The Vampire's Rose

Chapter 11: Fatigue

One week turned to two, then two to three. Before long, nearly a month and a half had passed since Calithea's arrival at Kallistar Court. The alchemist spent hours upon hours pouring over tomes of ancient texts in the library and her room, spending every waking moment scribbling something down on parchment that could clue in on the ailments of the grand duke.

She was lucky to discover there had been not one, not two, but three spell books in the library - all written by a woman named Blair Morana Kallistar.

Duchess Kallistar was the second duchess of Kallistar Court and a woman believed to be the descendant of the first great sorcerers - the one blessed by Murag the dragon queen. She had inherited her descendant's skills of alchemy and sorcery, a protective figure that had casted the first of the ogres out during the first of the ogre wars. Her powers were immense, but eventually faded after baring her first and only child - a little girl named Dahlia. However, Duchess Kallistar did keep her spell books - often referred as her 'Grimoires' - on hand and used the spells and notes within to assist in the aid of her people. When she passed away after her husband died, her daughter disappeared into oblivion - leaving the Kallistar legacy behind to be filled by the Emperor's closest friend at the time. It was a decision that would be regretted later during the winter season.

As for the duchess' grimoires, they were written in both the old Elatyriafian languages and the old Fae languages. Some texts, though, were far more advanced than Calithea had anticipated, often using a translation potion to assist in understanding the wording.

As she explored the books, Calithea realized that Duchess Kallistar was a very practical and organized woman. The first grimoire was a complete list of herbs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables that held magickal properties - even a list of the assorted stones and metals that were deemed useful as well. The second grimoire was the duchess' private diary - important dates and times lined up the beginning of each year and notes about certain spells and honors being held at certain points. Other notes included the lunar calendar, the wheel of the year, and dreams and prophecies she had had. The last grimoire was the actual spell book the duchess must've used. Compared to the other two books, the last grimoire seemed more worn with a few pages torn and felt of brittle leaves in Calithea's hands - the young alchemist nervous about destroying the pages with every turn.

She took care to go over every spell she could, looking for symptoms that might aid her in locating the specific spell that might have been used. Notes from the prior owner indicated to never cast a curse or hex upon someone, unless it was deemed necessary - which made Calithea wonder what caused Orianna to cast the spell in the first place.

The alchemist stood from her chair, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a loud yawn.

'Ugh... I need something,'  Calithea thought, grabbing her shawl and wrapping it around her shoulders, 'I wonder if Raelynn has something for me in the kitchen since I missed lunch.'

She opened the door to her chambers and stepped out, closing the door behind her.

The coolness of autumn had already begun to seep into the manor, the darkness from the lack of sunlight doing little to help keep the chill away. Heat from the hearths as well as the lit chandeliers overhead helped a little, but Calithea still felt a shudder run down her spine.

Something hot to eat and drink would do the trick.

A gentle pleasant warmth came from the entrance to the kitchens. Calithea watched from the entryway, one hand pressed to the propped open door as she watched the cooks scurry about. The sound of cleavers and sharpeners followed footsteps and shouts, the sizzling of homemade sausages paired with the smell of meat roasting over a fire. Clanks came from bread pans practically overflowing as the dough finished raising, several pans placed into the heat of the oven as several were pulled out and left on the counter to cool. More chops followed as vegetable waste was discarded and pulled out of the kitchen, making room for the cut up potatoes, celery, carrots, and other assorted vegetables to fall into separate pots.