I take a moment to think on the old dwarf's words. The enchantments he wants for his pipe sound reasonable enough. I can see why he would want it enchanted too. It is a very nice pipe after all. The complexity of the stacked enchantments should be similar to the staff I have enchanted for Danuta. Thus I might as well ask for a similar price too, but there is one more factor I need to consider. At long last I nod, as I inquire about that.

  “I can do that. Are you in a hurry? Or can I take my time?”

  He taps the pipe against the counter lightly as he thinks on the question for a moment.

  “It's not that I'm in a hurry, but I really want to give this little beauty a try. I have even got myself some twilight forest tobacco, a very rare mix, for the occasion. Could you get it done tomorrow?”

  I'm no expert on tobacco, regular or special, but I know that plants from the deepest depths of the Twilight Forest have special properties and usually price tags to match those. If he is willing to spend that kind of coin on the experience I might as well charge a little express delivery fee as well. Why not. After all it'll probably cost me most of my precious sleep tonight.

  I nod but let out a little sigh as I do.

  “Yes. I think I can get it done tomorrow. Probably around noon. I need good light when I write the enchantment, even if I get the design done over night. How does nine silver Crowns sound to you?”

  He makes as if to take a drag from the pipe, a motion obviously born out of habit, only to let out a sad sigh in the end as the pipe is, of course, not lit. His bushy brows furrow a little.

  “I know I'm rushing you a little, but let's say eight. That should still be a pretty good deal, right?”

  He isn't wrong in that regard. Eight silver Crowns is a good deal for an enchantment like that. It certainly is more than what Danuta paid for her staff. I nod in agreement and we shake hands to seal the deal.

  The old man seems pleased and somewhat relieved. Was he afraid that I might actually turn him down? Well, whatever it was, it is now a thing of the past. He flashes me a grin.

  “I'll leave the pipe with you then. You can find me down at the inn when you are done. Might as well take the time to sample some of the meals they serve. Maybe a drink or two too.”

  Then he is off with a wave.

  I return the gesture. Once he is out the door though I pick up the pipe and take it to the workshop in the back. When I return to the counter I open my notebook once more and get busy creating the new enchantment, all the while humming one of the tunes about Ksawery's adventures I have learned from Elzbieta.

  On one hand I use the enchantment for Danuta's staff as a reference. On the other hand I try my best to streamline this one. That way I can reduce the chance for it to fail outright or turn out bad or even into a curse. Thankfully I know all the runes I'll need for this one. The two individual enchantments aren't terribly exotic after all. Just as well. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to finish this tomorrow. Now that would be embarrassing.

  I tackle the self cleaning enchantment first. It will provide a solid base for the other one which is a little more complex due to the verbal trigger and the fact that it'll be the second enchantment on an already enchanted object.

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  Every once in a while I'll go back a few pages in my notebook and work on the wet nurse enchantment for the little figurine too. That one is a little more complex to begin with, enchantments that affect living beings usually are, but since it's only a single enchantment without a complex trigger it doesn't get too tricky either.

  By the time the sun begins to set I'm pretty much done with the designs for all of the enchantments I have planned. I'll go over the calculations one more time though before I give any of them a try, just to be sure rather than sorry.

  For now though, I have other things on my mind. I close the notebook and put it away. Next I close the shop. I can't help but stifle a yawn, as I step outside briefly and see the sun set. I'm not yet ready to turn in for the night though. Not by far.

  Once I have taken care of the shop I prepare Sour Cream's namesake treat for her. Then I head out down to the inn and the temple. The latter is in fact my first stop, as I want to check up on Elzbieta and little Ulryk. They are in good hands for sure, but I want to see them anyway.

  I don't quite reach my destination though, as Wislawa intercepts me in the temple's backyard garden.

  The priestess puts a finger to her lips before she talks in a low soothing tone.

  “The two are already asleep.”

  She winks at me, as she shows me inside quietly, where both mother and child are indeed fast asleep. Only when we are back outside though does she explain.

  “I made sure the boy wasn't the only one who got to eat dinner either.”

  I nod as I let her show me back out to the street.

  “Should I drop by tomorrow? Or should I prepare to welcome them home?”

  She tilts her head a little to think about it, before she finally answers.

  “There really shouldn't be any problems, but I'll keep them here at the temple for another day at least, just to make sure. So maybe drop by for lunch again tomorrow. Hm … and actually, why don't you prepare to welcome them home for the midsummer festivities?”

  That is a pretty important reminder. With everything going on I probably would have all but forgotten about everything but the midsummer night dance. And there really is more to midsummer than just that. I nod and take my leave.

  “See you tomorrow.”

  After one last exchange of waves I'm off towards the inn.

  At the inn I get another helping of toasted bread with the incredibly tender and tasty pulled pork. I have a little light wine too, but not too much. The old wizard is down at the inn too, surrounded by other adventurers, especially the younger ones, as he tells stories.

  What would be an idle pastime or light entertainment for me is much more for the adventurers. Sure, the old man puts some effort into spinning his tales in entertaining ways, but to anyone willing to listen and read in between the lines, these tales are still clever lessons as well.

  I don't linger too long though, entertaining as the stories might be. Instead I head back home. I don't head back inside right away. Instead I sit down on the bench out back to do a little stargazing for a change. It's a pretty nice night after all. The sky is clear and there is a gentle warm breeze.

  As I sit there I come to the realization that I don't want to turn in for the night yet. No, I still feel a little too excited for some reason. I cross the garden and head down to the creek to splash a little fresh water into my face. That is enough to make even the last vestiges of exhaustion disappear. Yes, I think I'm good to keep going for another hour or two.

  I already know what I'm going to do too. I'm going to finish the little enchanted figurine for Urszula. That one should be easy enough.

  As I return to the house I get my enchanted lantern and two more candles to properly light the workshop. I really should make some more enchanted lanterns. They probably would sell well too. That is for another day though. Now I have other priorities.

  I place the wooden figurine with its leather string at the center of the enchanting table. Then I start drawing the supporting lines and circles with charcoal. Only when I'm satisfied with those do I get a suitable piece of enchanter's chalk and after taking one more deep breath I start drawing the runes for the new and improved wet nurse enchantment one after the other.

  It's like with the last few enchantments. Time almost seems to come to a stop and most of the world around me fades out, as my attention focuses on the table and the figurine lying at its center.

  The runes come to me easily and all the lines are as neat as I can make them. It's like almost no time has passed when I finish the last line of the last rune, although I of course know that isn't really true. Then the circle of runes gets drawn into the figurine, as the enchantment takes hold without so much as a wobble or any delay.

  This has to be the smoothest one up to date. Yes, for sure.