.
"Wait a minute," I mumbled, cracking my stiff back with a practiced motion. My eyes were still crusty from sleep, but the little cat was hunting me down mercilessly.
"Meow!" it came again.
"Stop it, or you're getting nothing," I said irritably, but firmly. He silenced immediately. He'd been sleeping for twenty hours since yesterday's breakfast, and I can't even have a moment extra... The funny thing was, I was usually up long before this. If he hadn't woken me, I probably would have slept on; my body likely needed more regeneration than usual after yesterday's hike, which I felt slightly in my calves.
Styrax flicked his tail impatiently and watched me with bright green eyes—eagerly and, one could say, almost in a scowl.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," I got up quickly and pulled myself together. Thank God for hygiene charms. We headed for breakfast, where Vespera was waiting for me as usual. She was reading the Daily Prophet with interest, but looked up as soon as we entered.
"Good morning, did you sleep well?"
"Yes, great, though I would have kept going... if Styrax wasn't so annoying," I replied with a small smile and sat at the table. Styrax gracefully jumped onto the table a short distance from me. "How about you? Did you sleep well? And is there anything interesting in the news?"
Vespera nodded with a smile. "Yes, excellently, though I have sore muscles... thank you for asking. And since you ask... yes. There were reports of a fire and casualties in Knockturn Alley. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" she finished the question with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
***
Author's note:
Things are slowing down a bit for now. Rudolf was desperate to ditch the purebloods, and the trio got to experience some traditional food. I'm a huge fan of bryndzové halušky myself; they're my go-to meal every time I'm in Slovakia!
Also, Vespera's intuition is kicking in. A black cat appearing just as Knockturn Alley goes up in flames? Quite the coincidence, right? Haha.
***
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The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
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Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(16):
69. Ashes of Justice
70. The Scent of Despair
71. The Old Bird's Wisdom
72. Toujours Pur
73. The Emperor of Mankind
74. Two Romans Walk into a Bar…
75. Tactical Retreats
76. The Twelve-Year-Old Dark Lord
77. Poking the Snake
78. Of False Heroes and Tethered Minds
79. The Casual Intruder
80. The Silent Partner
81. The Black Inheritance
82. The Frequency of Intent
83. Of Blood and Thorns
84. Thorns, Wards, and Sly Foxes
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