Okay my Forever followers, I hope you have enjoyed learning some words of the Croatian language. I have included 3 new words, but have conveniently told you what they mean, so you do not have to look it up. :D I hope you continue to enjoy :D Please remember to comment, because you all are so wonderful, and I love hearing from you, and vote and share if you liked :D
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The toxic air of the tavern was a mixture of tobacco smoke, alcohol, and stinky drunk people. My feet finally found purchase with the floor. The only separation between my feet and the tavern floor were my boots. The scent of Nolan consumed me and I tried to create some distance between us before I fainted from lightheadedness. I retracted my arm, which had rested on his shoulder, against his neck, and placed a reassuring smile on my face.
"Grayson ordered some dinner for us. Are you hungry?"
Nolan looked awkward. He kept scanning the crowded tavern as if he was looking for someone, maybe his girlfriend? But I wasn't concerned with his love life. I was here for one thing, I reminded myself, to find Destiny.
"Great. I'm starving." I replied and followed him to the last high top table that surprisingly was not occupied.
Pulling out my chair for me, Nolan waited as I seated myself, before pushing my chair into place. Apparently, chivalry wasn't dead and I am sure I relayed that to my expression. But if I had, Nolan didn't acknowledge it. A sigh of relief left my lips in silence. Keeping my emotions unbiased was going to be difficult I could already see this. I just had to remind myself that I would probably never see him again and so developing any kind of relationship was a bad idea.
"Here you two are." Greyson said as he set down two amazing plates of freshly seared venison steaks before us.
"For Miss Aislin, we have what I call Divljina, also known as Wilderness. It is a grilled tenderloin venison steak, in a creamy champignon sauce, over rizoto, and paired with creamed spinach and caramelized carrots." I think I drooled over my plate. The aroma made my stomach gurgle with impatience. But I respectfully waited for Greyson to introduce Nolan's plate.
"And for my dear brother, I have prepared for you what I call Zmaj, or Dragon. It is a lightly seared, grilled tenderloin venison steak, topped with a spicy pepper sauce, with a side of fresh vegetables."
"Uzivati. Enjoy."
He departed our table quickly to return to the duties of bar keeping. I saw evidence of drool from Nolan as well, when he wiped the back of his hand against his mouth. His eyes definitely were bigger than his stomach. But who was I kidding? Men have huge appetite. It was myself I was concerned about. How was I going to eat all of this?
"Don't worry about eating at all. I can finish what you can't." His words were right on cue and I wondered if he had read my mind.
Not waiting another moment to find out if he could indeed read minds, I cut into the venison that lay before me. The meat was tough and I was sure it would taste just as gamey as the meat had this morning. Aside from the toughness, the juices that oozed out the sides made me curious to see how the meat had been seasoned and cook.
I dipped the small piece I had cut into the champignon sauce and placed it in my mouth. Closing my eyes, I savored the taste of Armagnac brandy, mixed with thyme, shitake mushrooms and tainted in cream to enhance the blend of ingredients. The Armagnac brandy that was evident in the sauce was a distant flavor I will never forget.
***
"Papa! Let me have a taste." I asked my father.
He had just returned home from working. I had no idea what he did, but every day he would come home and pour himself a tiny glass of his golden amber drink. He thought he had hid it from mum, but it was mum who made sure he never ran out.
"My little Aislin. This is for adults, not a young angel."
"But Papa! Please." I ran up to him, pulling on his untucked business shirt, staring up at him with admiration.
His hearty laugh warmed me from the inside out and made me grin from tiny ear to tiny ear. I knew he was going to let me try the forbidden liquid and that made the little sparkles in my eyes ignite and come to life. I was consumed with giddiness.
"Alright, my precious Aislin. But you must promise not to tell your mum. She will punish me if she finds out."
A sly smile crept up on my lips, for he did not see my mum peek her head from around the kitchen door. She winked at me and proceeded to let my papa give me a sip. She never mentioned a word of it.
As the liquid enter my mouth, I tried to swallow it, but instead found myself spitting it all over papa. His laugh roared through the house and his smile would be the last I would ever see of it.
