Since Wednesday, Arminio had been searching the area around the gemstone deposits, suspecting that Lorelia was hiding there. Time and again, he switched to his magical vision, comparing the thermal image of everyone within a radius of several kilometres with the one he was looking for. He memorised all the men working in the mines and the women cooking food over a fire, but not the children playing. Over time, he also learned the routes and hiding places of the guards.
On Friday afternoon, Arminio looked at his pocket watch and grumbled in frustration. He had found no trace of Lorelia whatsoever. Soon, the sun would set in his homeland. Glancing up, he cast his magic one last time. He wanted to enjoy at least one success that week. Finally, he decided to return to Sicily in search of a night-time companion.
The stars shone in the sky and the flames of the lanterns flickered wildly in the sea breeze. Arminio sat naked in a wicker chair on the terrace of his Catania penthouse flat. His cigar glowed red and crackled softly as he smoked it. It was his way of celebrating a successful conquest. The young woman he had met in the old town was sleeping, exhausted and satisfied, in his guest bed. He would take her home as soon as she could stand. He could not bear the thought of falling asleep next to a playmate, let alone having her in his bedroom.
The stale smoke in his mouth tasted unpleasant. He blew it out, his jaw muscles tensing as he clenched his teeth. He barely noticed the harbour lights as he lowered his arm. He shook his head in disbelief. He continued to rule out the possibility of communicating telepathically with Lorelia. No matter what he said, she would hardly believe him. He would never expose himself by admitting that a mission was impossible for him. Shouldn't I just ask Ferron? The corner of his mouth twitched upwards. Nonsense. The situation isn't that dangerous for Lorelia.
He had to locate her.
However, if the earth mage was hiding in one of the caves, the deep rock would conceal her skin temperature from him. That would never work. He reached for the glass on the side table with his left hand. Giving up is not an option, he told himself. I've hunted adversaries in the Roman catacombs before. That had been his most difficult assignment yet, but they hadn't had magical powers.
Arminio took a big gulp. The smoky taste of tobacco mingled with the fruity notes of the wine, and he realised that he needed something stronger. However, he wouldn't reach for the whisky until he had brought his conquest home. Lost in thought, he stared into his glass.
The problem was that Lorelia could transport herself to the other end of the world in an instant via a portal. However, his gut feeling told him that she was still in the Minas Gerais area. She had deliberately removed herself from her father's sphere of influence. He scraped the tobacco residue from his ashtray deliberately. How could he use the fact that she felt safe to his advantage?
Arminio took a drag on his cigar, blowing smoke rings into the air as he savoured the aroma. He slowly closed his eyes and savoured the taste.
Would it make sense to remain in one spot in the forest for days on end just to capture her attention? After all, she was only an apprentice, and her magic might not yet extend far enough to sense him. She might as well be on another continent; his search could be a complete waste of time. Damn.
He took another drag on his cigar, and a brief magical impulse extinguished the fragrant fire in his hand — but not his hunting instinct. Except for Sunday dinner with la famiglia, he would continue working over the weekend.
Omg, my absolute favorite part of this scene is when Arminio in his just sitting on his terrance cigar in hand thinking through all impossible odds finding Loorreellia. I love how and intense and focused he is, yets there this almost sensual, contemplative vibe with the smoke curling in the sea breeze and the wine in the hand. The mix of his sharp hunting instict with these quiet, intimate moments of reflection made me so hooked you can feel his obsession and determination in every words, and it's honestly thriling to watch him and calculate like this.
Thank you very much. I had so much fun writing this scene and imagining him sitting there. He will suffer even more as the story progresses. ;-)
You can really how much fun you had with that scene it made it so vivid. I'll brace myself for what's coming next and happily keep reading. if you're comfortable with it, I'd love to switch platform so I can explain what really caught my attention in your story.
I'd love to. Are you on Instagram? You can find me at @linde_multicrafter. PS: I have unlocked the book for you. I'm still translating it from German to English.
Yeah, Instagram is works for me! I've just followed you on instagram and sent you message as well.