***
The Armagnac that my papa had let me try that day now tingled my tongue. It was an aroma of flavors, everything from toasted almonds, with a hint of sweet caramel and vanilla, with a bit of spice, but pungent with bitterness. The silky rich texture was still present, even now in the creamy champignon sauce the flavor of which still lingered on my tongue. A small tear slowly escaped my eye and I slowly finished half of my meal, which was absolutely divine, but I couldn't shake the smile of my papa from my thoughts.
Using my slender fingers, I wiped away the single tear that had slipped down my cheek before Nolan had taken notice. I watched intently as he demonstrated self control while eating, savoring and chewing every bite that entered his mouth. I was sure this was to allow his stomach some time to vocalize when he was full, but to my astonishment, he kept on chewing and relishing every bite, until the very last one.
I looked down at my half eaten dinner and didn't have to ask as Nolan reached for it and cleared my plate as well. "My parents would have said you belong to the clean plate club." I said, forcing myself to smile, but only accomplishing half of it, and a pathetic one at that.
"Is that so?"
His eyes sparkled at my comment and he flashed his perfect white smile, lighting up his face, before furrowing his brows. In response, I frowned and twisted my upper torso to look in the direction of his gaze. I watched a tall, cloaked figure rise from the shadows of the dark corner booth, half hidden beneath the stairs. The lithe shadow slipped through the crowd, toward our table. I could feel my pulse quicken and I wondered how bad it could be? I had Nolan with me, his brother was only a few yards away and for the most part the tavern was lit as best it could be.
A strange scent wafted past us. It was sweet and fruity with a hint of floral. But the strange body who was now towering above us could in no way be a woman. There was no other way of knowing, as the strange being kept its hood low over its profile. The slender limbs that protruded from the body could have belonged to either female or male. But what was really perplexing was its voice. It was neither feminine nor masculine.
"I know who you are Aislin Camille Burd. I knew your mother and father as well. You have a long journey ahead of you."
For a brief moment, the strange and tall shadow stopped. I seized this opportunity to blurt out my own questions and thoughts. Terror already consumed me. So what else was left? It was obvious this being didn't want me dead. And at this point, anyone who knew my parents was good enough to talk to.
"How do you know my parents and what journey are you talking about?" I demanded.
"I was hoping you would ask, dear child. Your mother helped my family a long time ago and now I have come to return the favor."
I scoffed and replied a little too hostile, "you're a little too late for that."
It was as if time had stopped. The stranger bellowed, "silence!"
I felt myself shrinking into the deepest part of my thoughts. It was my safety zone where no one could hurt me. Suddenly, the air in the tavern became cold and I felt icy fingers wrap around me. The wind howled outside and the terrified look on my face was frozen in place. In fact, I wasn't going anywhere it appeared to be.
"Your journey, Aislin Camille Burd, starts with finding Aeneas. He will help you locate where Destiny is hiding. As for your friend here, he should know how to find the old man. Right, Nolan?" It said knowingly.
I saw Nolan slowly and cautiously nod his head in agreement. Not quite sure how to absorb the information given by the mysterious cloaked figure. Just as I thought the being was about to depart, it turned back to me and hovered there for a moment. Not only could I feel it's breath on me, I could smell the ocean on its breath as well; fresh water with a hint of salt. How peculiar.
"Do you know what your name even means, child?" It asked
I shook my head no, in fear if I spoke, I would be silenced again.
"It means A Vision of a Noble Girl. You would do best to live up to the name your mother gave you, Aislin." And with that, the tall, shadowy figure disappeared.
*****
This chapter is dedicated to @chocolateismine. God bless her and her cute prompts and waiting for me to update with new chapters. Thank you dear!
The picture in the media is the cloaked figure :D
So the soundtrack choice, which I think is perfect at this point in the book, is the soundtrack I used for the story plot line. Since the story line has taken a turn and this is where the action starts taking place, I have chosen Take Flight, by Lindsey Stirling. Enjoy!